England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hatcliffe St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Hatcliffe lies in northeastern Lincolnshire roughly 7 miles southwest of the port of Grimsby. Hatcliffe is a small village sitting a little over 2 miles west of the A18 road which links Louth with Brigg. Hatcliffe sits on the eastern edges of the Lincolnshire Wolds in a valley formed by the Waithe Beck either side of which sits properties with both the church and the greater concentration lie to the south of that stream. Like most Lincolnshire parishes Hatcliffe would have earned its living from arable farming, albeit here the valley setting would have given access to pastures which amounted to a third of the total acreage. The Wraithe Beck drains the parish eastwards after flowing out of the Wolds it becomes entangled in the much man-influenced drainage further east following man-made channels to emerge into the North Sea through Tetney Haven. Hatcliffe is sited at around 35 metres above the sea, the somewhat gently rolling terrain of the Wolds rising to local heights of almost 90 metres to the south at Petterhills. Hatcliffe parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering close to 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of around 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Hatcliffe was equally small, a holding of Count Alan of Brittany it offered merely 4 ploughs and a small meadow yet this tiny place offered 2 mills.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the heart of the small village on the western side of the main lane running through and just south of the Waithe Beck's bridge.The church shows fabric dating back to the 12th century albeit a snall piece from that time, the southern doorway to the nave being given a late 12th century dating by Pevsner and placing it in the Norman Romanesque period. Slightly later and 13th century Early English Gothic in style one finds the rather blocky western tower complete with a southeastern stair-turret.  The tower, however, has odd single-light bell-openings on both northern and western faces which could indicate an earlier origin. Whilst much else is the result of later restoration forensic investigation by Pevsner reveals more 13th century work in a northern arcade. That which is not 13th century or earlier is as a result of a thorough restoration of the early 1860s at which time the chancel was rebuilt as well as a general and thorough refresh of the remainder. Parking is best slightly north of the site, the churchyard is faced by a post & rail fence with metal gates granting entry to a churchyard with few obstacles for the photographer.