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

The Parish

The parish of Horncastle lies in central Lincolnshire roughly 21 miles east of the county town of Lincoln. Horncastle sits at the crossroads of two of the major roads in the county the A153 linking Sleaford with Louth and the A158 linking Lincoln with Skegness, it also sits at the confluence of the Rivers Bain and Waring at the southern end of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Horncastle is a market town which is set mostly on the eastern banks of the Bain wherein it runs for a mile or so alongside, a smaller settlement and part of the town sits west of the river either side of the A158. Horncastle has a long history, it is believed to have its origin as a Roman fort with fragments of their Bannovallum surviving within the town. The castle which gave the town its name pre-dates the Norman Conquest but was sacked before their arrival. A market was granted to the town in 1230 and during the Middle Ages Horncastle flourished as a regional market and centre for specialist skills, a speciality in tanning was, however, short lived. Following a period of recession through the 17th century the town was re-born with the opening of the Horncastle Navigation Canal connecting the town with Lincoln and Boston, this boosted trade as corn & wool from the region flowed to the wider county and beyond. The railway arrived from Lincoln in 1855 but has closed and largely disappeared, the canal too is now disused but is ever the subject of re-opening debates nowadays for the holiday boating trade. A unique feature of the town from the 13th century or even earlier  was its horse fair which, too, sadly ceased in 1948. Nowadays Horncastle is once again merely a market town set within its largely arable landscape. Horncastle is drained southwards by a combination of the Waring and Bain, continuing as the Bain which meets the Witham and runs southeast to the North Sea arriving through the port of Boston. Horncastle is sited at around 30 metres above the sea at the Bain's bridge rising 10 metres higher in its outer suburbs, land rises gently but steadily northeastwards onto the Wolds reaching 137 metres on nearby Castcliffe Hill. Horncastle parish was typically sized for its area covering around 2,000 acres and supporting a population of close to 4,500 parishioners, the population at close of the transcript period had risen from around 2,000 at its mid-point. Whilst Horncastle's Domesday entry indicates it was large enough to be amongst the largest 20% of settlements by population its assets failed to replicate that size, held directly by King William it could muster merely 5 ploughs with some meadows, the 2 mills made it slightly more prosperous, however.

The Church

St Mary's church sits about 100 yards north of the High Street accessed along Church Lane it stands within a park-like town block running parallel to the main road. The church is largely built in a green sandstone obtained from the area around Spilsby it gives the church a distinct character. The earliest parts of the church are of the 13th century Early English Gothic era, the bulky and broad western tower has lower stages of this era marked by two characteristic lancets on its western face, the upper stages are later from the early 14th century and Decorated in style. Also Early English Gothic in style are the 4-bay arcades, 3 are pure 13th century whilst the change to the 14th century style is already present in the eastern and fourth bay. It is likely the basic nave and chancel were completed, too, during this Transitional period of 13th into 14th century but much was altered later and the Perpendicular style flourishes through the remainder of the church. Both northern and southern chapel reflect this style rather well with a late 14th or early 15th century date, the clerestory, too, was added in the Perpendicular style, a common change made to improve internal lighting. Restoration began early as the church was in a poor state of repair by the start of the 19th century, in 1820-21 the aisles were rebuilt and this work was followed between 1859 - 1861 by a major Victorian restoration due to the poor state of the readily weathered sandstone, brick was extensively used to replace the more damaged sections. Church Lane has a few parking spots for the fortunate, otherwise a town car park is the best choice. The square in which the church sits is broader at the eastern end allowing a line of sight along the great length, otherwise views from the south are removed by the many trees placed alongside, from the west is an excellent view of the western tower but angles are difficult all around due to the tree-cover.