England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Lusby St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Lusby lies towards the southeast of central Lincolnshire. Lusby is located roughly 5 miles east of the market town of Horncastle and sits on the B1195 road which links the A158 close to Horncastle through to Spilsby. There is very little to modern day Lusby, a mere group of properties clustered around a crossroads, little more than a hamlet with no village facilities. Lusby sits on Lincolnshire's Wolds, an upland region higher than is customarily associated with this county, which would have been dominated by the raising of sheep on the thin and calcareous soils. Today Lusby has a much more arable farming regime as modern fertilisers and machinery have made it economic. Nowadays most visits to this area are to the Snipe Dales Country Park, a local wildlife reserve occupying the head of the valley of the River Lymn and just northwest of Lusby. The parish is drained eastwards by the Lymn which, beyond Spilsby, becomes the Steeping River to reach the North Sea at Gibraltar Point. Lusby is sited at around 90 metres above the sea, the Wolds rise more gently westwards to reach almost 120 metres at nearby Winceby. Lincolnshire is a county of small parishes and Lusby was typical, covering close to 900 acres it would have supported a population of around 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Lusby was a much bigger place, held by Gilbert of Ghent it offered 14 ploughs, a large meadow and possessed a mill.

The Church

St Peter's church sits just north of the B1195 about 200 metres north along Water Lane. Given the tiny hamlet it is surprising that such an ancient church still exists but it is one that Pevsner found of great interest. His attention is drawn to the northeastern quoin of the nave where Saxon long-and-short-work is evident. This work together with further signs in both nave and chancel are indicative of a Saxon, pre-Conquest, origin for the church, Pevsner tentatively assigns an early 11th century date. Augmenting this Saxon work are blocked Norman Romanesque doorways to both north and south from the 12th century whilst the chancel has a lancet style window of the Early English Gothic period in its southern wall. A typical Victorian restoration occurred, in this case in the early 1890s, which saw a general refresh and the construction of the western bell-turret to replace a former western tower, traces of that tower can still be seen. Water Lane has broad verges allowing careful parking. the churchyard is elevated above road level with a low post and rail around it. A short flight of steps leads up from the southwestern corner to an open and uncluttered churchyard with no obstacles for the photographer.