England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Market Rasen St Thomas

The Parish

The parish of Market Rasen lies in northeastern Lincolnshire about 12 miles northeast of the county town of Lincoln. Market Rasen is a small market town which sits on the A631 road which connects Louth with Gainsborough at its crossroads with the A46 (Lincoln to Grimsby) road. As a market town Market Rasen would have offered the means to sell local produce as well as to provide specialist skills not available within the local villages. The local hinterland is intensely arable and grain and the processing thereof was an important trade. The local soils, too, are fairly clay-rich so a brick making industry was present, many examples can be seen around in the town's buildings. Modern developments have come to Market Rasen, the construction of a rail line between Lincoln and the Humber ports gave improved access to market and exports and a growth in the town. Today Market Rasen remains a rural market town, a shopping centre for its local area and with a range of, usually, light industry. One local attraction that the town holds is its horse racing course to the southeast of the town. Market Rasen sits on the River Rase, from which its name derives, which drains westwards to join the Ancholme before turning north to reach the outer Humber Estuary. Market Rasen is sited at around 25 metres above the sea in fairly gentle terrain, land rises northeastwards towards the Lincolnshire Wolds reaching 100 metres within 2 or 3 miles. The parish of Market Rasen was small, even by Lincolnshire standards, being little more than the town and its immediate surroundings, it covered just over 700 acres but would have supported a population of a little over 2,000 parishioners. In Domesday times Market Rasen was returned as part of a block containing the town and its two rural counterparts, Middle & West Rasen, it being difficult to determine the split. recorded in 10 separate entries spread over 6 landholders it was amongst the largest 20% of settlements recorded in the book. Collectively the 3 parishes could account for an impressive 31 ploughs extensive meadows and no fewer than 5 mills; a very wealthy asset to the country at that time.

The Church

St Thomas' church sits just north of the A631 as it passes through the town forcing the northbound road to make a right-angled turn around the churchyard. There are medieval portions to the church but much was altered in more modern times so Pevsner's account is shorter than would be expected for such a prominent building in a market town. From the earliest period comes the arch into the nave which is tentatively dated to c1300, following this early piece comes the tower where documentary evidence places its construction into the first decade of the 15th century. Also from that Perpendicular period is the western doorway and the western window. A major restoration of 1862, in which both interior and exterior were extensively changed, was followed by further work in 1877 (addition of a northeastern chapel) and in 1884 (restoration of the upper portion of the ironstone tower). George Street, on which the church sits, has no parking so side streets are best sought for that. The church sits in a slightly elevated situation relative to the road behind a mid-height local brick wall with the main entrance at the northern end of the site. The churchyard is relatively open & inlcuttered and most angles are available to the photographer.