England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Rand cum Fulnetby St Oswald

The Parish

The parish of Rand (which incorporates the unlicensed chapelry of Fulnetby) lies in central Lincolnshire about 8 miles northeast of the city of Lincoln and 2 miles west of the large village of Wragby. Rand lies about a half mile north of the A158 road which connects Lincoln with Horncastle, Fulnetby, a further half mile away, sits on the B1399 which runs to Market Rasen from the A158. Rand is a small and compact village mostly built to the east of its main lane, Fulnetby is little more than a hamlet with just a few farms and cottages. The area around both settlements is almost totally devoted to arable farming, an activity that would have applied at the time of this transcript as well as today. A number of small streams and man-made channels drain the parish southwestwards to join the Barlings Eau and eventually reach the North Sea through the River Witham. Both settlements are sited at around 25 metres above sea level and they sit on a fairly level plain at about this height but gently rising eastwards towards the Lincolnshire Wolds. The combined parish of Rand cum Fulnetby (sometimes rendered Fulnery) was of a fairly typical size for this area of small parishes, it covered around 1,000 acres and would have supported a population of just under 150 parishioners. In Domesday times the settlements merited separate entries, both were held by one Erneis of Buron and collectively offered 16 ploughs as well as meadows and woodland.

The Church

St Oswald's church sits to the northeast of Rand village and is best accessed on foot from the village green (150 metres east of Rand's main lane). The church is strange in being dominated by its very broad western tower, it seems to me too large for the rest of what is a small church. Much of the main body of the church had to be rebuilt in Victorian times due to ruination and collapse, the northern aisle was removed in 1783 too. The tower has windows from the Decorated era but Pevsner speculates that these are not original and seems reluctant to place any firm dates on the structure other than rebuild dates. It is likely that the building dates from the 14th century, however. From the triangular village green a metalled driveway leads the hundred metres or so to another triangular site, namely the churchyard. This is surrounded by mature trees but once inside there are few obstructions to photography.