England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Timberland St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Timberland lies in the south of central Lincolnshire. Timberland is about 10 miles northeast of the market town of Sleaford. Timberland sits just east of the B1189 road which links Billinghay with Metheringham. Timberland is a compact village with most buildings clustered around a crossroads of lanes. The village is located on the edge of low and largely reclaimed land. The height gain is not large but enough that Timberland keeps its feet dry. The parish has consequently two main areas, the low lying Fenland and the slightly dryer land which rises to the west to eventually become the Lincolnshire Wolds. The land today is dominated by arable farming in large open fields, in the past the Fenland would have held more pasture. Timberland stands at about 10 metres above sea level. The drainage of the area has been much altered by man but nowadays drains eastwards to the Witham River and the North sea through Boston. The parish was large, bolstered by the reclaimed land to the east, and supported a substantial population, in the region of 1,600 parishioners albeit less then half in Timberland village itself. In Domesday times Timberland was held by four tenants each holding a portion of a prosperous settlement, the parish supported around 13 ploughs together with productive woodland on the higher ground.

The Church

St Andrew's church lies towards the southern end of the settlement, from the main crossroads Church Street runs southwards before eventually becoming just a footpath heading for Walcott. St Andrew's church sits just east of this street accessed down Norwood Yard. The church dates largely from a restoration of the 1880s, whilst this was extensive traces of the history of the building can still be found. The western tower is a hybrid of Early English style with a Perpendicular top and other Early English features can be found. The arcades show evidence to place them in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The restoration probably removed other evidence but it is clear that St Andrew's church has been around in something like its present form since the 13th century. The churchyard is entered through tall gates at the end of Norwood Yard and is open and largely devoid of trees, as a consequence photography is straightforward.