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

The Parish

The parish of Utterby lies in northeastern Lincolnshire about 4 miles northwest of the market town of Louth. Utterby is a small and compact village lying on the A16 road which connects Louth with Grimsby. Most of the properties within Utterby either line that road or Church Lane which heads westwards off it. Utterby would, at the time of this transcript, have earned its living almost entirely from farming. The village sits at the break of slope between the flat coastal plain (dominated by pastoral farming) and the start of the Lincolnshire Wolds where a more arable regime predominated. Utterby is drained by a number of small streams which, prior to interruption by manmade drainage schemes, would have flowed to the North Sea through Grainthorpe Haven. Utterby is sited at around 30 metres above the sea and land rises to its west to local heights almost 100 metres higher. Utterby parish was of a fairly typical size for the area, it covered just under 1,600 acres and would have supported a population of about 200 parishioners. There is no mention of Utterby in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits on the northern side of Church Lane about 200 metres from its junction with the A16. Pevsner's opening remark that the church is a "rather rough-looking building" is a reflection of the curious mixture of stone used in its construction (ironstone & chalk) giving the rather patchy appearance. The church is largely of the Decorated style and probably early 14th century as a result. The western tower, southern transept and windows of the northern aisle are of this style whilst the chancel shows features of the following period, the Perpendicular. This probably indicates a continuous build passing through the fashion change rather than a restoration. The church sits behind a thick head-height hedge & white picket fence where a gate grants access. The churchyard is fairly open with few impediments to photography.