England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Burton Latimer St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Burton Latimer lies in eastern central Northamptonshire about 4 miles southeast of the large town of Kettering. Burton Latimer is a large village, substantially enlarged in modern times, which lies on the former route of the A6 (now bypassing to its east) road which connects Kettering with Bedford. Burton Latimer formerly consisted of two distinct clusters, one to the south of the old A6 another to its east, the latter containing the church; in modern times much new development has a western quarter to dominate the built-up area. At the time of this transcript Burton Latimer was still a large village sitting on the eastern banks of the River Isel, its farming economy largely arable with employment in both weaving of worstead and the manufacture of carpets, some quarrying of the local oolitic limestone for local building use also occurred. Modern developments have almost enveloped Burton Latimer, a railway line from Kettering to Bedford runs along the western side of the Isel whilst the cross-country expressway of the A14, almost motorway standard today, cuts through between Burton Latimer and its larger neighbour Kettering. The Isel drains the parish southwards, meeting the Great Ouse at Wellingborough and turning east to make its way to the North Sea arriving through The Wash. Burton Latimer is sited at around 70 metres above the sea in gentle terrain, across the Isel's valley land rises gently to a little over 100 metres towards Orlingbury. Burton Latimer was one of the larger parishes in this area, covering close to 2,300 acres it would have supported a population of a little over 950 parishioners. In Domesday times Burton Latimer was shared between Guy de Raimbeaucourt and Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances and was already a wealthy and populous holding sufficient to place it in the top 20% of settlements recorded in the book, collectively their assets amounted to 19 ploughs, meadows and woodland and there were 2 mills.

The Church

St Mary's church sits in the eastern portion of the village on the southern side of Church Street, the lane continuing onwards to Cranford St Andrew. Whilst the church has been heavily modified over the centuries it is of very ancient origins albeit little remains of those early periods. Forensic work by Pevsner highlights sufficient remaining detail in a respond and piers to indicate that the original church was Norman Romanesque in style from the 12th century, moreover it originally was a typical cruciform church common during that period. Not long after the original construction modifications began with a late 12th century addition of a southern aisle, modifications continued down the centuries. The early 13th century and Early English Gothic added both a northern aisle and the southern doorway. Major changes in the early 14th century included the demolition of the crossing tower and its replacement with a western version, the tower is in the Decorated style. Many windows were replaced during the Perpendicular era but it was the Victorian restoration which saw the remaining major changes, that Decorated western tower was completely rebuilt in 1866 as part of a major overhaul which leaves the external faces of the church "much too restored" as Pevsner states. Parking can be found westward of the church or in the side road of Church View, the main entrance from Church Street has arched metal gates penetrating the local stone wall that surrounds the churchyard. Sadly this is a rather cramped and crowded churchyard with many trees closely spread around the church requiring much perusal of the few angles remaining to the photographer.