England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Harringworth St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Harringworth lies in the extreme north of Northamptonshire, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Rutland. Harringworth is located 5 miles north of the industrial new town of Corby. Harringworth is a small and compact crossroads village sitting on the southern banks of the River Welland about a half mile south of the B672 which parallels the northern banks from Caldecott to Morcott. Harringworth stands in the shadow of the impressive Welland Viaduct built to enable the Kettering to Oakham rail line to cross the Welland's valley. Harringworth sits on good lime-rich sandstones and arable agriculture would have been the mainstay of its economy. The Welland drains the parish northeastwards to eventually reach the North Sea through The Wash. Harringworth is sited at around 50 metres above the sea and some 10 metres above the Welland, the area is gently undulating with local heights reaching just over the 100 metre contour. Harringworth parish was towards the larger scale for the area, it covered just over 3,300 acres and would have supported a population of around 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Harringworth was held by one Countess Judith and could offer 13 ploughs, some meadow and woodlands together with a mill.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits on the eastern side of the lane leading down to the Welland bridge. The church shows all of the evidence of a build or rebuilds lasting over 200 years. Pevsner identifies the western tower as the earliest part and indicates it was commenced around 1200. The chancel arch and doorway he dates as around 1300 but they are built into a rebuilt chancel of the Perpendicular era. Much of the nave shows the fashionable Decorated style of the early 14th century as do the southern aisle & porch and the northern aisle and the arcades. For once there is no obvious evidence of a Victorian makeover and the church is the better for that. The churchyard is surrounded by a chest height local stone wall and an arched pair of wooden gates grants access. The church is quite hemmed in from the west by trees but has open views from the eastern end of the churchyard.