England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
West Burton St Helen

The Parish

The parish of West Burton lies in northeastern Nottinghamshire not too far from the county's border with neighbouring Lincolnshire, the border being formed by the River Trent. West Burton is located roughly 3 miles southwest of the port and market town of Gainsborough and sits a little over 2 miles southeast of the A620 road which links Gainsborough with East Retford. West Burton is a deserted medieval village that has ceased to exist as an entity, the parish became depopulated during the 18th & 19th centuries and is now completely vanished but for the humps and bumps of its former existence. The village site can be found immediately southeast of the industrial complex of West Burton power station. The only population today sits at various farms. Much of the parish acreage sat within the immediate floodplain of the Trent and would have been largely set to pasture. West Burton is drained northwards by the Trent which reaches the Humber Estuary after merging with Yorkshire's Dales rivers and thence to the North Sea. West Burton is sited at around 10 metres above the sea in gentle terrain that gradually rises to almost 40 metres westwards away from the Trent. West Burton was one of the smallest parishes in its county covering merely 936 acres and supported fewer than 50 parishioners during the transcript period. In Domesday times West Burton is recorded in 2 entries, one is a regional entry referring to many manors whereas the second, held by Roger de Bully is more likely to refer to the specific manor, here there were 1 ploughs, some woodland and a fishery.

The Church

St Helen's church was demolished at the point the village ceased to be viable, in 1886, although other sources claim 1896. Early gazetteers refer to the church as a plain edifice which is readily apparent from the few surviving archive images. Just a simple box of nave and chancel combined and augmented by a western bellcote it was not dissimilar to many other such small parish churches. Despite the church's plain and simple architecture it had been here foe a long time, the first mention of the church being in the latter half of the 12th century. It is likely the church that was demolished was probably 13th century with 15th century modifications documented in will donations. A few head-stones may be encountered by following public rights of way northeastwards from Sturton le Steeple.