England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Mattersey All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Mattersey lies in northern Nottinghamshire not too far from both borders with neighbouring Yorkshire and also that with Lincolnshire. Mattersey is located roughly 9 miles west of the Lincolnshire market town of Gainsborough, sitting on the western banks of the River Idle and also on the B6045 which heads from the Gainsborough to Bawtry road through towards Blyth. Mattersey is a small and compact village with most properties built around a square of lanes to the east of the B6045. As the village sits on the broad flood-plain of the Idle the economy would have been mixed with pastoral farming on those rich meadows augmented by arable farming of largely cereals and root crops on higher ground. The rich pastures were sufficiently productive to grant Mattersey an annual cattle fair but this has long since ceased. The Idle drains the parish northwards and turns east to meet the Trent to the north of Gainsborough and thence to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Mattersey is sited at just 7 metres above the sea, only the ridge, that supports nearby Everton rising to just over 20 metres, separates the village from the vast Carrs of the Yorkshire Fens. By northern Nottinghamshire standards Mattersey parish was on the smaller side, covering just under 2,600 acres it would have supported a population of close to 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Mattersey was a relatively small and inconspicuous place, largely held by the King it could offer just 6 ploughs together with the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

All Saints' church sits at the heart of the village, just east of the B6045 along Main Street at the junction with Abbey Road. Externally the church shows a face which is dominated by Perpendicular work but this is, however, an indicator of a significant rebuild during the late 14th century. Pevsner points to interior work from the 13th century in an Early English Gothic style which shows the church complete in its basic structure of nave & chancel with aisles by the end of that 13th century. It is clear that much work was done in the 14th century, the western tower dates from that period as does the chancel's northern chapel and the arcades. A major restoration of the 1860s also saw much work including the re-roofing of the building. The church sits well back from Main Street, with a small parking area at the front, metal gates lead to a lengthy pathway across a broad and uncluttered churchyard having few obstructions for the photographer.