England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Austerfield St Helena

The Parish

The chapelry of Austerfield lies in the extreme south of Yorkshire forming a stretch of the border with neighbouring Nottinghamshire and also being close to that with Lincolnshire. Austerfield's situation is something of an irregularity, being a detached Yorkshire chapelry of a Nottinghamshire parish. Austerfield is located roughly 1 mile northeast of the market town of Bawtry and sits on the A614 which connects Bawtry with Thorne. The A614 heads east from Bawtry paralleling the River Idle, from the point it turns sharp northwards Austerfield comprises a long strip of properties either side of that road, running for almost three-quarters of a mile. Austerfield sits on the western edge of Yorkshire's fen-land, keeping its feet dry but exploiting the resources of the fen. An arable farming economy would have been supported by reed harvesting, wildfowling and grazing of the water-meadows. Today Austerfield is surrounded by modern developments, the East Coast Main Line railway from London to Scotland passes just to its west, whilst to the north lies Robin Hood Airport. The River Idle drains the parish, on a largely man-interfered course, eastwards to join the Trent and reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Austerfield is sited at just 10 metres above the sea, eastwards the land approaches sea-level but gently rises westwards to around 30 metres. From the wider parish of Blyth, Austerfield has roughly 2,700 acres in which a population of close to 300 parishioners would have been supported. In Domesday times Austerfield was a somewhat larger place, held by Count Robert of Mortain it had a very impressive 32 ploughs, a meadow and extensive woodland and also had 2 mills making it a very profitable holding indeed.

The Church

St Helena's church sits towards the northern edge of Austerfield and on the eastern side of the A614. Despite its twee Victorian bellcote the church has ancient origins with both the southern doorway and chancel arch dating to the 12th century in Norman Romanesque style. To that early work much was added, a northern aisle of the late 12th century being Transitional whilst the western face shows two Early English Gothic windows of the early 13th century whilst the eastern window is in the Decorated style of the late 13th. At the start of the 19th century the aisle had been demolished and the arcade walled-up, it's rediscovery and renewal were funded by descendant of the Mayflower in honour of William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony (he was baptised here in 1590). The red tiled roof, porch and bellcote are all from the Victorian era making today's church. The church has an extensive lay-by alongside the A614 enabling a lengthy visit, just as well as the church sits tucked away behind trees at the far end of an extensive, if narrow, churchyard. The church is, however, not impeded by any obstacles for the photographer once reached by its meandering pathway.