England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Carlton in Cleveland St Botolph

The Parish

The parish of Carlton in Cleveland lies in northern Yorkshire, indeed it is in the northern part of the North Riding. Carlton in Cleveland is located about 3 miles south of the large village of Stokesley on the northern edge of the North York Moors. Carlton in Cleveland sits about a half mile south of the A172 road which links Stokesley with the busy A19 road (Teesside to the A1 Great North Road). Carlton in Cleveland is a rather small and linear village largely built along a narrow lane which heads southeastwards to the sharp climb onto the North York Moors at Carlton Bank. The area around Carlton in Cleveland would have had two main stems to its economic activity, the area is dominated by pastoral farming and in addition the local hills are a rich source of Alum for which a high demand for labour to extract would have helped boost the economy. The main lane of the village runs largely alongside the appropriately named Alum Beck which drains the parish northwards, The Alum Beck is a tributary of the River Leven which in turn joins the Tees at Yarm and reaches the North Sea through the Tees Estuary. Carlton in Cleveland is sited at around 90 metres above sea level on a gentle slope rising gradually to the sudden scarp face of the North York Moors, local heights of 408 metres being reached on Carlton Bank within 2 miles of St Botolph's church. By northern standards Carlton in Cleveland parish is small covering less than 1,400 acres it is more typical of a southern parish, it would have supported a population of barely 250 parishioners. In Domesday times Carlton in Cleveland was held by one Count Robert of Mortain, it could offer 6 ploughs although it held potential for a further 15.

The Church

St Botolph's church sits on the western side of Carlton in Cleveland's main lane in a rather elevated position above lane & beck. The building is a fairly modern replacement having been built in 1896, it uses a style derived from the Decorated period whilst the square-headed aisle and clerestory windows are a feature. The building is clearly of little architectural interest as Pevsner dismisses it in less than a handful of lines. The building is reached from the lane by a sloping tarmac pathway which reaches a wide lych gate, the churchyard is surrounded by a low local stone wall. The site is relatively open with few impediments to photography.