England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Danby Wiske Parish Church

The Parish

The parish of Danby Wiske lies in northern Yorkshire roughly 4 miles northwest of the market town of Northallerton. Danby Wiske sits a little over 2 miles west of the A167 road which links Northallerton with the County Durham town of Darlington. Danby Wiske is a small and compact village sitting grouped a three-way meeting of lanes with most properties lying around that junction and with an easterly tail. Danby Wiske sits within the Vale of York, between twin hill massifs the Dales and the North York Moors, as such its economy in this flattish land was totally dependent upon farming with pastoral farming in the main dominating. Danby Wiske has become an unlikely way-stop on a national trail in recent times with A A Wainwright's Coast to Coast Trail crossing the gap between hills and passing through Danby Wiske which earns the village a number of overnight stays. Modern developments have come to the parish, the East Coast Main Line between London & Durham passes through a quarter mile east of the village but doesn't grant Danby Wiske a station. Danby Wiske sits on the western banks of the River Wiske which drains the parish southwards to meet the Swale west of Thirsk. The Swale in common with all of the Dales' rivers heads south to join up through the Humber Estuary to the sea. Danby Wiske is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in gently undulating countryside where high points rarely rise above 60 metres until the North York Moors, way to the east, are reached. Danby Wiske was an extensive parish, albeit this included its southern chapelry of Yafforth which has its own page in this project, collectively the two covered just over 3,200 acres and supported a population of around 350 parishioners. Danby Wiske is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

Danby Wiske's parish church, which has no known dedication, lies to the southeast of the village accessed by a little dead-end lane from that headed toward Yafforth. Traces of the church's earliest history remain, its tympanum being 12th century Norman Romanesque in style and carrying an image, now well-worn, of 3 figures.  It is likely the main body of the church was erected in the 13th century, the Early English Gothic period but of that era only the northern arcade now survives showing that styling due to later rebuild and renewal. The chancel is dateable to the early 14th century showing the cusped tracery of that era. The great church-building era of the Perpendicular made the most change to the church with today's western tower being the main relic, at the same time the southern wall was heightened and there was a typical feature, a clerestory, inserted. For once Pevsner fails to note a Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was clearly light and sensitive. The church is best visited by parking in the main village and taking the approach on foot, it has no parking or turning circle. The churchyard has thick trees on most sides but is extensive with the southern aspects notably free of obstacles for the photographer,