England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Dinnington St Leonard

The Parish

The parish of Dinnington lies in the extreme south of Yorkshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. Dinnington is something of an ecclesiastical novelty being totally enclosed within the wider parish of Laughton en le Morthen. Dinnington is located about 7 miles northwest of the Nottinghamshire town of Worksop. Dinnington sits about 2 miles north of the A57 road which connects Worksop with the M1 and Sheffield. Today Dinnington is part of an almost continuous area of development which grew up to support coal mining in the area, at the time of this transcript it would have been a separate and small village earning its living largely from agriculture. Dinnington is drained southeastwards by the Anston Brook which joins the River Ryton near Worksop, the Idle near East Retford & the Trent near Gainsborough to eventually reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Dinnington is sited at around 120 metres above the sea on something of a local high spot as land falls away in all directions. By Yorkshire standards Dinnington parish was small, covering just over 1,500 acres, more typical of a southern lowland parish, it would have supported a growing population rising from around 100 to closer to 300 by the end of the transcript period. In Domesday time Dinnington was a thriving settlement, shared by Roger de Bully and William of Warenne, with the former having the lion's share, it could offer a very impressive 43 ploughs as well as the usual meadows & woodlands.

The Church

St Leonard's church sits on the route of the B6060 which forms the main artery of the village and is Church Lane when passing the church, it sits opposite the modern Royal Elephant Inn. Sadly this is not some mediaeval relic but a mid Victorian replacement built to support the growing mining community of the area. First erected in 1868 a northern aisle was added in 1906 and a chancel later still in 1911. The building is clearly of little architectural interest to Pevsner as his account is a mere pair of lines. Sitting on the corner of Church Lane and Laughton Road the church is slightly elevated and banked by a local stone wall. There are trees grouped around both western and eastern ends which do slightly reduce the best angles available for photography.