England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Easington by Patrington All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Easington, here given the suffix "by Patrington" to distinguish it from Yorkshire's other Easington, lies in the extreme south east of Yorkshire forming part of its coast not only with the North Sea but also with the Humber Estuary. Easington is located about 6 miles southeast of Patrington and 12 miles southeast of the market town of Hedon and sits at the terminus of the B1445 road which connects it with Patrington. Easington sits at the base of the Spurn Peninsula with only the tiny village of Kilnsea separating it from that long and windswept place far out in the mouth of the Humber Estuary, a unique location in England. Easington is a middling sized and compact village, one over a mile from the North Sea the ever encroaching erosion of the Holderness coastline bringing to less than half that distance. Modern development in the form of a Gas Terminal serving the North Sea industry may result in extensive intervention which incidentally protects Easington from its almost inevitable loss to the sea, a fate which has befallen many villages along this coastline over the centuries. Almost totally arable today the area has always been a cereal growing area. Given its coastal location numerous man-made drains clear water off the flat and low-lying land to either coastline. Easington is sited at between 5 and 13 metres above the sea, local heights rise to just 25 metres by the northern gas terminal in a landscape devoid of contours for many miles. Easington parish was fairly typically sized for its area, it covered just over 2,100 acres and would have supported a population of just over 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Easington was a rather small place in the hands of one Drogo de la Beuvriere offering 5 ploughs and an 160 acre meadow.

The Church

All Saints' church sits at the heart of the village on the southern side of the B1445 as its winds through a set of double bends within the village. The church is 12th century in origin and largely built from beach cobblestones, a useful byproduct of local coastal erosion. The northern arcade shows classic features of the Early English Gothic period fashionable at this time as does the, now blocked, northern doorway. The building was refreshed during the 13th century, Pevsner notes the southern arcade and aisle windows to be late 13th century in design. The stone western tower and the clerestory are later and Perpendicular in style carrying a late 14th century date. Further work followed in the 15th century when the chancel was rebuilt and given a splendid eastern window granting beautiful light into the interior when combined with that clerestory. A porch of cobble & pantile was added in the 18th century and extensive restoration in both 1863 & 1890 followed during the usual Victorian changes. All Saints is very much the village centrepiece in an elevated position it dominates the village centre, the main entrance climbing through the cobbled walls to reach the church. Sadly the churchyard is populated with quite a few trees which do somewhat limit the angles available for photography.