England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Farnham St Oswald

The Parish

The parish of Farnham lies in western central Yorkshire about 2 miles north of the market town of Knaresborough. Farnham is a small and compact village sitting a mile west of the A6055 road which connects Knaresborough with the Great North Road (A1) at Boroughbridge. Much of Farnham is built along a lane which performs a set of right-angled bends as it passes through the village. The local area is dominated by a stretch of marshy ground to the northwest of the village, The Mires giving clear indication of its properties. This mire, together with drier areas to the south, was predominantly exploited by pastoral farming with Knaresborough providing the local market, some quarrying of the local limestone also supplements employment. Despite the River Nidd flowing only a few miles to the south, drainage is to the northeast along a tributary of the River Tutt which passes through Boroughbridge to join the Ure, like most Yorkshire Dales sourced rivers the Ure eventually reaches the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Farnham sits at around 50 metres above the sea, a local height of 91 metres being the only significant elevation in gentle terrain. Parishes in this area are often extensive, Farnham was not one of those being merely large for a lowland parish, covering close to 2,800 acres it would have supported a population of around 600 parishioners. In Domesday times Farnham was on the northern edges of Norman influence, whilst it was held by King William its assets were not specifically detailed except to indicate its potential for up to 26 ploughs.

The Church

St Oswald's church sits on the western edge of Farnham on the northern side of the lane leading towards Scotton. Despite the lack of detail in Domesday Book the church is contemporary with the Normans, the chancel being a fine example of Norman Romanesque style and probably dating to the 12th century. The three tall and round-headed windows towards the eastern end being typical of that style. Like most churches it has eveolved over the centuries with portions dating from all of the next three centuries, from the Early English Gothic style of the 13th century one finds the northern arcade, the 14th century saw the lengthening of the nave whilst the western tower is a 15th century piece. Restorations started early too with documented work of 1759 being recorded. A more typical period is that of the Victorian era and here too restoration took place in 1854, further work has occurred right through to the early 21st century. Stang Lane is fairly narrow so care is required in parking, the churchyard is elevated quite above road level with a steep flight of steps rising to the gates. Once within the churchyard there are no obstacles for the photographer.