England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Great Givendale St Ethelburga

The Parish

The parish of Great Givendale lies in southeastern Yorkshire within the East Riding and in the western part of the Yorkshire Wolds, Great Givendale sits roughly 3 miles north of the market town of Pocklington and about 2 miles south of the A166 road which links the city of York with Great Driffield. Great Givendale is an estate parish, a closed parish with all lands in the hands of a single landholder, the Singleton family, discouraging of inbound migration, consequently no formal village developed merely a scatter of farms and cottages overlooking the western edge of the Wolds and the head of Whitekeld Dale. Like most estate parishes the economy was dependent upon the needs of the estate, a farming regime dominated by the raising of sheep would have predominated at the time of this transcript. Great Givendale is drained southwards by the infant Ridings Beck, its headwaters create the beautiful landscape in which the church sits, after passing through Pocklington and merging with many such streams it joins the River Derwent to reach the sea, like most Yorkshire rivers, through the Humber Estuary. Great Givendale is sited at around 140 metres above the sea, sitting on a ridge overlooking the Vale of York to its west, the ridge continues rising northwards to reach 242 metres at the tumuli just south of the A166. A small parish by Yorkshire standards, Great Givendale covered just over 1,200 acres and would have supported a population of below 100 parishioners. Whilst Great Givendale is mentioned in Domesday Book as a holding of King William it is part of a regional entry as the assets listed dwarf the 2 households that was its sole population.

The Church

St Ethelburga's church sits in a most picturesque position at the head of the dale holding the infant Ridings Beck with a series of ponds sitting below it as the source. Whilst the church appears to be entirely a Victorian rebuild, Pevsner forensic examination reveals otherwise. Certainly much was reset or replaced during the major restoration of 1849 but enough remains to reveal the church's ancient origins. Internally the chancel arch, in situ, reveals itself as Norman Romanesque in style and of the 12th century, a provisional dating of c1150 appears to be convincing. Remaining windows of the late 13th century, that short period named the Transitional as it represented the evolution of Early English Gothic into the Decorated style that flourished in the early 14th century. These fragments of the past are set amongst typical Victorian work of nave & chancel in a single entity all topped by a tall western bellcote. Minor works of 1186 completed the design by adding the vestry to arrive at today's church. Access to the church is from a gate immediately south of the junction with the lane that heads for Bishop Wilton, not the obvious track followed by the Minster Way trail, parking should be careful to avoid blocking the lane. A short walk leads to the churchyard along a shady pathway, the trees that mask the western end are thankfully the only obstacles preventing the photographer from viewing.