England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Goldsborough St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Goldsborough lies in the western portion of central Yorkshire, close to the northern boundary of the West Riding. Goldsborough is located roughly 3 miles east of the town of Knaresborough and sits a mile south of the A59 road with connects Knaresborough through to both York and the Great North Road (A1). Goldsborough is an estate village with the southern half of the parish dominated by the estate of Goldsborough Hall with parkland surrounding the tall rectangular house dating from the reign of James I in the early 17th century. Much of the villages thus lies along a lane forming the northern edge of this estate. The whole sits on the flood-plain of the nearby River Nidd giving the parish a rich pastoral farming regime to compliment the normal arable methods of the Vale of York. The estate passed into the hands of the Lascelles family in 1872 who did much to "prettify" the village. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line from Knaresborough to York crossing through to the north without granting Goldsborough a station. The Nidd drains the parish eastwards, crossing the Vale to join with all of the major Dales rivers before entering the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Goldsborough is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in largely level terrain, land does rise gently northwest of Knaresborough reaching around 90 metres within a few miles of it. Like many northern parishes Goldsborough covered a larger area than is the case in southern Britain, the parish covered close to 3,200 acres and would have supported a population of around 450 parishioners. Goldsborough in Domesday times had only 7 households making it a very small manor, held by one Ralph Paynel its assets were a meagre 3 ploughs backed by some woodland, the presence of the Nidd did, however, grant the manor a half share in a more profitable asset, a fishery.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the southern side of Church Street, the lane forming the northern boundary of Goldsborough Hall park. The church has one very early feature but this 12th century Norman southern doorway has been reset at sometime since. The main body of the church is a product of the late 13th and 14th centuries, a period when Early English Gothic passed through the Transitional period into Decorated and finally Perpendicular styles, all can be seen in St Mary. The impressive east window consisting of 5 stepped lancets is the finest example of the Early English Gothic and firmly of the 13th century, Representing the early 14th century Decorated style Pevsner points to the southern arcade with its double-chamfered arches, the nave being also 14th century but much modified. The western tower is the best example of Perpendicular styling, the basal stages from the earliest part of that style whilst the belfry stage, dated to c1430, is from the mature form of the style. Whilst these pieces are representative of the basic forms the entire church is a mishmash of the 3 main styles all intermingled.  Overlaid upon this basic medieval structure is the work of the Victorian restorers which here happened in 1859, a thorough restoration without adding any major new features. Church Street is well used by locals for parking outside the churchyard which is entered by a pair of wooden gates. Most of the churchyard is open with no obstacles for the photographer, the western tower views are, however, impeded by the western end being flush to the edge of the churchyard with adjacent buildings close too.