England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
North Grimston St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of North Grimston lies in Central Yorkshire, within the East Riding it sits in the northwestern corner close to the border with the North Riding. North Grimston is located about 4 miles southeast of the market town of Malton and sits on the B1248 road which connects Malton with Beverley. North Grimston is a relatively small village which sits at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds on a series of double-bends where the B1248 begins its climb on to the Wolds. At the time of this transcript, and still today, North Grimston was a farming community with a mixed regime, albeit more arable predominates today in this age of heavy machinery. North Grimston is drained by the Settington Beck which heads off northwards, it soon reaches the Derwent and does an about-face to head southwestwards to eventually join the mass of rivers entering the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. North Grimston is sited at around 60 metres above the sea but land rises immediately to both south and east onto the Wolds where local heights top out at over 170 metres on Duggleby Wold a mile to its east. North Grimston parish was fairly typically sized for this area, covering around 1,350 acres it would have supported a population of just under 200 parishioners. In Domesday times North Grimston was a small and insignificant place yet shared 3 ways, the lion's share in the hands of Hugh son of Baldric, with a lesser portion held by the Archbishop of York whilst King William maintained an interest too; collectively the parish could only offer 4 ploughs with no other discernible assets listed.

The Church

St Nicholas church sits a little west of the village and north of the B1248. The church has early origins which Pevsner dates to the fashion change between Norman Romanesque and early English Gothic. Romanesque styling is shown by a chancel window and the chancel arch together with the corbel table, whilst the lancet windows of the western tower and the dog-tooth moulding in the southern doorway are Early English Gothic motifs. A few relatively small changes took place during the great church- building era of the Perpendicular but only minor details are reflected in this church. For once the extensive improvements came in the 17th century, the entire southern side of nave and chancel east of the porch are clearly of this date. The church sits well back from the B1247, a sign in the hedgerow and metal gates marking the tree-lined path which runs towards it. Once within the churchyard has few impediments to photography.