England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Grinton St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Grinton occupies much of northwestern Yorkshire forming, together with its chapelry at Muker, an extensive portion of the border with neighbouring Westmorland. Whilst the parish is nominally Grinton, and Grinton village has the church, it covers almost the whole of Swaledale right to the watershed of the Pennine range and includes besides Muker the large village of Reeth as well as numerous other settlements along the Swale. Grinton, itself, is located roughly 9 miles west of the market town of Richmond and sits on the B6270 road which heads west from Richmond and follows the Swale before crossing the high Pennines to Kirkby Stephen. Whilst this is largely an upland parish with much land either bleak moorland run with sheep, the Swale valley offered rich grazing for cattle and its characteristic barns dot the landscape of this attractive area. Farming, however, was not the mainstay of this parish's economy as the hills up-valley were mined extensively as one of the largest lead producing areas of England, whilst this industry has now ceased the scars remain in the form of Swaledale's industrial archaeology, from the scarred hillsides where dammed water was released to expose the ore veins through to the semi-derelict crushing mills this was, at one time, a deeply industrial valley. Today, of course, it is a tourist centre first and foremost with hiking dominating, the renowned Coast to Coast path traverses the parish from the watershed through to Richmond and beyond. Another major land use is that of grouse shooting with many major estates being based on the moorland around. The Swale drains the parish eastwards, crossing the Vale of York to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Grinton village is sited at 180 metres above the sea but this is very much an upland parish land rises to the main heights of the Pennines where the parish tops out at over 700 metres at the Pennine watershed in places. Grinton parish was one of the most extensive, not only in Yorkshire but in England, covering an estimated 53,000 acres (including Muker's acreage) it would have supported a population of just about 4,800 parishioners. In Domesday time Grinton was on the northern limits of Norman influence and whilst Grinton is recorded as an asset of Count Alan of Brittany its resources were not itemised and it was describes as largely "waste".

The Church

St Andrew's church sits at the heart of Grinton village where the B6270 sweeps across the Swale from the southern to the northern side. As one approaches from the east, the normal view one receives on entering the churchyard, the church appears to be a typical northern low, spreading Perpendicular church of the late 14th or early 15th centuries, but this is not the case once inspected more closely. From the inside traces of a Norman Romanesque church can be found, notably a former western window to the nave which predates the construction of the tower and the 12th century tower and chancel arches which indicate the dates when the church was greatly expanded. The Decorated and Perpendicular eras did result in a major reconstruction and expansion of the church with aisles of the Decorated era as well as the Perpendicular, from whence the clerestory dates. Pevsner does not mention any significant Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was obviously light and sensitive. St Andrew sits at the junction of the narrow lane from Castle Bolton with the B6270, parking can be found well back from that junction in that southward heading lane. The churchyard is protected by a low stone wall topped with railings and impressive piered gateways lead through. Unfortunately a series of small trees lies close to the southern side of the church restricting the better aspects from the south east but sufficient remaining angles allow the church to be viewed and captured by the photographer,