England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hartwith St Jude

The Parish

The parish of Hartwith lies in central Yorkshire, part of the southern portion of the North Riding. Hartwith is located about 7 miles northwest of the spa town of Harrogate. There is not much to present day Hartwith, no village as such just a scatter of farms and cottages across an extensive area of rolling countryside just north of the valley of Nidderdale. Hartwith is situated, in lanes, just to the north of the B6165 which follows Nidderdale from Knaresborough to Pateley Bridge. At the time of this transcript Hartwith would have largely earned its income from pastoral farming albeit with some arable as well. The Nidd drains the parish eastwards joining the Ouse to the northwest of York and eventually reaching the \North Sea through the Humber estuary. Hartwith is sited between 70 metres (by the Nidd) to over 200 metres (at the church) across a sprawling hillside with pretty views. Hartwith parish (created as a separate parish from Kirkby Malzeard in 1725) whilst extensive, it covered almost 5,200 acres, is small by the area's standards but it would have supported a population of over 1,100 parishioners. There is no specific mention of Hartwith in Domesday Book which is rather sketchy in this area.

The Church

St Jude's church sits on the western side of Hartwith' main lane (Stripe Lane) in an open and almost moorland setting. Curiously St Jude is omitted from Pevsner, a curious oversight by him. The church is, however, relatively modern having been built in the 1830s. The church is small, befitting today's much reduced congregation and consists of the standard design of chancel, nave and in this case a simple bellcote. The church is surrounded by a low local stone wall and a flight of gentle steps grants access, the church curiously protrudes through the wall, its eastern end being almost flush with the lane. The site is relatively open and has few impediments to photography.