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

The Parish

The parish of Hemingbrough lies in southern Yorkshire on the northern banks of the River Ouse. Hemingbrough is located about 4 miles east of the market town of Selby and sits on and just south of the A63 road which connects York with Howden. Hemingbrough parish consisted not only of the substantial village of Hemingbrough, itself, but also a large area of the surrounding land including today's villages of Barlby, Lund, Cliffe, Osgodby & South Duffield. The whole area of Hemingbrough parish is part of Yorkshire's wetlands and this would have been an area where pastoral farming was mixed with Fenland practices such as wildfowling, reed harvesting and river transporting of goods added much to the local economy. The Ouse drains the parish eastwards towards the nearby Humber Estuary and thence the North Sea. Almost of all of Hemingbrough parish is sited below the 10 metres contour, a vast plain of flat land with Hemingbrough itself sited at just 3 metres above the sea. The parish of Hemingbrough was extensive, covering about 9,000 acres it would have supported a population of about 1,800 parishioners. In Domesday time Hemingbrough was held directly by King William, it was a much smaller place, indeed, offering just 2 ploughs and very small meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the western end of Hemingbrough village, on the western side of Main Street. It is difficult to ignore the extreme dimensions of this village church - the spired tower rises to an impressive height of 189 feet (it is taller than the church is long; 148 feet only) and it dominated the flat land as a landmark for miles around. The church was founded in the 11th century by the prior *& monks of Durham and made collegiate in 1427, a situation which remained until the dissolution in 1545 by Henry VIII. The building has the cruciform pattern of an early church and this is confirmed by the styles present in the architecture. Much of the building dates from the 13th century although Pevsner is a little unsure of the exact chronology. That the church was added to in both 14th and 15th centuries is for certain, the church's spire was added in the latter century. There were restoration in the late 19th century which restored the chancel in particular and resulted in the present building. There is ample space to park along Main Street where the churchyard is bordered by an iron rail fence and entrance is by gates opposite Tinkle Street. The height of the church makes it difficult to gain good photographs without taking them from outside the churchyard.