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

The Parish

The parish of Holmpton lies in the extreme southeast of Yorkshire forming a stretch of the crumbling Holderness coastline with the North Sea. Holmpton sits just over 2 miles south of the coastal resort of Withernsea and a similar distance south of the A1033 road which connects Withernsea with the town and port of Hull. Holmpton is a small and compact village consisting of twin parallel lanes heading inland from the coast carrying most properties and joined by the coastal route which heads from Withernsea towards the start of the Spurn Point spit. Holmpton is primarily an arable farming community the light sandy soils being amply suitable for cereals. The North Sea is continuing to erode the soft Eocene cliffs causing regular cliff-falls and loss of significant acreage over historical time-scales. Holmpton is drained to the nearby Borth Sea by The Runnel. Holmpton is sited at around 20 metres above the sea, in this largely flat land a spot-height of 26 metres to its south represents the highest ground for many miles. Holmpton was one of the smallest parishes in its county covering just 505 acres and supporting close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Holmpton was equally small and rural, held by Drogo de la Beuvriere it could muster just 3 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits on the northern side of the southernmost of the twin lanes, School Lane. St Nicholas is a church that was transformed in Victorian times from a remote and near ruinous condition, early 19th century drawings depict just a cobbled wall nave and chancel with a pantile roof, neither Pevsner or Historic England dates the original fabric of that building. The transformation of St Nicholas began in Georgian times with the addition of the western tower in brick, that tower was of short duration as in 1874-75 the entire church was rebuilt including the 1832 tower. The original cobble walls now sit behind a skin of yellow brick with neat red brick highlights, the nave and chancel were given newly fashionable lancet windows and the entire medieval church lost to sight. The participants in these marriages would not recognise today's church. The church sits tucked away behind a thick belt of tall trees, it is largely masked from School Lane, a roughly surfaced entrance track leading to prominent white gates serves as entry and car park. Once through the tree-belt the churchyard is relatively free of obstacles for the photographer.