England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Leconfield St Catherine

The Parish

The parish of Leconfield lies in southeastern Yorkshire within the East Riding. Leconfield is a large and sprawling village situated about 3 miles north of the town of Beverley and standing, mostly on the eastern side, on the A164 road which connects Beverley with Great Driffield. Leconfield has had, since the Second World War, a military connection, its airfield morphing into an army barracks and in recent times into the Defence School of Transport facility - here army recruits learn the methods of off-roading and military vehicle maneuvers. The presence of the base has lead to Leconfield's recent expansion, other modern developments include the Hull to Scarborough rail line with a station at Arram within Leconfield parish. In more ancient times leconfield was the seat of the Earls of Northumberland (the Percy family) although their manor house/castle was demolished in the 17th century, the site sits to the south of the village and west of the A164. The economy would have been based upon farming, the low-lying areas bordering the River Hull would have provided rich pastures whilst higher ground was set to arable. Leconfield is drained eastwards by the man-managed Ella Dyke the short distance to the Hull, this turns southwards to reach the outer Humber Estuary through the port of Hull. Leconfield is sited at just 10 metres above the sea, the landscape around being largely at or close to this elevation for some distance. Leconfield parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering just over 3,600 acres it would have supported close to 350 parishioners. In Domesday times leconfield was shared 3 ways, the Percy family were already here by then and other portions were held by Count Robert of Mortain & the Archbishop of York, the parish collectively could offer just 5 ploughs but possessed no fewer than 11 fisheries.

The Church

St Catherine's church sits just east of the A164 on the lane leading to the railway station. The church is a patchwork of styles and, indeed, building materials reflecting a history of change and restoration. Pevsner lists limestone ashlar, chalk rubble, and brick of various ages and styles within the materials used. A relict of Anglo-Saxon times on the western wall of the southern aisle is probably pre-Conquest and indicative of the earliest building on this site. The bulk of the church is, however, 13th century and Early English Gothic in style albeit much modified over the centuries. The western tower and southern porch, both in brick, are much later addition being built in the late 17th century. Pevsner does not detail a Victorian restoration although one undoubtedly occurred. The church sits on a sharp bend in Arram Road behind yet more bricks in the form of a low wall, there is ample space for a car or two outside the churchyard. Wooden gates lead into an expansive churchyard with few obstructions to photography.