England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Linton St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Linton, often expressed as Linton in Craven to distinguish it from others in the county, lies in western Yorkshire, roughly 9 miles north of the town of Skipton. Linton sits immediately south of the B6160 road which runs up the picturesque Wharfe valley from Ilkley before crossing the moors to Aysgarth. Whilst Linton grants its name to the parish is by far not the largest settlement in the parish, early gazetteers place on 1/7th of the population in Linton. The largest concentration sits at Grassington to the north of the Wharfe, a large nucleated village squeezed onto the narrow flood-plain of the Wharfe with dramatic hills rising at its rear, to the south is the linear beck-side village of Hebden whilst Linton, itself, is a small cluster of properties lying alongside the B6265 road which heads for Skipton. Grassington's growth to become the main centre of population is the result of the lead mining industry which grew up along the valley, the moors to the east having many old workings now that the industry has gone. The other main economic element is low-intensity upland grazing, mainly of sheep but with a few cattle in the valley bottom. The local weaving trade also employed many in the village. Today the area is reknowned for its outdoor pursuits, a network of hiking trails snake across the moors including the route of the Dales Way National Trail, the Wharfe, itself, is a mecca for fishermen as well as a playground for water-based activities. The extractive industries are still important as the hills to the southwest form the base for the Swinden Quarry, a major source of road-building aggregate. Modern developments in the form of railway lines arrived principally to support the lead mining industry but joined Linton to Skipton before closing to become a freight only route to Swinden Quarry. Linton is drained southeastwards by the Wharfe which heads to Ilkley, Otley & Wetherby before crossing the Vale of York to merge with the other Yorkshire Dales rivers in exiting to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Linton is sited at around 180 metres above the sea with both Gtassington & Hebden at similar heights, the Wharfe is deeply incised into the landscape with hills on either side rising to 450 metres westwards on Malham Moor whilst Black Edge on Grassington Moor tops out at 518 metres both challenges for the hiker. Like many upland parishes in the Pennine range Linton parish was vast, covering just over 11,100 acres it would have supported a population of around 2,050 parishioners with only 300 in Linton, itself. All 3 settlements are recorded in Domesday Book, each with a differing landholder, all 3 are described as "waste" a consequence of the "harrowing of the north" following rebellion against Norman rule.

The Church

St Michael's church sits almost on the southern banks of the Wharfe reached from Linton village along Church Road. Outwardly the church appears to a product of the later medieval period and later modification but it takes Pevsner's forensic internal examination to reveal a more nuanced history. Both the chancel arch, often the first part of a church to be built, and the 2 eastern bays of the northern arcade to the nave are both of the late-Norman period from the 12th century both show early arch and pier forms. It is likely the church was then expanded in the 14th century, the westernmost bays of that arcade being 14th century as is its matching arcade to the south. Both chapels are definitely late 14th or 15th century showing the characteristics of the Perpendicular period but the west window is earlier being Decorated in style. The showpiece of the church is its short & square bell-turret which bears a pyramidal roof, here Pevsner dates this splendid feature to the 17th century. A substantial Victorian restoration replaced a great majority of the windows as well as the roofing, the result putting the modern veneer on the medieval. Church Road terminates at a car park which is grassy and worn and a little muddy after prolonged bad weather, the churchyard has a tree-lined northern border alongside the Wharfe but they should not bother the photographer which will be more than content with the uninterrupted southern views.