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

The Parish

The parish of Masham lies in northern Yorkshire, within the North Riding but forming an extensive stretch of the border between it and West Riding. Masham is located roughly 10 miles northwest of the town of Ripon and 14 west of Thirsk and sits on the A6108 road which links Ripon with Leyburn. Masham has a favoured location, sitting on almost level ground formed between the confluence of the River Ure with the Burn, and is a mid-sized market town. The A6108 crosses the Ure and forms the northern edge of the town which forms a square of properties to its south, that original square has been added to by modern expansion but is still clear to see on maps, the eastern portion of the town is dominated by the broad square of the market place, Masham's crowning glory and a wonderful asset for the town. Whilst Masham is the main settlement, within the wider parish early gazetteers mention no fewer than 8 other townships such that the town itself holds merely 40% of the parish's population, a few of such being big enough to warrant the term village. Masham acquired its charter for a market in 1150 and rapidly became the centre for exchange as a market and a home for specialist trades for its extensive hinterland. In addition Masham held a yarn spinning mill employing around 100 whilst its reputation as a brewing centre, famous names such as Theakston & Black Sheep, persists to this day. The wider parish is largely pastoral, the sheep of the district providing the raw material for that yarn facility, with both sheep & cattle production dominating the small acreage of arable, the higher moors of the west of the parish being the main home of the sheep. Modern developments have largely come & gone from Masham, a railway line once linked Masham with Ripon but is closed and dismantled. Masham is drained southeastwards by the Ure which makes its way through Ripon to meet the Yorkshire Ouse before passing through York to merge with the remainder of the Yorkshire Dales' rivers to reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Masham is sited at around 80 metres above the sea in its calley setting, outwith the valley land rises westwards into the fore-hills of the Pennine range reaching over 350 metres on both Masham & Kirkby Malzeard Moors. Various measures of Masham's parish acreage may be found on web-sites from around 17,000 acres up to 22,500, suffice it to say the parish was typical of northern upland parishes in being rather extensive; within that substantial acreage would have been supported a population of around 3,000 parishioners. That size is a complete contrast to Masham in Domesday times, here it was one of the smallest settlements recorded with just 3 households, a holding of Count Alan of Brittany it offered merely 6 ploughs as its sole assets.

The Church

St Mary's church, as befits a market town, is a large and mighty church which stands at the eastern edges of the town's square market place. Unlike many such market town churches it retains some early fabric avoiding the tendency of wealthy townsfolk glorifying their church with constant rebuilding. Despite Masham's punt status in Domesday the earliest fabric is contemporary and 12th century Norman Romanesque in style. The basal stages of the impressive western tower together with its internal arch are from this early period as are the quoins of the western part of the nave. Already broad in the 12th century the nave was later widened using the foundations of previous arcades as bases and adding in flanking arcades. The 14th or early 15th century saw the tower enhanced by a new bell-stage, octagonal in form and completed by a tall spire. Repairs to that spire were necessitated in 1855 due to lightning strikes. In addition and in the same Perpendicular style a northern chapel arcade was added. Much of the exterior remaining, together with, internally, the chancel arch, date from restorations carried out around 1860 in a typical Victorian intervention. Within the grounds Pevsner notes the presence of an 8th century Anglo-Saxon shaft, in a worn condition but decorated with 4 tiers of figures of biblical scenes. Parking for the church is amply provided by the square market place allowing an extended visit. Entry is through a slightly set-back set of gates from where a diagonal pathway leads to a churchyard which is extensive and provides ample views from most angles to satisfy any photographer.