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

The Parish

The parish of Middleham lies in northwestern Yorkshire in south central North Riding. Middleham is located about 10 miles south of the market town of Richmond and sits on the southern banks of the River Ure at the head of upper Wensleydale. Middleham is also a small market town sharing those functions with Leyburn across the other side of the Ure. Middleham sits on the A1068 road which connects Leyburn with Ripon. Middleham has a long history, its castle on the southern edge of the town being built by the Norman's as part of a string of such fortifications lining the eastern edges of The Pennines. The castle has a history of being involved in royal events, King Edward IV was held there until his escape in 1467. Nowadays Middleham retains the small market but is primarily a tourism hot spot with excellent Dales hiking to its west it is a logical place for stays. At the time of this transcript much of the area was dominated by pastoral farming and Middleham would have been one of the markets for cattle & sheep as well as their byproducts. The Ure drains the parish southeastwards through Ripon to join the Yorkshire Ouse at York and thence to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Middleham is sited at between 110 and 150 metres on a sloping site rising from the Ure, land rises steeply into the Pennine foothills to the westward, Middleham Low Moor tops out at 236 metres but land rises to 550 metres further west at Height of Hazely. By upland Yorkshire standards Middleham parish was fairly small, covering just over 2,100 acres it would have supported a population of around 900 parishioners. In Domesday times Middleham was held by Count Alan of Brittany and, as is common for this far north, its assets were not specifically detailed.

The Church

St Alkelda & St Mary's church sits almost centrally within Middleham accessed by a paved lane westwards from the A1068. The dedication to St Alkelda is almost unique and just who she was is almost equally unknown, reputedly a Saxon princess from the late 8th century but likely to be mere speculation. The church is a mixture of 14th and 15th century designs, spreading across the architectural periods of the Decorated & Perpendicular eras. Pevsner places the eastern window of the southern chapel as being the earliest remaining piece on the building. The chancel, four bay arcades and southern doorway are also placed in the Decorated period. Later comes the western tower and clerestory, both Perpendicular. It was common to add clerestories in the era to allow more light to the interior. The A1068, here known as Kirkgate, offers sufficient spaces for parking and the sloping lane rises westwards to the lychgate from here. The oblong site creates issues for photography as the tighter axis is to south & north restricting the better angles for landscape views.