England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Millington St Margaret

The Parish

The parish of Millington lies in southeastern Yorkshire, within the East Riding and roighly 3 miles northeast of the small town of Pocklington. Millington sits about 2 miles north of the B1246 road which links Pocklington towards Great Driffield arriving as the A614. Millington is a small and compact village built around a network of narrow lanes which forma slanting "8"-shape, it sits beneath the escarpment of the Yorkshire Wolds as a spring-line settlement, it is tucked away within a semi-circular basin within a fold of the escarpment. Millington is a farming parish, early gazetteers estimated a rough 2:1 spread in favour of arable over pastoral methods. The pastoral fields are largely upon the Wolds whilst arable hugged the valley. Today Millington receives a few visitors from the Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail which follows the escarpment edges high above since it provides overnight accommodation at its welcoming inn. Millington is drained southwestwards by Millington Beck which becomes Pocklington Beck before crossing low-lying land where it has been canalised before joining the Derwent for the journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. Millington is sited at on rising ground from 100 to 110 metres above the sea, the escarpment looming to the east rises a further 100 metres in steep slopes peaking at just over 200 metres in places. Covering just under 2,400 acres Millington parish was towards the larger end of the rural farming parish scale, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. Domesday's entry for Millington is ambiguous in representing an area rather than the single manor, it is possible to discern that Millington was "waste" having been impacted by the "Harrowing of the North" conducted by King William to suppress northern rebellions.

The Church

St Margaret's church sits on the northern end of the crossing bar of the village's "8" shape, Church Lane situated at its junction with Swineridge Lane. Both nave and chancel have their origins in the 12th century being Norman Romanesque in style, a few windows were replaced in later medieval times by Decorated and Perpendicular styles but the main fabric is of the 12th century. Also contemporary is the southern doorway also from the 12th century. In contrast to the ancient main body, the brick western tower in brick is a much later addition having been added in 1824, presumably the similarly brick porch was of the same era. A typical but sensitive late-Victorian restoration was completed in 1883 leaving much of the historic fabric entire, further work has recently been carried out in the 2020s as the church was engulfed in scaffolding for many months. Swineridge Lane has ample parking on its broad verge, a short walk down Church Lane leads to the semi-enclosed iron gates leading into the churchyard which is devoid of significant obstacles for the photographer.