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

The Parish

The parish of Great Ouseburn lies in central Yorkshire forming part of the boundary between the North & West Ridings, here marked by the course of the River Ure, soon to become the Ouse, but sitting just into the West Riding. Great Ouseburn is located about 7 miles northeast of the town of Knaresborough. Great Ouseburn sits a mile east of the B6265 road which connects the A1 at Boroughbridge to the A59 at Green Hammerton, the B6265 is straight as befits a road built along the ancient Roman Road from York to the north. Great Ouseburn is a mid-sized but rather strung out village built for almost a mile along a lane running northwest to southeast parallel to the Ouse Gilt Burn. This is the heart of the Yorkshire lowlands, a rich farming area dominated by arable fields and this would have provided the main source of income at the time of this transcription. The Ouse Gilt Burn drains the parish southeastwards to meet the Ure, the two then form the Ouse which passes through York and reaches the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Great Ouseburn is sited at around at around 30 metres above the sea in gentle terrain, land continues to rise steadily westwards away from the Ure reaching local heights of close to 60 metres by the time the A1 is reached. Great Ouseburn parish was fairly typically sized for lowland Yorkshire, covering just over 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of just over 600 parishioners. Great Ouseburn is mentioned in Domesday Book as a holding of King William but it is described as waste with no assets listed, its potential for 6 ploughs was, however, noted

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the eastern side of the Main Street almost centrally within the thin ribbon that is the village. The church was largely rebuilt in Georgian times with only the western tower remaining from the medieval period. The tower has a 12th century date in the Early English Gothic style topped by the addition of the belfry stage in the following century and Decorated in style. Pevsner finds a few remnant of that 13th century make-over reused or left by the restorers of the 1820s. Otherwise the nave & chancel were almost totally rebuilt during that decade. A further partial restoration occurred in 1883 to result in today's church. Main Street is sufficiently wide enough for careful parking, the church is slightly higher than road level and a flight of 3 steps rises to the metal gates in the brick wall that surrounds it. Sadly the church sits tight to that wall with trees clustered in the normally favoured sight line from the southeast and the better views are inhibited on a sunny day, being tight to that wall means the better views of the medieval tower are from outside the churchyard.