England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Pickhill All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Pickhill lies in northern Yorkshire about 7 miles west of the market town of Thisk, it lies close to the border between North & West Ridings and centrally along the southern portion of the North Riding. Pickhill is a middling sized village lying on the western banks of the River Swale and sitting around 2 miles east of the A1 (Great North Road) which connects London to Edinburgh and here follows the ancient Roman route of Dere Street. The Romans had their influence within Pickhill parish too as the map shows a farm named "Roman Castle"  a half mile nrth of the village, more recently the Norman's too had their own presence, 100 yards west of All Saints' church can be found one of their motte-and-bailey castle sites. At the time of this transcript, however, Pickhill was a simple farming village, the rich pastures of the Swale's water-meadows provided good grazing to compliment the arable fields on drier land. Modern development came and went from Pickhill, a branch railway line connecting Ripon with Northallerton passed through the village, destroying part of the castle site in passing, but has since been removed. The Swale drains the parish southwards, passing through York to join most Yorkshire rivers in reaching the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Pickhill is sited at around 30 metres above the sea in gentle terrain which barely rises much more than a further 15 metres for many a mile. In common with northern parish trends Pickhill was extensive, covering just over 2,100 acres it would have supported a population of close to 700 parishioners. This far north Domesday Book is scant in its descriptions, Pickhill is mentioned as a holding of Count Alan of Brittany with just a single plough as an asset, this area was on the fringes of Norman influence and much around is usually described as "waste".

The Church

All Saints' church sits towards the northern end of the village on the eastern side of Money Hill. All Saints has ancient origins contemporary with the age of the castle site, Norman Romanesque work can be found within the southern doorway, a "rich Norman piece" according to Pevsner, and the chancel arch, often the earliest part of the main fabric. Of course much has changed over the centuries since, the next phase of style, the Early English Gothic, is represented by the northern arcade which was built early into the following 13th century whilst its adjacent aisle is Decorated in style and from the late 13th century. The western tower shows the style of the Perpendicular period either 14th or early 15th century in age. As with most church the Victorian period saw a restoration, in this case of 1877, which saw most of the fenestration replaced by Victorian work. Money Hill broadens into a parking area outside the churchyard which is surrounded by a low, local, stone wall with a neat lychgate for entry. Once within the churchyard has no obstacles for the photographer being open and uncluttered.