England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Sand Hutton St Leonard

The Parish

The chapelry of Sand Hutton, its mother parish being Thirsk, lies in the northwestern portion of central Yorkshire about 3 miles west of the market town of Thirsk. Sand Hutton, often written as Sandhutton today, is a small and compact village which sits on the A167 road, this road links Northallerton with the A1, Great North Road, at Boroughbridge. Sand Hutton has a presence along the A167 and also along Sand Hutton Lane which heads eastwards from it. Sand Hutton sits on the fertile flood-plain of the nearby River Swale, a position which not only gave it rich pasture land but also allowed much arable production. Early gazetteers place as much as 60% of the chapelry's acreage as set to arable and hardy cereals would have been the mainstay. Modern developments have come to Sand Hutton, the London to Edinburgh main railway line passes through the easternmost edges of the chapelry's acres en route to Northallerton but doesn't grant a station other than that which serves Thirsk. The Swale drains the chapelry southwards, joining with most other Dales's rivers to eventually meet the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Sand Hutton is sited at around 30 metres above the sea, the broad flood-plain is at or close to this height for some distance, barely reaching 40 metres east of the A1. Around 1,300 acres were set aside from Thirsk parish to support the chapelry within which some 300 parishioners would have been supported. Despite Sand Hutton's northern situation it is mentioned in Domesday Book as a holding of the King, its assets of 5 ploughs, some pastures and woodland were supplemented by a mill.

The Church

St Leonard's church sits on Sand Hutton Lane which runs eastwards from the A167 and sits almost at the easternmost end of the village and on the southern side of the lane. The church which stands here today is, sadly, not that in which these marriages would have taken place. The "plain structure" that sat here before, as described in early gazetteers, having been replaced in 1878 by today's church. Pevsner speculates that a single window of the chancel in a Perpendicular style is re-used from the prior church but all else is designed in a style derived from the 13th century Early English Gothic with lancet style windows chosen. Sand Hutton Lane is of sufficient width to allow careful road-side parking, the churchyard has a neat brick-wall facing the street whereas the entrance is around to the west from a small green. The churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.