England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Sutton upon Derwent St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Sutton upon Derwent lies in southern Yorkshire, in the west of the East Riding and roughly 8 miles southeast of the city of York. Sutton upon Derwent is long strip of a village running alongside the B1228 road for well over a mile, the B1228 connects York, ultimately, via a winding course with Howden. As its suffix suggests the village sits at the crossing over the River Derwent and consists of properties lining that road as its wends itself southwards having crossed the river. Sitting within this fertile and very shallow valley, with it attendant risk of flooding, led to a farming regime dominated by cattle grazing the lush water-meadows. To the south of the village reed beds occurred where wildfowlers and reed harvesters plied their trade too. Nowadays these extensive low-lying areas are part of the Wheldrake Ings Nature Reserve and are a popular wildlife watching site. Modern developments did come to the area, the Pocklington Canal was built through from Pocklington connecting it into the river network. The Derwent drains southwards before turning east to reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Sutton upon Derwent is sited at around 10 metres above the sea in largely flat terrain, one has to travel many miles to rise much above that level. Sutton upon Derwent parish was fairly typically sized for this area, covering just over 3,400 acres it would have supported a population of around 400 parishioners. In Domesday times Sutton upon Derwent was shared almost equally by Count Robert of Mortain and William Percy, each had 4 ploughs but the Percy family also held 3 fisheries.

The Church

St Michael's church sits at the very northern end of the village where the B1228 swings through a noticeable curve to line up with the bridge across the Derwent, the church sits on the western side of the road. This is a church with ancient origins that has been much modified over the centuries. There are indications in both the present structure and also in archaeological remains of an early Norman Romanesque 12th century aisle-less church of nave & chancel. Pevsner does not give a date for this structure but it is probably from the early 12th century. To this basic church aisles and arcades were added in the late 12th century, a period covered by the end of the Romanesque and the Transitional period. Dates of 1160 - 1180 are given for the arcades. Later work followed in both 14th & 15th centuries, in a Perpendicular style, the tower being built across those centuries and the clerestory added to improve internal lighting. Victorian work saw both porch and northern aisle rebuilt in the 1840s whilst as recently as the 1920s a major restoration took place. The B1228 has no easy parking so it is better to walk from the village hall or to find parking in the lane that runs to the south of the site. Sadly the churchyard is well-wooded making for a challenging building to adequately capture for the photographer.