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

The Parish

The parish of Wath lies on the southern edge of the North Riding of Yorkshire roughly 4 miles north of the city of Ripon. Wath is a mid-sized village which sits a little over a mile west of the A1 (Great North Road) which here follows the ancient Roman Deer Street, it sits on the northern edge of the flood-plain of the nearby River Ure. Wath parish is an extensive one and includes several smaller villages (Melmerby, Middleton Quernhow & Sutton Howgrave for example) and hamlets within its range. Despite the northern location some arable farming leavens the otherwise pastoral nature of the area with roughly 50% of the parish acreage set to each method of farming. Wath is drained the short distance into the Ure by the Nunwick Beck, the Ure forming one of the great Yorkshire Dales soon flows across the Vale of York to meet most other rivers draining the eastern Pennines and reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Wath is sited at just 30 metres above the sea in the gentle vale with land rising across the Ure to around 60 metres within a couple of miles. As already mentioned Wath parish was typical of such a northern parish, covering 3,600 acres it would have supported a population of close to 700 parishioners with barely 200 in Wath village, itself. In Domesday times the northern portion of Yorkshire was relatively undeveloped land, Wath was held by Count Alan of Brittany but with just potential for 4 ploughs.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the eastern edge of Wath village on the northern side of Main Street which connects the village through Melmerby to the A1. Whilst excavations have revealed a previous simple church of nave and apsed chancel of the very early date nothing of that church survives into today's building which dates from the late 13th century. The earliest remaining portion is today's chancel which Pevsner places to that period or the early 14th century, a time when Early English Gothic was morphing into the Decorated style. Of a similar vintage is the southern transept whilst the main nave has been much modified during later periods. Perpendicular style windows indicate either a later build or change following the current fashion of the 15th century. Attached is also a 15th century vestry and the short western tower which belongs to the early 19th century being completed in 1812. Other than this addition there is no mention in Pevsner of a typical Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was light and sensitive. Main Street narrows markedly by the churchyard so parking is best sought in the main part of the village to the west, sadly the churchyard is liberally supplied with trees which are particularly enclosing from the favoured southern and southeastern aspects making only the lesser northern faces available and a real challenge to the photographer especially on a sunny day.