England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Womersley St Martin

The Parish

The parish of Womersley lies in southern Yorkshire, within the West Riding and not too far away from its border with neighbouring Lincolnshire. Womersley is located about 5 miles south east of the industrial town of Pontefract. Womersley consisted of not only the largely linear village itself, largely built around the edge of the Womersley estate but also the smaller locations of Little Smeaton, Walden Stubbs & Cridling Stubbs. Womersley village is located in lanes roughly midway between the A1 (to the west) en route from London to Edinburgh & the A19 (to the east) connecting Doncaster with Selby. Womersley would have largely earned its income from farming with a mixed farming regime predominating, the soils being a mixture of glacial deposits it is only in modern times that arable farming has become dominant. A small tributary of the River Went (the Lake Drain) drains the parish eastwards to join Went & thence the Don to reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Womersley is sited at just 10 metres above the sea but manages to put a metre or two between it and the former fens of the Humber headwaters to its east. Parishes in this lowland area of Yorkshire are quite large and Womersley was no exception, the parish covered almost 4,100 acres and would have supported a population of just over 900 parishioners. In Domesday times Womersley was held by one Ilbert of Lacy and could offer 11 ploughs as well as small meadows and woodland.

The Church

St Martin's church sits to the south of Womersley's main street, here called Park Lane, and sits behind the street facing properties. The church's cruciform design is indicative of an early church and St Martin shows many features remaining from the 12th century Norman period, notably parts of the northern arcade. However much was altered in later times, in the Early English Gothic style including most of that northern arcade. The bulk of the church is later & probably 14th century and in the Decorated style including the impressive crossing tower with its broach spire. The building makes great use of the local magnesian limestone which gives it its distinctive pale colour. St Martin is accessed by a footpath heading south from Park Lane, a blue sign marks the entry. The site is quite open albeit the church is hemmed in to the east by mature trees somewhat restricting photography.