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

The Parish

The chapelry of Rosedale, its mother parish being Middleton, lies in northeastern Yorkshire deep within the heart of the North York Moors National Park and some 10 miles northwest of the market town of Pickering. Rosedale sits within a vast area devoid of significant numbered roads, the closest such road being the A170 road linking Pickering with Helmsley which lies 7 miles to the south at Wrelton. Rosedale is a small and compact village bearing the name Rosedale Abbey for the former Cistercian house which served this area, much of that was destroyed during the 19th century with the stonework re-purposed to support the iron-working that boomed in the area. The village of Rosedale Abbey sits on the eastern banks of the River Seven with most properties clustered around the former abbey site. This is an upland parish and for much of its history only hardy sheep and cattle provided an income. Small scale iron-working was carried on intermittently from 12th to 17th centuries until from mid-19th century opencast mining began on an industrial scale, thankfully the last mines closed in 1930 and rural peace now reigns again. Today Rosedale is a destination for both hikers and fishermen with a network of paths encompassing the legacy of late Neolithic and Bronze Age round barrows which dot the surrounding hills. Rosedale is drained southwards by the Seven which eventually meets the Rye and then the Derwent before turning westwards to join with the Yorkshire Dales rivers flowing into the Humber Estuary. Rosedale is sited at around 140 metres above the sea where the Northdale Beck meeting the Seven creates a flattish area, hills rise either side to reach 369 metres on Shunner Howe whilst Loose Howe reaches an impressive 432 metres and stands on the legendary Lyke Wake Walk route. Of Middleton's extensive acreage some 2,700 acres were assigned to Rosedale, 1,800 of these described in early gazetteers as "waste", that acreage supported a population of close to 200 parishioners. Rosedale is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Mary & St Lawrence's church sits at the heart of the village of Rosedale Abbey. Sadly there is very little remaining of the church in which these marriages took place, the present church was built in 1840 to replace a medieval version. Only a single window with Y-tracery survived to be reused in the rebuild. The simple design has a combined nave and chancel with a bellcote rather than a tower, the style is derived from that of the 13th century early English Gothic with lancets prevalent. The church stands opposite the tourist draws of the Abbey Stores and Tea Rooms with a triangular parking area outside its gates. The churchyard is free of serious obstacles for the photographer.