England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Eyeworth All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Eyeworth lies in the extreme east of Bedfordshire forming a stretch of the borders with both neighbouring Cambridgeshire & also Hertfordshire. Eyeworth is a small and rather linear settlement located roughly 4 miles east of the market town of Biggleswade. Eyeworth sits roughly a mile southwest of the B1042 road which links Potton through to the A1198 (which follows the ancient Roman road of Ermine Street). Eyeworth is a very small place with about a quarter mile of properties lining a northeast to southwest running lane heading for Biggleswade. The area surrounding the village is rich farmland, largely used, as it always was, for the production of cereals, large fields dominate the landscape. For a relatively low-lying place Eyeworth sits on a small watershed, streams from further north eventually join, in turn, the Ivel and then Great Ouse whilst those to the south reach the Great Ouse by way of the infant River Cam, either way both arrive at The Wash through the Norfolk port of King's Lynn. Eyeworth is sited at around 50 metres above the sea, a height which is matched, or slightly exceeded, for many a mile. Even by Bedfordshire standards Eyeworth was a relatively small parish, covering only a little over 1,200 acres it would have supported a population of just under 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Eyeworth was a more substantial settlement, offering 10 ploughs, meadows and held a mill, all mostly in the hands of one William Speke.

The Church

All Saints' church sits to the southeast of Eyeworth's main lane, accessed by a rough track and largely hidden by fronting properties. Like many East Anglian churches All Saints is a typical mixture of two styles characteristic of the 14th century. The earlier Decorated style is well illustrated by both tower & chancel arches and numerous windows, notably the three-light southern arcade's eastern window and the western window of the tower. Later Perpendicular styles can be found in the windows to both the aisle and in that, typically Perpendicular feature, the clerestory. The western tower also possessed a Perpendicular recessed spire but this had to be removed for safety in 1967. Sections of the church have been patched in a conspicuous Bedfordshire red brick, work Pevsner places tentatively into the 17th century. For once he fails to mention a Victorian restoration although it is likely that one occurred being light and sensitive. The track leading to the church leaves the High Street marked by a small white sign, parking is best sought on the High Street. After a short walk, the path continues through to Cambridgeshire & Guilden Morden, the churchyard opens out to the left into a broad and uncluttered space with no obstacles for the photographer..