England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Pavenham St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Pavenham lies in northwestern Bedfordshire not too far from its joint border with neighbouring Buckinghamshire & with Northamptonshire. Pavenham, whilst anciently a chapelry of nearby Felmersham, has been a full parish for most of modern times. Pavenham is located roughly 7 miles northwest of the county town of Bedford and sits a couple of miles west of the A6 road which connects Bedford with the Northamptonshire market town of Rushden. Pavenham is a substantial village largely built around a triangular junction of lanes with properties lining each of the three lanes that all meet at its centre, the has been some modern infill to the east of the northern running lane, Church Lane. The village occupies the head of a large meander of the nearby River Great Ouse, a position which gave it access to both arable and pastoral farming land, To the south of the village the map-marked Osier Holts gives indication of the source of materials for the local rush matting and basket weaving trades that also employed many. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line linking Bedford northwards to Wellingborough & Kettering passes through the eastern part of Pavenham parish. The Great Ouse, of course, drains the parish and heads off determinedly northeast to eventually reach the North Sea through The Wash. Pavenham is sited at around 50 metres above the sea although the church is some 20 metres higher and land rises gently to a little over 90 metres to the west. Pavenham parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering close to 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of around 600 parishioners. In Domesday times Pavenham was an equally prosperous village, shared three-ways by Count Eustace of Boulogne, a Saxon survivor Ranulf and a local chamberlain, collectively their assets totalled 18 ploughs, some meadows and there was a mill too.

The Church

St Peter's church sits towards the higher, northern edge of the village on the eastern side of the lane, Church Lane, which heads towards Felmersham. The church was originally chapel held by the monks of Nottinghamshire's Lenton Priory becoming independent only in 1283 by which time many of the church's elements were already in place. Pevsner notes tiny fragments of 12th century Norman Romanesque work in a scalloped capital whilst 13th century Early English Gothic can be found in both the southern porch and northern arcade. This basic structure was, like so many churches, remodelled over the centuries, early 14th century Decorated style is found in niches of the eastern walls whilst a Perpendicular style is carried by the northern chapel. The church received many modifications during the 19th century, the vestry was added in 1848, both chancel roof and the main eastern window were restored in 1869 and most of the windows have been replaced with tracery from the same 19th century period. A feature of the church is internal, the superb collection of woodwork donated by a Mr Abbott Green in 1838 which adorns both nave and chancel within. Church Lane has verges which will just about support careful parking, it rises moderately steeply to the north and the main portion of the churchyard is raised above road level, walled to the southern part and banked further north, a set of wooden gates leads in from the south. Whilst there are a few mature trees dotted about there remains sufficient angles to allow the photographer access.