England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Lambourn St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Lambourn lies in the extreme west of Berkshire forming a lengthy strtech of the county's border with neighbouring Wiltshire. Lambourn is located about 8 miles north of the market town of Hunmgerford and sits on the meandering B4001 road which links Hungerford through to the villages of the Vale of the White Horse. Lambourn was at one time a market town, granted by Henry III, but that status has lapsed over the centuries and today it is a large and extensive village, still comparable in size with small market towns, however. The market was probably lost due to competition from both Hungerford and Wantage. Lambourn lies within the valley of the River Lambourn and is rather linear as a consequence, hugging the bottom of the valley with more modern developments climbing up the adjacent downs. Lambourn lies in chalk country and at the time of this transcript that lead to extensive sheep ranges interspersed with arable plots. Today Lambourn has acquired a status for its exploitation of the turf of the downs for race horse training, making it a centre of excellence comparable with Suffolk's Newmarket. The village is surrounded with extensive gallops where the thoroughbreds are put through their paces on the yielding turf, the village is often full of curiously light-weight and short men, jockeys, as a consequence. Modern developments are mixed, a branch railway line following the Lambourn valley up from Newbury has been closed and dismantled but the modern M4 motorway carves its way through the southern part of the extensive parish. The River Lambourn drains the parish southeastwards, meeting the Kennet at Newbury and the Thames at Reading before passing through the capital to the North Sea. Lambourn is sited at around 120 metres above the sea at its centre but the rolling downland stretches either side to local high points including Whitehorse Hill at 261 above the Vale of the White Horse, the escarpment being crowned by the National Ridgeway Trail. Lambourn parish was the most extensive within its county and reminiscent in its acreage of a north upland parish, covering over 14,400 acres it would have supported a population of around 2,600 parishioners. In Domesday times Lambourn was already large enough to be amongst the largest 20% of settlements by population and its assets, chiefly retained by King William but with smaller shares held by Matthew de Mortagne and Hascoit Musard, reflecting its wealth and importance to the crown; a very impressive 35 ploughs were backed by woodland and 2 mills making for a wealthy holding indeed.

The Church

St Michael's church sits at the very heart of Lambourn, at the main crossroads of the village and within its northwestern quadrant of the junction of Parsonage Lane with Market Place. The presence of a "minster" church is mentioned in early documents of 1032 but the earliest fabric remaining of today's church dates from the last quarter of the 12th century. The core of today's church, the nave, the crossing arches and the tower all date from this early period in the Norman Romanesque style, the cruciform layout being one favoured by Norman church-builders rather then the later layout with a western tower. Untypically the clerestory, often added in later Perpendicular times, is also late 12th century as are the western windows of the aisle. Whilst both north & south transepts undoubtedly existed from the same period rebuilding has left us with slightly later versions, the northern transept shows signs of the rebuild and 13th century lancets styled windows whilst the today's southern transept and side chapels were rebuilt or added in the Decorated style of the early 14th century. Various additions were added in the Perpendicular period, most windows in the chancel are in that style, the two storey southern porch was added today's top stage of the tower was completed. Various waves of later restoration are recorded by Pevsner, the earliest being repairs required to the crossing tower in 1736, a more general restoration targeting the nave and the northeastern chapel followed in 1850, the chancel was restored in 1861 and the tower again repaired in 1892. Whilst externally the church is impressive, somewhat alleviated by its extreme render covering a mixture of flint & the erratic sarsen stones, the interior is what makes St Michael well worth an extended visit. Pevsner rated it as "one of the most impressive in Berkshire", a view is strongly recommended. A small parking area sits outside the gates in Market Place, often full, however, so street parking nearby may be required. Whilst the church's eastern end with its many additional side chapels lies embedded within foliage the western end allows adequate if limited views for the photographer.