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

The Parish

The parish of Sutton Courtenay lies in northwestern Berkshire, within that portion of the county ceded to Oxfordshire in 1974, at the time of this transcript the Thames formed the border of the two counties with Sutton Courtenay forming a stretch of that border. Sutton Courtenay is located about 2 miles south of the market town of Abingdon and sits within the Thames valley on the B4016 road which connects Didcot through to Drayton and the busy A34. Whilst Sutton Courtenay was always a large and slightly linear village this has been emphasised by recent developments sparked by growth towards the growing centre around the power stations of Didcot, Sutton Courtenay now spreads for almost two miles from north to south. Sutton Courtenay sits very close to the Thames at its northern end and the watermeadows of that river would have provided rich grazing for a pastoral farming regime, the river also provided the necessary water for Sutton Courtenay's major employer, a paper mill. The Thames drains the parish eastwards running through the capital to the North Sea. Sutton Courtenay is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in a broad floodplain where local heights rise imperceptibly to 80 metres but not for some distance. Sutton Courtenay parish was fairly extensive but this area included the chapelry of Appleford which was licensed for marriages and will have its own page within this project, the combined area of Sutton Courtenay and Appleford covered just over 5,100 acres and would have supported a population of close to 1,400 parishioners of which close to a quarter reside within Appleford. In Domesday times Sutton Courtenay was a holding of King William, himself, and was not specifically detailed as to its assets, it was, however, substantial as it was amongst the largest 20% of settlements recorded in terms of households.

The Church

All Saints' church sits within 200 metres of the Thames on the eastern side of the B41016 where the roadside is enlarged to form The Green, it sits adjacent to the George & Dragon Inn. Substantial parts of All Saints remain from the late-Norman period of the 12th century. The basal two stages of the tower form the more notable portion while fragments of the chancel arch are also Norman Romanesque in style. From the following century and employing the Early English Gothic motifs of lancet windows are the chancel and a window within the northern aisle. From the late 13th century and Decorated in style comes the nave whilst the clerestory, begun in this period was finished in Perpendicular as was the top stage of the tower. By the church the B4016 broadens out with a notable village asset of the extensive green to the east, holding the war memorial. The lane around the eastern edge permits parking. The churchyard is bordered by a chest height brick wall with a gap granting entry to the tree-edged churchyard, once within there are few obstructions to photography.