England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Turweston The Assumption

The Parish

The parish of Turweston lies in the extreme northwest of Buckinghamshire forming part of the county's border with neighbouring Northamptonshire and with Oxfordshire mere yards way to the southeast. Turweston is located merely a half mile east of the Northamptonshire market town of Brackley and sits just across the infant River Great Ouse from its larger neighbour. Turweston sits a quarter mile east of the A43 road which links Brackley with Northampton. Turweston is a linear small village with most properties lying along a lane which parallels the course of the Great Ouse. Like most parishes in this area Turweston is a farming parish and largely arable. Much of the parish acreage to the east of the village is taken up by the aerodrome of the former World War II bomber airbase which has been a venue for a flight school, rally circuit and for staging events such as rock festivals, it also carries a business paek. Modern developments have come to the parish, a branch railway line linking Brackley with Buckingham has, however, closed and been largely dismantled, the A43, however, has been upgraded to a modern high speed dual carriageway. Turweston is drained by the infant Great Ouse which has a long journey eastwards through Buckingham, Milton Keynes and The Fens before arriving at the North Sea through the Norfolk port of King's Lynn and The Wash. Turweston is sited at around 110 metres above the sea, eastwards away from the river a few spots rise to breach the 130 metre contour in gently undulating terrain. Turweston parish was towards the smaller end of the Buckinghamshire scale, covering 1,150 acres it would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Domesday Turweston was held by William de Feugeres and was a similarly rural holding offering 8 ploughs some meadows and a mill.

The Church

The church of the Assumption sits to the west of the main junction within the village and almost on the banks of the Great Ouse. This is a church which appears to be Victorian when only the exterior is viewed, internally a more complex history is revealed. The nave and northern aisle appear to be the earliest part of the church with Pevsner venturing a date of c1190 placing them towards the end of the Norman Romanesque era. Later is the southern arcade which shows the Early English Gothic styling of the 13th century. Completing the major medieval fabric is the 14th century chancel in the Decorated style whilst the Perpendicular era saw its east window added. It was the Victorian restoration of 1863 which not only rebuilt the western tower complete with its saddleback roof but also added the veneer of its age to the medieval core. The church is accessed from The Green where there is ample parking spaces, the church is heavily screened from that point, a feature of the churchyard in general which is rather busy with trees, a few select angles are available but must be chosen wisely by the photographer.