England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
East Hatley St Denis

The Parish

The parish of East Hatley lies in the southwest of Cambridgeshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Bedfordshire. East Hatley is located about 6 miles northeast of the Bedfordshire market town of Biggleswade. East Hatley sits in lanes almost devoid of numbered main road, the nearest being the B1042 some three miles to East Hatley's south, this road connects Sandy with the A1198 (which follows the Roman Ermine Street). East Hatley is a small settlement, just a row of cottages along a dead-end lane and together with its twin settlement of Hatley St George they barely amount to the size of a small village. East Hatley would have been an agricultural place at the time of this transcript and today little has changed, maybe more arable nowadays as heavy machinery makes lighter work of the heavy clay soils. East Hatley is drained by small feeder streams of the Cam, initially heading southwestwards then returning to the east to pass through Cambridge and reach the North Sea through The wash. East Hatley is sited at around 70 metres above the sea and sits on a broad ridge of higher ground, the local area is rather featureless and heights vary little. East Hatley parish was quite small even for a southern parish, it covered just under 1,400 acres and would have supported a population of around 100 parishioners. In Domesday times East Hatley was equally small yet held jointly by three landholders, Picot of Cambridge, Count Alan of Brittany and Eudo the Steward sharing the few resources of 8 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

St Denis' church sits in rural isolation and some 200 yards from the nearest road. The church has its origins in the 13th or early 14th century but time has not been kind to St Denis. The church was extensively restored in 1874 and Pevsner also speculates that the western bellcote was added at that time to what was a basic small church of nave & chancel. However St Denis was closed for worship in 1959 and the site transferred for use as a nature reserve. Following extensive ivy growth the church was practically hidden and patently unsafe so a major restoration was undertaken in the fist decade of the 21st century. The work reveals the church for the first time and worship has recommenced accordingly. The church is best approached on foot by one of the footpaths crossing fields to reach it, a sign points the way from East Hatley's main street. The churchyard is now relatively open and does not restrict photographic angles.