England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Meldreth Holy Trinity

The Parish

The parish of Meldreth lies in southwestern Cambridgeshire quite close to both borders with neighbouring Essex and Hertfordshire. Meldreth is located about 5 miles northeast of the Hertofrdshire/Cambridgeshire border market town of Royston and sits a mile west of the A10 road which connects Royston with the city of Cambridge. Meldreth is a curious amalgam of a linear village built in a straggle along Fenny Lane and North End with growth towards neighbouring Melbourn largely enhanced by the arrival of a railway station. Meldreth sits on the southern edges of the flood-plain of the River Cam which gave the village extensive grazing meadows to enhance the otherwise normal arable farming of the area. As mentioned modern development in the form of the Cambridge to Royston railway line gave Meldreth a station which today makes it a desirable commuter settlement for both Royston and more importantly Cambridge. The short River Mel drains the parish just over a mile to join the Cam which makes its way through Cambridge to join the Great Ouse and reach the North Sea through The Wash. Meldreth is sited at around 20 metres above the sea in relatively flat terrain, land not rising much until the chalk is reached to the south of the A505 where land rises to around 100 metres. Meldreth parish was fairly typically sized for southern Cambridgeshire, covering roughly 2,500 acres it would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. In Domesday times Meldreth was a relatively small place, held by Ely Abbey it could muster just 5 ploughs and a small meadow but did possess a mill.

The Church

Holy Trinity church sits towards the northeastern end of Meldreth on the winding lane that heads for neighbouring Shepreth, North End. Holy Trinity shows styles from most of the architectural fashions across the centuries from Norman Romanesque through to Perpendicular. The earliest portion of the church is the chancel which is Norman Romanesque and 12th century. This ancient feature is almost matched at the opposite end of the building by the western tower which shows the Transitional style from the last quarter of the 12th century when Gothic first began to appear, the bell-stage being of that later Early English Gothic period. The central section of nave and aisles is clearly a rebuild from the 14th century, a mixture of early Decorated and later Perpendicular styles being shown representing a continuous period of build. A clerestory was also added during the latter stages. Victorian restoration was limited to a few window replacement otherwise being light and sensitive enough to avoid Pevsner usual criticism. A roughly surfaced parking area for a car or two sits at the western end of the site with the church sitting behind a low brick wall and raised slightly above road level. The churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.