England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Westley Waterless St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Westley Waterless lies in southeastern Cambridgeshire roughly 5 miles south of the town of Newmarket. Westley Waterless sits just under a mile west of the B1061 road which links Newmarket with Linton. Westley Waterless is a small and linear settlement with most properties lining a lane which heads northwestwards from the B1061 with the church and a large cluster of farms at Church Lane the end of the village. Westley Waterless is and still is an arable farming parish with broad fields stretching down the gentle hillside towards the Fenland at its base. Westley Waterless parish is long and thin as are many in this strip which gave the residents access to all of the land-types available. As the parish name suggests there is no source of running water due to the porous chalk which underlays, the headwaters of the River Stour provide drainage southeast once they arise heading for the Suffolk/Essex border and eventually reaching the North Sea through Dedham Vale and Manningtree, Westley Waterless is sited between 90 and 120 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where little exceeds the latter height for some distance. Westley Waterless was a typically sized for the area covering close to 2,300 acres and supporting a population of around 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Westley Waterless was shared 3-ways but the main assets were held by Ely Abbey and totalled just 2 ploughs and a small meadow, a tiny place indeed at that time.

The Church

St Mary's church stands at the northwestern end of the village accessed from the main lane through the village by the dead-end lane of Church Lane, the church is hidden from the main lane by a large farm complex. Sadly in 1855 St Mary suffered a disaster as its 12th century round tower collapsed, the western end being urgently repaired and still somewhat raw today as a consequence. The main body of the church, nave and chancel both date from the 13th century Early English Gothic period although the tell-tale lancet window is hidden by the 19th century vestry. The nave is augmented by 3-bay arcades which show the early 14th century Decorated style even if their capitals puzzled Pevsner. Besides the 1855 repair from the tower collapse the 19th century vestry was added presumably as part of a Victorian restoration which Pevsner fails to acknowledge a date. Parking should be respectful for the farm operations but there are ample opportunities northeast of the churchyard. The church stands a little too close to the southern edges of the churchyard for acceptable views from that direction but all other aspects are available for the photographer.