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

The Parish

The parish of Handley lies in western Cheshire roughly 7 miles southeast of the county town of Chester. Handley sits on the former route of the A41 which links Chester with Whitchurch in Shropshire and which now bypasses the village to its east. Handley consists merely of a strip of properties lining the former main road, a larger settlement sits on the A41 to the north, the crossroads village of Milton Green whilst to the southwest is the hamlet of Aldersey Green. Growth of the village was largely suppressed as over 75% of the parish acreage was owned by the lord of the manor and inbound migration deterred. This area of the county is renowned for its rich pastures which flourish in the low-lying vale between the sandstone ridge that bisects the county and the town of Chester, here is the location for the dairy herds that have made Cheshire Cheese notable throughout the land. Modern developments have come and gone from the parish, a railway line linking Chester with Whitchurch is now closed with only the odd cutting & bridge to mark its route. The Mere & Coddington Brooks drain the parish westwards becoming the Aldford Brook after they merge, Aldford marks the confluence with the River Dee which takes the water to the Irish Sea through Chester and its estuary. Handley is sited at around 20 metres above the sea with much of its parish below that, to the east the sandstone ridge rises abruptly to 227 metres at Raw Head. Handley parish was small for this county, covering only 1,300 acres and supporting a population of close to 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Handley was even smaller a 2 plough settlement providing meagre returns for its landholder Tezzo's son Osbern.

The Church

All Saints' church sits at the northwestern end of the village on the eastern side of Whitchurch Road. This is church much changed in relatively modern times with nothing from the earlier medieval eras remaining. The oldest fabric relates to the southern doorway which shows continuous mouldings from the earl 14th century Decorated era, the church's western tower is also late medieval and carries an inscription with the date of 1512 on its western face, a date consistent with its late Perpendicular style. The hammerbeam roof of the nave has been dated and a date of 1666 from the Stuart era was forthcoming. Both nave and chancel were rebuilt in the 19th century, the nave with the more certain date of 1853 - 1855 as part of a general restoration, the chancel is believed by Pevsner to show Georgian work of the 1820s but more certain is later work in 1891 which also created the vestry and its porch. As the road passing the churchyard was once the main road from Chester to Whitchurch it is certainly wide enough to safely park for a visit. The metal gates are sheltered by mature trees but these are the only obstacles and easily avoided by the photographer.