England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Edlaston St James

The Parish

The parish of Edlaston lies in southwestern Derbyshire not too far from the county's border with neighbouring Staffordshire and roughly 3 miles south of the market town of Ashbourne. Edlaston sits just under a mile east of the A515 road which links Ashbourne with Lichfield in Staffordshire. Edlaston is an estate village with a straggle of properties lying along a meandering southeastward running lane but no real village centre, at its eastern end it merges with Wyaston which most properties gathered around  T-junction a little to the south. Edlaston was almost certainly a closed parish with most land held by the master of the 18th century hall, inbound migration would have been discouraged and no village grew. Much of the area lies in pasture and Edlaston was no exception, it sits on relatively high ground in the southern fringes of the Peak District, that altitude making it more suitable for sheep rather than cattle. Edlaston is drained southwards by a number of small brooks which merge to join the Sutton Brook which becomes the Hilton Brook just before meeting the Trent to the north of the brewing town of Burton upon Trent. The Trent carries water though the East Midlands before turning north at Newark end eventually reaches the North Sea though the Humber Estuary. Edlaston is sited between 160 and 180 metres above the sea which the some of the highest ground between Ashbourne and the Trent. Edlaston parish covered just over 2,300 acres and would have supported a population of close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Edlaston was a small manor held by Henry de Ferrers offering just 2 ploughs, some meadows and having extensive woodland.

The Church

St James' church sits on the southern side of Edlaston Lane between the Hall and Wyaston. St James is a church with much modern fabric added during Victorian and 20th century restorations. Remaining from the medieval is the 14th century chancel arch, the chancel itself is disputed between Pevsner & Historic England, Pevsner claims it also be 14th century whilst Historic England claim it from a rebuild of 1682, that precise a date clearly has some documentary backing and may well be correct. Much else dates from the major restoration covering 1900 - 1903 which added the unique bellcote now the most distinguishing feature of the church. That restoration also added the east window. Further restoration came in 1934 to refresh the remainder of the church. Whilst the lane is narrow for most of its course, at the gates it is widened to permit a car to sit outside the gates, presumably for bridal and/or funereal vehicles, but making for a convenient parking spot. The church is almost hidden behind thick hedging except from the gates, most angles are available but the trees south of the church make for better views only along the line rather than the full landscape perspective.