England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Heanor St Lawrence

The Parish

The parish of Heanor lies in eastern Derbyshire, indeed it forms an extensive part of the border with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. Heanor is located about 9 miles northeast of the county city of Derby. Heanor is a large town sitting on the western banks of the Erewash river with an extensive rural parish attached. Heanor town sits astride the A6007 road which connects Ripley with Ilkeston. Heanor grew extensively during the period of this transcript as exploitation of the local coal & limestone rapidly increased employment. What was a small market town grew into a substantial industrial town with mining backed up by the manufacture of silk & cotton goods. The extensive rural area of Heanor parish would have remained largely a pastoral farming area. Much of Heanor town is sited along the elongated "H" formed by the staggered junction of the A6007 & A608 roads but housing has spread from this central area to all compass points including eastwards to the Erewash which forms the border with Nottinghamshire. The Erewash drains the parish southwards to reach the River Trent just east of Long Eaton thence to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Heanor is sited at around 120 metres above the sea, some 60 metres higher than the Erewash, in gently rolling foothills south of the nearby Peak District. Heanor parish was rather large, it covered around 7,000 acres and would have eventually supported a population in excess of 6,000 parishioners, however at the commencement of this transcript the population would have been between 1,000 & 2,000. In Domesday times Heanor was held by one William Peverel and could offer 8 ploughs, small meadows & woodland plus a mill.

The Church

St Lawrence's church sits close to the fork where the A608 leaves the A6007 to head eastwards to Eastwood, the A608 being here Church Street. The church sits in an elevated position above the junction as Church Street rises steeply to meet its level by the western entrances. Of the mediaeval St Lawrence only the rather austere grey western tower remains. The tower shows Perpendicular style features and probably dates from the late 15th or early 17th centuries. The remainder of the church was rebuilt between 1866 & 1868. The building clearly has little architectural interest as Pevsner spends little time describing its attractions. The church site is buttressed by a local stone wall, entrance being from the row of shops along Church Street at the western end. The site is terribly cramped and the church crowded by mature trees making it a tricky subject to adequately photograph.