England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Snelston St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Snelston lies in the extreme west of Derbyshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Staffordshire. Snelston is located roughly 2 1/2 miles southwest of the market town of Ashbourne and sits just over a mile west of the A515 road which links Ashbourne with the A50 (Derby to Stoke upon Trent) road.Snelston is a small crossroads village sitting just west of the parkland estate of Snelston Hall which dominates the parish. The village is concentrated around a crossroads just east of the course of the River Dove. Like all estate parishes the Hall dictated much of the local economy which was almost totally pastoral with cattle on the softer ground near the Dove and sheep on the thinner pastures sitting atop limestone. That limestone was also quarried for both local building and also for burning for spreading upon the fields. Modern developments have come and gone from the parish, a branch railway lime linking Ashbourne down the Dove valley to Rocester has closed and left only fragments of infrastructure. Today the Dove is a magnet for fishermen whilst the surrounding countryside also draws hikers making outdoor tourism an important part of the local economy. Snelston is drained southwards by the Dove which then turns eastwards once out of the hills to eventually meet the Trent joining that lengthy river for its journey east and then north to the Humber Estuary and the North Sea. Snelston is sited at around 120 metres above the seam its common to the south being at 180 whereas across the Dove the Weaver Hills reach 371 metres as the highest ground around. Snelston parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering 2,100 acres it would have supported a population of close to 400 parishioners. Snelston's Domesday entry is confusing as the assets outweigh significantly the number of households, one can only assume it refers ti a region rather than this specific manor,

The Church

St Peter's church stands on the edge of the estate of Snelston Hall on the northern side of Church Road a few hundred yards east of the main crossroads. Whilst there was once a wholly medieval church here what remains is only a tiny portion of St Peter which has been repeatedly rebuilt at the expense of the Harrison family of the Hall. The southwestern tower complete with battlementation and pinnacles is a typical example of an early 15th century Perpendicular tower. The remainder of the church is wholly modern having been rebuilt initially in 1825 and again in 1907 and would thus not be recognisable to the participants in the marriages. Church Road is well-used for local on-street parking as evidenced by the worn verge outside the gates. The churchyard has clumps of trees which restricte some of the favoured angles but enough remain to satisfy the photographer.