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

The Parish

The parish of South Wingfield lies in eastern Derbyshire roughly 2 miles west of the market town of Alfreton. South Wingfield stands a half mile southwest of the A615 road which links Alfreton with Matlock and stands on the western banks of the River Amber. South Wingfield is a mid-sized village quite linear in shape following the course from north to south of the Amber for almost a mile, the wider parish offering hamlets at Park head and Wingfield Park whilst the southern reaches were dominated by the estate of Wingfield Manor House. Two principal industries drove the economy of the village, coal mining and the manufacture of stockings by knitting , a cotton factory was also present, the wider parish saw much pastoral farming on relatively poor soils unsuited to intense agriculture. Modern developments, besides closing all of the mines, have added a railway line from Belper to Clay Cross without granting South Wingfield a station. The Amber drains the parish southwards eventually meeting the Derwent and continuing through Derby to meet the Trent and join its long journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. South Wingfield is sited on rising ground west of the Amber from around 80 metres at the bridge to 130 metres, westwards the isolated outcrop topped by a memorial of Wakebridge rises to 286 metres and dominated the westward views. South Wingfield parish was extensive, as were many in northern Derbyshire, it covered almost 3,300 acres and supported a population of close to 1,200 parishioners. Domesday South Wingfield was a much smaller place offering just 4 ploughs and a small meadow for its landholder William Peverel.

The Church

All Saints' church sits east of the main village by over a half mile and stands also east of the River Amber quite close to its course and on the northern side of Hole Lane Three distinct ages are shown by the fabric indicative of the three main periods of change to the church, The earliest portion, the main body, is of disputed age, Pevsner says 13th century whilst Historic England places it to the earlier 12th century. The main body is a lengthy and capacious space of 5-bays to the southern aisle, Pevsner cites the distinctive capitals as Gothic whilst Historic England begs to differ. At the western end of the church and in a differing stone stands a fine Perpendicular tower reflecting a partial rebuild in late 14th or early 15th centuries. Restoration began early for All Saints with work dateable to 1803 and therefore Georgian being recorded for the porch whence the nave masonry was renovated and new windows inserted, two further phases of Victorian restoration saw the chancel renewed in 1877 and enlarged in 1898. As the church sits on a busy B-road at a bend with limited sight views and speeding traffic it is better to take advantage of the space fronting the church hall to the church's east for safe parking, a gap in the stone wall of the churchyard allows entry to the extensive churchyard with no obstacles for the photographer.