England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
East Worlington St Mary

The Parish

The parish of East Worlington lies in central Devon roughly 6 miles east of the small town of Chulmleigh. East Worlington is located about 1 mile north of the B3042 road which links Chulmleigh with Tiverton. East Worlington is a small settlement gathered around a T-junction of lanes, it sits on a ridge above the valley of the East Dart River, to its east a quarter mile sits the daughter settlement of Drayford on the banks of that river. The wider parish has scattered farms and cottages dispersed across the rolling hills to the north. The main economic activity in the parish is characteristic Devon pastoral farming, mainly of cattle for both beef and dairy.East Worlington is drained westwards by the East Dart which flows eventually into the River Taw, water then heads northwestwards to Barnstaple and into the outer Bristol Channel through the joint estuary of the Taw & Torridge. East Worlington is sited at around 140 metres above the sea, some 20 metres above the height of the river, either side of the river land rises to regularly breach the 190 metre contour with 217 metres reached at a spot height to the northwest. Covering just under 2,400 acres East Worlington was a typically sized parish for the area, that acreage would have supported a mainly dispersed population of around 300 parishioners. In Domesday Book East Worlington was returned together with its near neighbour West Worlington, the two were shared between 3 landholders and had assets of 7 ploughs backed by meadows, pastures and woodland.

The Church

St Mary's church sits within the core of the village tucked away behind the village's parish hall and sits beside the primary school. Whilst the church has its origins in the earliest times there was a thorough rebuild during Victorian times such that the majority of the fabric is from that century. The 12th century Norman Romanesque southern doorway was retained despite the rebuild, it has characteristic moulding with zigzag patterning and is decorated with a boar's head. The chancel, too retains a little of the 12th century fabric and a tiny Norman window has been left intact. Much else dates from the rebuild of 1879 which virtually amounted to a complete rebuild of the western tower and the entire southern side. The architect attempted to maintain the Romanesque styling in creating today's church but the building would be unrecognisable to the participants in these marriages. The frontage of the parish hall provides safe off-road parking, the church is accessed by a short dead-end lane leading to church and school, the churchyard is narrow from north to south making landscape images a little tricky to achieve but otherwise has few obstacles for the photographer.