England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bere Regis St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Bere Regis lies in southern central Dorset and is located about 7 miles northwest of the market town of Wareham. Bere Regis was formerly a market town but that market has ceased and Bere Regis is no more than a small town (or large village). Bere Regis sits astride the busy A35 road which connects Dorchester with Poole albeit that road is now bypassing the town to its north. The town has early origins, some authors claim it as the Roman settlement of Ibernium, and its name is Saxon. Bere Regis would have provided a hub for the sale of local produce and its road connections, in particular with the port of Poole would have helped its commerce. Much of the town, however, was destroyed by repeated fires and other markets grew shrinking its importance. A small tributary of the River Piddle drains the parish southeastwards and eventually reaches the English Channel through Poole Harbour. Bere Regis is sited at around 40 metres above the sea, the land rises, however, to its north to local heights at almost 100 metres on Bere Down, the coastal sandy plains to its south being much lower. Bere Regis parish was one of the larger ones in its area, it covered almost 8,000 (very large for a southern parish) and supported a population of around 1,700 parishioners. In Domesday times Bere Regis was largely held by the King, himself, hence the suffix although parts were in the tenancies of William of Moutiers and Brictward (a priest). The parish could boast an impressive 36 ploughs as well as meadows, woodland, pastures and an equally impressive 9 mills - a wealthy place indeed.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church stands at the southern edge of Bere Regis close to its stream and at the end of the unsurfaced Church Lane. The church is an ancient structure with parts tentatively dated as pre-Conquest albeit Pevsner is hesitant to accept those dates. He is more confident of the later dates, the arcades in the 12th century which were extended around 1300. The tower is classic Perpendicular whilst the northern chancel aisle (Morton Chapel) is confidently dateable through documentary means to the 16th century Of a similar date is the clerestory and the fine roof of the nave. The church stands in an extensive churchyard, entrances from Church Lane and also the modern Elder Road grant access to a large and fairly open area which has few restrictions to photography.