England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bincombe Holy Trinity

The Parish

The parish of Bincombe lies in southern Dorset not too far from its English Channel coastline. Bincombe is located roughly 4 miles north of the port & resort of Weymouth and sits just over a mile east of the A354 road which links Weymouth with Dorchester. Bincombe is a tiny place, little more than a group of farms and cottages tucked away in a dry valley within steeply rising chalk downs, including its eponymous Bincombe Hill, a narrow out-and-back lane is all that connects the hamlet with the wider world. Whilst Bincombe, today, is a peaceful backwater, in early times this landscape was heavily populated, the Bincombe Hill group of 22 round barrows being an insight into the usage of this landscape whilst within Bincombe's wider parish there are no fewer than 62 round barrows -  a unique pre-Roman legacy etched into the chalk. The thin soils of the chalk were unsuitable for arable farming and sheep grazing dominated, the local stone, however, was extensively exploited with much decorating the nearby county town of Dorchester. Today Bincombe is perhaps most visited by hikers, the many chalky tracks providing a playground for walkers and naturalists alike. The porous chalk means most drainage is sub-surface but a small stream makes its way the short distance to join the River Wey reaching the nearby English Channel through Radipole nature reserve. Bincombe occupies a steeply sloping site with properties between 80 & 120 metres above the sea, whilst Bincombe Hill tops out at 162 metres, just a quarter mile north. Bincombe parish was a small one, of barely 1,000 acres and supported just over 150 parishioners. Bincombe is mentioned in Domesday Book, a small and modest holding of Caen Abbey offering just 3 plough but with meadows and expensive chalky pasture.

The Church

All Saints' church sits at the southeastern end of the village surrounded by the bucolic clutter of the farms which surround it closely. Whilst All Saints has its origins in the 12th century there has been much change in two distinct periods. There is a minor dispute between Pevsner and Historic England as to the precise dating of the earliest feature, Pevsner places them to the early 13th rather than late 12th century. That 12th or 13th century core was then extensively rebuilt in the 15th century, both the northern wall of the nave and the southern wall of the chancel were rebuilt entirely as was the tower which all are now externally styled Perpendicular.  The southern porch was an interim measure being added in the 17th century whilst the remainder of the church received extensive restoration again in Victorian times, dates for this are not precisely given. There is very little space for parking in this tiny hamlet but a pleasant chat with the locals will usually allow a vehicle to the farm yard outside the churchyard. A footpath leads uphill past the churchyard with a wooden gate allowing entry through the local stone walls. There are few obstacles to a landscape view but that western tower is best appreciated from within the aforementioned farm yard as it is flush to the western edge.