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

The Parish

The parish of Broadwindsor (sometimes rendered without the "d" in older texts) lies in western Dorset forming a substantial section of the border with neighbouring Somerset. Broadwindsor is located about 3 west of the market town of Beamintser and sits on the B3162 road which connects Beaminster through to Chard in Somerset. Broadwindsor is a large village grouped around the crossroads which is formed where the B3162 crosses the B3163. Broadwindsor sits on a land level below the Wessex Downs which rear up just to its south but the parish was extensive covering a broad area of western Dorset. Within that area farming predominated, in this case the majority was set to pasture with sheep grazing higher levels and cattle below, in addition there was some arable and orchard for cider. Broadwindsor is drained northwestwards by a small tributary of the River Axe which is joined at the county boundary turning west and then south to reach the English Channel through the Devon town of Seaton. Broadwindsor is sited at around 160 metres above the sea in rolling countryside between Hollis Hill (197 metres) to the north and the Ridgeway to the south where local heights rise to almost 280 metres on nearby Pilsdon Pen. As mentioned Broadwindsor parish was very extensive for a southern parish, it covered just over 6,200 acres and would have supported a population of close to 1,700 parishioners. In Domesday times Braodwindsor was unusual in being still held by a Saxon survivor, one Hundger, it was a prosperous and substantial place even then, amongst the 20% largest settlements recorded in that book; the parish could offer an impressive 18 ploughs as well as meadows, pastures and extensive woodland.

The Church

St John the Baptisy's church sits at the heart of Broadwindsor set behind properties to the north of the main crossroads. The church received a substantial renovation in Victorian times and most of the main body externally represents that Victorian make-over. Internally a much older building is revealed by Pevsner, he dates the southern arcade to the late 12th century being Norman Romanesque in style. Similarly the opposite northern arcade is also old but in the early part of the following century and Early English Gothic in style. The only other remaining early feature is the western tower which was relatively unaffected by the restoration and is 15th century and Perpendicular in style and represents an earlier rebuild of the church. Parking should be sought in the centre of the village as the church is best approached on foot by the narrow lane of Church Path which rises from the main crossroads to the churchyard site. Once gained the churchyard is quite extensive and has no obstacles to photography.