England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hinton Martell St John the Evangelist

The Parish

The parish of Hinton Martell lies in eastern Dorset not too far from its border with neighbouring Hampshire. Hinton Martell is located about 4 miles north of the market town of Wimborne Minster and sits, in lanes, about a mile east of the B3078 road which connects Wimborne Minster with the Hampshire village of Fordingbridge. Hinton Martell is a small and reasonably compact village with most properties lying along the lane which runs eastwards from the B3078. At the time of this transcript Hinton Martell would have been an arable farming community and little has changed over the years. Sitting on chalk-rich lands there is little surface drainage but what there is makes its way westwards to join the nearby River Allen, this joins the Stour south of Wimborne Minster and makes its way to the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour. Hinton Martell is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in gently undulating countryside, the Allen's valley forming lower land to the west whilst to the east land is at or slightly above that height for some distance. Hinton Martell parish was of a fairly typical size for its area, it covered just over 1,500 acres and would have supported a population of around 300 parishioners. In Domesday times Hinton Martell was held jointly by the King & one Bishop Gilbert Maminot of Lisieux, it could offer a meagre 5 ploughs, meadows, pastures & woodland plus 3 mills.

The Church

St John the Evangelist's church sits at the eastern end of the village on the northern side of its main lane. Sadly St John is not a mediaeval masterpiece but a Victorian replacement for its predecessor. A few windows, undated by Pevsner, were reused in its construction but it is almost totally a new-ish church having been constructed in 1870. Following the standard layout of nave, chancel and western tower, augmented by a northern aisle, it clearly lacked architectural interest for Pevsner whose commentary lasts just a few lines stating only that the content was "correct" in its interpretation of historical styles. The church stands behind a low local stone wall with gates at the western end of the site granting access, there is a small pull-off for parking. The churchyard is relatively open and with few obstacles to photography.