England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hinton Parva St Kenelm

The Parish

The parish of Hinton Parva lies in eastern Dorset roughly 3 miles north of Wimborne Minster. Hinton Parva is a mere hamlet on the B3078 road which connects Wimborne Minster with Cranborne, most properties in the parish actually lying in Stanbridge, as, indeed, does the church. Hinton Parva sits in the shallow valley of the River Allen which would have given it a mixture of land-types allowing grazing on the meadows alongside the river as well as more typical arable farming on higher and drier ground. The Allen drains the parish southwards to meet the Stour at Wimborne Minster, here water turns eastwards to reach the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour. Hinton Parva is sited at around 30 metres above the sea in fairly gentle terrain which rises away from the Allen westwards to a local high point of 99 metres at the hill fort of Badbury Rings. Hinton Parva parish was one of the smallest in its county covering only 439 acres in which barely 50 parishioners could have been supported. Hinton Parva is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Kenelm's church sits in Stanbridge on the eastern side of the B3078 and at the southern edge of the meagre run of properties that form this hamlet. Sadly this is not some medieval masterpiece nor indeed is it the venue of the marriages which are listed here. Today's church was built in 1860 at the expense of the local Glyn family. The style utilised is that of a mixture of neo-Norman Romanesque echoing the 12th century, used in the strangely place southern porch spire in particular, and neo-Early English Gothic of the early 13th century in which the main body of nave and chancel are styled. The B3078 is quite a fast and busy road and there is no obvious parking at the church itself so visiting should be after finding a safe place to park. The church is well screened from the road with post and rail iron fencing breached by metal gates, The church is hugged by trees from three sides with only the southern aspects open to the photographer leaving few angles to utilise.