England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ibberton St Eustace

The Parish

The parish of Ibberton lies in central Dorset about 7 miles west of the market town of Blandford Forum. Ibberton is a compact village sitting on the spring line at the foot of the Wessex Downs. Ibberton sits in a wide area which is totally devoid of major roads, the closest being the A357 (Blandford Forum to Sturminster Newton) road which lies over 4 miles to the northeast of the village. Ibberton would have been a farming settlement, grazing on the chalk downlands to the southeast with a mixed regime on the lower, clay rich soils to the northwest. Ibberton is drained northwards by the River Divelish which soon joins the Stour and reverses to head southeastwards to eventually reach the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour. Ibberton is sited on a sloping site between 100 metres above the sea on the lower, northwestern, side to 130 metres around the site of the church, land rises abruptly to the southeast onto the Wessex Downs reaching almost 260 metres on Ibberton Hill barely a mile away, the crest is followed by the Wessex Ridgway path and the area abounds in hiking paths. Dorset parishes are often quite small and Ibberton was one of those, covering just under 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of just over 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Ibberton was held directly by King William, offering just 5 ploughs together with meadows, pastures and woodland it was a small rural settlement even then.

The Church

St Eustace church is not easy of access, it sits high above the village on the path rising towards Ibberton Hill and is best approached on foot after finding parking in the village. The church is largely Perpendicular in design, however, it is difficult to be sure of the dating as the church was ruinous in the early 20th century when a major restoration created the present building. Much of the church was rebuilt at that time and we must be grateful that St Eustace did not suffer the same fate as other small rural churches in being left a ruin or converted to housing. The church follows the standard design of nave & chancel with western tower, augmented by a northern aisle and chapel. As you climb from the Ibberton Inn, the tarred lane becomes increasingly narrow and rough eventually reaching the church on its sloping site. Despite the many screening trees the building has few immediate obstructions to photography.