England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Langton Matravers St George

The Parish

The parish of Langton Matravers lies in the extreme southeast of Dorset forming a stretch of the county's English Channel coastline. Langton Matravers is located just over 2 miles west of the coastal resort of Swanage and stands a quarter mile south of the A351 road which links Swanage with Corfe Castle and Wareham. Langton Matravers is a place which has grown through its position in the 20th century, early maps show a series of small settlements strung along the the B3069 road, Langton, itself, was made of 2 groups around the parish church and around its Methodist chapel, in addition there was Coombe to the east and Acton to the southwest. All are now unified into a single linear settlement by modern 20th century development bringing incomers to the Isle of Purbeck. At the time of this transcript Langton Matravers was a farming settlement, its parish configuration was as a long thin strip from north to south crossing from chalk through clays to limestone and producing a mixed farming regime of equal parts pastures and arable. The limestone was also heavily exploited with the area around the shipping point of Dancing Ledges being full of quarries. Today tourism dominates the local economy whether that be attracted by the area's picturesque qualities, by the fossiliferous rocks famed for their ammonites or for hiking the strenuous South West Way National Trail which passes through the parish. Modern developments came to the parish, were closed and reopened, the railway linking Swanage with Wareham closed as a main-line service and now functions as the heritage steam line of the Swanage Railway. Both chalk & limestone being porous most drainage follows the clay beds eastwards to reach the English Channel at Swanage. Langton Matravers is sited on steadily rising ground from 50 metres above the sea at the A351 to 130 metres at Acton, the landscape is a roller-coaster of high, low and high ground with the top of Nine Barrow Down on the chalk the highest ground at 198 metres. Langton Matravers parish covered roughly 2,300 acres across its thin strip which would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. In Domesday times Langton Matravers, itself, was not mentioned but a number of tiny manors across the parish managed entries, the largest, Wilkswood, offered 2 ploughs backed by meadows & woodland, Coombe a further 2 ploughs, Thorne, 1 plough more and finally Acton with 2 more ploughs and a mill.

The Church

St George's church sits on the northern side of the B3069, here High Street, at its junction with St George's Close. Whilst there is some remaining medieval fabric this is a church which has been repeatedly rebuilt most recently in 1876. Close scrutiny by Pevsner indicates there had originally been a narrow 13th century nave which has left roof-line scars as well as a wider 15th century nave which is similarly marked by old scars. The 15th century rebuilding of the church also created the short 3-stage western tower which, at least, remains intact from the Perpendicular era. In more modern times the church was again rebuilt in Georgian times in 1828, creating the wider nave and then again in Victorian times in 1876 which completed the main body in a faux-Decorated style as well as modifying the tower's stair turret making for an essentially modern church which would not be recognisable to the participants in these marriages. St George's Close offers quieter on-street parking as opposed to the busy High Street, the churchyard is relatively uncluttered with most aspects readily available to the photographer.