England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Moreton St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Moreton lies in southern Dorset not too far from its English Channel coastline. Moreton is located roughly 8 miles east of the county town of Dorchester and sits just over a mile east of the B3390 road, the B3390 is a link road joining the A352 (Dorchester to Wareham) road with the A35 (Dorchester to Poole). Moreton is an estate village, dominated by the grounds and estate of Moreton House, an 18th century home built for the local Frampton family set in park-land which includes the village church. Most other properties in the small village sit opposite the gates in a little cluster. Moreton sits on the southern banks of the River Frome, a situation which gave it richer grazing than the scant pastures of the surrounding heathland. Pastoral farming would have provided the principal income for the estate and parish. Modern developments have slightly touched the parish, the Poole to Dorchester railway line skirts the edges providing Moreton with a station which is, however, almost 2 miles away alongside the B3390. The Frome drains the parish eastwards arriving at the nearby Englsih Channel through the complex of Poole Harbour. Moreton is sited at around 20 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where the ridges of chalk to the south stand dominant above the heaths, the Downs rise to many heights of 130 metres and top out at the coastal range of Chaldon Down at 178 metres. Moreton parish was fairly large by southern agricultural parish standards, but not unusually so in this area, covering around 2,300 acres it would have supported a population of close to 300 parishioners. In Domesday times Moreton was a relatively insignificant place, shared between the ubiquitous Count Robert of Mortain and one Brictwin (a reeve) its assets amounted to a mere single plough, meadows and extensive pastures and Count Robert's share included a mill.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits within the estate of Moreton House accessed east from the main group of properties by permitted footpath only, Whilst there had been a church here since medieval times the present St Nicholas was built to replace its medieval predecessor during the period of this transcript, namely in 1776. Pevsner describes the church as "a gem of Georgian Gothick" for its rather picturesque exterior with its central tower and prominent eastern apse of 5 large windows with cusped intersected tracery. Not content with the build of 1776 in 1848 the church received major change with a northern aisle and western porch added to the basic design, internally the 1840s also saw the rebuild of its plaster rib-vault as well as a remarkable set of encaustic tiles. Parking should be within the village as the private road leading to church and house is for foot traffic only, a small sign "To the Church" indicating it is permitted to pass the prominent "private" signs at the gates. Sadly the church is placed tightly against a bank of trees to west and south removing the favoured southern aspects from the photographer's portfolio and making for something of a challenge on a sunny day.