England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Sutton Waldron St Bartholomew

The Parish

The parish of Sutton Waldron lies in northeastern Dorset not too far from its border with neighbouring Wiltshire. Sutton Waldron is located roughly 5 miles south of the market town of Shaftesbury and sits on and mostly west of the A360 road which connects Shafresbury with Blandford Forum. Sutton Waldron sits on a little knoll just west of the prominent chalk escarpment that dominates this area of the county, a narrow lane leads west from the A360 with most properties along that lane or along Church Lane headed for the church. The parish is extended east to west, being rather narrow on the north.south axis, the purpose is to give access to all of the predominant land-types in the area, extending from the high chalk down where sheep were the main focus, down to the lower ground which was largely arable. Sutton Waldron is drained westwards by the Fontmell Beck which soon meets the Stour then heading southeast and east to disgorge into Christchurch Harbour & the English Channel. Sutton Waldron is sited at around 90 metres above the sea but land rises eastwards climbing the escarpment to reach 214 metres on Sutton Hill. Sutton Waldron was a rather small parish for its area covering only just over 1,000 acres, within the acreage it would have supported a population of around 250 parishioners. In Domesday times it was a rather small place held by one Waleran, a hunter, its assets were 4 ploughs, the ususal meadows & woodland but there was a mill.

The Church

Sadly St Bartholomew's church is not some medieval masterpiece nor, indeed, is it the venue for these marriages as that church was demolished to build today's St Bartholomew completed in 1847. The church was clearly of little architectural interest for Pevsner who merely disparages the tracery as "ignorant" and the interior as "dull". The building uses a mixture of faux Early English Gothic & Decorated styles with its main showpiece being the western tower complete with recessed spire. The church is at the southern end of Church Lane which becomes merely a footpath beyond the churchyard, as it is rather narrow it is fortunate there is a small parking and turning area outside. Sadly the churchyard is rather compact with bordering trees preventing the photographer from getting sufficient distance to record adequate images.