England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wootton Fitzpaine

The Parish

The parish of Wootton Fitzpaine is located in western Dorset, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Devon. The parish is about 4 miles northeast of the seaside town of Lyme Regis in a lane which runs east to west north of the A35 coastal road. The village is a mere straggle of farms and cottages along that lane and is dominated by the grounds of Wootton House. This parish was almost certainly a closed parish with land ownership dominated by the local lord of the manor. The village centre is notionally where the east/west lane meets at a crossroads another lane rising from Charmouth to the south. The parish consists of gently undulating grassy downland with valleys cut by tributaries of the River Char running towards the south. The village is sited at about 40 metres above sea level, although these valleys are cut a further 10 metres down. The area is a mixture of arable and pasture, usually sheep, and has turned increasingly arable through the use of fertilisers to improve the sparse chalky soil. The parish is compact and covers about 1,700 acres and supported a healthy population of just over 400 parishioners. In Domesday times the land was held by Aiulf the chamberlain and supported a very healthy 16 ploughs as well as meadow and woodland and was worth £20.

The Church

The parish church of Wootton Fitzpaine has no known dedication although references have been found to it being St Paul at one time, there is none at present known. The church is tucked away behind Wootton House in its grounds and almost invisible from the public highway. The church is as Pevsner puts it "Much pulled about" indicating the heavy restoration to which it has been inflicted. The church has rather a rather old history the earliest parts (the central tower) being from the Early English period shortly after the Norman conquest, there are portions in the Decorated style and others in Perpendicular indicating additions and changes over the centuries. However all is overlaid by the attentions of the Victorians who laid their heavy hands upon the building. The church is hemmed in by estate buildings and tall trees making it a difficult one to photograph satisfactorily.