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

The Parish

The parish of Little Braxted lies in the eastern portion of central Essex. Little Braxted is located about 1 mile east of the market town of Witham and separated from Witham by the course of the River Blackwater. There is not much to Little Braxted merely a scatter of farms and cottages grouped loosely around the mill on the Blackwater and Little Braxted Hall. Little Braxted sits on a narrow and winding lane which heads southwards from the busy A12 (London to Colchester & Ipswich) road heading for Great Totham. Little Braxted would largely have earned its living from farming, pastoral on the flood meadows of the Blackwater and arable on drier parts of the parish. The Blackwater is heading just a short distance southeast to reach its estuary at nearby Maldon and thence the North Sea. Little Braxted is sited at 20 metres above the sea but land rises in the southeast of the parish to nearly 70 metres. Essex parishes are quite small but Little Braxted was particularly so, it covered just over 560 acres and would have supported a population of fewer than 100 parishioners. In Domesday times Little Braxted was held by the Bishop of London and could offer just 2 ploughs, a documented selection of animals and the mill.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits on the northern side of Little Braxted's winding lane adjacent to Little Braxted Hall. The church has very early origins and Pevsner dates its origins to the Norman period of the 12th century. The church, however, was much altered by its rector from the late 19th century Ernest Geldart. This gentleman believed that the church should be "the finest and most beautiful house in the parish" and whilst most changes were internally the result makes St Nicholas worth a visit. The interior is extensively decorated, most done by the rector himself and no surface was "left unadorned" according to Pevsner. Externally a new aisle and vestry were added at that time. The church sits behind a low brick wall and entrance is normally from the western end of the site where there is offroad parking and a metal gate grants access by a paved pathway. The site is quite restricted by trees for photography, in particular at the western end of the building.