England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Chrishall Holy Trinity

The Parish

The parish of Chrishall lies in the extreme northwest of Essex, it occupies a strange position in that its northern boundary forms part of the county's border with Cambridgeshire whilst its southern boundary forms part of the county's border with Hertfordshire. Chrishall is located roughly 7 miles east of the Hertfordshire town of Royston and stands a mile north of the meandering B1039 road which links Royston with Audley End. Chrishall is a crossroads village, its crossing lanes forming an X-shape as they intersect at a tight angle, most properties lies along the two southwards trending lanes. Chrishall stands on very fertile ground, the whole area being largely devoted to arable crops in broad and largely hedge-less fields. To the southeast stands Park Wood which would have been coppiced and managed for woodland products. Chrishall is drained northeastwards by a small stream which eventually meets the Cam at Ickleton, the Cam turns northwards passing through Cambridge and into Fenland where it meets the Great Ouse for its final miles to The Wash and the North Sea. Chrishall is sited at around 130 metres above the sea on some of the highest ground within its county, a spot height of 137 metres to the west of nearby Heydon marks the highest ground. Chrishall parish was larger than many in the area, covering just under 2,800 acres it would have supported a population of around 500 parishioners. By way of contrast Chrishall had 58 households at the time of Domesday, just sufficient to place the manor in the top 20% of settlements by population, held by Count Eustace of Boulogne its assets of 19 ploughs backed by meadows and woodland indicate a mid-sized rural farming manor.

The Church

Holy Trinity church stands roughly a half mile south of the village accessed eastwards from the easternmost access road joining the village with the B1039, a short track leads east to the churchyard on the edge of Park Wood. Whilst the church has its origins in the 13th century and was modified in the 15th century much of the church, today, owes its origins to Victorian work. From the 13th century Early English period only an arch at the eastern end of the northern arcade and the responds of the chancel arch can truly claim originality. Of the expansion in the Perpendicular period somewhat more remains, the buttresses and battlements of the western tower, most of the windows and the aisle arcades. Victorian work came in two phases, the first of 1867-1869 rebuilt the chancel arch, the clerestory and the northern porch as well as re-roofing the nave and southern aisle's roofs, the second phase from 1876 -1878 restored the chancel, including its roofing and added the vestry. Work was not confined to the Victorian period as the western tower lost its spire to a further restoration of 1914. A small white sign stating simply "church" points the way down a roughly surfaced lane eastwards towards Park Wood, the lane ends at a small thatched cottage and the churchyard where a small parking area can be found, apart from single, easily avoided, trees there are no obstacles to concern the photographer.