England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Colchester St Mary at the Walls

The Parish

Colchester is located in eastern Essex, about 22 miles northeast of the county town of Chelmsford. Colchester is an ancient town situated on the A12 road which runs from London to the Suffolk port of Lowestoft, Colchester also is a major stop on the main East Anglian railway line from London and a significant port at the navigable head of the River Colne. Colchester has ancient origins having been founded prior to the Roman invasion and expanded as the Roman Camalodunum, famous for being sacked by Boudicca Colchester grew into a substantial market town and was given walls and castle by the conquering Normans. Colchester is divided into 12 parishes, each covering no more than a few blocks, St Mary at the Walls was one of the western parishes, as its name suggests it butted the mediaeval walls of the town and was the fifth most populous in the town. Colchester grew slowly, impeded by successive military impacts, suffering notably during a siege during the English Civil War in 1648. The town remains a small town much added to by the presence of military garrisons which surround the town. As a port Colchester would have earned much of its economy from those activities, it was incorporated as a market in 1189 by Richard I which also attracted income, Nowadays Colchester is an important commuting centre for people working in London and also has grown many light industries around its fringes, the port remains a source of income and the University of Essex is an asset too. The River Colne drains the town to the east and reaches the nearby North Sea within a few miles. St Mary at the Walls parish is sited at around 30 metres above the sea and sits in a slope rising from the Colne. St Mary at the Walls parish would have covered around 20% of the town within the walls and was the westernmost parish therein. In Domesday times Colchester was a very wealthy place indeed, it is mentioned in no fewer than 17 entries and is shared by the King, holding the majority, Count Eustace of Boulogne & the Bishops of London, Barking & Rouen, its wealth was substantial offering 54 ploughs, extensive meadows, pasture & woodlands as well as 4 mills and 5 salthouses.

The Church

St Mary at the Walls' church sits on the southern side of Church Street, the church ceased to be used for worship in 1978 and is now Colchester's centre for the |Performing Arts. The church was extensively damaged during the 1648 siege and had to be largely rebuilt subsequently, only the Late-Perpendicular western tower remained largely intact, albeit its brick upper parts were returned in 1729. The remainder of the church dates largely from the rebuild of 1713 substantially added to in the 1870s. The building has no boundary with Church Street being flush with the pavement, and the site has many mature trees making for a difficult place to obtain adequate photographs.