England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
East Ham St Mary Magdalene

The Parish

The parish of East Ham lies in the extreme southwest of Essex forming part of the county's coastline with the outer Thames Estuary and also it is close to the border with neighbouring Middlesex. East Ham is located roughly 6 miles east of the city of London and stands largely between the A13 and A124 roads both of which link Barking with the city of London. Today East Ham is a thoroughly urbanised part of Greater London but it was not always so. At the time of this transcript there was very little to East Ham other than agricultural land and Thames-fringing marshland. It is said that Henry VIII kept a large house in the parish where he and Anne Boleyn would dally. The marshland would have provided reed for thatch, wildfowl for the pot and access to the river for transportation of goods. The hinterland, which extended right to the A12 was largely a mixture of arable and market gardening for the London markets. It was not until 1812 that Barking Road, an eastwards extension of the East End's Commercial Road was laid out for development, initially for exclusive out of town residences and then widespread general urban growth. As a consequence of this development and the railways into the city East Ham's population grew faster than any urban area in the land, from around 1,500 in 1831 by 1891 it had reached 96,000 and has continued rising. Further growth came with the construction of deep-water docks, the Royal Albert & King George V docks and the construction of Beckton Gas Works. Finally much of the former marshland at Creekmouth was turned into a large sewage plant taking the outfall from Bazilgette's Northern Outfall. Modern developments abound, the railway skirted north of East Ham avoiding the marshy ground but provided a station, the A13 and the A406 (forming the eastern terminus of the North Circular Road) are both fast dual-carriageways. Despite all of these urban features nature still has a place in East Ham, the vast churchyard is a Nature Reserve whilst alongside the A13 there are the ironically named Beckton Alps and despite the presence of the North Circular there are still quiet spots along Barking Creek. It is Barking Creek which transports the majority of the water to the Thames and thus the North Sea. Much of East Ham lies less than 3 metres above the sea, it is some distance before any noticeable height is gained. East Ham is surrounded by larger parish yet still covered around 2,500 acres supporting a population prior to urbanisation of close to 1,500 parishioners. East Ham has been around since Domesday, it held 77 houses at that time large enough to make the top 20% by population, held by Robert Gernon it mustered 16 ploughs, meadows and pig-infested woodland, the litany of livestock including detail such as 3 beehives is testament to its rural nature at that date.

The Church

St Mary's church stands on the eastern side of High Street South immediately north of the course of the overhead A13 and standing in a vast overgrown churchyard, now a nature reserve, prior to urbanisation it would have overlooked the marshes of the Thames banks. The church is an astonishing survival from the earliest of times, a piece that fascinated antiquarians by retaining its 12th century Norman form right into modern times. The Norman Romanesque style is seen in both nave and chancel which is completed with a semi-circular eastern apse. Pevsner points to the intersecting wall arcading of the chancel which indicates a date of c1130 with the apse also attributed to the first half of the 12th century. Also 12th century is the southern door albeit it sits within a Victorian porch. The western tower is not of this early date but its dating is somewhat vague, usually attributed to the 13th century and the Early English Gothic era it is built in a rough gravel conglomerate rather than the rag-stone of the main body. Other 13th century features include the western door and the piscina. Whilst the church's romantically isolated position made it a popular place for Londoners to be buried the church received little maintenance and by the 19th century was dilapidated and threatened with demolition, a lengthy period of restoration from 1891 to 1896 saved St Mary from that fate. Throughout the 20th century further repairs have had to be made, most from the effects of time but the church also felt the effects of war being damaged in 1940. This is a church to visit on foot as all of the surrounding area is for permit holders only except Sundays. The overgrown situation will really challenge the skills of the photographer for whilst the site is extensive it is a woodland and there are few spots where an adequate view can be taken.