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

The Parish

The parish of Laindon lies in southern Essex about 4 miles south of the market town of Billericay. Laindon, formerly a small village, is nowadays an integral part of Basildon New Town and stands just over a half miles south of the A127 road which connects London with Southend on Sea. In ancient times Laindon was the major settlement with Baslidon its smaller chapelry, the roles have now been reversed as Basildon has expanded dramatically engulfing Laindon in a sea of modern housing developments. At the time of this transcript Laindon would have been a medium sized arable farming village, fields painstakingly maintained in the thick Essex clays. Modern developments began to arrive with the Victorians, the London to Southend on Sea railway line carving through to the south has then been followed by the creation of the high-soeed dual-carriageway of the A127. Small streams drain the parish northwwards into the infant River Crouch which heads off eastwards reaching the North Sea through the small port of Burnham on Crouch. Laindon is sited at around 40 metres above the sea whilst its church is just over 50 metres, land rises to the south topping 90 metres on Langdon Hills. Laindon parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering just under 2,400 acres it would have supported a population, excluding Basildon chapelry, of close to 400 parishioners. In Domesday times Laindon was an equally unremarkable holding of the Bishop of London offering 12 ploughs and the usual pastures and woodland.

The Church

St Nicholas Church stands on a slight hill some 10 metres or so above the general lie of the land, on the western side of Church Hill and just north of the B148 that forms the main spine of the new town's Laindon district. Whilst the church has 12th century origins and Pevsner documents the nave as originally of that period, the church was substantially rebuilt in the 14th century. At that time the chancel and southern chapel were completely rebuilt and the nave substantially renovated. Further work saw the iconic 15th century timber belfry added. This darkly weatherboarded structure is topped by a splay-footed spire and is the main attraction of the church. For once Pevsner does not mention a Victorian restoration so if one occurred it must have been light and fairly sensitive. The verge of Church Hill is sufficiently broad to permit a car or two to park, the church sits well above road height with a flight of steps or a zigzag pathway rising to the site. The churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.