England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Runwell St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Runwell lies in southern Essex, it is located about 1 mile northeast of the market town of Wickford. Runwell sits on the A132 road which links Wickford with South Woodham Ferrers. Whilst Runwell was previously a separate village it has now been largely subsumed into the growth of Wickford and is effectively its northern suburb. Runwell would, at the time of this transcript, have been largely employed in arable agriculture, cereals would have dominated as well as crops such as root vegetables. This is a relatively low lying area, Runwell is only 7 miles north of the Thames estuary and sits on the River Crouch which heads eastwards (and was navigable up to Runwell) to reach the North Sea. Runwell is sited at just 10 metres above the sea. The parish of Runwell was of a typical size for Essex, it covered around 1,800 acres and would have supported almost 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Runwell was shared between the Canons of London's St Paul & one Count Eustace of Boulogne, the parish boasted 7 ploughs, some woodland and an extensive array of farm animals especially pigs.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the southern side of the A132 on land that falls to the course of the Crouch. The church had its origins in the 13th century, although little of that period now survives. The southern arcade is the major remnant of the 13th century; the remainder of the church is in the Perpendicular style and dates from the late 14th/early 15th centuries. The church also had extensive restorations in both the 1860s and 1900s which added many features as well as underpinned the aisle arcade which was subsiding in the soft foundations. St Mary's is rather extensively shielded by many mature trees and there are many obstructions within the graveyard to photographic angles. The best extensive view of the church is probably further south along the A132 from near the obvious bus stop.