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

The Parish

The parish of Tollesbury lies in eastern Essex forming a lengthy stretch of the county's intricate coastline. Tollesbury is located about 8 miles east of the the port of Maldon and sits on the northern shores of the Blackwater Estuary at the eastern end of the B1023 road which connects it to the A12 (Chelmsford to Colchester) road at Kelvedon. Tollesbury is a large village with most properties lining the B1023 but with extensions to the marina to its east and to the southeast. This is a village dominated by the sea, the wealth of fish and shellfish, in particular oysters dominated the local economy, Tollesbury was also a small port but its mere 6 feet draft made it purely for coastal trade. The coastline around the parish is protected by embankments behind which lie rich alluvial soils forming good grazing pasture and rich arable land on drier areas. Modern developments have come and gone from Tollesbury, a branch railway line once ran from the main line at Kelvedon right down to the small port east of Mill Creek, this is now closed with only sporadic signs of its existence remaining. Today Tollesbury and its marina are the haunt of yachting folk, a base for exploring the creeks and channels of the Blackwater. As a coastal settlement numerous and mostly man-made channels drain the land into the Blackwateer. Tollesbury is sited between sea level and 20 metres, that height being fairly general for the whole area within a couple of miles. Tollesbury was one of the largest parishes in its county covering just over 7,900 acres albeit some1,400 were described in early gazetteers as "common or waste", that acreage would have supported a population of around 1,150 parishioners. Even by Domesday times Tollesbury was already a settlement large enough to make the top 20% by population, the majority share of the manor was with Barking Abbey whilst Count Eustace of Boulogne held a smaller share, the total assets of 11 ploughs were nothing exceptional but with extensive meadows and woodland, the latter not a feature of the parish today, and 3 salthouses and a fishery it was already wedded to the sea.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on Church Street, a lane headed southwards from the main High Street of the village and which peters out into farmland after about a half mile. The oldest parts of this church are from the first era of stone-built churches, the nave and much of the blocky western tower date from the 11th century Saxo-Norman period, the high windows of both northern and southern faces of the nave highlight this early construction, certainly pre-Conquest in date. The lowest stages of the tower in a mixture of rubble and flint are topped off by two further stages in brick plus battlements all of which were adder about 1600. The eastern end of the church, the chancel, was rebuilt during the Victorian restoration of 1872 so is thus relatively modern in comparison, besides rebuilding the chancel the restoration was kind to the existing early fabric. The 20th century saw the northern vestry added in 1955 to complete today's church. Church Street begins as a rather broad thoroughfare with ample space for on-road parking, at the churchyard it narrows significantly. Entry is by metal gates through the brick walling enclosing the churchyard which is compact and with bordering trees, it is just feasible enough to get back far enough away to record the church adequately.