England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Toppesfield St Margaret of Antioch

The Parish

The parish of Toppesfield lies in northern Essex roughly 8 miles northwest of the market town of Halstead. Toppesfield sits about 1 1/2 miles west of the A1017 road which links Halstead with Haverhill in Suffolk. Toppesfield is a crossroads settlement but an unusual one in that the eastward and westward running lanes are both dead-end for traffic both becoming footpaths beyond the built area. Most properties are gathered around the intersection of these lanes with the main north to south route, the main junction contains a triangular space dominated by the 1881 Congregational Chapel. Like most parishes in this area Toppesfield is and was an arable farming parish, early gazetteers estimate that almost 90% of the parish acreage was set to arable and the mix has changed very little today; this is Essex's bread-basket with wheat and barley the dominant crops. Toppesfield is drained eastwards the short distance to the River Colne by a small stream running to the south of the village, the Colne head southeast to pass through Halstead and Colchester and thus to reach the North Sea through its lengthy estuary and passing Mersea Island. Toppesfield is sited at around 80 metres above the sea in an area where local high points generally do not rise significantly higher, to the far west on the Steeple Bumpstead to Finchingfield road a few spots breach the 100 metre contour in gentle terrain. Toppesfield parish was extensive, as are many in northern Essex, it covered just over 3,200 and was thus 2x the average size for a southern arable parish, that acreage supported a population of around 1,050 parishioners. Domesday Toppesfield was equally a substantial settlement of its time, its 41 households being just sufficient to place it into the top 20% by population, shared by 3 landholders its assets of 12 ploughs backed by meadows & woodland show it in the same style as today.

The Church

St Margaret's church sits on the southern side of Church Lane, the eastward running dead-end lane that becomes a footpath headed for Great Yeldham. The church shows fabric of two distinctive ages, the main body of the church in tradition Essex materials dates from the 14th century with all of the windows of both nave and chancel showing the Perpendicular style of the latter half of that century. The nave has a southern aisle and arcade with characteristic octagonal piers familiar to the era. From later in the Perpendicular era are the porches which Pevsner dates to the 15th century. To the west, however, lies a brick tower which Pevsner dates to 1699, this stands in stark contrast to the main body and is the result of a severe fire which destroyed the original medieval tower, the brick version being a replacement following that disaster. The tower has corner pinnacles and unusually carries an inscription documenting the name of the principal bricklayer, one Daniel Hill. In addition to the western tower there is a western gallery which is probably contemporary with that work. For once Pevsner does not document a Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was light and sensitive. Church Lane narrows markedly at the entrance to the churchyard so parking should be west of the lychgate which grants entry. The eastern end of the church is beset by trees but all other angles are available for the photographer.