England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Little Totham All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Little Totham lies in southeastern Essex forming a short stretch of the county's convoluted coastline, here with the Blackwater Estuary. Little Totham is located roughly 3 miles northeast of the market town and port of Maldon and stands around 2 miles southeast of the B1022 road which links Maldon with Colchester. Little Totham is mainly a crossroads village with most properties gathered around a T-junction where School Road and Green Lane meet, the parish church stands some way to the south of the village adjacent to the 15th century Little Totham Hall, between the village and church there ia a scatter of farms and cottages. The parish also extended further southwards to meet the Blackwater at Mill Beach where salt workings would have evaporated pans which employed some of the village. The main economic activity was, however, arable farming like much of the county with grazing marshes close to the estuary. Various little creeks and drains take water from the parish to the Blackwater exiting through sluices generally at gaps in the tall banks bordering the estuary. Little Totham is sited at around 20 metres above sea level with the church some 10 metres lower, of course much of the parish was close to sea level, to the north land rises to breach the 80 metres contour amongst Tiptree's orchards. Being long but thin Little Totham parish covered only 1,200 acres enough to support close to 400 parishioners. At Domesday Little Totham was recorded together with its larger neighbour Great Totham and it is impossible to discern exactly which holdings refer to the smaller entity.

The Church

As already mentioned All Saints' church stands close to a mile south of the village cheek by jowl with the hall on the northern side of Church Lane. Like many small rural churches All Saints retains fabric from the earliest times, both northern (the earlier) and southern doorways date to the 12th century Norman Romanesque period, the northern is rather plain but the southern is decorated with friezes. Both nave and chancel show the characteristic lancet styled windows typical of the 13th century Early English Gothic period, the eastern end window is notable for 3 stepped lancets. In the 16th century it was planned to added a big and blocky western tower in the Perpendicular style, the western door carries an engraved date of 1527 indicating the build period, for whatever reason plans were abandoned part way through leaving a short base which was completed in timber, weatherboarded and topped with a pyramidal spire, the whole now white-washed in contrast to the main body. A modest restoration of 1883 left much alone except for the weatherboarded southern porch. As you approach the church it is totally hidden within a veritable forest, a driveway leads into the churchyard and the church, parking is available at the entrance. The church has only a limited set of views available because of close trees, the eastern end being totally enclosed, the adjacent farms to the west also impede views from that quarter but the main southern aspects is readily available for the photographer.