England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ugley St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Ugley lies in northwestern Essex not too far from the border with neighbouring Hertfordshire. Ugley is located roughly 6 miles north of the Hertfordshire town of Bishop's Stortford and sits a half mile east of the B1383 road (the former downgraded A11) which links Stansted Mountfichet with Newport. Whilst Ugley has a small presence on the old main road, an inn and a few cottages, the village is a gathering of farms and cottages around a square of lanes by Ugley Hall. Like most Essex parishes the predominant source of income was from arable farming, cereals in the main but some root crops and brassicas too. Modern developments have come close to Ugley, the railway line from London to Saffron Walden & Stansted Airport passes just east whilst the modern M11 motorway is squeezed into the gap even closer to the village, quite a noise even if sunk in cutting. Ugley sits on a small watershed with easternmost water heading into the infant Cam whilst that falling to the west reaches the Stort, the former heads north to reach the North Sea via the Great Ouse and The Wash whilst the latter meets the Lea and the outer Thames before also reaching the North Sea. Ugley is sited at around 100 metres above the sea and whilst there is slightly higher land to its northwest it exceeds by only a small margin. Ugley parish is fairly typically sized for this area, covering around 2,000 acres it would have supported a population of just under 400 parishioners. In Domesday times Ugley was held by Aubrey de Vere and was equally modest offering just 7 ploughs plus the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Peter's church sits cheek-by-jowl with Ugley Hall, sharing a driveway until the last few metres. Whilst the church does have early origins it is one which has been much modified over the years and little remains that is truly medieval. Pevsner indicates that the nave, the northern wall and part of the southern wall west of the doorway is of the original fabric and 13th century Early English Gothic in style. Much else is later, the western tower of brick is an addition of the early 16th century, just prior to the reformation whilst the remainder comes from the Victorian era when not only was there a restoration but most of the eastern end was completely rebuilt. The chancel was restored, thus medieval in part, whereas the southern chapel was completely rebuilt and an equivalent chapel to the north plus a vestry added, these changes date from the campaign between 1862 & 1865. Both church & hall are on the southern side of Ugley's square of lanes, the gravelled approach to the church may  be suitable for a single car, albeit with some backing-up to escape afterwards. Once within the churchyard is relatively open & uncluttered with few obstacles for the photographer.