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

The Parish

The parish of Walthamstow lies in the extreme southwest of Essex, indeed it forms part of the boundary with neighbouring Middlesex. Walthamstow is located about 6 miles northeast of the city of London and sits on the southern side of London's North Circular Road which encircles the capital some 6 to 7 miles out from the city. Walthamstow, at the time of this transcript, was a large village separated from the capital by the marshy ground of the nearby River Lea, which here forms the border between the counties of Essex & Middlesex. Open ground would have surrounded what was a mixture of agricultural, horticultural and small industries, notably milling of copper, oil & flour. By 1848 Walthamstow had become "one of the largest & handsomest suburban villages near the metropolis". From the mid-19th century Walthamstow has grown meteorically it population rising from around 3,000 in 1831 to over 95,000 by the end of that century. Today Walthamstow is contiguous within Greater London, only the open spaces of the Victorian reservoirs along the Lea valley hinting at former open marshlands. Walthamstow is drained by the Lea which travels the short distance to join the Thames and thence through that river's estuary to the North Sea. Walthamstow is sited at around 40 metres above the sea, in the old town area surrounding St Mary's church, which is something of a local height in this area. Walthamstow parish was large for Essex and largely carved out of the former hunting forest of Epping Forest, it covered around 4,400 acres, more comparable in size to a northern parish than lowland Essex, as stated its population during the period of this transcript was under 3,000 parishioners. In Domesday times Walthamstow was held by Count Judith, William the Conqueror's niece, and was, even then, a prosperous and bustling place, it could offer an impressive 24 ploughs as well as meadows, pastures & woodland plus a mill & fishery making it a wealthy holding.

The Church

St Mary's church sits in the centre of the old former village at the top of Church Hill and a tranquil backwater within the hustle of today's Walthamstow. Externally St Mary appears to be a modern church but that is an artifact of the rather brutal render & yellow brick refacing added in the early 19th century. Pevsner is quick to point out features, internally, which indicate St Mary's origins lie as early as the 13th century. Remnants of circular column bases within the arcades are of the early English Gothic style from the 13th century and it is likely that much of St Mary was in existence at that date. However the church has been much modified over the centuries, the 16th century saw the eastern chapels built, they were increased in height during that early 19th century modification. Further restoration occurred in the late 1870s and again in the late 1930s when the chancel was extended and a vestry added on the eastern side. Church Hill makes a sharp right turn to approach St Mary, the junction being brick-woven to indicate its deference to pedestrians, a few parking spaces can be found by the side of this short stretch. The churchyard is not extensive and it takes a little ingenuity to adequately photograph the church given the abundant foliage inside.

Plain, ruled & bordered book containing combined Banns & Marriages