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

The Parish

The parish of Little Warley lies in southern Essex about 3 miles south of the modern town of Brentwood. Little Warley is a very dispersed settlement with properties spread across a wide area of the rather thin (east to west) parish that spreads for a couple of miles north of and a mile south of the A127 road connecting Romford with Basildon. Along with the two neighbouring parishes of Great Warley & Childerditch, Little Warley is extended north to south encompassing higher ground to the north with the flat lowlands approaching the Thames Estuary. At the time of this transcript Little Warley would have been a farming community with arable crops dominating, today some farmland remains whilst a light industrial estate gives some employment. Numerous, man impacted, streams drain the parish southwards merging to form the Mar Dyke which reaches the outer Thames through Grays and thence to the North Sea. Little Warley is on rising ground, the church sits at around 30 metres whilst the higher parts of the parish are close to 90 metres, land is gentle hereabouts rising steadily from the Thames. Little Warley parish was on the small size for this area, covering close to 1,600 acres it would have supported a population of around 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Little Warley was recorded conjoined with neighbouring Great Warley, shared between the Bishop of London, Barking Abbey and a Saxon survivor Swein of Essex, the two parishes could offer 17 ploughs, pastures, meadows & woodland and an impressive 1,000 pigs, the smell of the parishes must have been noticeable.

The Church

St Peter's church sits in the south of the extended parish close to the A127 and on the western side of the main north to south running lane through the parish. Three distinct ages form the main body of the church, the nave being the oldest and 15th century, built from Kentish ragstone, as are so many churches in this part of Essex. The brick chancel is from the following century early 16th century and towards the end of the Perpendicular era. Finally comes the tower which carries the dating evidence of 1718 for its completion. Despite the relatively late foundation, restorations were made during the Victorian era and later to arrive at today's church. The entrance to the church is tucked away into a dead-end lane opposite modern bungalows, ample parking exists on the access to the gates. The churchyard is open and has no obstructions to photography.