England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wickford St Catherine

The Parish

The parish of Wickford lies in southern Essex about 6 miles east of the new town of Billericay. Wickford, once a relatively small village, is now a substantial town built along the A129 road which connects Billericay with Rayleigh. Wickford, like many villages in this area has seen phenomenal growth in recent times, fueled by the London to Southend on Sea rail line it has become a centre for commuting to the capital, a journey of barely 45 minutes. The installation of "new towns" at Basildon & Billericay has also prompted growth throughout this area of Essex, what were once open fields are now covered in housing. Wickford, at the time of this transcript, was a small and compact village grouped around the crossroads of A129 & A132 engaged primarily in arable agriculture. Wickford is drained northwards into nearby Hanningfield Reservoir which the feeds eastwards into the River Crouch and its estuary. Wickford is sited at between 10 & 20 metres above the sea in fairly gentle countryside, local heights rise to around 70 metres towards the reservoir. Wickford parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering around 1,600 acres it would have supported a population of close to 450 parishioners, today's population is estimated at close to 33,000 to give some idea of the changes wrought. In Domesday times Wickford was a mid-sized place shared between 4 landowners, the ubiquitous Bishop Odo of Bayeux held a holding, a larger share was in the hands of a Saxon survivor one Swein of Essex; collectively Wickford could offer 9 ploughs together with extensive meadows, woodland & pasture.

The Church

St Catherine's church sits on the northern side of the A129 as it heads eastwards towards Rayleigh. Sadly this church is a Victorian replacement for its mediaeval predecessor having been almost complete rebuilt in the mid 1870s. Little remains of the previous church except a single window in the northern wall of the vestry and the roof of the chancel, both are 15th century and Perpendicular in style. The church was rebuilt in a resemblance of 13th century early English Gothic style with lancet windows characteristic of that period. Little of the building excited Pevsner albeit he did praise the attractive bellcote with its openwork frame and shingled splayfooted spire. The A129 is a very busy road but the church car park opposite makes for a parking haven, the churchyard is shaded by trees and marked by a hedge-topped low wall. A broad lychgate marks the entrance and the churchyard is open and with no restrictions to photographic angles.