England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Blaisdon St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Blaisdon lies in western Gloucestershire not too far from its border with neighbouring Herefordshire. Blaisdon is located roughly 9 miles west of the city of Gloucester and sits a mile south of the A4136 road, a linking road which crosses the Forest of Dean from Monmouth to the A40 (Gloucester to Ross on Wye) road. Blaisdon is a linear village spread along north to south running lanes on the eastern edges of the Forest of Deam, it runs for roughly a half mile with an inverted "Y" junction forming its notional centre. The area is known for the quality of its orchards and Blaisdon has a minor claim to fame in developing its "Blaisdon Red Plum". Besides orcharding the parish would have been largely pastoral in its land-use. Modern developments have come and gone from the parish, a branch railway line linking Mitcheldean with the Gloucester to Chepstow line having closed and been removed. Blaisdon is drained southwards by the Longhope Brook which soon reaches the estuary of the River Severn and thus the Bristol Channel. Blaisdon is sited on sloping ground rising from 30 to 80 metres above the sea, that slope continues northwards rising to 153 metres on Nottwood Hill whilst further Huntley Hill just grazes the 200 metre contour in strongly undulating countryside. Blaisdon parish was one of the smaller in its county covering just 900 acres, it would have supported a population of around 250 parishioners. Like much of the Forest of Dean, which was a Royal hunting reserve, Blaisdon is not mentioned in Domesday Book, the map has a broad blank covering this area of the Forest.

The Church

St Michael's church sits toward the northern end of the straggle of properties that form the village, to the west of the main northward running lane and set on the hill accessed along a surfaced track. The church was largely rebuilt in the 1860s so would barely be recognisable to the participants in these marriages. The western tower was retained, however, following the rebuild and is a typical 15th century Perpendicular version, complete with battlements and a short pyramidal spire. The main body of the church, nave and chancel with arcades, a northern aisle, southern porch and a vestry, is from the Victorian period and is built in the earlier style of the 13th century, the Early English Gothic, fashionable again in Victorian times. The access lane is unsigned from Blaisdon Lane, it rises and curves northwards to a small parking area just beyond the churchyard. The church is placed uncomfortably close to the tree-rich southern edge of the churchyard impeding the favoured aspects, all other angles are, however, available to the photographer.