England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Elkstone St John

The Parish

The parish of Elkstone lies in the southern portion of central Gloucestershire roughly midway between the towns of Cheltenham and Cirencester, being roughly 7 miles south of the former and the same distance northwest of the latter. Elkstone sits a half mile east of the busy dual-carriageway of the A417 (which follows the ancient Roman route of Ermin Way) road linking Swindon with Gloucester and is a small and compact village built around a "T" junction of lanes on a site high in the Cotswold range. The Cotswold range is well-known for two products, the sheep which graze its short and sweet pastures and the limestone that is an excellent building stone, soft to cut yet hardening on contact with the air, both are exploited by Elkstone. A secondary use for the sheep was as a source for a bone manure manufactory which employed many in the village. Elkstone is drained southeastwards by Perrott's Brook, a small tributary of the River Churn which is joined southeast of Bagendon, the Churn continues south through Cirencester to meet the infant Thames at Cricklade, here water turns eastwards for a lengthy journey to the capital and eventually the North Sea. Elkstone is sited at around 250 metres above the sea not far short of the highest ground around which does tip over 270 metres in a few places. Covering just over 2,000 acres Elkstone parish was fairly typically sized for its area, that acreage would have supported a population of around 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Elkstone was a relatively wealthy small holding of one Ansfrid de Cormeilles offering 12 ploughs, typical meadows and woodland and possessed a mill.

The Church

St John's church stands on the northern edges of the village sharing an entrance with the local rectory and standing behind typical Cotswold limestone walling. The church has origins in the 12th century, the Norman Romanesque period, whence it was a typical cruciform church with a central crossing tower, that is not the case today. The nave and chancel survive from the 12th century and are fine examples of the style, one of the "most interesting and best preserved" in its county says Pevsner. Dating has been tentatively set to c1160 - 1170 but with work on replacement features also from both 13th and 14th centuries. The 14th century saw the addition of the southern porch, its tiny lancet windows indicative of a very early date for that century and reflecting Early English Gothic tastes rather than the Decorated style appropriate to the dating. The major event which changed the layout of the church is not documented so whether the central crossing tower fell or was demolished is unknown, suffice it to say today we see a splendid 15th century Perpendicular western tower in its place. The presence of the crossing tower is readily noted by the scars left by its former presence internally. Two phases of Victorian restoration are noted in Pevsner, the first of 1851 and the second of 1894, both received no criticism from Pevsner so presumably were both light and sensitive. Whilst the lane passing the church is narrow it carries little traffic so careful on-road parking is safe enough, the entrance to the churchyard sits down the drive to the rectory. Trees beset the western end of the church requiring a good angle to view the western tower but most other aspects are readily available to the photographer.