England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Moreton Valence St Stephen

The Parish

The parish of Moreton Valence lies in western central Gloucestershire roughly 7 miles southwest of the city of Gloucester. Moreton Valence sits immediately west of the A38 road which links Gloucester with Bristol. Moreton Valence is a small linear village sitting along a dead-end lane west of the A38, the parish extends across the flood-plain of the Severn and includes the banks of that river. Sitting on a lane which parallels the Severn lies the subsidiary settlement of Epney which has the Anchor Inn and a few properties sitting below the river's levee. Much of the parish is low-lying pastureland, the home of the cattle that produce the milk for the famous Double Gloucester cheese, a few spots nearer the A38 are arable but the majority is pastoral. Modern developments have come to the parish, the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, designed to shorten the navigable route to Gloucester's inland port, passes through the parish carrying both leisure & working traffic. Moreton Valence is connected to the Severn by a few man-made drainage channels, the Severn takes the resulting water southwest to the Bristol Channel. Moreton Valence is sited at 10 metres above the sea with Epney at sea level, land rises gently at first east of the A38 before rising abruptly to the Cotswold ridge where Haresfield Hill summits at 246 metres and dominates eastern views. Moreton Valence parish was relatively small covering only 1,000 acres, it would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Domesday Moreton Valence was a rather small manor held by one Durand of Gloucester and offering just 4 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

St Stephen's church sits at the western end of the village on the northern side of Church Lane, behind the churchyard sits the moated site of a 13th century medieval house now merely archaeological remains. The church, however, is documented earlier than that manor house being first mentioned in c1150, the church contains much fabric from that 12th century period. Both the nave and chancel are 12th century Norman Romanesque in style as is the chancel arch, the arch to the southern chapel and the northern doorway, the latter a fine piece and well worth a visit. In addition the tympanum, also 12th century, has a neat carving of St Michael spearing the dragon. The 12th century core was given its western tower during the 15th century, it is typical Perpendicular in style as are the southern aisle and chapel and the stone northern porch. Pevsner gives a date of c1500 for this addition work, a late date within the Perpendicular era. A typical Victorian restoration came in 1880 and gave the church its encaustic floor tiles as well as generally refreshing the fabric. The entrance to the churchyard is set back a few yards from the lane allowing space for a vehicle or two to safely park, the church is set into the northwestern corner of the churchyard and the western end is surrounded by the bordering trees restricting views of the 15th century tower but all other angles are available for the photographer.