England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Rudford St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Rudford lies in northwestern Gloucestershire not too far from its border with neighbouring Herefordshire. Rudford is located roughly 4 miles northwest of the city of Gloucester and on and just east of the B4215 road which connects Gloucester with Newent and onward towards Ledbury in Herefordshire. Rudford is a tiny place, little more than a hamlet, which consists of a small presence on the B4215 and a few farms and cottages between that road and the banks of the River Leaden. Rudford, at the time of this transcript, would have been, and indeed still is, largely a farming community with roughly half the parish acreage set to pasture the remainder arable. Modern developments have come to the area but to all intents and purposes have largely disappeared again, the Gloucester & Ledbury canal ran through the parish and has largely disappeared, the Newent branch rail line has also been uprooted and forms the local Three Choirs trail today. The River Leadon drains the parish southeastwards soon reaching the Severn and thence to the sea through the Bristol Channel. Rudford is sited at around 20 metres above the sea whilst local height Rodway Hill barely tops 60 metres at its highest. By comparison to other parishes in this part of the county Rudford was a small one, covering just over 1,200 acres it supported close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Rudford was still held by a Saxon survivor, one Madoc, and was equally small offering just 5 ploughs although it did possess a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church lies almost on the banks of the Leaden at the eastern end of the dead-end lane that runs down from the B4215. This is an ancient church with fabric dating back to the immediate post-Conquest period. A 12th or even 11th century origin is possible given the styles employed. A small church, as befits a small congregation, the nave and chancel being merely topped with a small bellcote. Much of the northern side of the church has been relatively untouched since construction whilst some windows show styles of the 14th century indicating later refurbishments. No general Victorian restoration is recorded in Pevsner except for the reconstruction of that bellcote albeit retaining the Norman Romanesque style of its origins. The lane to the church and its group of farms is very narrow with grass ridged down the centre and runs largely under tree cover until the churchyard is reached. Given the narrowness parking should be considerate. The churchyard is open and relatively uncluttered with few obstacles to photography.