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

The Parish

The parish of Tidenham lies in the extreme west of Gloucestershire forming an extensive part of the border with neighbouring Monmouthshire. Tidenham lies in that part of Gloucestershire sitting west of the Severn estuary and is located roughly 2 miles northeast of the Monmouthshire market town of Chepstow. Whilst the parish takes it name from the small village of Tidenham, which sits just west of the A48 road connecting Chepstow with Gloucester, there are larger settlements within the parish, notably Woodcroft, Tutshill & Sedbury. The parish occupies a peninsula of land squeezed between the course of the Severn and that of the Wye which forms the border with Wales. Like many Gloucestershire parishes the majority of economic activity was formed by pastoral farming but, the residents of Sedbury, in particular, made extensive use of the Severn estuary for both fishing, shell-fishing and for coastal goods transportation.Modern developments have not only replaced the ferry service once operating across the Severn with the M48 motorway bridge, and also the Gloucester to Chepstow railway line cuts through Tidenham parish. Both the Wye and numerous coastal streams drain the parish into the nearby Severn. Tidenham is sited around 40 metres above the sea, whilst much of the parish is at or near sea level land does rise inland to 110 metres nearby. Tidenham parish was large by Gloucestershire standards, covering close to 6,000 acres it would have supported a population of just over 1,400 parishioners. In Domesday times Tidenham was a most important landholding, amongst the largest 20% by population in the country. The majority share was retained by King William with small holdings with William' d'Eu and Roger de Lacy, collectively there were an impressive 40 ploughs, extensive woodlands, a mill but it was the 69 fisheries that gave wealth and status to Tidenham.

The Church

St Mary's church, sometimes the dedication is given as St Mary & St Peter, sits within the small village of Tidenham accessed by a short dead-end lane from the main part of this village. The church has its origins in the 13th century, the southern doorway and, in particular the enormous blocky western tower dates from that century. It is reputed that the tower was also functioning as a navigational marker for traffic on the nearby Severn. The windows of the remaining part of the church are a mixture of Decorated & perpendicular styles indicating a major rebuild during the 14th century. Pevsner does, however, bemoan the "drastic" restoration of the 1850s which saw major changes wrought to the building as well as a general restoration the roofs were replaced and a northern organ chamber was added. The church's access lane leads west about 300 yards north of the A48 and ends in a small car park, the churchyard is open and extensive with no obstacles for the photographer.