England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Holybourne Holy Rood

The Parish

Holybourne is a chapelry in the parish of Alton in the northeastern part of Hampshire close to its border with neighbouring Surrey. As a chapelry the church was only registered for marriages for a short period in the duration of this transcript project. Holybourne is northeast of its mother parish along the line of the busy A31 which connects Alton with Farnham in Surrey and ultimately to London. Fortunately the A31 now follows a dual-carriageway to the south and no longer passes through the village. The village is set in the valley of the River Wey at just over 100 metres above sea level, however broad downs rise to the northwest to way over 200 metres as the valley is significantly incised. The area today is almost totally arable but would have had a significant amount of sheep grazing on the downland pastures at the time of this transcript. The area of the chapelry was compact, just over 1,300 acres, and supported just over 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Holybourne was held personally by the King and supported 5 ploughs.

The Church

Holy Rood church is sited to the west of a narrow lane which climbs from the village northwestwards on to the downs. The church is a mixture of four ages, the earliest part is the tower base which is Norman although the spire is a 19th century addition. The next oldest piece is the chancel which dates from the Early English era followed by the nave which dates from the classic build period of the Perpendicular. The church sits in a small graveyard bordered by a low stone wall, the site is curved to the road and access is gained by a wooden gateway. There are many mature trees making sight lines rather tricky, the east end, however, is presented rather pleasantly to the road.