England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Houghton All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Houghton lies in western central Hampshire close to the border with neighbouring Wiltshire. Houghton sits on the western side of the valley of the River Test. Houghton is a long linear village built along a lane running parallel with the river, it sits about 8 miles west of the city of Winchester and 2 miles south of the busy A30 road which links Winchester with Exeter. Houghton is spread over three distinct entities, the main village is flanked to its north by North Houghton and to the south by Houghton Drayton, the whole running for almost 2 miles from north to south along the valley side. Whilst this was mainly a pastoral farming area, sheep on the downs and cattle in the valley bottom, the open spaces were ideal for horse racing. Stockbridge race course occupied the downs close to Houghton and the were many connections with the equestrian industry throughout the area. The River Test, which forms the main drainage for the area is headed southwards to join the English Channel to the west of Southampton. Houghton is sited at around 30 metres above the sea and land to both east and west rises in chalky hills to local heights of around 80 - 90 metres. Houghton parish was quite a small one by area, the chalk parishes tend to be larger than those with the additional resources of the river valleys, but it would have supported just over 450 parishioners. In Domesday times Houghton was quite a wealthy place, it was, however, shared between 5 separate land owners; it boasted an impressive 39 ploughs along with meadows, woodlands, 4 mills and a fishery, most land and assets were held by the Bishop of Winchester and this was a prosperous place indeed.

The Church

All Saints' church sits on the northern edge of Houghton village and is accessed to the west of the main lane by the narrow lane of Church Lane. Pevsner is rather shy in dating the building, stating only that some features are of the 13th century. The church follows the standard pattern of chancel, nave and western tower (here a simple bell-turret with a small broach-spire) but is augmented by north & south arcades. Pevsner speculates that these arcades may have represented a transept in an earlier Norman manifestation of the building e.g. a cruciform beginning. Church Lane ends at the church gates where a pair of wooden gates grants access through the low flint and brick wall. There are few restrictions to photography within the graveyard.