England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wherwell St Peter & Holy Cross

The Parish

The parish of Wherwell lies in northwestern Hampshire roughly 4 miles southeast of the town of Andover. Wherwell is located on the northern banks of the River Test and sits on the B3048 road which parallels that river cutting across between the A303 (London to Exeter) road and the A305 which links Andover with Romsey. Wherwell is alargely linear village with properties lining the B3048 and its extension as a minor lane to meet the A305. Wherwell has an ancient origin the Priory, which sits almost on the banks of the Test, being founded as a Benedictine nunnery around c986, demolished by order of King Henry VIII it is now an early 18th century house built on the same site. Fragments of the former nunnery can be seen throughout the village incorporated into later properties. Wherwell's position by the river and its junction with the River Ande gave it extensive water-meadows supporting a thriving pastoral farming activity, indeed such was the size of this that it once was of sufficient size to warrant an annual sheep market in September, now no longer in use. Besides the river's blessings, much of the parish was chalk downland used by those sheep and for arable farming, an activity more prevalent today. Modern developments have largely come and gone, a branch railway line which followed the Test valley has since closed and been largely dismantled. The Test drains the parish southwards to reach the English Channel through the port of Southampton and its estuary. Wherwell is sited at around 50 metres above the sea, outside the valley setting land rises to the north reaching 121 metres on Cow Down on the southern edges of much developed Andover. Wherwell parish was substantially larger than is common to most southern rural parishes, covering almost 3,300 acres it was twice the size of a normal parish of the area, within that extensive acreage a population of around 650 parishioners were supported. In Domesday times Wherwell Abbey held its own lands, a wealthy settlement of sufficient size as to be amongst the largest 20% of settlements recorded in that book, offering 14 ploughs, meadows and woodland plus its riverine setting giving it no fewer then 3 mills.

The Church

St Peter & Holy Cross church, a dedication inherited from the former priory, sits south the the B3048 to the east of the access road to the former priory site, a short stub of lane, Church Street, ending in a dead-end at the churchyard. Sadly the church is not that in which these marriages took place having been rebuilt completely in the late 1850s and replacing the former medieval building. Despite its modern origins a styling from the Early English Gothic era, perhaps a hack-back to the original church, of the 13th century has been used. The most attractive feature of what is undoubtedly a pretty church is its wooden bell-turret which Pevsner says is reminiscent of Scandinavian churches. A small car park sits to one's left as you reach the churchyard allowing a lengthy visit. Church Street ends at the lychgate which allows entry to the churchyard, the edges of said churchyard are rather thickly wooded and often intrude into the better aspects making for a challenging church to photograph especially on a sunny day.