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

The Parish

The parish of Donnington lies in the extreme southeast of Herefordshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Gloucestershire. Donnington is located about 2 1/2 miles south of the market town of Ledbury and stands just uner a mile west of the A417 road which links Ledbury with Gloucester. Donnington is a tiny place, little more than a hamlet, the only concentration of properties being at Broom's Green to the south and right upon the border with Gloucestershire. Donnington is dominated by the estate of Donnington Hall,  a country house dating from the 18th century much enlarged in the early 20th century. Donnington sits within Herefordshire's cider country, early gazetteers estimated the acreage was almost equally split between orcharding for cider & perry and the traditional beef cattle of the county. Donnington is drained southwards by the River Leaden which gradually turns more southeasterly before meeting the Severn on Gloucester's northwestern fringes. the Severn gain running south meets the sea through the Bristol Channel. Donnington is sited at around 50 metres in its valley setting, land rises in gentle folds to 94 metres amongst the orchards & even vineyards to the southeast. Donnington parish was small, rather typically for Herefordshire, it covered just 800 acres and would have supported a population of close to 100 parishioners. Domesday Donnington was perhaps marginally larger than today, held by the Canons of Hereford St Peter it offered 8 ploughs and some meadows.

The Church

St Mary's church stands immediately east of the prominent farm of Donnington Court, the lane on which its sits is the first junction south of Ledbury's bypass following the B4216. The church owes its origins to an initial build spread between the 13th and 14th centuries. The nave, constructed in the attractive local red sandstone, is the earliest piece, the Early English Gothic windows feature characteristic cusped openings and Y-tracery. The nave was followed early in the 14th century by the chancel in the Decorated style. For the next 4 centuries this simple 2-chamber box was left largely untouched but this was all to change in the Victorian period. Most of the fenestration was renewed at some point during the 19th century but 3 specific phases are corded by Pevsner, the first of 1862 added the northern vestry, the second of 1873 added the northern aisle, the 3-bay arcade and probably also the timber bell-turret capped with a pyramidal spirelet, the final phase of 1882 extended the chancel and added the timber southern porch. Just west of Donnington Court's access drive the lane is widened to allow parking by the footpath that crosses pastures to the churchyard, sadly for the photographer trees and the proximity of the churchyard's southern boundary remove all of the favoured angles leaving only views from the northeast.