England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hope under Dinmore St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Hope under Dinmore lies in central Herefordshire about 4 miles south of the market town of Leominster. Hope under Dinmore is a small linear village built on the northern slopes of Dinmore Hill which occupies a tight meander of the River Lugg, diverting it eastwards by some two miles. Hope under Dinmore sits on the very busy A49 road which connects Leominster with Hereford and here is a broad stretch of road requiring an underpass for pedestrians to cross, much of Hope under Dinmore lies along a lane which leads southwestwards from the A49. The principal occupation of the area would have been farming supplemented by some quarrying of local stone, the area is famous for the growing of hops & cider apples as well as pastoral farming. The landscape locally is dominated by Dinmore Hill which rises to 179 metres and forms a ridge running from much higher ground to the west, the A49 winds over but the railway line takes a tunnel through the hill. A small tributary of the Lugg drains Hope under Dinmore, the Lugg eventually meeting the Wye and the Bristol Channel. By the standards of Herefordshire Hope under Dinmore parish was rather large, it covered almost 3,700 acres and contained almost 600 parishioners scattered across its lands. In Domesday times Hope under Dinmore was a small place indeed, it was held by the Canons of Hereford and offered just 4 ploughs.

The Church

St Mary's church sits in a rather unpleasant location right alongside the A49 but thankfully raised above on the slopes of Dinmore Hill. The building is a 19th century replacement of the mediaeval church which once served the village. Built in 1813 it was modified in 1866 to add a transept, the nave was rebuilt in 1879 and the chancel and northern chapel remodeled in 1896 so much has altered from its original design. The church is clearly of little architectural interest as Pevsner dismisses it within fewer than 10 lines. The underpass which is necessary to enable the majority of parishioners to reach the church safely leads to a cutoff road in which it is safe to park for access. A short lane leads to the grounds which are rather enclosed to the east and south but views from north and west are uninterrupted.