England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Letton St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Letton lies in western Herefordshire not too far from its border with the Welsh counties of Radnorshire & Breconshire. Letton is located roughly 9 miles northeast of the Breconshire market town of Hay on Wye and sits on the A438 road which connects Hay on Wye with Hereford. There is very little to modern day Letton, a mere blink-and-miss-it sort of place that has only a meagre presence on the A438, a small cluster of farms, cottages and the church sit to the south of that road about the former grounds of Letton Court. Letton sits within the flood-plain of the River Wye which provided rich grazing for one of Herefordshire's traditional farming methods, namely beef cattle, a little arable would have graced higher ground. The Wye drains the parish eastwards to Hereford, part of a longer journey which culminates through the port of Chepstow with entry to the Bristol Channel. Lutton is sited at around 60 metres above the sea, its immediate surroundings are flood-plain flat but land rises abruptly across the river to reach 291 metres on nearby Bredwardine Hill. Herefordshire has many small parishes and Letton was one of these, covering just under 1,200 acres it would have supported a population of close to 100 parishioners. Letton was an equally tiny place in Domesday times, held by Roger de Lacy it could offer just a pair of ploughs bit did possess a mill.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits south of the A438 accessed by the narrow dead-end lane of Church Lane. The church is certainly an ancient example with much fabric dating back to Norman Romanesque times of the 12th century. The main body of the church, both nave and chancel date from this early period and are complimented by the contemporary western doorway. The nave has also a tiny piece of intrigue as erosion of a zigzag has revealed herringbone masonry within, perhaps indicative of a pre-Conquest building. Like most churches there has been much change over the centuries, the first noticeable work being dateable to the Early English Gothic period of the 13th century extended the chancel and added typical lancet windows as part of this work. The 14th century saw the transeptal tower added complete with its half-timbered top, a southern transept is perhaps contemporary and carries a date of c1346. The Victorians, of course, had their input to in a restoration described by Pevsner as "severe" in 1883, apart from scraping the walls and re-roofing they added the timber southern porch. Church Lane is marked by a rather inconspicuous wooden sign, it lies roughly 200 metres northwest of the Swan Inn. The lane leads a further 100 metres south ending at church and a rather large farm complex where careful parking can be found. The churchyard has few obstacles for the photographer.