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

The Parish

The parish of Stoke Edith lies southeast within central Herefordshire about 7 miles east of the county town of Hereford. Stoke Edith is a small and compact village, little more than a hamlet, which sits on and just south of the A438 road which connects Hereford with Ledbury. Stoke Edith sits at the base of the large hill of Seager Hill which stands proud above the valley of the River Frome. Stoke Edith would have been dominated by its estate of Stoke Edith Park, sadly the 17th century mansion suffered a fire and after a temporary rebuild was demolished in the 1950s. Stoke Edith's economy would have been entirely farming based with pastoral farming intermixed with a little arable and, of course, cider apple growing. The Frome drains the parish westwards the short distance to the Wye which reverses the direction on its long way to the Bristol Channel through the port of Chepstow. Stoke Edith is sited at around 70 metres above the sea but land rises immediately to the south onto Seager Hill which tops out at 264 metres dominated the local area. Stoke Edith parish was a little on the small size for its county, covering just under 1,700 acres it would have supported a population of almost 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Stoke Edith was held by one Ralph of Tosny it could offer just 9 ploughs but did hold a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the edge of the parkland at the base of the climb to Seager Hill, a narrow lane winds south from the A438. The church consists of two distinct periods, only the western tower survives from the mediaeval period, Pevsner dates the tower to the Decorated period of the early 14th century whilst its recessed spire is late 15th or early 16th century. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in the 1740s and is therefore a rare survivor of that Georgian period. Curiously boxy in shape it is atypical of most mediaeval churches incorporating Doric columns amongst its features, the stark northern wall is blank and featureless. The approaching lane is rather narrow and care should be taken when parking, the church sits behind the school and neatly clipped hedges. The building has some very close tress restricting angles from both west & north but otherwise has few impediments to photography.