England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ayot St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Ayot St Peter lies in central Hertfordshire, there is not a compact settlement to Ayot St Peter merely a scatter of cottages and farms. The settlement is centered on the junction of lanes by the church and a separate area known as Ayot Green which lies a half-mile south. The parish is sited about a miles southwest of the market town of Welwyn in lanes just west of the A1(M) road which links London to the north. The parish stands on some slightly higher ground, at about 120 metres above sea level, to the north of the valley of the River Lea and south of that of the River Mimram. The area, which was once a mixture of woodland and arable farmland is nowadays home to wealthy London commuters who live the rural dream while commuting from nearby Welwyn Garden City to London. Ayot St Peter parish was a relatively compact parish with around 1,200 acres and at the time of this transcript supported about 250 parishioners. In Domesday times the land was owned by one Robert Gernon and supported 11 ploughs, a feature of the commentary is the woodland in the parish which supported 150 pigs.

The Church

As stated above Ayot St Peter's church is sited at a junction of lanes in the centre of the parish. The church, however, is a modern one having been rebuilt in the 1870s. The church is built in a colourful pattern of red, blue and white bricks and set off by a rather slender tower. Pevsner describes the church as "capricious and deliberately original" and goes on to praise the church furnishings as being an "exceptionally complete" example in sympathy with the Arts & Crafts movement. The church sits in a well-wooded churchyard behind a low flint & brick wall. A pair of wooden gates leads to a gravel path, the church looks almost miniature in its setting being built in a compact square and overshadowed by tall trees to the south.