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

The Parish

The parish of Bayford lies in southeastern Hertfordshire, not too far from its border with not only neighbouring Middlesex but also Essex. Bayford is located about 3 miles south of the county town of Hertford. Bayford sits, in lanes, about a mile south of the B158 road which connects Hertford with Potter's Bar. There is not much to Bayford, a scattered settlement with a notional centre around its T-junction of lanes it lies in a surprisingly rural area of Hertfordshire despite its relatively close proximity to London. Despite the building of a station on the Hertford to London Moorgate railway line there has not been the extensive development of other Hertfordshire villages. Bayford's main economy would have been farming at the time of this transcript, with heavy clay soils arable was difficult but a mixed farming regime would have predominated. Bayford is drained by small tributaries of the |River Lea, after flowing northwards to join that river a great loop is performed to eventually reach the North Sea through the east of London and the Thames Estuary. Bayford is sited at around 90 metres above the sea and the land is gently undulating with local heights some 30 metres higher. Bayford parish was relatively small for this area, it covered just over 1,600 acres and would have supported a population of around 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Bayford was held directly by the King, himself, it was a substantial place offering 20 ploughs, meadows & woodland and 2 mills.

The Church

St Mary's church sits about 400 yards north of Bayford's main junction sitting within the Y formed by the lanes leading to Hertingfordbury & Brickendon. St Mary's is a modern church, built in the early 1870s, in the style of the Early English Gothic. The building is clearly of little architectural interest as Pevsner spends no more than a few lines describing it. He does mention the roofing which in its configuration of the vestry creates a "happy effect" but otherwise offers little favour or, indeed, criticism. The church sits, within its function setting, behind a low brick & flint wall. Entrance is by a neat lychgate, the churchyard has many trees which do somewhat limit the available angles for photography.