England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Harpenden St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Harpenden lies on the northern edge of Hertfordshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Bedfordshire. Harpenden is located roughly 4 miles north of the county town of St Albans and sits on the A1081 road which links St Albans with Luton in Bedfordshire. Harpenden is a much grown place, early maps show a linear settlement built along the A1081 from Harpenden Common in the south to Harpenden Lodge at its northern end. This settlement stretched for about a mile along the main road with only short side lanes. Harpenden's growth to becoming a town is largely the result of the arrival of the train line from London, growth has completely filled the area between the original large village the course of the River Lea and spread the town southwards along the course of the railway line such that today Harpenden occupies an oblong of a little over a mile from southwest to northeast yet well over two miles from northwest to southeast. At the time of this transcript Harpenden was still largely rural with arable farming dominant except for the common where heathland remained on glacial deposits which built poor soils. A few typically rural industries such as brewing and leather work occupied a few as well as the regional trade of straw plaiting, done mainly by woman & children. Modern developments arrived from the 1860 arrival of the railway granting Harpenden a station, further branch line to Redbourn has, however, closed and been re-purposed as a cycleway.  Harpenden is drained southeastwards by the River Lea which reaches Ware before turning south through the eastern edges of London to the outer Thames Estuary and thence to the North Sea. Harpenden is sited on rising ground west of the Lea rising from 90 metres at the river to 130 metres on its western edges, these areas being the highest ground for some distance. Harpenden parish was extensive covering just over 5,000 acres which would have supported a growing population of close to 1,900 parishioners by the end of the transcript period. the volume of marriages recorded would indicate an average of closer to 1,400 for the duration of this transcript period. Harpenden is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits just west of the High Street, the A1081, accessed from Church Green by the short dead-end land northwards from that area. Whilst the church was undoubtedly originally medieval it was extensively rebuilt in 1862 such that only the western tower genuinely remains from that period. The tower is Perpendicular in style and from the 15th century and comes complete with typical elements of that period, a stair turret and battlementation. The main body was rebuilt in the style of the 1st half of the 14th century, the Decorated, and consisted of the nave with transepts and a lean-to southern aisle. Further rebuilding in 1899 added the northern aisle and vestry, the aisle including reused materials from the prior chancel which indicate a Norman origin for that former chancel. Work has continued into the late 20th century as in 1962 a re-ordering of the church occurred and in 1997 a large northern extension was added. Church Green has ample parking around an semi-open space, the church is approached along a dead-end avenue, Kirkwick Avenue, the churchyard is a difficult one for the photographer with close set adjacent buildings and quite a few trees, views are only acceptable from that southern approach.