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

The Parish

The parish of Hertingfordbury lies in southern Hertfordshire roughly 2 miles west of the county town of Hertford. Hertingfordbury sits on the southern banks of the River Mimram immediately south of the busy A414 road which links Hertford with Hatfield. Hertingfordbury is a small and compact village with most properties gathered around the main crossroads and with an extension to the bridge across the Mimram. With Hertford expanding Hertingfordbury has become almost its westernmost suburb with only the Mimram standing between it and Hertford's built area. Like most Hertfordshire villages Hertingfordbury would have largely been an arable parish, early gazetteers estimate that as much as 65% of the parish acreage would have been set to arable with a few pastures lining both the Mimram and the Lea which curves around to the south.The parish is dominated by the former Royal deer park of Hertingfordbury Park estate, its parkland running right up to the village centre and nowadays home to a large independent school. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line from London to Hertford curving through the parish whilst a branch line to Hatfield has been decommissioned and now forms the local Chain Walk Trail. The twin rivers of Mimram & Lea merge in Hertford with the Lea dominant, water turns south soon after Ware running through eastern London to reach the Outer Thames Estuary and thus to the North Sea. Hertingfordbury is sited at around 50 metres above the sea , away from the rivers land rises in gently rolling countryside to local heights of around 110 metres to the southwest in Essendon. Hertingfordbury parish was quite extensive at almost 2,600 acres and that acreage would have supported a population of around 750 parishioners. In Domesday times Hertingfordbury was held by one Ralph Baynard and was a profitable holding offering 13 ploughs, typical meadows and woodlands with 2 mills, presumably powered by the Mimram.

The Church

St Mary's church stands northeast of the main crossroads on the eastern side of St Mary's Lane and sitting at the western edge of the park, Whilst the church undoubtedly has medieval origins there has been such thorough Victorian restoration that little remains truly original in situ. Only the chancel truly demonstrates its 13th century origins displaying lancet styled windows remaining from its origins. Whilst the remainder would have been of similar or later medieval periods twin Victorian restoration have complete rebuilt the church to such an extent that it would be barely recognisable to the participants in these marriages. The first of 1845 was also almost completely wiped out by the more thorough second version of 1891 from which most of the exterior and, indeed, the interior too dates. Whilst St Mary's Lane is narrow it is used for on-street parking particularly between the churchyard entrance and the imposing gatehouse of the park entrance. After passing the imposing tree that guards the entrance the church is approached along a gravel pathway. The churchyard, unfortunately is rather shallow in depth so views from the favoured southern aspects are somewhat restricted but all other angles are available to the photographer.