England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hexton St Faith

The Parish

The parish of Hexton lies in the extreme northwest of Hertfordshire as a promontory of its county penetrating into and forming an extensive stretch of the border with neighbouring Bedfordshire. Hexton is located roughly 5 miles west of the market town of Hitchin and immediately north of the B655 that links Hitchin with Barton le Clay. Most properties in the village lie along a lane heading northwards from the B655 although there is a small presence on that road including the church & village school. Like most parishes in this area Hexton would have been, and indeed still is, a primarily arable farming parish with cereals the main crop supplemented by beet & oil-seed, the soils are fairly heavy at times, clay sitting above chalk, so arable has even increased with modern machinery. Hexton is drained northwards by a small stream which meets the River Ivel at Shefford , the latter continues northwards to eventually meet the Great Ouse and join with it on its journey to the North Sea arriving through The Wash. Hexton is sited at around 70 metres above the sea with views dominated southwards by the steep escarpment of Barton Hills and Deacon Hill with the latter rising to 172 metres and holding the route of the ancient Icknield Way trackway. Hexton parish was fairly typically sized for its area at a little under 1,500 acres within which it would have supported a population of around 300 parishioners. In Domesday times the majority of Hexton was held by St Albans Abbey with minor shsres with The King and with Geoffrey de Bec, their collective assets of 12 ploughs, some meadows and no fewer than 3 mills making Hexton a prosperous small holding.

The Church

St Faith's church sits on the northern side of the B655 adjacent to the school and west of the main village lane. As Pevsner points out the exterior is seemingly quite modern, possibly early 19th century but his forensic examination of the interior reveals that this modern skin is as a result of rebuilding in that era whilst within lies a typical medieval church. The arcades are the earliest surviving fabric and date from the Early English Gothic period of the 13th century with Pevsner placing the southern version as the earlier of the two. The remainder of the church, except for the modern changes, dates from the 15th century and is typically Perpendicular styled period. Work began to rebuild the exterior in 1824 and the work finished by adding a covering of cement, since removed from the chancel and northern chapel to reveal a brick skin around the medieval. In 1947, however, the church met with a disaster as the northwestern corner of the western tower collapsed and has been left, after securing it, in that strange state till today. Outside the churchyard a substantial lay-by, shared with the school, serves to provide off-road parking and allows an extended visit. Sadly for the photographer substantial trees mar the normal favoured southeastern aspects making the church a tricky subject on a sunny day.