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

The Parish

The parish of Stapleford lies in south central Hertfordshire on the western banks of the River Beane and about 3 miles north of the county town of Hertford. Stapleford is a small and rather linear village built along the A119 road which connects Hertford with Stevenage. Modern communications also pass through the rail line from Hertford to Stevenage also passes through the village albeit without a station stop. Stapleford would have been a largely arable agricultural community at the time of this transcript and little has changed beyond a few extra houses and cottages. The Beane drains the parish southwards, joining the Lea at Hertford and reaching the Thames Estuary through the East End of London and thence the North Sea through the Thames Estuary. In its valley setting Stapleford is sited at around 50 metres above the sea, the landscape is gently rolling with local heights reaching almost 130 metres at nearby Bull Green. Stapleford parish was one of the smaller in the area, it covered almost 1,500 acres and would have supported a population of around 250 parishioners. There is no specific mention of Stapleford in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Mary's church is distanced from the village being sited across the Beane on its eastern banks. The church has ancient origins yet preserves very little to prove that origin. The northern doorway shows Norman Romanesque features whilst the chancel has a window from the early English Gothic period of the 13th century. Whilst much else is later and shows the variety of style consistent with almost continuous alteration, the most noticeable piece is the unusually placed tower. Most towers are place at the western end but here it sits incongruously on the northern side midway, it was built in 1874 during extensive Victorian alterations, with porch below, weather-boarding and a spire it is certainly unusual. To reach the church one crosses the Beane on Church Lane and after a field turn right into the access road where there is parking available. Quite bushy trees crowd the views of that tower but from the south there are more open aspects.