England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Little Gidding St John the Evangelist

The Parish

The parish of Little Gidding lies on the western edges of Huntingdonshire forming a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Northamptonshire. Little Gidding is located roughly 8 miles southeast of the Northamptonshire market town of Oundle and sits almost 2 miles east of the B660 road which links Kimbolton with the A1, Great North Road. Little Gidding is a tiny place, little more than a cluster of farms on the northern banks of the Alconbury Brook. One cannot mention Little Gidding without mentioning Nicholas Ferrar, son of wealthy merchant he bought the manor house in the 17th century and turned the estate into an obscure and highly disciplined religious community, with 3 services per day and only 2 meals per day allowed. The economy of the parish, of course, was dominated by this estate with arable farming plus seasonal fruit & vegetables the mainstay. The community remained for a while following Ferrars' death but was revived in 1971 only to re-fold in 1997. Little Gidding is drained southeastwards by the Alconbury Brook which meets the Great Ouse at Huntingdon before continuing to the Wash entering through the port of King's Lynn. Little Gidding is sited at around 60 metres above the sea in gentle terrain, its situation being the highest ground for some distance. Little Gidding parish was one of the smaller in its county, covering only a little over 700 acres it would have supported only around 50 parishioners. In Domesday times the manor was held by one William the Artificier and was equally modest, recorded jointly with its larger neighbour Great Gidding the two could only muster 7 plough and small meadow.

The Church

St John's church sits within the estate of the former religious community and it too was a product of that obscure sect. The old medieval church had fallen into disuse and dilapidation but was remodelled into the plain and simple chapel-like structure that exists today. Built in or around 1714 it consists only of a nave & chancel but with a western facade that seems all too elaborate for its simplicity. The rather narrow facade is dominated by its giant pilasters and elaborate bellcote, a curious addition to a simply prayer box. Whilst the exterior is simple the collegiate-chapel styled interior is sumptuous, restored in the mid 1850s to match the Anglo-Catholic rituals practiced by the Ferrars. Even the village is remote, being marked only by a small sign along the dead-end lane between Great & Steeple Gidding. The church is a short walk south of the lane's ending with no obstacles for the photographer within its parkland setting.