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

The Parish

The parish of Swineshead has a rather curious location, historically it was a detached part of Huntingdonshire entirely surrounded within Bedfordshire, today (following reorganisation of counties in 1888) it is included within Bedfordshire. Swineshead is located about 6 miles east of the Northamptonshire industrial town of Rushden. Swineshead is a small and reasonably compact village lying in lanes about 2 miles west of the B660 road which connects Kimbolton with Bedford. Farming dominates the landscape today and it has little changed from that pertaining at the time of this transcript, perhaps a little more arable in the mix today. Swineshead is drained eastwards by small tributaries of the River Kym joining the latter near Great Staughton and the Great Ouse at St Neots before heading north to the North Sea through The Wash. Swineshead is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in gently rolling countryside rising to local heights of around 70 metres. Swineshead parish was slightly smaller in area than many of its neighbours, covering around 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of about 300 parishioners. In Domesday times Swineshead, despite being just a small place, was shared between two Normans, William of Warenne (holding the larger share) and Eustace the sheriff; the parish was small in both size and value offering just 4 ploughs as well as small meadows & woodlands.

The Church

St Nicholas' church stands at the heart of Swineshead and its magnificent tower makes it a landmark for many miles. Pevsner was much impressed with the building stating that it was an "impressive Decorated church" and "beautifully fitted up", praise indeed for a man often grudging in that department. Most of the church is built in the Decorated style, a style fashionable in the early 14th century. The build did, however, run over into the later Perpendicular period as evidenced by the change in style expressed by the recessed spire of the western tower. As is almost customary for a church in this country the Victorians made their usual changes albeit in this case it was limited to refreshing some of the fenestration. St Nicholas stands at the junction of High Street and Sandye Lane behind a low brick wall and in a slightly elevated position requiring sloping pathways to rise to the building. The height of the tower necessitates getting well back to encompass the effect making it better for photography to do this from outside the churchyard.