England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
High Halstow St Margaret

The Parish

The parish of High Halstow is in northern Kent, indeed the parish forms part of Kent's northern coast where it borders the Thames estuary. High Halstow is sited on the Hoo peninsula about a mile west of the main A228 road which connects Rochester with the Isle of Grain. High Halstow despite being a coastal parish actually sits over 2 miles inland from the sea wall as much land has been reclaimed for farming from the Thames. High Halstow, as its name suggests, sits on a ridge at a little above 50 metres above sea level with commanding views over the grazing marshes to the north. The village is centered on a crossroads of lanes to the west of the A228. This was a region of rather heavy clay soils and much of the parish was used as pasture, with arable fields located on the slopes of the ridge, especially on those areas reclaimed from the sea. The parish is quite a substantial one with almost 3,000 acres supporting almost 400 parishioners. The village is not, however, mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Margaret's church is sited right by the main crossroads of the village on the northern side of the junction. Superficially the church is a typical example of the Perpendicular style but closer examination by Pevsner revealed many small features which indicated an origin in the Early English & Decorated periods with an extensive remodel during the 15th century. The tower is, however, much later probably rebuilt in the late 18th century. The church sits in a wide open graveyard enclosed by a low flint wall enhanced by a few mature horse chestnut trees, the site is elongated east to west making the church look rather small in this very large space.