England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Lydd All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Lydd is the southernmost parish in Kent forming a lengthy stretch of the county's English Channel coastline. Lydd is located roughly 3 miles south of the town of New Romney and 8 miles east of the Sussex market town of Rye. Lydd sits at the southern terminus of the B2075 which connects Lydd with the A259 (Rye to Hythe) road. Lydd is described in early gazetteers as "a decayed market town", its fate sealed in 1287 when the course of the River Rother shifted to Rye as a result of a major storm leaving it isolated within the Dungeness peninsula. Early documents mention Lydd as early as the 8th century and it was granted its market by Edward I and in early medieval times was a major market town and port. Lydd has a roughly triangular shape expanding towards it southwestern end with modern developments associated with the appropriation of land for military purposes, much of the land southwest of the town being marked on maps as a "danger area". The parish incorporates extensive tracts of grazing marsh at the southernmost extremity of Romney Marsh allowing extensive grazing for the iconic sheep of the marsh, however, much of the parish sits beneath the vast shingle area of Dungeness and is unsuitable for any farming use. This apparent uselessness has lent itself to many modern developments, a motor racing circuit, an airport (from which the first commercial cross-channel flights once left for Le Touquet carrying the brave and wealthy in the earliest days of aviation) and more controversially a nuclear power station. Amongst all of the paraphernalia Dungeness is a National Nature Reserve for its rare plants and home to a large RSPB bird reserve as well as a quirky community of makeshift properties at Lydd-on-Sea. Lydd is drained southwestwards by man-made "sewers" as the locals tern drainage ditches and channels, most water making its way to the English Channel via Jury's Gut Sewer. Lydd is sited at between sea level and 5 metres and there is nothing higher for many miles in a flat marshland landscape. Lydd parish is the largest in its county covering 6,700 acres and supporting a population of around 1,500 parishioners. Domesday records do not show an entry for Lydd rather 2 manors, Langport and Denge Marsh, lie within the bounds of the parish and Langport illustrates the downfall of the former market town, it held 220 households and sat comfortably in the top 20% of settlements in the land. Langport offered 19 ploughs, a meadow, 4 mills and 7 salthouses for its holders Canterbury Abbey whilst Denge Marsh, held by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, contributed a further 7 ploughs.

The Church

All Saints' church sits in the heart of Lydd on the southern side of the B3025 and occupying the land between the High Street and New Street. The tower is its most striking feature being 132 feet in height it is a landmark across the entire area of Romney Marsh, the height is not the only magnificent dimension as the church is also 199 feet in length, a size befitting the large market town it was in early medieval times. Pevsner, however, gets most exited about a patch of rough rubble walling at the church's northwestern corner which has been archaeologically proven to be part of a Saxon church which preceded today's version. Archaeologists have debated the likely age of this feature and work shown internally and various theories suggest it might even date from the 7th century, based on techniques used it might even be as early as the Romano-British church excavated at Silchester and dating from the 5th. The bulk of the church, however, is of more typical ages, starting from the east there is a 13th century Early English Gothic chancel complete with the lancet styled windows of that era. The nave is a mixture of early 14th century Decorated and later 14th century Perpendicular styles but with a 13trh century northern aisle whilst the dating of the magnificent Perpendicular tower is confirmed by documentary evidence as completed between 1442 & 1446. Pevsner fails to mention any Victorian restoration but places the restoration of the chancel to 1958 which followed a general restoration of 1953. The town has many places for parking but few close to the church. The church sits within a large open space without any significant obstacles, there are a multitude of entries and paths criss-crossing that space with uninterrupted views from virtually any angle for the photographer.