England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Shadoxhurst St Peter & St Paul

The Parish

The parish of Shadoxhurst lies in southern Kent roughly 5 miles southwest of the town of Ashford. Shadoxhurst sits about 2 miles south of the A28 road which links Ashford with Tenterden and onward to Hastings. Shadoxhurst is a rather linear village with most properties built along a short straight stretch of lane each end of which has lanes forking away, a further lane (Church Lane) heads south to the church. Much development, of bungalows in particular, arose in the 1920s when land was parcelled out for smallholdings, a development which has made the village somewhat scattered. At the time of this transcript the parish was heavily wooded with almost a third of the acreage set to woodland and its associated management, roughly equal acreages of arable and pasture where topped up by some small hop plantations, something of a regional speciality. Shadoxhurst is drained northwestwards by headwaters of the infant River Beult to eventually meet the Medway west of Yalding, thence to the outer Thames Estuary through Maidstone & the port of Chatham. Shadoxhurst is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in uncharacteristically level terrain for its county, local high spots are at or only a little higher for some considerable distance. Shadoxhurst parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering a little over 1,900 acres it would have supported a population of around 250 parishioners. Shadoxhurst is not mentioned in Domesday Book, as are many in Kent's Weald and adjoining areas.

The Church

St Peter & St Paul's church lies south of the main lane through the village on the eastern side of Church Lane and a little over a quarter of a mile south of the main lane's western fork. Whilst the church has its origins in the early medieval period it is one which has received a thorough restoration in Victorian times which has removed much of the dating detail usually used by Pevsner. The largest piece remaining relatively unchanged is that of the chancel which is Early English Gothic in style and from the 13th century, holding large lancet windows to both north and south as proof of its era. The remainder appears to be from the slightly later style period of the Decorated which flourished through the first half of the 14th century, perhaps representing an extended build period crossing the two styles. The thorough restoration of the late 1860s at least was sympathetic to the building and has, of course, ensured its greater longevity. The approach to the church is delightful, from the junction of Church Lane with The Street, where parking should be sought, a shady path heads to the churchyard becoming a paved way across the churchyard to the main door. Sadly the favoured southeastern aspects are rather rstricted by trees but all other angles are available but challenging especially on a sunny day.