England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Upchurch St Mary the Virgin

The Parish

The parish of Upchurch lies in northern Kent, forming a stretch of the county's northern coastline with the outer Medway estuary. Upchurch is located roughly 4 miles east of the town of Gillingham and sits about 2 miles north of the A2 (London to Canterbury) road which follows the ancient Roman route of Watling Street. Upchurch is a crossroads settlement, much expended in modern times, centred on a junction of lanes by its church. Growth has been particularly marked southwards towards both the A2 and the railway line which borders the North Kent coast. At the time of this transcript Upchurch would have been primarily a farming community, its location on the salt-marshes of North Kent would have varied its regime from the normal arable with early gazetteers placing almost 1/3rd of the parish acreage to salt-marsh grazing and a further 1/6th to standard pasture. Today's Ordnance Survey map shows numerous orchards around the village, a typical Kentish crop of apples and soft fruits being grown. The wharfage at nearby Otterham Creek provided the ability to ship agricultural produce and provided a few with employment. Modern development in the form of that railway line has boosted Upchurch's economy with a station at nearby Rainham encouraging commuting into both the Medway towns and wider afield too. As a coastal community numerous small creeks drain into the nearby Medway Estuary and hence the outer Thames Estuary too. Upchurch keeps its feet dry, however, being sited at around 20 metres above the sea on a coastal plain that rises gradually inland to local heights of just over 60 metres on nearby Keycot Hill. Parishes with salt-marshes tend to be larger than simple agricultural ones and Upchurch was no exception, covering just under 3,600 acres it would have supported a population of close to 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Upchurch was, however, a slightly less significant place, held by the ubiquitous Bishop Odo of Bayeux it could offer a single plough but did possess a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the heart of the village on the junction of The Street with Horsham Lane. The church owes its origins to the 14th century and to the Decorated period of architecture, whilst evidence in the chancel indicates that this 14th century work was a large expansion rather than an original build with work of c 1300 evident. The chancel is extended by the aisles to give a curious footprint from above where three almost identically sized portions, central nave flanked by the aisles, lead to discrete gables at the eastern end. The church's most memorable feature is, however, its shingled spire which takes the form of an eight-sided cone astride a pyramidal structure. Restoration of the church took place in 1875 but was restricted to the chancel and has left the attractive flint and rubble-stone walling intact. There is ample parking outside the churchyard, particularly in The Street where a discrete area is set aside for the same. The churchyard is bordered by a mixture of brick and flint-and-brick mixed walling with the main entrance being from Horsham Lane. The churchyard has difficulties for the photographer with many close evergreens requiring careful selection of the best aspects.