England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Warehorne St Matthew

The Parish

The parish of Warehorne lies in southern Kent roughly 7 miles south of the town of Ashford. Warehorne sits a half mile west of the A2070 road which connects Ashford with New Romney. The village sits on the northern edges of Romney Marsh yet the parish contains parts of both the marsh and the Weald. Warehorne has a few properties lining the B2067 road which skirts the northern edge of the marsh but most are south of that road on a narrow lane headed out into the flat landscape of Romney Marsh. The parish's position would have given it access not only to the rich grazing of the reclaimed lands to its south but also a share of the thick woodland that chacterised The Weald where forestry management and foraging pigs made good use of what were poor soils for growing crops, early gazetteers estimate almost 25% of the parish acreage as woodland. Today those south-facing slopes have encouraged more adventurous farming as Warehorne is home to a vineyard. Modern developments have come in abundance to the area, Napoleonic times saw the construction of the Royal Military Canal as a defensive line and transportation facility, it passes just south of the parish church; in addition the railway line between Ashford & Rye cuts across the same area without granting Warehorne a station. Much of Warehorne's drainage is man-influence part of the network of "sewers", as the drainage channels are known locally, with water funneled eventually to the English Channel via the River Rother. Warehorne is sited at around 20 metres above the sea with parts of its Wealden area rising to around 50 metres as local high points. Warehorne parish was quite large for Kent, covering just under 2,900 acres it would have supported a population of close to 400 parishioners. Domesday Warehorne was altogether a much smaller place of just 9 households, held by the Archbishop of Canterbury it only mustered 2 ploughs backed by a small meadow and that woodland.

The Church

St Matthew's church stands on the lane headed into Romney Marsh almost opposite to the Woolpack Inn and just north of both the rail and canal crossings, its albeit small hill gives it superb views across the extent of the marsh. Two distinct ages are represented in this church, it is one of the few that escaped Victorian restoration so the medieval and later changes remain as they were intended. Of the main body the pre-eminent style is that of the Decorated from the early 14th century with the main body built in a rubble-rich ragstone. Showing the build was lengthy there are signs too of the later Perpendicular style with the east window and tower arch being notable. The original western tower was almost certainly contemporary with the main build but sadly fell in the 18th century. Today's brick tower was completed in 1776 as its replacement, Pevsner finds it "bleak" but some admire its simplicity. Contemporaneously with the brick tower the northern porch in similar brick was also added. Parking is made simple by a lengthy stretch of roadside also utilised by customers to the Inn. A simple post and rail fence has wooden gates leading into the churchyard which is open, uncluttered and has no significant obstacles for the photographer.