England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Walton on the Hill, Edge Hill St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Edge Hill St Mary was created from the extensive parish of Walton on the Hill in 1813, it lies in southwestern Lancashire roughly 1 mile southeast of the port of Liverpool, it was created to serve the growing population of that port fueled by the coming of the railways. Early gazetteers describe Edge Hill thus "the village is pleasantly situated upon rising ground, on the road to Wavertree and Childwall" a description which cannot be compared to the inner city location of today. In the 18th century Edge Hill was a rural village sitting on a ridge of higher ground above the bustling port, it wasn't until the early 19th century that it came to be developed, initially with high-class properties for the well-off residents. Modern developments in the form of the Liverpool to Manchester railway in 1830 raised population levels and gradually the social status of Edge Hill declined becoming a very poor area of a very poor city. Modern attempts to improve the area have created new growth but the area remains an integral part of urban greater Liverpool. Most drainage in Edge Hill is subsurface descending to the nearby Mersey Estuary. Edge Hill is sited at roughly 60 metres above the sea, its low ridge forming the highest ground for some considerable distance. As an urban parish Edge Hill's acreage was insubstantial covering a small area within the south of the extensive Walton on the Hill ancient parish. As Edge Hill was growing through the period of this transcript its population has been included within that of Walton on the Hill but its marriage rate was consistent with a population of approximately 3,500 by the close of the transcript period. Edge Hill is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Mary's church  (to solve confusion it should be stated that the church is nowadays dedicated to All Saints) sits on Irvine Street on the crest of the hill as it rises from the Lime Street area. Pevsner, rather scathingly, calls it a "brick preaching box". The church was built between 1812 & 1813 to coincide with the creation of the new parish and consists of a broad aisle-less nave, a very short chancel and augmented by a slender western tower. Despite the late build there has been time for modification with the creation of a sixth bay to the nave, a bay which encloses the base of the western tower. Work continues to the present day, a "parish room" having been created as recently as the late 20th century. As the church is within a dense urban environment it is not one to visit in a vehicle as parking is in short supply nearby, a car park should be used and the church approached on foot. The church stands within a triangular area at the junction of Towerlands Street, a situation that gives unimpaired viewpoints from the favoured southern aspects.