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

The Parish

The parish of Husbands Bosworth lies in the extreme south of Leicestershire forming a stretch of the border with neighbouring Northamptonshire it lies roughly 6 miles east of the town of Lutterworth. Husbands Bosworth sits at the crossroads of the A5199 (Leicester to Northampton) road with the A4304 which links Lutterworth through to Market Harborough. Husbands Bosworth is a fairly large and compact village with most properties lying along the above two roads with infill linking them, most properties are east of the main crossroads. Much of the area around Husbands Bosworth is formed by what is often referred to as "hunting countryside", a network of small mainly pastoral fields with tall hedges where traditional fox hunting on horseback was practiced. Modern developments have impacted the parish, the most notable being the Grand Union Canal which loops around the village and passes through an 1,170 yard tunnel to its north. A railway branch line from Rugby to Market Harborough complemented the canal but that has since closed and been largely dismantled. Husbands Bosworth is drained eastwards by the infant River Welland which heads off on a long journey passing through Market Harborough & Stamford before reaching the North Sea through The Wash. Husbands Bosworth sits on something of a local high spot at 160 metres above the sea, a few local spots are higher by a small margin. Husbands Bosworth parish was towards the more extensive end of parish scale in its county, covering just over 3,400 acres it was twice the size of most lowland English parishes, and would have supported a population of just under 1,000 parishioners. Even by Domesday times Husbands Bosworth was already a substantial settlement amongst the largest 20% by population recorded in that book, shared by no fewer than 4 landholders it had assets of 20 ploughs, extensive meadows and a mill.

The Church

All Saints' church sits on the northern side of the A4304 (High Street) at its junction with Church Street. Whilst the participants in these marriages would recognise the distinctive spire-topped tower much else post dates the end of this transcript period. The tower, rightly described by Pevsner as "handsome", dates from the 14th century and survived a lightning strike and consequential fire in 1755 to be the centrepiece of the church, the attractive alternating bands of differing coloured stone in the base forming a neat contrast to the broaches and pinnacles surrounding the spire. Also recognisable would be the southern porch which would have been newly added in 1746, the northern aisle dates from within the time period of the transcript being added in 1812. The bulk of the church, however, is the work of the Victorians and even that was restored in two campaigns of the 1860s to arrive at today's church. Parking may be found in Church Street where a metal gated entrance can be found through the largely brick wall surrounding. As the church sits close to the southern boundary and also the main road the better views for the photographer are from the opposite side of the High Street.