England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Isley Walton All Saints

The Parish

The chapelry of Isley Walton, its mother parish being Kegworth from which it is detached, lies in the extreme northwest of Leicestershire close to the county's border with neighbouring Derbyshire. Isley Walton is located roughly 7 miles northeast of the town of Ashby de la Zouch and sits on the A453 road which links Nottingham with the A42 road running from Ashby de la Zouch. The ecclesiastical status of Isley Walton is debated, Phillimore's Atlas showing it as an extra-Parochial area whilst early gazetteers state it as a chapelry, whatever that status it had a church licensed for marriages and is therefore a page in this project. There is very little to Isley Walton, a cluster of farms and cottages lining the southern side of the A453 which would have engaged in the typical farming of the area namely mixed methods of arable and pastures. Today the area around Isley Walton abounds with activity, Domington Park motor racing circuit lies to its north whilst it also lies beneath the flight-path of East Midlands Airport just a couple of miles northeast. Isley Walton lies just south of the floodplain of the mighty Trent and is connected by small brooks to that river which engages in a long journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. Isley Walton is sited at around 80 metres above the sea whilst to the southwest the knoll of church-topped Breedon Hill reaches 120 in gently rolling terrain. Just 476 acres were assigned to Isley Walton an acreage which could barely support more than 50 parishioners. Isley Walton is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

All Saints' church sits within the small hamlet which is accessed from two points along the A453, the western approach being the favoured for visiting. Sadly only a few of the participants would recognise today's church as it is a Georgian replacement completed in 1819, little is known about its predecessor. The church has the standard layout with nave and western tower but instead of a chancel it merely has a small sanctuary at its eastern end. All is covered with a layer of stucco hiding the building materials totally. Despite the modern construction there has been time for a restoration that of 1879 merely replaced most of the window tracery. Approaching from the west a small widening of the lane allows a single car to park without blocking the way. The church sits behind a far and is accessed by a short driveway, the church stands inside a compact neat and treeless square churchyard with all sight-lines available to the photographer.