England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Quorndon St Bartholomew

The Parish

The chapelry of Quorndon, often shortened to simply Quorn in modern times, which forms the western half of the parish of Barrow upon Soar lies in northern Leicestershire not too far from its border with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. Queondon is a substantial, much expanded in modern times, village  which sits roughly 3 miles southeast of the industrial town of Loughborough. Quorndon formerly sat on the route of the A6 which connects Loughborough through Leicester and onward to London, this route now bypasses Quorndon to its east as a busy dual-carriageway. The ancient centre of Quorndon sat by the church and the main crossroads of the A6, today Quorndon has expanded eastwards and north filling in the area between centre and bypass. Like many large villages in Leicestershire the economy was a mixture of agricultural and industrial employment, a mixed farming regime in the wider parish area whilst the village supported stocking weaving, lace and the manufacture of warp thread. Modern developments have come to the area, the Grand Union Canal passes through merging and departing its course from that of the River Soar and across the river & canal one finds the route of the Leicester to Nottingham or Derby rail line giving Barrow upon Soar a station. The Soar drains the parish northwards to meet the Trent at Long Eaton and thence for the long journey to the North Sea reaching it through the Humber Estuary. Quorndon, in its valley setting, is sited at around 40 metres above the sea but land rises to the southwest onto the Charnwood Hills, reaching 248 metres on the local landmark of Beacon Hill. The area of Barrow upon Soar parish carved out to form Quorndon chapelry is equivalent to many Leicestershire parishes in this area, covering close to 2,000 acres it would have supported a population of just over 1,800 parishioners. Qurondon is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book its assets presumably being recorded under its mother parish.

The Church

St Bartholomew's church sits at the heart of Quorndon's village centre in the northeastern quadrant of the main crossroad but set back from the High Street by an area of parkland and accessed along the narrow Church Lane. The church features extensive usage of the local granite, an unusual building stone in lowland Britain and reflecting the igneous intrusion which formed the nearby Charnwood Hills. The church has ancient origins, Pevsner cites the southern and priest's doorways as being Norman & Romanesque in style, albeit the former has clearly been reset during later modifications. Much else is from the Decorated and Perpendicular periods reflecting a significant rebuild during that great church-building era of the 14th century. Most is Decorated in style although the western tower is a good example of the Perpendicular style which followed. Like most churches the major restoration came in the Victorian period, in this case the 1840s which can be evidenced where a more regular squared granite is used rather than in the original "crazy-paved" patterns. Parking close to the church is tricky but refuge might be sought in the car park of the local library at the entrance to Church Lane. The church sits within an extensive churchyard, reminiscent in size to many cathedral closes, with multiple entrances lead to a network of tarred pathways, whilst there are a few trees around they can be readily avoided by the photographer.