England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Whetstone St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Whetstone lies in south central Leicestershire about 5 miles south of the county town of Leicester. Whetstone is a large village, much grown in recent times as Leicester has expanded but kept slightly separate by the River Sence and the Grand Union Canal which create a green corridor between the two. Whetstone sits just west of the A426 road which connects Leicester with Lutterworth and sits on the eastern banks of the Soar. Modern developments pass through the area, besides the above mentioned canal, the Leicester to Birmingham rail line runs to the north whilst the modern M1 motorway skirts to the west. Whetstone would have had a varied economy, underpinned by pastoral farming many were also employed in the local frame work knitting as well as brick making on the excellent clays of the area. The Sence & Soar meet to Whetstone's north and drain the parish through the city of Leicester to the north reaching the Trent near Long Eaton and thence to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Whetstone is sited at around 70 metres above the sea and in its valley setting land is at or about that level for a wide distance. Whetstone parish was fairly typically sized for Leicestershire, it covered around 2,300 acres and would have supported a population of just under 1,000 parishioners. In Domesday times Whetstone was held by the Count of Meulan, it was relatively small offering just 7 ploughs and a small meadow but did possess a mill.

The Church

St Peter's church sits in the heart of Whetstone just west of the busy A426 and tucked away behind properties. The church is believed to have early 14th century origins although Pevsner is quick to point out that little remains of this early period. He notes the buttresses and the lower portion of the tower as remnants of the 14th century. Much else dates either from the Perpendicular period, the tower top and main roof as principal pieces. Much else was changed by a series of restorations and rebuilds. A major restoration of 1856 saw many changes including a rebuild of the tower, further restorations in the 1890s and 1930s further changed both appearance and fabric to result in today's church. Church Lane heads eastwards as a dead-end road towards the church and gives a fine prospect of that tall western tower. A high brick wall split by metal gates grants access to the extensive churchyard which has many other entrances and paths crisscrossing it and has almost uninterrupted views making for an easy subject to adequately photograph.