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

The Parish

The parish of Dixton Newton, usually shortened simply to Dixton today, lies in the extreme northeast of Monmouthshire forming a 3-counties meet with both Herefordshire & Gloucestershire. Dixton Newton is located roughly 1 miles northeast of the market town of Monmouth and stands either side of the A40 road which links Monmouth with Ross on Wye. Dixton Newton is in reality merely the northernmost edges of the town which is confined to the gentler slopes alongside the River Wye and spreads northwards along the former route of the A40. Much of Dixton Newton parish consists of steep ground with prominent ridges intersected by fast flowing deeply incised streams. Both sides of the valley of the Wye lie within the parish which forms the Wales/England national border. In this steep ground only pastoral farming would have been practicable but incomes were enhanced by work in quarries to extract the local red sandstone for building work locally. Modern developments have upgraded the A40 to fast dual-carriageway highway but it still needs to be confined within the steeply sided valley of the Wye and thus almost carves Dixton Newton in two. Dixton Newton is drained southwestwards by the Wye which meanders down to Chepstow and then to the outer Bristol Channel. Dixton Newton is sited at around 20 metres above the sea at the church but within the parish land rises to 232 metres atop nearby Gallow Hill with similar height reached east of the Wye under dense forestry plantations. Covering 3,300 acres Dixton Newton parish was typically sized for its area and would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. Like most of Wales Dixton Newton is not mentioned in Domesday Book which has some sparse coverage only in this area.

The Church

St Peter's church is tightly squeezed between the tranquility of the Wye and the noise and bustle of traffic on the A40, it is accessed by a narrow lane which leaves the A40 at the roundabout that marks its passage through Monmouth. There are documents which mention the church as early as the 8th century but, of course, nothing of that vintage would survive as that church was almost certainly wooden. There is, however, very early masonry present with herringbone work from the 11th century exposed in the northern wall of the nave. That early masonry is probably contemporary with the Norman Conquest. Later the original church was extended and enlarged in the 13th century which Pevsner speculates was both eastwards and westwards creating the lengthy nave we see today. The western tower, which shows a lancet window on its western side, is also from the 13th century Early English Gothic period. The smaller chancel is 14th century with exposed Old Red Sandstone showing in places, the style is Decorated from the early 14th century, much of the church is rendered and strikingly white as a consequence. Work in Georgian times in 1824 added both northern & southern porches and the vestry whilst a typical Victorian restoration added the large southern windows and rebuilt the chancel arch. Dixton Lane which runs to the churchyard ends short of the site at a turning circle, there is plenty of roadside parking away from said turning circle. A short roughly surfaced track leads to the churchyard which has issues for the photographer, trees are prominent and some searching is required to find the optimal viewpoints.