England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
St Brides Netherwent St Bridget

The Parish

The parish of St Brides Netherwent lies in southeastern Monmouthshire about 8 miles east of the port of Newport. St Brides Netherwent is a very small place today just a scatter of farms and cottages around the hillsides, the site of the deserted village lies just northwest of the church. St Brides Netherwent is sited in lanes about 2 miles south of the A48 road which connects Newport with Chepstow, modern communications in the form of the M4 motorway and the London to South Wales rail line run a couple of miles to the south of the parish. At the time of this transcript St Brides Netherwent would have earned its living from pastoral farming and today little has changed with small fields full of, principally, cattle. St Brides Netherwent is drained southwards by small streams which reach the Bristol Channel through Magor Pill. St Brides Netherwent is sited at around 20 metres above the sea in undulating countryside that rises locally to heights around 90 metres. The parish of St Brides Netherwent was small, as are many along this stretch of coastline, it covered around 1,000 acres and would have supported a population of just under 200 parishioners. IN common with much of this area there is no mention of St Brides Netherwent in Domesday Book as it lay just outside the recorded area.

The Church

St Bridget's church stands alone in fields a hundred metres or so west of the main north to south running lane through the parish, a blue sign marks the start of a footpath to the church. Whilst the church has 13th or early 14th century origins there is little remaining of that period. Lancet-style windows on the church's northern face are indicative of that Early English Gothic origin as are the walls of the chancel. Sadly the church met with much misfortune over the centuries, the northern aisle collapsed in 1790 and was followed in 1812 by the southern equivalent. Thus it was almost ruinous in 1848 when a major reconstruction was begun. The bulk of today's building dates from that Victorian period. There is a small parking area almost opposite the church's footpath and a track leads across a pasture to the churchyard. The building is almost touched by mature trees on its southern side making the best angles out of bounds and thus a tricky subject to acquire in sunny conditions.