England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Felthorpe St Margaret

The Parish

The parish of Felthorpe lies in northeastern central Norfolk about 7 miles northwest of the city of Norwich. Felthorpe is sited roughly a mile and a half west of the B1110 road which connects Norwich with Holt. Felthorpe has a concentration of properties around a western crossroads and a strip of more modern developments connecting that to the B1110, all loosely grouped around the edges of the estate of Felthorpe Hall. Like most Norfolk parishes the area was heavily arable, but on the poor soils of the area forestry was always important, roughly a quarter of the acreage was set to forestry in early times and today extensive plantations surround the village on most sides. Modern developments have come and gone to Felthorpe parish, the railway line from Norwich to Melton Constable junction now forms the Marriott's Way trail. A small tributary of the Bure rises by the church and drains eastwards into that river which eventually makes its way to the North Sea through the port of Great Yarmouth. Felthorpe is sited at around 30 metres above the sea in very gentle terrain where land rises barely 10 metres higher for some distance. Felthorpe parish was fairly typically sized for a Norfolk parish, it covered just over 2,200 acres and would have supported a population of almost 600 parishioners. In Domesday times Felthorpe was split between no fewer than 5 landholders, including a portion directly held by King William. collectively their holdings aggregated to 10 ploughs and the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Margaret's church sits away from the main area of properties in the village almost a half mile southeast and accessed along Church Lane. Sadly little of the medieval, indeed the church most of these marriages took place, remains for St Margaret, it having been largely rebuilt in a major piece of work in the 1870s. The western tower is the one remaining significant piece that would have been recognisable. A late 14th century tower in the Perpendicular style one finds all across the county but with a reset Decorated style western window indicative that it, too, was remodelled after construction, its brick parapet was a late 17th century modification. Whilst the core of what remains is undoubtedly medieval the work of the 1870s, which added a southern aisle and a northern porch and completely refaced the building in flint certainly masks any dating details from what was almost certainly a typical Perpendicular church of the 14th century. Church Lane meets Bilney Lane just west of the church, the site being just into the latter. A small and shady pull-in sits outside the gates with room for a single car, once through the screening trees the churchyard is open, uncluttered and with few obstructions to the photographer.