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

The Parish

The parish of Garveston (often spelt with an additional ending "e") lies almost centrally in Norfolk and is roughly 5 miles southeast of the market town of East Dereham. Garveston is a small village which sits on the B1135 road which links East Dereham with Wymondham. Most properties in the village lie along the B1135 with a small collection gathered around the level-crossing over the local heritage railway line. Like most villages in central Norfolk Garveston would have primarily earned its income from arable farming with early gazetteers placing over 65% of the parish acreage to cereal and similar crops, pastures completed the picture mostly gathered in the shallow valley of the Infant River Yare's tributaries. Modern developments came to Garveston but have since been down-graded, the railway branch line connecting East Dereham with the Norwich to Thetford line now operating as an heritage steam line, the mid-Norfolk railway. Small tributaries, draining eastwards, soon coalesce to form the headwaters of the River Yare which drains the parish further east, passing to the south of the city of Norwich and reaching the North Sea through the port of Great Yarmouth. Garveston is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where land rises only in mild rises to around 70 metres further west at Shipdham. Garveston was one of Norfolk's smaller rural parishes, at a mere 800 acres it would have supported a population of just under 400 parishioners. In Domesday times Garveston was altogether a more important place, its population sufficiently large enough to place it amongst the top 40% of settlements recorded. Held by one Hermer de Ferrers it could boast 12 ploughs, extensive meadows and woodland and furthermore possessed 2 mills.

The Church

St Margaret's church sits alongside the B1135 opposite the lane leading to the former railway station. The church is a fairly typical example of a church begun in the Decorated period and completed in the subsequent Perpendicular style. Both styles being well show, the former, early 14th century, is exhibited in the southern arcade & doorway as well as the chancel arch, often the earliest fabric of a church. The late 14th century Perpendicular style is shown not only in the nave but also in the rtpical flint tower that graces the western end. The bell-openings of that tower are a mixture of both forms and are probably indicative that the church was built in a single campaign spread across the architectural fashion change. For once Pevnser fails to mention a Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was light and sensitive and left the late-medieval form largely unaltered. With frequent traffic the B1135 is fairly busy and parking, utilising the broad pavement outside the churchyard should be careful and considerate. metal gates grant entry at the northern end of the site, the churchyard is compact and bordered with thick foliage but sufficiently broad to enable adequate aspects for the photographer.