England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Gresham All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Gresham lies in northeastern Norfolk not too far from its northern North Sea coastline. Gresham is located roughly 5 miles southwest of the coastal resort of Cromer and sits a couple of miles south of the A148 road which links Cromer, through Fakenham, to King's Lynn. Gresham is a curiously disjointed small village, a distinct cluster of properties to the west separated by a small gap from a long straggle of yet more along an easterly headed lane, the church sits between the two. Like most Norfolk parishes Gresham would have been, and indeed still is, largely an arable farming parish with early gazetteers putting almost 80% of the parish acreage as arable land, a few pastures and the small woodland of Rounce's Coverts vary that land-use. Gresham, despite its proximity to the north coast, is drained southeastwards, a small stream eventually becoming the Scarrow Beck and joining the Bure close to Blickling, the Bure makes its way to the North Sea through the east coast port of Great Yarmouth. Gresham is sited at around 60 metres above the sea, it sits on glacial deposits giving this area a more rumpled look than much of the county, local high points rise to almost 90 metres just to the west. Gresham parish was fairly typically sized for a Norfolk eastern parish, covering just under 1,300 acres it would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Gresham was shared between William de Warenne and Roger Bigot, collectively their assets totalled 16 ploughs, meadows & woodland and there was a mill.

The Church

All Saints' church sits between the two parts of the village on the eastern side of East Beckham Road at its junction with the main east to west running lane (Cromer Road). The presence of a round tower is usually indicative of an early church and All Saints does indeed have early origins in the 12th century Norman Romanesque period. The tower, however, has been modified over the centuries and given 14th century bell-openings as well as a refresh in Victorian times. The western end of the nave shows quoins and herring-bone courses which Pevsner also identifies as 12th century Norman features. The main body of the church is contemporary with those 14th century bell--openings, originally built in the Decorated style of the 14th century, there were changes made in the 15th to give Perpendicular style windows to the nave and to added the southern porch. The major Victorian restoration of the 1850s saw much refreshing of the general building as well as a new roof for the nave. A small gravel area sits outside the main, metal, gates allowing a car to safely get off-road. The churchyard is surrounded by a typical flint & brick-topped wall and gives way to a lengthy gravel path leading to the church. Whilst the churchyard is lengthy it is also narrow and both ends of the church are hemmed in by bordering trees which do somewhat restrict the angles available for the photographer.