England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Mundford St Leonard

The Parish

The parish of Mundford lies in the extreme southwest of Norfolk not too far from its border with neighbouring Suffolk. Mundford is located about 5 miles north of the Suffolk market town of Brandon and sits at the crossroads where the A1065 (Brandon to Swaffham) road crosses the A134 (King's Lynn to Thetford) road. Mundford is a village which has grown substantially in modern times, early maps show a small linear village running westwards from the A1065 to the church parallel with the course of the River Wissey, today's enlarged village fills the entire northwestern quadrant of the crossroads and extends westwards for over a half mile. The area of the wider parish has also changed markedly, Mundford sits in Norfolk's Breckland, an area of poor soils sitting upon glacial deposits from the most recent ice age which made arable farming depauperate. The area was used largely for the grazing of sheep and the local speciality - rabbits, whilst many were engaged in working the extensive flint for its spark-generating capacity. Today it takes only a glance to see the extensive forestry plantations which surround the area to the south and east of the village to see its main economy. The Wissey drains the parish westwards soon heading out into Fenland where there is much man-influence on its course before joining the Great Ouse to reach The Wash through King's Lynn. Mundford is sited at between 10 & 20 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where local high points of in excess of 50 metres are rare indeed. At just over 2,000 acres Mundford parish was fairly typically sized for its area, that acreage supported a population of around 450 parishioners. In Domesday times Mundford's 25 households was sufficient to place it in the top 20% of settlements recorded by population, shared three ways its assets of just 9 ploughs reflected the poor soils, more profitable assets were the 3 mills and a fishery supported by typical meadows and woodland.

The Church

St Leonard's church is enclosed within a modern development and accessed from the A1065 by the dead-end lane of Church Lane. At its core the church is one from the late 13th into 14th centuries with the oldest fabric, the chancel, dating from the Early English Gothic period as demonstrated by the stepped lancet-styled windows of its eastern wall. Moving westwards the nave is later and Decorated in style - Pevsner points to the "mouchette" designs of its 2-light windows as evidence thus. Similarly early 14th century and Decorated styled is the northern doorway whilst the chancel arch appears to have been replaced in the late 14th century in a Perpendicular style. The porch which encloses that doorway, built in flint & brick is an early 17th century addition. The style of the original tower, unusually place in a southwestern position rather than the typical western location, is unknown since the original fell in 1747. The replacement tower in a design which reminds Pevsner of churches in northern France is certainly unusual in being topped with a saddleback roof and carrying a spirelet or "fleche". The replacement tower was raised in 1854. Victorian restoration came late in that period which the major work fell in 1899, the internal hammerbeam roof renewed thus is its major achievement. Parking is possible at the western end of Church Lane but should be considerate as this is also the turning circle. The church sits within an extensive churchyard with no obstacles for the photographer.