England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Norwich St Mary in the Marsh

The Parish

The city of Norwich lies in eastern central Norfolk and is the capital of its county, it is located around 110 miles northeast of London. Norwich sits at the northeastern end of the A11 road which connects it to the capital. Norwich has a long history, a pre-Roman settlement at the confluence of Rivers Wensum & Yare, was expanded by the Romans on a site south of the present location, Venta Icenorum being the main site for controlling the rebellious Iceni tribe of Boudicca fame. The Saxon settlement of "Northwic" was close by the River Wensum but the city was much modified by Norman settlement, the preexisting centre being replaced largely by the Cathedral Close and a new centre built to the west of the Norman Castle. Norwich prospered through the production of cloth, it was England's second largest city in medieval times as a result of that commerce, the manufacture of cloth continued until just after this transcript period when industrialisation of the northern towns killed the industry. Today Norwich is unusual, a city, together with its suburbs, of a 1/4 million folk surrounded by at least 30 miles of agricultural land, light industry and financial services occupy many and the rail line to the capital is especially valuable. Norwich is drained by the Wensum, the Yare which skirts the southern edges, merges just to its east and heads to the North Sea eastwards through the port of Great Yarmouth. Norwich St Mary in the Marsh parish is sited at just 4 metres above the sea, land rises sharply to the west to the higher parts of the city at almost 40 metres. Norwich was divided into 35 parishes, at one time there were 52 (the old saying is that the city had a church for every Sunday), St Mary in the Marsh occupied the easternmost area of the city occupying largely the area defined by the cathedral close and hemmed in to the east by the River Wensum which here formed the boundary of the medieval city. In terms of population St Mary in the Marsh parish was one of the smallest in the city (30th of 35 by population size) but covered an area of almost 10% of the city's acreage supporting roughly 600 parishioners. In Domesday times Norwich was held directly by King William and its assets not specifically listed were, none the less, highly significant for the King's purse.

The Church

If you look for the church of St Mary in the Marsh today you will be disappointed as the medieval church which stood within the cathedral close was demolished in 1564. It was perhaps unusual for the cathedral close to have alongside it a parish church but both cathedral and parish church performed differing functions in society at that date. The medieval church was situated close to the river in the lower close, an area as the parish' name suggests which was marshy and badly drained, today much of the area lies beneath the grounds of the King Edward private school and some exclusive housing properties. The continued existence of the parish was assured by being offered a side chapel of Norwich's great Norman cathedral for use as its "parish church" and where the ceremonies of baptism, marriage and pre-burial were performed. St Luke's chapel sits on the south side of the cathedral's ambulatory and holds the medieval font rsecued from the destroyed church.