England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Norwich St John Timberhill

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 Julian parish is sited at just 10 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 John Timberhill is located in the southeastern part of the city close to its Norman castle, the parish is typical in being just a tiny area. Nowadays it is sited at the edge of the modern shopping district, indeed one of the entries to Norwich's Castle Mall is sited next to the church. St John Timberhill is sited at just 10 metres above the sea, land rises to around 40 metres in the higher areas of the city. There are few residents to the parish nowadays, mostly shops, offices and restaurants. Despite its small size over 1,000 parishioners were once living in the parish, despite this population it was one of the lowest populated parishes in the city. 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

St John's church in Timberhill is sited facing the junction of Ber Street with Farmer's Avenue, somewhat incongruously it has a shopping mall and cinema for company. St John's church is typical of Norfolk churches in being Perpendicular in style although the whole building has been so extensively restored during Victorian times as to show little of its original fabric. The original western tower sadly collapsed in 1784, the Victorians gave the church its present bellcote. The church is sequestered from the street by a low flint wall which gives it a little separation. Entry is through wrought iron gates from Timberhill.