England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Norwich St Peter Southgate

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 Peter Southgate (the qualifier necessary because there are 4 St Peters in the city) parish is sited at just 2 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 Peter Southgate parish, as its qualifier suggests, stood at what was once the main entrance to the city from the south and quite close to the Wensum. The area by the Wensum was Norwich's port area with many inhabitants employed within both that and the many breweries that exploited the grain produced in the county and shipped to this once important internal port, today the area has lost its reputation as the city's "red light district" and been largely gentrified with many new properties replacing the once down-market area. All of the city parishes measure small acreages, St Peter Southgate was one of the smallest by population 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

St Peter Southgate church is no more, it was demolished  in 1887 having been deemed surplus to religious requirement. Only a few shapeless parts of the former tower remains to mark the site. Whilst the church had ancient origins it was largely a product of the 14th century and most likely to have been in the Perpendicular style of the latter half of that century. Further work was added in Tudor times but the church fell into disrepair and it was deemed beyond remedy, its position on a steeply sloping site made repair difficult and expensive. Thanks to Chris Seapey's archive image we are able to see it as it was before the demolition complete with a rather thin western tower, perhaps this tower's projected falling prompted the review of its safety and ultimate demise.