England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Reedham St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Reedham is located in southeastern Norfolk in the valley of the River Yare on the northern banks of which the village lies. Reedham is about 7 miles southwest of the port of Great Yarmouth and about 10 miles southeast of the city of Norwich. Reedham is very much a riverside settlement despite its location at the southern end of a ridge of slightly higher land extending southward from the large village of Acle. There are no major roads near to Reedham it can only be accessed by lanes. Despite this lack of major transport infrastructure it has two notable transport assets, the ferry and the railway lines from Norwich to both Great Yarmouth & Lowestoft in Suffolk. Reedham would have earned its living in a multitude of ways, there was agriculture, both arable on the higher ground and pastoral on the marshes, there was wild fowling and there was a a living to be made from transporting goods along the rivers, the famous Norfolk Wherries. Reedham is a compact village with two distinct settlements, one grouped around the railway station is more modern, the other on the riverside is the older. Reedham is sited at less than 10 metres above sea level and large parts of the parish are either at or below the sea level. Reedham parish was a large parish by eastern Norfolk standards, incorporating extensive marshlands, and at almost 3,300 acres it supported around 600 parishioners. In Domesday times the land was roughly shared three-ways, the King held a third, one William of Ecouis the second and St Benets Abbey the balance. The parish could only boast 6 ploughs and extensive meadows.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church is located roughly a half mile northeast of the main settlement of Reedham close to the Old Hall and appropriately enough in Church Road. The church has two distinct dates with much of the fabric dating from the 13th century Early English period, remarkably early for a Norfolk church. The western tower, however, is much more typical a proud Perpendicular edifice of the late 15th century, the typical build period for a Norfolk church. The church, sadly, suffered a severe fire in 1981 and its thatched roof was lost at that date as well as much of the stained glass. The roof has been replaced by pantiles and the glass by some eclectic modern pieces which divide opinion. St John's sits on the southern side of Church Road and access is at the western end of the site by a sandy pathway which highlights that western tower. The site has trees around the edges but photographic opportunities are not restricted.