England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
West Rudham St Peter

The Parish

The parish of West Rudham lies in western Norfolk roughly 7 miles west of the market town of Fakenham. West Rudham sits on the A148 road which connects Fakenham with the port of King's Lynn. West Rudham and its neighbour East Rudham are almost contiguous in occupying a stretch of the busy road with East Rudham the larger of the two, West Rudham is merely a short strip of properties together with an inn whilst much of the parish consists of agricultural land with a scatter of farms and cottages. Like much of Norfolk West Rudham's income would have largely come from arable farming, early gazetteers place a mere 12% in other management methods with half of that mere common or heath. Modern developments came and went from West Rudham with the Midland & Great Northern railway line from Fakenham to King's Lynn which grazed the parish's southern boundary now dismantled. West Rudham is drained eastwards by a small tributary of the infant River Wensum which is soon joined, running through Fakenham and the city of Norwich to join the Yare and reach the North Sea through the port of Great Yarmouth. West Rudham is sited at around 60 metres above the sea with land rising gently westward to a local high point of just short of 100 metres a couple of miles away. Parishes in western Norfolk are often much larger than those in Broadland and West Rudham at around 3,000 acres was one such, its area would have supported a population of close to 500 parishioners. In Domesday times the Rudhams were recorded under a single heading and largely held by William de Warenne as one of 3 landholders, the combined assets amounted to 18 ploughs, some meadow, plus 2 profitable mills and a salthouse making the combined population large enough to be amongst the largest 20% recorded in that book.

The Church

St Peter's church is no longer used for worship, East Rudham's church having taken over responsibility for both communities. The building is located a quarter of a miles south of the A148 on a narrow lane, School Road. The building is datable to the 13th century, with scattered lancet windows of the early English Gothic style to confirm such a dating, although like most Norfolk churches there were changes in the 14/15th centuries as well as the Victorian era of 19th. It follows the standard form of nave, chancel and western tower albeit with the addition of a southern arcade. Pevsner seems to think it was largely built in one piece, although some changes indicate it was being altered almost as soon as it was complete, if not during the build. School Road has neatly clipped verges by the entrance allowing careful off-road parking. A set of metal gates lead to a mown path, hedged to the east and typical flint & brick walled to the west, which leads across a single small field to the churchyard. Both the mown pathway and churchyard are  a tribute to the care of the Redundant Churches Trust which now manages the site, the churchyard has no obstacles for the photographer.