England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wereham St Margaret

The Parish

The parish of Wereham lies in southwestern Norfolk roughly 4 miles east of the market town of Downham Market. Wereham sits on the A134 road which links the port of King's Lynn with Thetford. Early maps show Wereham as a mid-sized and compact village sitting north of and on the A134, modern developments have seen much development extending the village to the south of the A134 too. The A134 road follows the edges of Norfolk's share of Fenland and Wereham is one of a series of villages marking that edge with each parish having a share of the Fen as well as drier land rising to the northeast. This variation in land-form granted Wereham a more diverse farming regime than was typical in its county, arable whilst still very important occupied only 50% of the parish acreage with pastures in equal measure. Wereham is drained southwards by a small brook which would have once met the somewhat meandering course of the River Wissey, today Fenland drainage schemes have created the "Cut-Off Channel" to quickly transport excess water to the Great Ouse and onwards to the North Sea through the port of King's Lynn and The Wash. Wereham is sited at just 15 metres above the sea in gentle terrain which rises away from the Wissey to local heights of just a little over 30 metres. Wereham parish covered a little over 2,100 acres, parishes in western Norfolk being traditionally more extensive than those in the east of the county this was typical of the area, that acreage supported a population of around 600 parishioners.In Domesday times Wereham was held by Ivo's son Reginald and was a typical rural holding offering just 4 ploughs with the usual meadows & woodland, its position enabled it to have a fishery and it also held a half share in a mill to provide a more substantial income.

The Church

St Margaret's church sits in the heart of the old centre of the village within the fork formed by School Lane and Church Road and opposite the village's charming duck pond. Pevsner points to a Norman arch in the western wall of the nave as indication of an origin c1200 but all else, including that arch which has been made more narrow, was altered during the brief era of the Transitional period. Remains of the prior style, Early English Gothic remain in the chancel despite a restoration described by Pevsner as "fierce", these are tentatively given a 13th century date. Certainly of the same era is the tower showing deep splays to its characteristically styled lancets, the brick top, however, is very much later, being Tudor. The age of much else of the church is marred by work in Victorian times. That fierce restoration of 1866 followed work of unknown date which was required following a fire, the restoration not only renewed most of the church but it also added the north aisle. A broad plain sits between churchyard and duck pond with ample space for many cars, entry is through metal gates from that plain. For the photographer, however, the church presents many challenges due to the presence of many trees which are particularly dense along the southern border of the churchyard and remove most of the favoured aspects, a headache especially on a sunny day.