England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Whissonsett St Mary the Virgin

The Parish

The parish of Whissonsett lies in central Norfolk roughly 6 miles south of the market town of Fakenham. Whissonsett  sits a little over a mile west of the B1146 road which connects Fakenham with East Derehem and is a mid-sized village built around an elongated oval of lanes surrounding the extensive churchyard of St Mary, properties form a continuous ring around the grounds of the church with a short tail headed northwards to the hamlet of Hamrow. Like most Norfolk parishes Whissonsett  is a farming parish with arable dominant, early gazetteers estimate as much as 75% of parish acreage as set to arable at the time of this transcript, perhaps higher still today. Whissonsett  is drained westwards by one of the headwaters of the River Wensum which curves north and returns eastwards through Fakenham before heading southeastwards to the city of Norwich, east of the city it merges with the Yare to reach the North Sea through Great Yarmouth. Whissonsett  is sited at around 60 metres above the sea in gentle terrain which rises to both northeast and southwest to local high points little higher than 80 metres. Whissonsett  parish was typically sized for mid-Norfolk covering just over 1,300 acres, it would have supported a population of around 700 parishioners. In Domesday times Whissonsett  was a small manor offering 5 ploughs, meadows & woodland and a third share in a fishery to its landholder Roger Bigot.

The Church

St Mary's church sits within extensive grounds completely surrounded by the village and accessed from the south, the High Street, by a lengthy footpath. Like many Norfolk churches St Mary is largely a product of the 14th century, the wealthy period exploiting wool for cloth, but in this case the church has been heavily restored, Pevsner says over-restored, during Victorian times. Still recognisably 14th century the western tower remains the best intact feature showing the Perpendicular styling. Similarly both doorways show 14th century styling albeit the southern porch is a later addition from the 15th century. The major re-work came when repairs were necessary but in Pevsner's eyes went too far in changing the church, he bemoans in particular the work done upon the chancel heavily changing the sedilia and piscina and remaking almost all of the windows and roofs. High Street is widened to permit a car or two to park outside the entrance with its metal railings, a pathway of some few hundred metres leads to the church in reminiscent style of a country estate with the church in view and initially quite distant, for those less able a shorter walk can be made from London Street. The church has a few close trees to its eastern end which reduces the viability of the favoured aspects but all other angles are readily available for the photographer.