England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Woodton All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Woodton lies in southeastern Norfolk not too far from its border with neighbouring Suffolk. Woodton is located roughly 5 miles northwest of the Suffolk market town of Bungay and sits immediately west of the B1332 road which connects Bungay with the city of Norwich. Woodton is a compact mid-sized village lying on the northern banks of the Broome Beck. Like most Norfolk villages Woodton's economy was dominated by arable farming, the presence of the shallow valley, however, gave a little diversity to this in this case with early gazetteers estimating pastures at 25% of the parish acreage. Today little has changed except that the percentage has perhaps fallen with the development of modern machinery. The Broome Beck drains the parish eastwards to meet the River Waveney, the border with Suffolk, before passing into the North Sea through the port of Great Yarmouth. Woodton is sited at around 20 metres above the sea in very gentle terrain that barely rises above 40 metres for many a mile. Woodton parish was fairly typically sized for this part of its county, covering just over 2,100 acres it would have supported a population of around 550 parishioners. In Domesday times Woodton was shared by no fewer than 6 landholders with the largest share retained by King William, himself. Collectively their assets totalled an impressive 20 ploughs together with the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

All Saints' church sits away from its village, away to the northwest, indeed Bedingham church is closer by a small margin. The B1527 road connects the B1332 through to the large village of Hempnall and All Saints' church sits just to its north accessed by a roughly surfaced track. In this area of the country the presence of a round tower is usually indicative of an early church, All Saints is no exception with Pevsner dating the lower stages to the 12th century, the octagonal top being a much later addition. Whilst the tower is early the remainder of the church is a more typical example of the 13th & 14th centuries. The chancel is in the Decorated style of the earlier portion whilst the Perpendicular is represented by the aisle roof. Pevsner dates the aisle and arcades to the turn of 13th into 14th centuries gibing a tentative date of c 1310 to the latter. Like for most churches the Victorians made their changes, in this case an extensive restoration of the late 1870s at which time the rather drab rendering was added to both nave & chancel. The church is not signed from the B1527 but in this relatively flat landscape can be clearly seen, the lane has a rough parking area outside the walled churchyard, typically flint & brick combined. The churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.