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

The Parish

The parish of Greatworth lies in southwestern Northamptonshire not too far from both borders with neighbouring Oxfordshire & also Buckinghamshire. Greatworth is a mid-sized village which is located roughly 7 miles east of the Oxfordshire market town of Banbury & which sits a mile south of the B4525 road which links A422 from just east of Banbury through to the A43 northeast of Brackley. Much of Greatworth is built on a north to south running lane with a modern northeastern extension added in recent times. Like most rural parishes Greatworth would have been a farming parish, here the regime would have been largely mixed with arable and pastoral in roughly equal proportions, today modern machinery has expanded the arable content like it has in many areas. Modern developments came and went from Greatworth, a branch railway line linking Banbury with Towcester passed close by but has since been dismantled. Greatworth is drained by the headwaters of the Great Ouse, one of the countries longest rivers, which has multiple small tributaries merging to form its beginnings before embarking on the long journey to The Wash arriving through the port of Kings Lynn. Greatworth is sited at around 160 metres above the sea yet the countryside is only gently undulating with a local high point of 189 metres on Thenford Hill to the northwest. Greatworth was one of Northamptonshire's smaller parishes covering barely 800 acres within which it would have supported a population of just under 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Greatworth certainly did not live up to its name as it could offer just 4 ploughs as assets for its holder Bishop Odo of Bayeux.

The Church

St Peter's church sits on the southeastern edge of Greatworth on the eastern side of Church Road, a short dead-end spur off the main lane through the village. The church owes its origins to the 13th century where the chancel remains as an example of the Early English Gothic & Transitional styles of that century. As evidence for this early origin Pevsner notes the pointed top to chancel's eastern window. The priest's door also has 2 plain lancet windows of this date & style. The western tower follows in date sequence with the lowest stages dating from the period when styles began to change into the Decorated period albeit the upper stages are of the 14th century and Perpendicular. Much else is of the 14th century but with later modification, the nave shows window replacements of the 17th century as is the southern doorway. The usual Victorian restoration occurred, in this case of 1882 at which point the chancel arch was replaced along with a general refresh. Church Road is broad enough to permit careful parking outside the entrance. The churchyard is raised slightly above road level and a flight of steps at the southern end of the site is needed for access, the churchyard is relatively obstruction free for the photographer.

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NB it should be noted that the marriage register covering this period has been badly damaged by water and is largely illegible BTs used to cover this deficiency