England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Moreton Pinkney St Mary

The Parish

The parish Moreton Pinkney lies in southwestern Northamptonshire roughly 8 miles west of the market town of Towcester. Moreton Pinkney sits within  a broad area devoid of significant numbered roads, the closest such road lies at Byfield some 5 miles northwest where the A361 road linking Daventry with Oxfordshire's Banbury runs. Moreton Pinkney is a compact mid-sized village built around an X-shaped junction of 4 lanes arriving from northwest, northeast, southwest & southeast respectively, most properties line these lanes. Like most parishes in this area of the county farming was the principal means of income, a rotational system would have been in place whereby there were equal measures of both arable, pastoral and fallow. Today the farming has migrated more firmly to arable. Modern developments have come and gone from the parish, at one time Moreton Pinkney was an important railway junction with lines from Towcester, Brackley & Banbury converging and connecting onwards to the London to Glasgow West Coast main line, all are now closed leaving just the structures such as cuttings, embankments and bridges to mark their passing. Moreton Pinkney is drained westwards by small tributaries of the River Cherwell which continues westwards to Cropredy before turning south to eventually pass through Oxford and meet the Thames, water now heads back eastward, passing through the capital to the North Sea. Moreton Pinkney is sited at around 140 metres above the sea in gently undulating countryside, to the southwest near Culworth sits the tumuli be-topped Barrow Hill at 182 metres the highest ground around. Moreton Pinkney parish covered just over 2,300 acres so was fairly typically sized for this area, it would have supported a population of close to 550 parishioners. Domesday Moreton Pinkney was held by one Giles, a brother of Ansculf, it offered just 6 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the southern edge of the village, it is accessed from the lane running southwestwards, Banbury Lane, where there is a substantial village green on its southern side, a track leads from here to the churchyard a mere few yards to the south. St Mary has its origins at the very beginning of the 13th century, Pevsner grants a date of c1200 to both the the northern arcade and northern doorway, the arcade of 3-bays and showing characteristic circular piers ans square abaci. More firmly in the 13th century is the southern arcade albeit it was largely rebuilt in the 19th century it still retains its Early English Gothic styling. The western tower is contemporary with both its windows and its bell-openings showing lancets. Like the southern arcade, the chancel also dates originally from the 13th century, both were rebuilt in 1846 as part of the first Victorian restoration, a very careful restoration keeping to existing styling. There was a further restoration in 1893 which was directed mainly at stabilising the western tower. There is ample parking around the green, the churchyard is open and uncluttered with no o    bstacles for the photographer.