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

The Parish

The parish of Moulton lies in southern central Northamptonshire about 4 miles north of the county town of Northampton. Moulton is a large and much expanded village which sits roughly a mile west of the A43 road which connects Northampton with Kettering. Even by the time of this transcript Moulton was a large village but its proximity to Northampton has seen it expand from the original village, a square of lanes with a western extension, southwards and eastwards until it has become contiguous with the growing urban area of the county town; where once there was clear space between the two nowadays Northampton & Moulton are conjoined. At the time of this transcript Moulton was an intensely arable farming parish, almost all of the acreage set to cereals, beet or similar, today Northampton's industrial estates dominate the southern part of the parish whilst the arable still remains abundant in the more rural portions. Moulton is drained firstly westwards and then south by small streams which meet the Nene to the west of Northampton, a long journey to the North Sea, arriving through The Wash, then follows. Moulton is sited at around 100 metres above the sea in lightly rolling countryside where local heights barely rise a further 20 metres or so. Moulton parish was one of its county's larger, covering just under 3,100 acres it would have supported a population of close to 1,350 parishioners. Moulton was already a large village by Domesday times, shared by King William and 2 others it was amongst the largest 20% of settlements by population recorded in that book. It's assets were substantial too with 20 ploughs, a small meadow and no fewer than 4 mills.

The Church

St Peter & St Paul's church occupies the northern edge of the village's square of lanes, the more northerly being Church Hill, the church is on its northern side at the top of the said hill. Whilst the church has ancient origins it is one which has been enhanced totally over the centuries. Pevsner highlights a Norman Romanesque 12th century core, a first church consisting of a simple aisleless nave. As early as the end of the 12th century, in the Transitional period a northern aisle was added to that nave. This was, however, only the beginning of what became a substantial change in the following century beginning c1300, a southern arcade was added, the northern aisle enhanced and enlarged and the western tower built, whilst basally in the Decorated style a Perpendicular topping was added a century later complete with a spire which had to be removed in the 17th century. For once Pevsner fails to mention a Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was clearly light and sensitive. For easy visiting a substantial car park sits to the west of the churchyard. The site has a low local stone wall surrounding with metal gates sitting at the start of the descent of Church Hill. Whilst the churchyard is extensive to the north of the church, the southern side, favoured for its angles, is tight and beset with trees, a church best visited and photographed on a cloudy day.