England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Spratton St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Spratton lies towards the western part of central Northamptonshire roughly 7 miles north of the county town of Northampton. Spratton is a large village which sits on and mostly east of the A5199 road which links Northampton through Welford to Leicester. A major lane westwards from Brixworth, Brixworth Road, forms the main spine of the village with properties lining that lane and to both north and south, there is also a limited stretch of the village sitting on the eastern side of the A5199. The area is underlain with an exceedingly fertile soil as a result the parish was largely arable in what is traditionally a fairly mixed farming area, early gazetteers place 2/3rds of the parish acreage as set to cereals. Modern developments came and went from Spratton, a branch railway line linking Northampton with Market Harborough ran to the parish's east but nowadays has a differing function as a partial heritage line, a cycleway and part of the local Midshires Way trail for hikers. The Nene is the main drainage channel for this area and small streams head south from Spratton to join it to the west of Northampton, after a long journey the Nene reaches the North Sea through The Wash. Spratton sits on a distinct ridge of land at around 120 metres above the sea with the ridge rising steadily northwards to a local high point of 165 metres to the west of Hollowell. Spratton parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering just under 2,500 acres it would have supported a population of around 950 parishioners, it should be noted that the former parish of Little Creaton was absorbed by Spratton in early times. In Domesday times Spratton was shared by Countess Judith & Count Robert of Mortain with a tiny share with Robert de Bucy, even collectivly their holdings mustered only 6 ploughs, some meadow albeit the manor held 2 mills.

The Church

St Andrew's church (some early gazetteers name it St Luke) sits on the southern side of the Brixworth road at its junction with Church Road. St Andrew is a church with many ancient credentials, the doorway being a fine example of 12th century Norman Romanesque work, indeed Pevsner even speculates that the hood-mould has Saxon-looking interlace that places the work into the early 12th century. The most impressive feature of the church is its strong western tower, also of the 12th century in its lower stages from its later part. More 12th century work can be found in the northern aisle and the southern doorway, the latter has, however, been restored and reset. As the 12th century passed into the 13th fashions changed and the Early English Gothic became the style favoured, the top-most stages of that western tower show this style and indicate a prolonged building phase. From the 13th century, too, one finds the southern arcade. Like most churches, even when substantially completed, work continued through the centuries, the sedilia & piscina being early 14th century Decorated style whilst the northern chapel, built between 1495 & 1505 shows the later Perpendicular. As is typical Victorian restorers had their way and a major restoration of the 1840s finished the work to today's church. The churchyard stands at some height from road level overlooking Brixworth Road but the main entrance from Church Road is more or less level with wooden gates for entry. The churchyard is quite expansive and has no obvious obstacles for the photographer.