England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wellingborough All Hallows

The Parish

The parish of Wellingborough lies in eastern Northamptonshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Bedfordshire. Wellingborough is located roughly 10 miles northeast of the county town of Northampton and sits on the northern banks of the River Nene where the A45 road, the major east to west road through this part of the county, crosses the A509, from Kettering to Newport Pagnell. Wellingborough is a substantial market town, the principal market for this area of the county, with its market dating back to its granting by King John in the late 12th century. As well as a functional market, still held today, the town developed the traditional Northamptonshire trade of boot & shoe manufacture which employed many in the town. The surrounding rural area of the parish would have employed an almost equal regime of both arable and pastoral farming. In more modern times industry has diversified with light industrial and service sectors keeping Wellingborough as an important and growing employment centre. Modern developments have steadily accrued to the town, initial canalisation of the Nene's course aided transportation of heavy goods such as grain & coal, later came the railways with a line from Northampton to Peterborough, which has since disappeared, and from Bedford to Leicester which granted Wellingborough its station on its eastern edge. In more modern times the A45 has been upgraded to fast dual-carriageway status. All of these improvements in communication have aided Wellingborough's growth until it now occupies an area of almost 3 miles in diameter, its boundaries only being constrained by the Nene to the south and the River Ise to its east. Those two rivers meet to the southeast of the town and the Nene continues onwards to reach the North Sea through the Wash. Wellingborough's centre is sited at around 70 metres above the sea, the western suburbs being some 30 metres higher in gently rolling countryside those suburbs occupy the highest ground for some distance. The wider parish of Wellingborough was one of the county's larger in extent, covering almost 4,100 acres it would have supported a population of just over 5,000 parishioners. In Domesday times Wellingborough was a typical small market town, shared three-ways with the majority held by Crowland Abbey it assets totalled 14 plough, substantial meadows and there were 3 mills.

The Church

All Hallows church dominates the centre of Wellingborough and its still extant market place, sitting between Church Street and Whitehorse Yard and facing the market and public library. This is a big church as befits a substantial town and one with a long history. The earliest feature is its remaining Norman Romanesque southern doorway, this 12th century feature shows zigzag moulding and decoration. Much else dates from the principal church-building era of England, the period from the late 13th through to early 14th centuries and spanning the Decorated & Perpendicular styles. The span for the church probably signifies a single-campaign spread across that 70+ year period. In the Decorated style one finds the impressive western tower, the four-bay arcades and the chancel. The later Perpendicular style is shown by the northern & southern chapels and most of the roofing and battlements. In common with most of England's churches All Hallows received a Victorian restoration, in this case of 1861, but here it was fairly light and restricted to a general refresh and repair. Like most town churches, parking, especially on market days, is difficult and local car parks should be sought and the church approached on foot. Sadly the church has many trees gathered closely around which presents something of a challenge to the photographer to find encompassing aspects.