England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Shilbottle St James

The Parish

The parish of Shilbottle is located in central eastern Northumberland about 5 miles southeast of the market town of Alnwick. The village is located just east of the A1 road which links London and Edinburgh and in Northumberland links Newcastle Upon Tyne with Berwick Upon Tweed. The village is sited on a strongly sloping site in a relatively upland setting at 130 metres above sea level - the North Sea is only about 4 miles east of the village. The land use nowadays is largely agricultural with a mixture of pasture and arable, however in the past this husbandry was mixed in with mining for coal. The parish was extensive, in excess of 5,900 acres and supported a population of over 1,200 parishioners about evenly split between the main village and the rest of the parish. Like most parishes in Northumberland the area was not covered by Domesday Book.

The Church

St James' church is sited in the heart of the village just west of the main "T" junction of lanes that forms the notional centre. The church is a modern replacement (1884) for an earlier edifice which was believed to Norman in origin. Despite St James' modern origins Pevsner was clearly impressed praising the crossing-tower, ceilings and the retention of features from the original building which he dated to 12th Century. The impressive yews in the graveyard rather restrict views of the building but provide admirable shelter for abundant wildlife.