England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Averham St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Averham is located in southeastern Nottinghamshire roughly 3 miles west of the town of Newark on Trent and on the banks of the River Trent. Averham sits on and immediately south of the A617 road which links Newark with Mansfield. Averham is a compact village with the main centre of properties sitting just south of the main road but with many properties lining the same as it performs a right-angled bend though the village, a tail of buildings straggles east too towards the church and river. Averham's position on the riverside meadows west of the Trent gave it rich pastures such that pastoral farming dominated the local economy. Modern developments have come to the parish, a cut-off canal straightened the navigable Trent diverting trade to Newark and this was followed by construction of the railway line linking Newark with Nottingham and passing through Averham parish without granting a station. Averham is drained by the Trent on its long course to the Humber Estuary, it turns distinctly northwards from Newark before meeting the Yorkshire Dales rivers for the final pass to the sea. Averham is sited at around 10 metres above the sea with northwestern parts of the wider pariah rising to around 40 metres and land continuing to rise northwestwards to local high points of around 70 metres in quite gently rolling countryside. Averham parish was slightly larger than is common in the Trent Valley, covering just over 2,000 acres it would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. Domesday Averham, a holding of on Gilbert Tison, was altogether a much more important place with a population large enough to place it amongst the largest 20% by population in the land, its assets of 14 ploughs backed by typical meadows and woodland and holding a mill made for a fairly wealthy manor.

The Church

St Michael's church is accessed by footpath from the eastern edges of the village and sits almost on the banks of the Trent in a very attractive setting. Pevsner introduces the church with the prominent comment that it is "the most important and extensive Anglo-Saxon architecture in the county". The church certainly dates from the most ancient times, dendrochronology and radio-carbon has dated some of the roof timbers to c1,000 and much of the church pre-dates the conquest. The western tower in particular dates from the Saxo-Norman period but the main body, like many early churches, shows evidence of later period changes. Both eastern and a southern window within the chancel show styling of the 14th century Decorated style and are probably simply replacement for earlier versions. The era of Sir Thomas Sutton in the late 15th and early 16th century saw Perpendicular styled changes to the tower arch, buttresses, battlements and no fewer than pinnacles, the era also saw the addition of the southern porch. Twin restorations, the first of 1857 being relatively light whilst the second of 1907 addressed the interior panelling and furniture creating a roomy space. Church Lane heads east and ends with a roughly surfaced parking area, from here a small white sign points the rather shady way to the church, whilst the setting of the church is picturesque the close set trees create significant issues for the photographer with few aspects displaying the church adequately.