England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Sutton on Trent All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Sutton on Trent lies in eastern Nottinghamshire not to far from its border with neighbouring Lincolnshire. Sutton on Trent is located about 9 miles north of the large town of Newark on Trent and sits immediately east of the busy A1, Great North Road, linking London with Edinburgh. Indeed in coaching times Sutton on Trent sat upon the more meandering route of the Great North Road nowadays downgraded to being the B1164. Sutton on Trent (there are 4 Suttons in the county hence the qualifier) is a large village which largely lay between the old A1 and the nearby River Trent, the oldest parts of the village being nearer the Trent whilst modern developments lined the old A1 and, indeed, have expanded towards the new fast dual carriageway that bypasses the village. Given its low-lying riverside setting much of the farming in the parish was pastoral, the Trent's extensive flood-plain providing rich grazing for cattle, that portion of the parish across the A1 being drier would have been largely arable. The Trent, a mature river in its lowland course here, drains the parish northwards, and indeed forms the county boundary for much of its course to the Humber Estuary and thence to the North Sea. Sutton on Trent is sited entirely below 10 metres above the sea with the east of the village almost at sea level, land rises gently across the A1 reaching to just above 50 metres within a couple of miles. Sutton on Trent parish was fairly typically sized for lowland Nottinghamshire, covering just over 2,400 acres it would have supported a population of around 1,100 parishioners. In Domesday times Sutton on Trent was largely held by Count Alan of Brittany with a smaller share with Roger de Bully, collectively the parish could muster 20 ploughs, the usual meadows & woodland, however its riverside setting did grant it 3 fisheries.

The Church

All Saints' church sits on the eastern, Trent-side, edge of the village on the eastern side of Church Street. Whilst All Saints has early medieval origins it has been much changed over the centuries. The earliest portion remaining is the western tower, a rather blocky affair from the 13th century and Early English Gothic in style. Much else dates from the 14th and early 15th century and is Perpendicular in style, that tower receiving its battlemented top stage whilst the nave received its clerestory at the same time. From the 14th century one finds an early 14th century window in the northern aisle. The most impressive piece from this period is the Meering Chapel believed to have been created in memory of a William Meering who's death in 1537 is consistent with the style, its elaborate battlements, pinnacles and late Perpendicular windows are complemented by Tudor style arches to its western doorway indicating its dating. Church Street is perfectly adequate for parking  allowing an extended visit. The usual modern restoration came late for All Saints being conducted on the opening decade of the 20th century, whilst it was substantial it, according to Pevsner, "succeeded in leaving the impression of the old and time-worn". The churchyard has a mid-height brick wall broken at the southern end by a stone lychgate, the churchyard has but a single substantial yew to the church's southeast to limit the otherwise uninterrupted views for the photographer.