England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Woodborough St Swithun

The Parish

The parish of Woodborough lies in southern central Nottinghamshire about 7 miles northeast of the county town of Nottingham. Woodborough is a large village which stands, in lanes, about a mile west of the A6097, a link road between the A46 (the ancient Roman road of Fosse Way) and the A614 (Nottingham to Ollerton) roads. Woodborough has a centre grouped around the junction by the church yet spreads both east and west of that point for over a half mile in each direction. Woodborough's claim to historical fame is its location as the home of the inventor of the stocking-frame, William Lee in 1528; it is this frame work knitting that employed those persons not directly employed within the usual farming activities. Mills have been active in the parish since Domesday times and these powered the industry that provided the backbone of the local economy. The Dover Beck drains the parish eastwards, only a short distance to the Trent at Caythorpe thence to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Woodborough is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in rolling countryside with local heights reaching to just over double that height within a couple of miles. Woodborough parish was fairly typically sized for the south of its county, covering around 1,800 acres it would have serviced a population of around 800 parishioners. In Domesday times Woodborough was shared between no fewer than 6 landholders, remarkably 3 Saxons/Danes were still holding part of the parish despite the Norman invasion. Collectively the land could offer 16 ploughs, meadows and woodland and no fewer than 7 mills making for a profitable landholding.

The Church

St Swithun's church sits at the heart of Woodborough on the southeastern corner of the junction between Main Street & Lingwood Lane that forms the notional centre of the village. The church has Norman origins, a retained doorway, albeit reset, shows the Romanesque style of that period. The western tower was first built in the 13th century and shows early English Gothic styling amended by a Perpendicular refit. The bulk of the church is 14th century and Decorated in style, the chancel being the showpiece for this era. Built in the mid-14th century its five-light eastern window complete with flowing tracery is the centrepiece of the church. The latest part, in the late 14th century are the nave arcades which show the early Perpendicular style and are contemporary with the upgrade to the tower. AS with most churches some restoration took place in the 19th century but in this case it was sensitive and did not remove much historical detail. The church sits behind a low brick wall with entrances off both Main Street and Lingwood Lane, the church is flush with the western edge of the site making it better to capture the tower from outside the site, the churchyard, itself, has many trees and the optimal angles for a sunny day are restricted by these making for a tricky subject to adequately capture.