England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Asthall St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Asthall lies in western Oxfordshire roughly 5 miles west of the town of Witney. Asthall sits juts under a mile north of the A40 road which links Witney with Cheltenham. Asthall sits on the southern banks of the River Windrush and its properties lie in a curving arc following the line of the river but high enough to keep dry. The main village centre lies juts south of the village's bridge across the Windrush. The river and its flood-plain gave the parish access to rich pastures varying the farming regime from the more typical arable found on drier ground to the south. Asthall has historical evidence of early occupation holding a barrow beside the A40 whilst the ancient Roman road of Akeman Street crossed the Windrush just east of today's bridge. Modern developments have raised the A40 to a fast dual-carriageway highway. Asthall is drained eastwards by the Windrush but after Witney it turns more to the south to meet the Thames, the long journey through Oxford, Reading and Windsor takes the Thames to the capital and thence to the North Sea. Asthall is sited at around 90 metres above the sea with its little hillock behind rising to 110, a few spots on the A40 reach the 130 metre contour. Asthall parish was towards the smaller end of the scale for this area of Oxfordshire, covering juts under 1,200 acres it would have supported a population of around 400 parishioners. By way of contrast in Domesday times its 40 households just breaches the threshold for settlements in the largest 20% by population, held by Roger D'Ivry its assets of 13 ploughs, meadows & pastures and 2 mills indicate an affluent rural settlement.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits at the heart of the village on a prominent right-angled bend in the main village street. The church has strong credentials for its early origins in the Norman Romanesque period. The core of the church is from the 12th century with Pevsner confirming both the arcade and arch to the northern transept to the period of c1160. It is suggested that the nave is even earlier but also from the 12th century. Rework on the early church began as early as the 13th century when the Norman chancel was rebuilt in the Early English Gothic style, the east window has 3 trefoiled lancets with a further lancet in the northern wall. The early 14th century saw the northern transept rebuilt and heightened such that it stands above the nave in height, the work of the Decorated period was believed to be designed to convert the transept to a chantry chapel. The western end of the church is graced by a typical Perpendicular styled tower complete with battlementation, at the same time many windows of the nave were replaced by Perpendicular versions. A typical Victorian restoration of 1885 rebuilt the chancel arch in the same Norman style, quite effectively as it appears similar to genuine versions close by, a refresh also was given to the remainder of the church. Just south of the church there sits a broader verge well-used for parking. The churchyard is open and relatively free of significant obstacles for the photographer.