England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hardwick St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Hardwick lies in the extreme northeast of Oxfordshire, not too far from its border with neighbouring Northamptonshire, roughly 5 miles north of the town of Bicester. Hardwick is a tiny place, little more than hamlet, which sits around 2 miles east of the busy A43 dual-carriageway road. Whilst Hardwick is small it is also compact with a simple group of properties gathered around a "T" junction of lanes. Unlike much of its county this tiny parish was almost equally divided by arable and pastoral farming methods. Hardwick is drained eastwards by a series of small brooks which merge as the Padbury Brook before meeting the Great Ouse just east of Buckingham, from here the Great Ouse makes its way across The Fens to meet The Wash though the port of King's Lynn. Hardwick is sited at around 110 metres above the sea and despite this relative height it sits in gentle terrain where land gradually rises westwards to local heights of just over 140 metres. Hardwick was one of its county's smallest parishes covering only 463 acres it would have supported fewer than 100 parishioners. Hardwick was an equally small manor in Domesday times, held by one Robert d'Oilly, offering just 3 ploughs as its only assets.

The Church

Whilst Hardwick has 3 lanes running from its crossroads that which heads southeast is a dead-end terminating in a farm and St Mary's church, beyond the church the lane becomes a local footpath heading for Bainton. St Mary is a much altered church, only the chancel remains intact of the medieval, it being 14th century and in the Decorated style of the earlier part of that century. The remainder of the church dates almost entirely from a significant rebuild of 1878. Whilst that rebuild reused some of the earlier church, notably both northern and southern doorways, both also Decorated in style and contemporary with the chancel, the remainder was rebuilt using the later Perpendicular style. The rebuild was thorough and also added the southern aisle and porch. The short stub of lane ends by church and farm with a broad grassy verge outside the churchyard allowing careful parking and an extended visit. The churchyard is walled in local stone and devoid of any significant obstacles for the photographer.