England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Kencot St George

The Parish

The parish of Kencot lies in the extreme southwest of Oxfordshire roughly 4 miles northeast of the Gloucestershire market town of Lechlade. Kencot sits about a mile east of the A361 road which links Lechlade with Burford, on and mostly south of the B4477 road which links the A361 with Minster Lovell. Kencot has a small presence on the B4477 but most properties lie along the lane running south from that and continuing without a break into neighbouring Broadwell. Kencot is a farming parish with a string bias towards arable, early gazetteers estimate as much as 85% of the parish acreage as set to arable and little has changed since those times, cereals dominate on flattish and rather fertile ground. Whilst Kencot is a quiet rural small village for some of the time it, unfortunately, sits upon the flight path for take-off and landing from nearby Brize Norton air-base bringing noise to this quiet corner of the county. Kencot is drained south and then east by the Langham Ditch which eventually meets the Thames near Tadpole Bridge to the south of Bampton, the Thames has a lengthy journey through Oxford, Reading & Windsor to the capital and thence to the North Sea. Kencot is sited at around 80 metres above the sea in flattish terrain, there is a gradual rise to the northwest with 134 metres being eventually met on Holwell Downs. Kencot was a small parish by Oxfordshire standard, covering just under 1,100 acres it would have supported a population of close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday time Kencot was a similarly sized rural manor, held by Robert d'Oilly it offered 10 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

Two parallel lanes run south from the B4477 with St George's church sitting to the west of the more westerly, it is tucked away a little behind fronting properties and a large triangular green. Like many small rural churches St George has fabric dating back to the earliest times still in situ and unspoiled by later restoration, the southern doorway is a splendid piece from the Norman period with a tentative date of c1150, it features a shallow relief of Sagittarius shooting a monster with his arrows. The church originally consisted solely of the nave and chancel, they have modern windows set within 13th century Early English Gothic openings. At some time early in the 14th century the Norman chancel arch was replaced with a Decorated styled version and the western tower begun, the lower stages are dateable to c1300, perhaps best described as Transitional, whilst the uppermost stages and southeastern turret were added 2 centuries late in the Perpendicular style of c1500. For once Pevsner fails to record a Victorian restoration, other than mentioning the undated modern windows. There is ample on-street parking alongside the green, a gravelled pathway leads to the church set discretely back from the  road. A single tree to the south of the church represents the only obstacle for the photographer in an uncluttered churchyard.