England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Burley Holy Cross

The Parish

The parish of Burley lies just west of the centre of the tiny county of Rutland about 2 miles northeast of the county town of Oakham. Burley sits on the B668 road which connects Oakham with the A1 Great North Road at Stretton. Burley is an estate village dominated by the manor house of Burley on the Hill. The house, first built in the early 17th century but was gutted by fires started by its parliamentarian garrison under siege during the English Civil War. The 2nd Earl of Buckingham began the present mansion in 1696, it sits in extensive parkland grounds which were impacted when the reservoir of Rutland Water was constructed, its fishponds disappearing under the waters. Much of the parish acreage was lost to the reservoir at the same time. As an estate parish the Hall dominated the local economy which was farming on a fairly even spread of pastoral and arable methods. Modern developments came to the edges of th parish before eventually closing, a canal once linked Oakham with Melton Mowbray but is now disused, The parish was formerly drained by the River Gwash which now appears from beneath the reservoir's dam to flow eastwards before joining the Welland to the east of Stamford, the Welland heads across Fenland to reach the North Sea arriving through The Wash. Burley parish climbs from around 85 metres above the sea at the reservoir to 157 metres by the Hall in gently undulating terrain, 197 metres is reached a couple of miles southwest of Oakham. Burley parish was a fairly sizeable parish covering just under 3,400 acres it would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. The Domesday entry for Burley is a little confusing consisting of 2 identical entries both held by Gilbert of Ghent, given the small nature of the manor it is likely they were counted twice, 7 ploughs backed by typical meadows and woodlands seems more appropriate to today's status.

The Church

Holy Cross church stands adjacent to the Hall within the grounds of the estate and connected to it by a covered walkway. The church is today managed by the Churches Conservation Trust, there is public access despite the plethora of warning notices announcing the estate as private, but only on foot from the triangular areas at the end of Church Road. The church received a substantial restoration in 1870 which gives a very Victorian appearance to the external facade, only an original lancet from the 13th century graces the northern aisle. Internally, however, the true age of the church is revealed, the northern arcade dates to the 12th century Norman period and shows circular piers and square abaci. The lancet on the exterior is a clue to the northern aisles' early English Gothic credentials. Similarly 13th century but from the latest stages of that century is the southern arcade and the tower arch, the tower which stands above is from the earl 14th century and is in the Decorated style. Much else dates from that extensive restoration. A brown tourism sign shows the start of Church Road from the B668, parking should be found at the triangular green by the duck pond, proceed on foot from here to the church roughly 200 metres due south, the churchyard is open and uncluttered with no significant obstacles for the photographer.