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

The Parish

The parish of Bitterley lies in southern Shropshire close to its border with neighbouring Herefordshire. Bitterley is located about 4 miles northeast of the market town of Ludlow in lanes to the north of the A4117 road which links Ludlow with Cleobury Mortimer. Bitterley has its site on the western slopes of one of Shropshire's most notable landmarks, the isolated hill (topped with hill-fort) of Titterstone Clee Hill. The area around Bitterley is dominated by pastoral farming, much has turned to arable recently with the advent of mechanised farming however. Bitterley is an extended parish which incorporates not only the eponymous village, a substantial cluster of farms and cottages grouped around a double junction on the main lane, but also the smaller settlement of Middleton almost 2 miles to the west on the B4364. Bitterley sits on a ridge of higher ground between two brooks, both flow west to meet and become the Ledwyche Brook which joins the Teme and thence the Severn for a long journey to the Bristol Channel. Bitterley is sited at around 150 metres above sea level but land rises strongly to Titterstone Clee Hill which tops out at 533 metres. By the standards of southern Shropshire Bitterley parish was a large one an extended on its east/west axis, it covered over 6,500 acres and would have supported almost 1,100 parishioners. By way of contrast, in Domesday times Bitterley was held by one Roger of Lacy and could support a mere 4 ploughs, Middleton (tabulated separately) added a further 3 ploughs and a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church is sited a half mile to the east of the cluster that is Bitterley, it sits on the western side of a dead-end lane which climbs to Warthill Farm. The building was heavily restored by the Victorians in 1881 and most of the original features of the church have been hidden or lost. Pevsner teases out an Early English date for the underlying building based on remaining details and surmises that chancel, nave and western tower were built as a piece in the late 13th century. The church has a very interesting top to the tower which is quite distinctive. St Mary's can be found immediately beyond a group of farms, it sits behind a low hedge on the western side of the lane and access is by way of wooden kissing-gate at the southern end of the site. Once inside the graveyard there are few obstructions to photography.