England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bridgnorth St Leonard

The Parish

The parish of Bridgnorth St Leonard is one of two which form the market town & borough of Bridgnorth which lies in eastern Shropshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Worcestershire. Bridgnorth is located roughly 20 miles southeast of the county town of Shrewsbury and sits on the A459 road where it crosses the River Severn in connecting Shrewsbury with Stourbridge and the rest of the "Black Country". Bridgnorth has two parts, either side of the Svern, Upper Town being the main centre and holding both parish churches whilst Low Town sits on the eastern bank. Bridgnorth has a long history, believed to have been founded by a daughter of Alfred the Great in the late 9th century the town grew into a substantial market for its area as well an inland port for the movement of goods along the Severn. The town acquired a castle built at the behest of the Earl of Shrewsbury and was early in being granted its charter for a market which still runs today. The industrial revolution, of course, was founded along the Severn at nearby Ironbridge and for a time Brignorth became equally engaged with iron making, casting and nail manufacture. Its proximity to Worcestershire's Kidderminster led to a carpet manufactury too. Modern developments with the construction of a branch railway line from Kidderminster but this was removed as a result of the Beching cuts and now forms the heritage line, the Severn Valley Railway, a noted steam attraction for the area. Today Bridgnorth has industry of a lighter kind, it still forms the local market for the farming produce of its hinterland and has a steady tourist trade attracted to the area. Bridgnorth is drained by the Severn on its long course southwards to reach the Bristol Channel. Bridgnorth is sited at between 30 metres at the river and 110 metres at its higher and newer suburbs, to its west, once across the Mor Brook land rises to over 220 metres on Aston Hill as a fore-coming of higher Shropshire hills. St Leonard parish occupies the northern portion of the town, covering barely 500 acres yet within that small acreage it would have supported a population of almost 3,000 parishioners. Bridgnorth is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book despite its early origins it being subsidiary at that time to the village of Oldbury to its south.

The Church

St Leonard's church sits to the east of the the B4373 road which leaves Bridgnorth heading north towards Ironbridge. Today St Leonard is no longer used for worship but is still maintained and allows visits. Whilst there was undoubtedly a church here in Saxon times the bases for today's church is from the 12th century albeit, again, little remains dateable following multiple changes and disasters over the centuries. The church is large as befits a market town church, the nave has five bays, the chancel a further three and the whole came equipped with aisles. To this 12th century plan a Perpendicular tower was added in 1448 placed not in the traditional position at the western end but alongside the western bay of the southern aisle. The church met with disaster during the Civil War, the northern aisle had been used to store ammunition and a cannon shot ignited the same resulting in the destruction of the northern aisle and part of the southern. It took 16 years before the nave roofing was restored and even longer, until the Victorian era, before the church was re-equipped with intact aisles. Georgian times saw the repair of the chancel in 1826 whilst the Victorian era saw restorations in 1847, repair of the chancel, 1860s, an thorough reconstruction including new arcades, 1870s, a complete rebuilding of that tower and the addition of an octagonal library on the northern side of the chancel. A thoroughly changed building over many campaigns resulting in today's sadly redundant church. The church sits within a circular churchyard enclosed by roads and flush to both pavements and surrounding grassy space. Parking is only available close by for short terms so for an extended visit a local car park should be sought. The churchyard is almost devoid of trees but is compact so requires careful selection of angles to fully encompass its totality.