England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Drayton in Hales St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Drayton in Hailes, better known today for its principal settlement of Market Drayton, lies in the extreme northeast of Shropshire forming not only part of the border with neighbouring Staffordshire but also being not too far from Cheshire. Whilst the parish encompasses the small settlements of Betton, to the north, Longslow, to the northwest, and Woodseaves, to the south, it is also notable for having a portion of the parish within the county of Staffordshire too. The parishes main settlement, by some considerable measure, and home to the church is Market Drayton which sits approximately 19 miles to the northeast of the county town of Shrewsbury at the crossroads of the A53 (Shrewsbury to Newcastle under Lyme) road with the A529 (Nantwich to the A41 at Hinstock). Market Drayton, as its name suggests has been a market town for some considerable time, the market being granted in 1246. Some authors make the connection of Market Drayton to the ancient Briton settlement of Caer Draithon but others, given the tiny size in Domesday Book are more sceptical. Suffice it to say that Market Drayton provides the regional market for local agricultural produce, the hinterland being noted for its pastoral farming with cattle the main product, as well as those specialist trades needing a large population to be economical. In addition there was some industry including paper making and the use of hair in the manufacture of the bottoms to chairs. Modern developments have come to Market Drayton albeit some have since disappeared, the Shropshire Union Canal was a major boon to the market and today serves tourism equally well, the branch railway line from Shrewsbury, however, has since been largely dismantled serving as the route for the A53 bypass which has taken most through traffic from the town. Drayton in Hales is drained southwards by the River Tern which joins the Severn to the east of Atcham before the long journey south to the Bristol Channel. Market Drayton is sited at around 90 metres above the sea in fairly gentle terrain, land rises gently into Staffordshire to reach 180 metres at Loggerheads. Drayton in Hales parish was extremely extensive at 14,200 acres, approximately 50/50 to each county, within that acreage would have resided a population of close to 4,700 parishioners. In Domesday time Market Drayton was a tiny holding of one William Pandolf offering just 1 pair of ploughs from 5 households, other manors boosted the asset count as follows, Longslow 1 plough, Little Drayton 1 plough and Sutton upon Tern with 3 more ploughs and a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church in Market Drayton sits just west of the A529 as it exits the town heading southwards, the A-road making an elaborate detour around the churchyard. St Mary is a church which has radically changed in recent times such that most of the medieval content has been replaced. The earliest identifiable fabric is a re-set western doorway which Pevsner is undecided as to whether it is genuine Norman Romanesque or from the Transitional period that led on into Early English Gothic. The dominating western tower is more certain of its medieval origins being from the early 14th century in a fine Decorated style. Much else would probably not be recognised by these celebrants as the church received a major rebuild in 1784 and again in the early 1880s such that only traces of medieval fabric remain, a few pieces of stonework in the chancel whilst internally the capitals of the northern arcade can be seen to be 13th century. As the streets immediately around the church have no parking it is helpful that a large car park is maintained for the church at the junction of Church Street and Mount Lane some 150 metres southwest of the churchyard. Several entrances breach the local stone walls that surround entering a churchyard that is quite spacious and with few obstacles for the photographer.