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

The Parish

The parish of Harley lies in central Shropshire about 2 miles north of the small market town of Much Wenlock. Harley is a small and compact village lying just west (it used to pass through the village until a recent bypass) of the A458 road which connects Much Wenlock with Shrewsbury. Most of Harley sits on the northern banks of the Harley Brook which the A458 crosses to the south of the village. At the time of this transcript Harley would have been a farming community earning its living largely from pastoral farming and little has changed today except an increase in the spread of arable farming due to the use of modern machinery. Harley is drained by the Harley Brook the short distance northwards to reach the nearby River Severn and following a long journey southwards it drains into the Bristol Channel. Harley is sited at around 100 metres above the sea, land rises from the Harley Brook some 20 metres to the village centre; local heights reach over 200 metres on nearby Fetch Hill in rolling countryside whilst the dramatic escarpment (100 metre or more) of Wenlock Edge fills the southeastern aspect. Harley parish was fairly typically sized for its area, it covered just over 2,200 acres and would have supported a population of around 200 parishioners. In Domesday times it was a rather small settlement, held by one Helgot it could offer just 6 ploughs albeit it possessed a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the heart of the village to the east of the main route of the former A458 through the village . The western tower is the oldest portion remaining of the mediaeval church. Pevsner dates the base of the tower to the 13th century and its is likely the original church was from the same period. The tower received a new top stage during the 15th century in the Perpendicular style. The remainder of the church was almost completely rebuilt in the 1840s as part of the usual Victorian restoration, in this case both nave and chancel were rebuillt on the original foundations. The former A458 climbs upwards from the Harley Brook and the church is elevated to above head-height on its southern edge banked by a local stone butressing wall. By the time the road reached the western tower it has climbed to a level with the churchyard and a entrances with level or slightly sloping pathways grant access. The churchyard is rlatively free from obstructions to photography.