England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Holdgate Holy Trinity

The Parish

The parish of Holdgate lies in southern Shropshire about 9 miles south of the market town of Much Wenlock. Holdgate site roughly a mile east of the B4368 road which connects Craven Arms through towards Bridgnorth. Modern Holdgate is little more than a hamlet, a group of farms and cottages loosely straggling along the valley of the Trow Brook and sitting in the vale betwixt Wenlock Edge, to the west, and Brown Clee Hill, to the east. In the immediate post-Conquest period Holdgate was chosen as the site for a motte and bailey castle, part of the attempt to stabilise the western border of their new kingdom, Helgot the Norman Lord built this castle roughly 20 years after the conquest. Much of the land, hereabouts, is used for pastoral farming and Holdgate would have been fairly typical, the flood plain of the Trow Brook providing rich grazing for cattle whilst the more upland areas being devoted to sheep. The Trow Brook morphs into the Corve which joins, in turn, the Teme at Ludlow and the Severn to the south of Worcester before reaching the sea through the Bristol Channel. Holdgate sits on a little knoll at around 160 metres above the sea but land rises to the west onto Wenlock Edge, reaching 300 metres whilst to the east Brown Clee Hill tops out at 540 metres. Holdgate parish was fairly small in extent by Shropshire standards, covering just under 1,900 acres it would have supported just over 299 parishioners. As mentioned Holdgate was held by one Helgot in Domesday times, a small place even at that time offering just 6 ploughs.

The Church

Holy Trinity church was built within the southwestern bailey of Holdgate's castle in or around 1120 and some 40 years after the foundation of that castle. Both the nave and chancel date from this early period and are Norman Romanesque in style and built from the local, attractive, Old Red Sandstone. Like all churches Holy Trinity saw rework and addition over the centuries, Early English Gothic lancets were inserted into the chancel and the tower arch dates from a similar early 13th century date. The blocky western tower, which dominates the remainder was also a 13th century addition, albeit its topmost stage is 14th century and Perpendicular.. A significant restoration of the 1890s saw much change, both the chancel arch and southern porch being rebuilt at that time as well as the replacement of the roofing of both nave and chancel. THe lane which passes through Holdgate is fairly narrow but the church shares and entrance with a farm and that allows ample parking outside the churchyard gates, wooden gates stand almost overshadowed by a major yew tree, sadly the favoured southeastern aspect is crowded out by tightly enclosing trees making for a limited range of angles for the photographer in what is otherwise an open and uncluttered churchyard.