England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Norbury All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Norbury lies in southwestern Shropshire not too far from the county's border with neighbouring Montgomeryshire and hence with Wales. Norbury is located roughly 4 miles northeast of the small market town of Bishop's Castle and sits about 3 1/2 miles east of the A488 road which links Bishop's Castle with Pontesbury and ultimately on to Shrewsbury. Norbury is a small and compact village sitting at the southern end of the famous Stiperstones ridge, one of the many isolated hill-masses within Shropshire and a magnet for hikers. The land is a mixture of lower pastureland dotted with cattle and upland un-managed moorland the home of hardier sheep. Norbury is drained southwards by a small brook which forms one of the headwaters of the River Onny, the Onny heads southeastwards joining the Teme to the west of Ludlow and eventually the Severn to the southwest of Worcester for its long journey to the sea arriving as the Bristol Channel. Norbury is very much a hill-settlement sitting at around 220 metres above the sea but the Stiperstones ridge rises to its north dramatically reaching 411 metres on Norbury Hill and 536 metres at the Stiperstones rocky summit. Covering almost 4,600 acres Norbury parish is typical of upland parishes which required a lot of land to support its population, here that amounted to around 400 parishioners. As a border settlement Norbury is not mentioned in Domesday Book, matters were sparse in this region close to the edges of Norman influence.

The Church

All Saints' church occupies the centre of the village with the various lanes diverging around the churchyard's edges. The church was originally built as a chapel of ease to nearby Lydbury North and only became a full parish in later times. The dating of the church's main features is complicated by later and extensive work in Victorian times. The earliest part appears to be the nave showing characteristic lancet-styled windows which may or may not be original from the 13th century. The dating of the western tower is a little more precise with Pevsner assigning it to the 14th century's earliest parts, perhaps Transitional or more likely Decorated. The broach spire, however, which tops the tower is a feature of the major restoration of 1878 - 1880 as is the timber framed southern porch. The major work of that Victorian restoration is, however, the rebuilt chancel which probably was completed a few years later. It too incorporates lancets of indeterminate origins.The lanes surrounding the churchyard are quiet and carry little traffic so on-street parking in the wider sections is an option. For the photographer favouring the sun to their rear, however, All Saints' is a disappointment as a prominent large evergreen removes all semblance of that aspect and makes the church a challenge on a sunny day.