England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Quatt St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Quatt lies in southeastern Shropshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Staffordshire. Quatt is located about 4 miles southeast of the market town of Bridgnorth and sits on the A442 road which connects Bridgnorth with Kidderminster. Modern day Quatt is a tiny place, a small presence along the A442 and around the church is augmented by a scatter of farms and cottages across the wider parish which is rural and dominated by the estate of Dudmaston Hall; a closed oarish dominated by a single landholder Quatt never developed a fully functional village. This rolling landscape, above the incised valley of the River Severn, is dominated by pastoral farming, although in more modern times with heavy machinery some arable has crept into the farmer's portfolio. The Severn drains the parish on its long journey to the sea, reaching it through the Bristol Channel many miles to the south. Quatt is sited at arounf 70 metres above the sea, the Severn being some 30 metres lower, local heights rise to just above 150 metres within a mile or so of Quatt. Quatt parish was fairly typically sized for the lower parts of Shropshire, covering almost 2,700 acres it would have supported a population of around 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Quatt was an altogether more important settlement, its population at that time was sufficient to make it amongst the largest 20% of settlements recorded in that book, held by Earl Roger of Shrewsbury the parish could muster 14 ploughs, the usual meadows & woodland and also had a mill, presumably along the Severn.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits just east of the A442 set 100 metres or so into the narrow lane that connects through to the A458 (Bridgnorth to Stourbridge) road. The church is something of a curiosity as it was extensively rebuilt in the 1760s but the eastern end, consisting of the chancel, its northern chapel and the northern arcade were left as originally created. These remaining pieces date back to pre-Conquest periods showing late Saxon styling in the round headed window, now blocked. Whilst the chancel is ancient it was clearly reworked in later medieval times as Perpendicular style windows are also present. The chapel is from c1400 and the northern arcade fractionally later, enough to be Perpendicular in style rather than the former's Decorated touches. Everything else is brickwork from the 18th century rebuild and using a Georgian styling characteristic of this period. The site is perched high above the road but a parking area for a couple of cars has been carved into the banking enabling easy parking, a steep rising path passes through wooden gates to access a churchyard which has no obstructions to photography.