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

The Parish

The parish of Long Ashton lies in the extreme north of Somerset forming a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Gloucestershire. Long Ashton is located roughly 3 miles southwest of the Gloucestershire city & port of Bristol and stands on the former route of the A370 road which connects Bristol with Weston Super Mare; in recent times that road has been diverted southwards and now bypasses Long Ashton. At the time of this transcript Long Ashton would have been a large village bordering on the size of a small market town, as the growing metropolis of Bristol has expanded southwards into Somerset it is now only prevented from becoming contiguous by a short stretch of land separating the two. Long Ashton, itself, has also grown spreading for almost two miles along that former route of the A370 with many modern developments supporting a growing commuter population residing here but working in Bristol. At the time of this transcript much of the local land was devoted to farming, pastoral farming exceeded that of arable roughly 2:1 in acreage. Modern development has come to Long Ashton, the Great Western railway line from Bristol to the southwest passes just to the south but Long Ashton has no station. Long Ashton sits a little over two miles south of the Avon Gorge and a small stream drains the parish into the latter and thus the Bristol Channel. Long Ashton is sited on the slopes of Ashton Hill, formed from a fossilised Jurassic coral reef, with properties varying in altitude between 30 and 70 metres, land rises to the hill and beyond to reach 150 metres within a mile of the village. By Somerset standards Long Ashton parish was fairly large, covering a little over 4,100 acres within that substantial area there would have been supported a population of around 1,900 parishioners. In Domesday times Long Ashton was also a substantial holding, one Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances held it and its resources totalled 20 ploughs, meadows, woodlands and pasture and there was also a mill

The Church

All Saints' church sits almost att the easternmost end of the long developed strip that is Long Ashton. The church is classic example of Early Perpendicular work and is built almost entirely in that style and has been little modified since, a rare survivor. Pevsner notes that the western tower carries the arms of the local Lyon family, a date coincident with a build spanning the middle and late 14th century. A substantial church with the standard layout of nave, chancel and western tower augmented by the addition of aisles and arcades and a substantial congregation would have needed to have been accommodated. For once Pevsner does not mention a Victorian restoration which is rare in English churches. Church Lane heads southwards and turn sharply east commencing at the Angel Inn on the Long Ashton Road, the lane is adequately wide for parking. A low stone wall, backed by hedging, surrounds the churchyard with metal gates granting entry. Whilst the church is tight of the churchyard making views of the western tower better from outside once within the remainder is adequately served with good views for the photographer.