England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bath Abbey

The Parish

The city of Bath lies in the extreme northeast of Somerset quite close to both its border with Wiltshire and also that with Gloucestershire. Bath is located about 12 miles southeast of the Gloucestershire city of Bristol and 107 miles west of London. Bath sits on the A4 road which connects those two places and is sited in the valley of the Avon river, Bath also has modern communications; the Kennet & Avon Canal runs through the city, as does the London to Bristol Templemeads rail line whilst some 10 miles north runs the M4 motorway. Bath has a long history supposedly existing prior to the Roman invasion it became an important settlement for the Romans in part because of its mineral springs, the city is still famous for its archaeological remains of that period. Sacked by the Saxons Bath had a spell of neglect through the dark Ages before reviving under the Norman conquerors where it supported 154 burgesses. Bath's popularity soared in the 18th century whence it began to expand from the original walled city site. Supplied with fine limestone quarries the Bath-stone produced the genteel spa town of today. The parish of St Peter & St Paul is based in the Abbey and occupies the central portion of the ancient city covering just a few acres of the urban area. Today Bath is a curious mixture of tourist destination and industrial city, the urban area has spread to incorporate what were neighbouring villages and hamlets into an urban area roughly 3 miles in diameter. The Avon drains the city westwards passing through Bristol to reach the Bristol Channel through the Avon Gorge. Bath is sited at just 10 metres above the sea but is deeply incised into the valley of the Avon, land rises sharply to almost 250 metres within a couple of miles of the city. As stated the Abbey parish covered just a few blocks of the absolute centre of the city. In Domesday times the city was held directly by King William, it was a large an prosperous urban site and was not detailed in Domesday Book but as it was taxed to 20 geld units its was clearly an important asset for the Crown.

The Church

Bath Abbey occupies a central site at the southern end of Bath's High Street it is entirely an urban building rising straight from its paved plaza. The site of the Abbey was undoubtedly that of not one but two former buildings, a Saxon 8th century church was replaced by a Norman building begun in 1137 but that too was destroyed during a major fire which impacted the mediaeval city. The present building was begun in 1499 so is rather a late building for such an important Abbey church. With that starting date the building is firmly into the late Perpendicular period. The church is large and complex and better descriptions are available than can be précis in this space. With its urban setting and frequent crowds of tourists the Abbey church can be almost impossible to wholly photograph as properties prevent sufficient distance being achieved to encompass the whole.