England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Beckington St George

The Parish

The parish of Beckington lies in the extreme east of Somerset, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Wiltshire. Beckington is a substantial village lying on the eastern banks of the River Mells and situated about 3 miles north of the market town of Frome. Beckington sits just west of the busy A36 road which connects Bath through to Warminster and just west of its junction with the A361 which connects Frome with Trowbridge. Whilst farming, principally pastoral farming, would have dominated the local economy, the manufacture of cloth was important throughout all the villages of eastern Somerset and Beckington was no exception. Today Beckington is a pretty and relatively tranquil place with the major roads taken away from the centre, it retains most of its village assets and is a popular commuter settlement for the above named places. The River Mells drains the parish northwards to reach the Avon just west of Bradford on Avon and thence westwards to reach the Severn Estuary through the Avon Gorge. Beckington is sited at around 70 metres above the sea, sitting some 25 metres above the Mells on a shoulder of land, local heights rise to around 100 metres in undulating countryside. Beckington parish was fairly typically sized for the area, it covered just over 1,800 acres and supported a population of almost 1,200 parishioners. In Domesday times Beckington was held by one Roger Arundel and could offer just 8 ploughs, as well as small meadows, pastures and woodland, possession of a mill, however, made it quite a wealthy place.

The Church

St George's church sits in the heart of the village on the eastern side of Church Street, an out-and-back lane which heads eastward from the main village centre. St George's western tower is its crowning glory, a relic of the 12th century and showing many features of Norman Romanesque style. Pevsner described the tower as "the most ambitious Norman tower of any Somerset parish church" and lavishes extensive description of its features. The remainder of the church is later, the chancel in the Decorated style whilst much else is typically Perpendicular and probably 15th century. As is usual the 19th century brought about restoration and refreshing, the eastern window and the south window of the southern chapel are clearly of this period and much else was amended at that time. The church sits set back behind some pretty limestone cottages and a pair of metal gates grant access to the churchyard. Once inside there are few obstructions to photography.