England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Middlezoy Holy Cross

The Parish

The parish of Middlezoy lies in central Somerset roughly 7 miles southeast of the port & market town of Bridgwater. Middlezoy sits on and mostly southwest of the A372 road which links Bridgwater with Langport. Middlezoy is a compact village built upon a narrow ridge of higher land sitting above the King's Sedge Moor, most properties lie along a lane which heads south and then west from the A372 with a few along that road and more in side lane around the church. In pre-drainage days this land would have formed an island within the watery landscape of the Somerset Levels, sometimes after long periods of heavy rain it begins to resemble that state even with the extensive drainage network of "Rhynes", being the local term for man-made drainage channels. All of that reclaimed former swampy marshland is now used for extensive grazing of both sheep and cattle whilst arable crops are restricted to the immediate vicinity of the village. Middlezoy is drained northwards by the Sowy River and the Langacre Rhyne, together they merge into the major artery of the King's Sedgemoor Drain heading northwest, this water reaches the River Parrett beyond Bridgwater and only follows that river around its final meanders into the outer Bristol Channel. Most of Middlezoy parish sits below the 10 metre contour, the ridge on which it is built, however, rises to close to 25 metres at Holy Cross Church, the highest ground for a few miles. Middlezoy parish covered roughly 2,000 acres and would have supported a population of around 700 parishioners. Middlezoy is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

As already mentioned Holy Cross chruch sits on the highest ground within the village, a lofty 24 metres high. The church appears to have its origins in the 13th century, at least that is the earliest remaining fabric of today's church, it is perfectly possible that an earlier church stood here. The eastern bay of the south aisle together with the chancel date from the end of the 13th century or perhaps the early 14th century, the brief Transitional style explains the mixture of Early English Gothic elements, such as lancet windows, and later Decorated styled reticulated tracery in other windows. Similar in age to the chancel is the large porch showing banded masonry and a chamfered doorway. Much else is of the later medieval style of the Perpendicular period, with remainder of the southern aisle together with the north transept and much of the nave including the 5-bay arcade are all of the late 14th or early 15th century. Also of this era is the richly decorated western tower of 3-stages culminating in battlements, pinnacles and a polygonal stair-turret. Two phases of Victorian restoration are cited with minimal detail by Pevsner, repairs between 1839 & 1848 and a more typical restoration of 1864. The church can be accessed from the main village street (Kicks Hill) where parking may be found by a pathway between properties, a further entrance is from the southwestern corner from Church Road, the church stands in an open and uncluttered churchyard with no significant obstacles for the photographer.