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

The Parish

The parish of Thorne Coffin lies in southern Somerset roughly 3 miles northwest of the town of Yeovil. Thorne Coffin sits a little under 2 miles west of the A37 road which links Yeovil with Shepton Mallet and consists of a mere straggle of properties along a north-to-south running lane. As time has passed Yeovil has expanded markedly and it should not be long in its growth for it to engulf Thorne Coffin, a trading estate sits already yards away. At the time of this transcript Thorne Coffin would have been a typical pastoral farming community like so many in this area. The parish is one of a number of tiny parishes which dot this area, Thorne Coffin is drained westwards by Wallhams Brook which quickly meets the River Parrett and turns northwest crossing the Somerset Levels to eventually reach the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Bridgwater, Thorne Coffin is sited at around 80 metres above the sea in a patchwork of isolated rolling gentle hils which rarely rise much above the local high point of 110 metres to Thorne Coffin's northeast. Covering just 413 acres Thorne Coffin is one of the smallest parishes in the land and not surprisingly only supported a population of around 100 parishioners. Despite its small size Thorne Coffin has been here since Domesday whence it was held by Count Robert of Mortain and equally small offering merely 3 ploughs and some meadows.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits at the junction of the village's narrow lane with the dead-end Church Road. This is a church where dating evidence is somewhat lacking as to its origins as change has wrought many amendments to the structure. It is believed at Decorative era ogee tracery, despite clearly being renewed, reflects a genuine early 14th century date for the oldest piece the nave.Other early features include the porch which carries a date of 1613 and the bellcote which is possibly 17th century. The eastern end of the church has more certain dating, the chancel dates from the time of the typical Victorian restoration, here of 1893. The lane is very narrow but carries little traffic and Church Road even less but parking should be considerate. The church stands high above the road height with a flight of 14 stone steps (hand-rails provided) required to access the churchyard. The churchyard is compact and beset on all sides by trees providing a difficult challenge for the photographer to acceptably record this church.