England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ubley St Bartholomew

The Parish

The parish of Ubley lies in northern Somerset roughly 9 miles north of the city of Wells and sitting on the northern edge of the Mendip ranges. Ubley sits a half mile north of the A388 road which parallels the Mendips from Churchill eastwards until finally reaching Bath. Ubley is a small village with most properties following a "U" shape of lanes leading from and to the A388. Whilst the Mendips rise quickly to its south much of the lower area of the parish sits beneath Blagdon Lake, a large water body to the northwest. Ubley is a farming community with pastoral methods dominant on sweet limestone pastures. Modern developments in the form of a branch railway line once connected Ubley westwards but this has largely disappeared and is only memorialised in the name of Station Lane opposite the church. Ubley is drained westwards by the infant River Yeo which, after passing through Blagdon Lake, continues northwestwards to reach the outer Bristol Channel slightly northwards of Weston super Mare. Covering a little over 1,800 acres Ubley parish was a typically sized parish for its area, that acreage supported a population of around 350 parishioners. In Domesday times Ubley was just as small a rural settlement, a holding of one Turold's son Gilbert it offered merely 4 ploughs, typical pastures meadows & woodland but did possess a mill.

The Church

St Bartholomew's church sits at the junction of The Street with Station Lane on the southern side of The Street. The church has its origins in the 13th century and in the style of Early English Gothic, the western tower together with the chancel and its arch show the style well with lancet windows abundant. The western tower is an incongruous piece with late 14th century Perpendicular work creating a weird stair turret that competes with its ribbed spire. Also Perpendicular work is shown in the aisles which were widened from their 13th century original width, the northern aisle widened in the 14th, the southern in the 15th centuries. Work on the northern arcade is dated to the 16th century, early Tudor times. Like most churches the Victorians also did their usual restoration, here it fell in 1875 and was relatively sensitive. The Street carries little traffic and is wide enough for safe on-street parking outside the churchyard. The churchyard is raised above street height and once through the gates a flight of 11 steps is required to reach level ground, trees hug both eastern and western ends with the northern and southern faces unimpaired making for a restricted set of angles for the photographer.