England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wells St Cuthbert

The Parish

The city of Wells lies in central Somerset, St Cuthbert is the principal parish, although records also are found for the Cathedral (dedicated to St Andrew). Wells is located at the foot of the Mendip Hills about 19 miles south of the city of Bristol and the same southwest of the city of Bath. Wells is located at the major crossroads of the A39 (Bath to Taunton road) and the A371 (Shepton Mallet to Weston super Mare road). The early origins of Wells date to Saxon times, the 8th century foundation of St Andrew's collegiate church often being cited as the start of the city's growth. The city grew substantially such that by the Norman invasion it was one of the notable small cities of the realm. The city has a strategic site, built at the foot of one of the few crossings of the Mendip Hill and on the edge of the Somerset Levels which stretch away to the south. Nowadays Wells is still one of the smallest cities in England but an attractive tourist destination in itself. St Cuthbert's parish covers the widest part of the city, St Andrew being restricted to the Cathedral Precinct is much smaller but at the time of this transcript held 3/8ths of the population. Whilst St Cuthbert included a substantial area of farmland, principally pastoral, the city's notable industry was stocking knitting and many of these parishioners would have been engaged in that industry. St Cuthbert's parish would have supported a population in excess of 4,500 parishioner sin quite a small area. With its "out-parish" St Cuthbert was actually a large parish for this part of Somerset. Wells is sited at around 40 metres above the sea, the Mendips rise to the north almost to 300 metres above the sea. Because of the porous limestone there is little surface drainage in the northern sector of the parish, the south drains into the River Sheppey and thence the River Brue to reach the Bristol Channel through Bridgwater. In Domesday times the land was held by the Bishop and boasted a very impressive 55 ploughs, 9 mills as well as pastures, meadows and woodlands - a wealthy place indeed.

The Church

St Cuthbert's church lies, appropriately enough in St Cuthbert's Street, slightly hidden away in the centre of the town and a few hundred metres west of the Cathedral. The church has the largest footprint of any church in Somerset and the tower at 122 feet high is the third highest. The church appears to be totally in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th or 15th century but this only reflects a massive enlargement and rebuild which arose as a result of Wells' great wealth (from sheep) in that period. Inside this Perpendicular shell is a largely 13th century original that has been augmented, enlarged and generally improved by the burghers of the city. The overall effect is rather grand. St Cuthbert's has a very open and urban setting, filling a block of the city and residing behind a low limestone wall. There are many vantage points and accesses which make photography an easy task - although the tower can be difficult to acquire as the urban buildings limit the amount of retreat available.