England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Blymhill St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Blymhill lies in western Staffordshire forming a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Shropshire. Blymhill is located roughly 7 miles east of the Shropshire New Town of Telford and sits a mile north of the A5 (London to Holyhead) road, which here follows the ancient Roman route of Watling Street. Blymhill is a small and compact village largely grouped around a triangular crossroads of narrow lanes. This area of Staffordshire sits on rich soils and farming was the mainstay of the local economy, its western location probably gave it more of a mixed farming regime than is evident today. A small stream, the Back Brook, drains northwestwards and with several fellow brooks meets the River Tern to the north of Telford, here things turn back south to join the Severn for its long journey to the sea through the Bristol Channel. Blymhill is sited at around 110 metres above the sea in fairly gentle terrain, land rises gently westwards to reach a local height of 160 metres to the north of nearby Sheriffhales. Parishes in this western area of Staffordshire are larger than their southern equivalents but smaller than those of uplands, Blymhill was typical, covering just over 2,400 acres it would have supported a population of close to 600 parishioners. In Domesday times Blymhill was a small and relatively insignificant place, held by Robert of Stafford it could offer just 7 ploughs together with the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the southern edge of Blymhill close to the shallow valley of the Back Brook and accessed by School Lane. The church has architecture of several ages having been much modified over the centuries. Pevsner identifies the southern arcade as being the oldest portion of the building being Early English Gothic and 13th century in age. The chancel comes from the late 13th or early 14th century and is built in the subsequent Decorated style, finally of the medieval is the western tower built in the late 14th century and Perpendicular. Most of the rest dates from a major rebuilding of the central core of the church in Victorian times, a major restoration of the 1850s was followed by the addition of the southern dormer windows in 1876. On approaching from School Lane a large car park can be found to the east of the village hall enabling an extended visit. The church sits beyond the village school with a walled churchyard which is relatively open and uncluttered, a small group of trees cluster at the southeastern corner which do restrict that favoured aspect somewhat.