England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Church Eaton St Editha

The Parish

The parish of Church Eaton lies in the extreme west of Staffordshire very close to its border with neighbouring Shropshire. Church Eaton is located almost equidistantly between Stafford (which lies about 7 miles to its northeast) and the the Shropshire market town of Newport (an almost equal distance to its west). Church Eaton lies roughly 3 miles south of the A518 road which links Stafford & Newport. The village largely consists of a single lane running westwards from the church for almost a half mile with a few dead-end lanes leading off it to both north & south. Church Eaton sits within the most fertile portion of its county with rich soils formed from strong loam being ideal for the growing of cereals amongst other arable crops, arable farming was the main source of income for the parish. Modern developments have come to Church Eaton, the Shropshire Union Canal built in 1835 by the famous engineer Thomas Telford passes just west of the village. Church Eaton is drained southeastwards by the Eaton Brook which meets the River Penk at Penkridge, turns north to the Sow and then east to meet the mighty Trent at Great Haywood, along journey then follows to reach the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. Church Eaton is sited at around 90 metres above the sea in fairly gentle terrain, land rises gently eastwards to the local high point of Bradley at 123 metres. Church Eaton parish was fairly extensive at around 4,000 acres despite being a low-lying arable parish, within that acreage it would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. In Domesday times Church Eaton was altogether more modest, a holding of one Roger of Stafford its assets were merely 4 ploughs and the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Editha's church, as already mentioned sits at the eastern end of the village's High Street at the junction with St Editha's Court. The earliest part of the church is the tower portion of its western steepled tower, here fabric of either the late 12th century or possibly early 13th century is shown. The western wall of the tower's basal stages sow 12th century Norman Romanesque styled windows, the wide arch to the nave also being of a similar period. Whilst the styling is 12th century fashion the build is less precise due to the time fashion changes often take to percolate to the provinces. The steeple which now graces the top of the tower is, however, 15th century Perpendicular work. More definitively 13th century is the northern arcade, the Early Englsih Gothic shown well by its round piers and rounded abaci. Moving onward to the 14th century and the Decorated style one finds that the northern wall of the main body was clearly rebuilt in this half century whilst the latter half of the 14th century is represented by windows in the chancel as well as the northern chapel. After the 15th century addition of the steeple the major change was the 17th century addition of a vestry to the church's north. Whilst the church's stained glass largely dates from late Victorian times Pevsner, for once, does not mention a significant restoration from that era. There is ample street parking into St Editha's Court with the metal gates standing almost at the junction. The churchyard is relatively free of obstacles for the photographer.