England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Eccleshall Holy Trinity

The Parish

The parish of Eccleshall lies in the extreme west of Staffordshire forming a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Shropshire. Eccleshall is located roughly 7 miles northwest of the county town of Stafford and sits at the junction of the A5013 road, running out from Stafford, with the A519 road, from Newport in Shropshire to Newcastle under Lyme. Eccleshall is a small country market town with a roughly oval pattern of properties lying on or south of the B5026 (Stone to Market Drayton) road which forms the main High Street of the town. Eccleshall has a long history, granted a market as early as 1160 whilst its castle was embattlemented in 1200. The castle, today, following being slighted during the English Civil War, is a mere corner tower and sits just west of the 14th century bridge over the River Sow. Like most country market towns Eccleshall earned its living by providing a market for the exchange of local goods as well as a ready made market for specialist trades and services. The wider parish, like much of western Staffordshire, is largely pastoral and it was the products of the mainly cattle herds that formed the bedrock of the town economy. The wider parish of Eccleshall covers much of western Staffordshire and early gazetteers list no fewer than 20 townships within the wider parish, only around 30% of the parish population inhabited the town itself. Whilst modern developments have come to the wider parish, Eccleshall, itself, was avoided by the Stafford to Crewe railway line, which did, at least, provide a station some 2 miles east at Norton Bridge.  The wider parish of Eccleshall covers much of western Staffordshire and early gazetteers list no fewer than 20 townships within the wider parish, only around 30% of the parish population inhabited the town itself. Eccleshall is drained southeastwards by the River Sow, it passes through Stafford before joining the Trent for its long journey to the East Coast, the North Sea and the Humber Estuary. Eccleshall is sited at around 90 metres above the sea in gently undulating countryside which rises northwestwards to a local high point of 174 metres to the southwest of Croxton. Eccleshall parish is, quite simply, enormous, estimates place it in the region of 20,000 acres larger than many northern mountainous parishes, within that extensive acreage would have been supported a population of just over 4,700 parishioners. In Domesday times Eccleshall, itself was held by the Bishop of Chester but several of the townships have their own entries, most held also by the Bishop; collectively their assets amounted to an impressive 29 ploughs, extensive meadows and in Eccleshall 2 mills thus making for a very wealthy holding indeed.

The Church

Holy Trinity church sits on the western edge of Eccleshall at the point where the B5026 changes name from High Street to Church Street. Pevsner, quite rightly, describes it in his opening preamble as "the most perfect 13th century church in Staffordshire". During the 13th century the Early English Gothic style flourished and the church uses motifs from that style extensively throughout. It's focal point is the western tower and in its long chancel, the latter showing five iconic lancets windows along its sides. The western tower has rather more detailed windows showing Y-tracery. Also of the 13th century one finds a northern vestry and the arcades of 5-bays with rounded piers and capitals showing the styles familiar "stiff-leaf" carving. The first major changes to the church came about towards the end of the 14th century, perhaps early 15th, a typical feature of this period was the clerestory, inserted to improve internal lighting and completed in that period's Perpendicular style. Also of that style comes the southern porch and the very top-most stages of the western tower. Like most churches Holy Trinity received an extensive Victorian restoration, in this case an extended campaign of 1866 - 1869. In this restoration both the Perpendicular porch and the Early English Gothic chancel featured strongly amongst a general refresh that, at least, left the majority true to the original styles. A small triangular parking area sits immediately outside the lychgate that grants entry, it can get busy, however. The church is set back some way from the road with a diagonal crossing path leading from the lychgate to the church, the churchyard, itself, is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.