England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Gnosall St Lawrence

The Parish

The parish of Gnosall lies in the extreme west of Staffordshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Shropshire. Gnosall is located roughly 7 miles west of the county town of Stafford and stands on the A518 road which links Stafford with Newport in Shropshire. Gnosall is a much grown village, the original village sits to the north of the A518 gathered around the church, it has expanded northwards in modern times and increased its presence along the A518. To the southwest and largely south of the A518 lies the more modern settlement of Gnosall Heath, previously merely a hamlet but now grown almost as large and populous as the main village. In addition the very extensive parish has numerous farms and cottages dotted across its area. Gnosall began life as a religious centre hosting 4 prebendaries (clerks drawing fixed independent incomes from church lands) and operating as a small regional market town for the local livestock farms. The parish was largely made up of rich pastoral lands with limited arable farming due to the heavy soils and poor drainage of the area. Two modern developments have lead to the more modern growth, the first to arrive being the Shropshire Union Canal which passes the western edges of Gnosall Heath and enabled the transportation of the local produce even if it was detrimental to Gnosall's market function which has lapsed. The railway line between Stafford & Newport has now closed and been re-purposed as a cycleway and hiking track, The Way for the Millennium. Gnosall is drained southeastwards by the Church Eaton Brook which joins the River Penk at Penkridge turning water northwards to meet the Sowe and shortly thereafter the Trent joining that mighty river for its long journey to the North Sea. Gnosall is sited at around 100 metres above the sea in gently rolling countryside where a few spots reach the 120 metre contour as the local high spots. Gnosall parish was very extensive covering just over 10,000 acres making it one of the largest parishes in lowland Staffordshire, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 2,400 parishioners. Domesday Gnosall was a much smaller place of just 12 households, held by Penkridge Church it offered just 6 ploughs and a mill.

The Church

St Lawrence's church sits around 200 metres north of the A518 in the original old village and east of the High Street, it is usually accessed from Sellman Street but has approaches from other streets. This is a large and complex church which began life as a collegiate church supporting the religious status of the medieval village/proto-town. The basic cruciform layout was established as early as c1100 with the central crossing tower, transepts and crossing arches retaining fabric from the 12th century Norman Romanesque period. During the 13th century, the Early English Gothic period, the nave was lengthened and expanded by the addition of 3-bay aisles with pointed double-chamfered arcades, both western and southern doorways were also constructed. The early 14th century Decorated period saw work on the chancel which was remodelled and the spectacular 5-light east window added. The 15th century Perpendicular period saw the crossing tower increased in height and an eastern chapel added to the north transept, c1500 a Lady Chapel was added to the southern side of the chancel. Various restorations occurred throughout the 19th and 20th centuries with work continuing up to the end of that period with the addition of a new porch in 1893 and the modern vestry of 1994. Sellman Street has limited on-street parking but other side streets offer the same, the church sits within an extensive rhomboid shaped churchyard crisscrossed by footpaths and widening to the south, there are few obstacles to concern the photographer.