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

The Parish

The parish of High Offley sits in the extreme west of Staffordshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Shropshire. High Offley is located roughly 6 miles northeast of the Shropshire market town of Newport and sits a couple of miles west of the A519 road which links Newport with Eccleshall. High Offley is a small crossroads village with most properties gathered around the meeting of narrow lanes, a larger settlement has evolved, Woodseaves, on the A519 itself but within High Offley parish. Like many rural Staffordshire villages farming underpinned the local economy, here a mixed farming regime would have been in place with early gazetteers placing roughly equal proportions of the parish acreage to pastoral and arable, today with the advent of modern machinery it has swung more towards arable. Modern developments have come to High Offley, the Shropshire Union Canal lies a mere half mile to its south, albeit today it is more as a leisure facility than for the movement of bulk goods that it is preserved. High Offley, as its name suggests, sits on something of a local height, at 130 metres it is the highest ground for some distance with fine views across to The Wrekin and west to the Welsh mountains. The canal construction interfered with much of the local drainage which eventually emerges southeastwards as the Church Eaton Brook, a tributary of the River Penk, the latter joins the Sow and then the Trent for a long journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. High Offley parish was a typically larger parish, these northern rural parishes trend more extensive than in the south, at 2,700 acres it would have supported a population of close to 650 parishioners. High Offley in Domesday times was a tiny place, held by one Robert of Stafford it could muster just 4 plough plus the usual meadows and woodland.

The Church

St Mary's church sits in the southwestern segment of one of the village's main crossroads, where the lane from Woodseaves meets Grub Street. The church has its origins in the 12th century Norman Romanesque period but like most churches has been much altered over the centuries. Few pieces remain of that style, that have not been reused and reset, notably the western window and the northern doorway whilst the eastern respond capital is Norman but reused. Slightly later and Early English Gothic is the eastern window which shows lancet style windows characteristic of the 13th century, the lowest stages of the western tower are also assigned to the 13th century by Pevsner. The main body of the church shows that change was continuing throughout the 14th century with a Decorated style east window to the chancel whilst a Perpendicular style window and blocked doorway grace the north wall. Also from the 15h century are the topmost stages to the tower, it is uncertain whether that represents a heightening or a partial rebuild. A surfaced parking area can be found outside the main gates with neat metal gates leading into a churchyard which has no obstacles for the photographer.