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

The Parish

The parish of Blythburgh sits in northeastern Suffolk not far from its North Sea coast. Blythburgh is situated about 4 miles east of the small market town of Halesworth and a similar distance west of the port of Southwold. Blythburgh sits astride the A12 road which connects Lowestoft with Ipswich with most properties lying to its west around the church. Blythburgh itself was once a market town but it failed to prosper and lapsed to its present village status. Blythburgh occupies a dramatic position on the southern side of the A12's crossing of the River Blyth which widens east of the village into a shallow estuary, a wildlife sanctuary for waders and wildfowl. Blythburgh would have largely been an arable farming community, the soils are light and sandy and ideal for the many piggeries which dot around the village today. Agricultural incomes would have been augmented by fishing, wildfowling and some river traffic. The Blyth drains eastwards the short distance to reach the North Sea between Southwold and Walberswick, the latter parish preventing Blythburgh from having a coastal frontage. Blythburgh is sited at just 5 metres above the sea but dominates the marshes below, land rises to the south gently to local heights of just under 30 metres. Blythburgh parish was one of the larger for its area, it covered just over 3,700 acres and would have supported a population of almost 850 parishioners. In Domesday times Blythburgh was held directly by King William, it was a wealthy place offering an impressive 36 ploughs some woodland and even then pigs were an important asset.

The Church

Holy Trinity church stands in a dominating position above the marshes, the view as one approaches from the north being one of the iconic sights of Suffolk. Pevsner is very taken by the church describing it as "one of the half dozen grandest churches in the county". The church is a masterpiece of the Perpendicular, being built in a single building phase through the middle and latter half of the 15th century. Documentary sources place the chancel as being commenced in 1442 with the northern chapel a decade later. Holy Trinity's dimensions are more typical of a market town church, an impressive 128 in length and with the western tower rising 58 feet above, the tower would have been more dominating before its capping spire was removed. The church is accessed by the narrow Church Road standing at the junction of Priory Road and the unsurfaced Church Lane. A low brick and flint wall protects the churchyard with arched metal gates granting access. It is fortunate, given the length of the building, that the churchyard is relatively free from photographic obstacles.