England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bradfield St Clare

The Parish

The parish of Bradfield St Clare lies in western central Suffolk about 6 miles southeast of the market town of Bury St Edmunds. Bradfield St Clare sits about 1 mile east of the A134 road which links Bury St Edmunds with Sudbury, a small place, little more than a hamlet, with no real defined village. Bradfield St Clare is one third of a trio of Bradfields that occupy a broad plateau of land amongst the headwaters of the River Lark. Like most Suffolk parishes Bradfield St Clare would have been a parish dominated by arable farming and today little has changed. Small streams and field drains head northwestwards uniting to form the early Lark, this continues northeast through Bury St Edmunds then out across The Fens to merge with the Great Ouse and reach the North Sea through The Wash. Bradfield St Clare is sited at close to 100 metres above the sea, fairly high for Suffolk, and something of a local height for many miles. Bradfield St Clare parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering just over 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. In Domesday times the three Bradfields were returned as a single entity, the majority holding being with the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, collectively the three could offer 21 ploughs as well as small meadows.

The Church

St Clare's church sits at the end of a roughly surfaced lane heading eastwards from the main main lane through the village and stands with a single cottage amidst fields. The church has scant detail from the 12th century to indicate an early church being present, the blocked northern doorway being of that century. Other wise the church is the usual mixture for East Anglia of a church begun in the Decorated style and finished in the Perpendicular being part of s ingle campain covering most of the 14th century. The western tower shows Decorated style windows whilst nave & chancel have Perpendicular. The medieval is, however, somethwat masked by the extensive Victorian and 20th century restorations which have modified much of the structure. The Victorians made their effort in the 1870s whilst the southern porch was extensively restored in 1921 and further work in the 1970s has resulted in today's church. The shrt and roughly surfaced lane heads to the church gates and splays to form a small parking area, a post & rail fence surrounds the churchyard with wooden gates granting entry. The churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacles to photography.