England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Eriswell St Laurence

The Parish

The parish of Eriswell lies in northwestern Suffolk not too far from not only its border with neighbouring Cambridgeshire but also with that with Norfolk. Eriswell is located about 3 miles north of the market town of Mildenhall. Eriswell is a small and rather linear village sitting astride the B1112 road which heads along the western edge of nearby the USAF Base of Lakenheath. Eriswell sits in Suffolk's portion of Breckland, its sandy soils were little use for agriculture but supported extensive sheep ranges as well as warrenries, the local flint also proved valuable in the manufacture of flint strikers for light making as well as in the manufacture of weapons. Eriswell also sits on the edge of the largely reclaimed territory of The Fens, indeed the drainage of the area has been extensively man-modified to permit that drainage, the parish is cut through by the so-called "Cut-off Channel which skirts the eastern edge of the Fens transporting the waters of the Lark, Little Ouse & Wissey through to the massive sluices at Denver and thence to the North Sea through The Wash. Eriswell is sited at just 10 metres above the sea and land is largely flat rising slowly to local heights just over 50 metres on Weather Heath some 3 miles east. Eriswell parish was large by Suffolk standards, it covered around 6,600 acres and was quite sparsely populated having roughly 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Eriswell was held by one Eudo the Steward, it could offer just 8 ploughs and a small meadow but carried 2 fisheries and 2 mills of its own and a half share in a further one making it relatively prosperous.

The Church

St Laurence' church stands on the western side of the B1112 as it curves through the southern end of the village. The earliest portions of the church are the southern aisle & chapel which show the features of Early English Gothic style and are dated by Pevsner into the late 13th century. All of the remainder of the church is in the Decorated style of the early 14th century and as such still an early church for Suffolk which is dominated by Perpendicular pieces. For once the impact of the Victorian restorers was missing or insufficient to warrant mention. The church sits on the outside of the sharp bend and has adequate space for parking alongside, it sits behind a low flint wall topped by brick and the main entrance is at the southern end of the site. The churchyard has few obstructions and is open and perfect for photography.