England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Exning St Martin

The Parish

The parish of Exning sits in the extreme west of Suffolk, indeed it forms almost an island of Suffolk within the neighbouring county of Cambridgeshire, geographically it fits better with that county but has been in Suffolk since early times. Exning is located on the B 1103 which runs northwestwards from the horse racing centre of Newmarket (about 2 miles southeast) to the large Cambridgeshire village of Burwell. Exning is a compact village built largely around an "S" bend on the B1103, unfortunately for the residents the busy A14/A11 trunks routes (better known as the Newmarket bypass) pass close by as a 6-lane highway which must undoubtedly cause a noise nuisance to an otherwise typical English village. Nowadays Exning is a popular commuter village for Cambridge but prior to modern times this was an arable agricultural area, although there are a few stables connected with the sport of Kings at Newmarket. Exning sits on higher ground at the southern end of The Fens, albeit only at 15 metres above sea level, what drainage there is is heading northwards towards the River Snail, a tributary of the Great Ouse. Fenland parishes are traditionally quite large and Exning at almost 5,000 acres is no exception, it supported around 1,200 parishioners. In Domesday times this was a prosperous place owned directly by King William with a small patch held by one Wiuhomarch the steward, it supported land for 37 ploughs (a remarkable number) and had 4 mills making it very wealthy settlement indeed.

The Church

St Martin's church sits beside a junction of the B1103 at the eastern end of the village. The traditional church form of nave, chancel and western tower is enhanced by a transepts and an arcade. The church has been extensively restored but some features remain to date parts of the building. The chancel seems earliest with its lancet windows in the early English style of the early 13th century, the tower is also from around this period. The transepts date from the early 14th century and are in the Decorated style whilst the nave is later still. St Martin's presents an unbroken wall at head height to the B1103 and entry is gained from Church Lane at the western end of the site through a pair of wooden gates. The graveyard has many mature trees which restrict sight lines but good views of the building can be achieved with a bit of trial and error.