England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Fornham All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Fornham All Saints, one of a trio of Fornhams, lies in northwestern Suffolk roughly 2 miles northwest of the town of Bury St Edmunds. Fornham All Saints sits on and mostly northeast of the A1101 road which links Bury St Edmunds with Mildenhall. Fornham All Saints sits on the southern banks of the River Lark with most properties lining the lane that heads from the A1101 to cross the river or at the crossroads of that lane with the A1101. Like most Suffolk parishes arable farming featured strongly in the local economy with only a few pastures on the river's water-meadows varying the mix. Today Fornham All Saints threatens to become enjoined with the expansion of Bury St Edmunds as only a little over a quarter mile separates the two from joining. The urbanisation is already present with much of the parish to the south taken up by Bury St Edmunds' golf course. Modern developments also creep into the south of the parish with the A14 road, which takes traffic from the East Coast ports to the motorway network being upgraded to modern dual-carriageway highway., it closely follows the railway line linking Bury St Edmunds with Newmarket which preceded it. Fornham All Saints is drained northwestwards by the Lark whicb heads out into Fenland before joining the Great Ouse for its final northward journey to The Wash and the North Sea. Fornham All Saints is sited at around 30 metres above the sea in its valley setting, land rises gently southwards to reach close to the 60 metre contour in a few spots. Covering close to 1,700 acres Fornham All Saints parish was typically sized for the area and that acreage would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. In Domesday time Fornham All Saints was a holding of Bury St Edmunds Abbey offering just 2 ploughs, some meadows and a mill.

The Church

All Saints' church stands on the B1106 road which heads from the A1101 to cross the Lark, it stands on the northwestern side of that lane at the end of a thin village green. Whilst there is medieval fabric remaining the church was so substantially restored in 1864 that local commentators remarked "so complete has been the restoration that any casual observer would imagine it to be entirely rebuilt". Thankfully Pevsner is not that casual observer and points out the 13th century Early English Gothic tower which carries Victorian pinnacles from that restoration, the main body of nave & chancel with Decorated styling remaining and the later Perpendicular southern aisle, northern aisle and northern transept. Whilst all of these medieval elements remain they are, of course, heavily modified by the 1864 work. Visiting the church is made simple by a lengthy layby alongside the churchyard, entry is by gates set into the start of the side lane of Forge End, apart from isolated trees all of the favoured southern aspects are available for the photographer.