England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Iken St Botolph

The Parish

The parish of Iken lies in the extreme east of Suffolk forming a stretch of its North Sea coastline, here formed by the long estuary of the combined Ore and Alde rivers. Iken is located roughly 3 miles upstream from the coastal town of Aldeburgh on the southern, opposite, side of that estuary, its closest numbered road is the B1069 which is almost 3 miles further west of Iken. Iken is something of a thin straggle of a place, most properties lining the lane which parallels the southern side of the estuary with no village to speak of. A remote area it's a place of sea banks, marshes and grazing backed by Suffolk's heathland. Given the poor soils agriculture was difficult and the economy would have been underpinned by the wealth of produce from the estuary, fish, shell-fish and wildfowl would have been supplemented by grazing of both sheep and rabbits. It's only a few miles from Iken to the North Sea via the Alde's extensive estuary. Ikem is sited at between sea level and 10 metres higher in very gentle terrain, the heaths to the south rise above 20 metres but not by much. By Suffolk standards Iken parish was quite extensive, covering just under 2,700 acres it would have supported a population of around 350 parishioners. Iken is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Botolph's church sits away from the main run of properties by a half mile and sits on the banks of the estuary. Despite Iken being missing from Domesday Book there was undoubtedly a church here pre-Conquest, a cross-shaft in the base of the bell tower is Saxon in style and two Norman Romanesque windows in the north wall are characteristic of the 12th century. It is likely that the nave also dates from this period but has been modified to acquire its thatched roof around c1300. The typical flint tower is a product of the Perpendicular era with documented bequests from the mid-15th century. In more modern times the chancel was rebuilt in 1853 as part of general restoration whilst the church met a near fatal disaster in 1968 when a fire seated in the thatch gutted the nave, it wasn't until 1989 that the church was fully restored to its present form. Church Lane runs northwards from the main village lane to end with church and a couple of cottages, there's room for a car or two but not for many. Metal gates lead into an extensive churchyard which has no obstacles for the photographer.