England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ipswich St Mary at Stoke

The Parish

The town of Ipswich, capital of Suffolk, lies in southeastern Suffolk close to its North Sea coast. The town lies on the River Orwell and was a thriving port. The parish of St Mary at Stoke actually sat outside the area of the town in the suburb of Stoke and south of the River Orwell. Ipswich's centre was made up of a number of parishes each with its own small area of the city St Mary at Stoke sat outwith that densely packed area covering the southern bank of the Orwell as well as adjacent rural areas, now covered in later development whilst it was more extensive of area it was relatively small of population, being the one of the least populated parishes in the town. Collectively Ipswich supported over 25,000 parishioners St Mary at Stoke parish held just about 800 of that total. Ipswich rises to the north from the banks of the River Orwell with much of its centre including that of St Mary at Stoke parish was at less than 10 metres above the sea rising to over 40 metres within the newer southern suburbs. Today's St Mary at Stoke is slightly away from the commercial ares of the town, and still contains residential areas as well as lingering remnants of the dock areas of the Orwell. Ipswich has a long history and has extensive reference in Domesday Book where it is recorded as Gippeswyc from a tributary of the the Orwell.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on Stoke Street a few hundred yards east of the town's railway station and overlooks the much redeveloped dockland area below it. Whilst the St Mary has a medieval core consisting of the the unbuttressed tower and aisleless nave there has been so many addition and changes the dating of this early church has somewhat been lost. It presumably dates from the standard Suffolk church-building period of the 14th century or early 15th. A whole series of Victorian changes have, however, made the church unrecognisable to the participants in these marriages, in 1863/4 the first tranche removed the Tudor brick porch which once stood and added a northern transept. The changes in 1870-1, however, radically changed the church as it was relegated to being only the northern aisle of a new church built to enlarge the building. Thus most of what we see today, including its attractive chequerboard flint, is of the 19th century. To the north of the site in Belstead Road is a substantial car park allowing a leisurely visit, the churchyard being accessed simply by walking out of the southern border, there are sufficient spots within the churchyard to satisfy the photographer.