England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Poslingford St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Poslingford lies in the extreme southwest of Suffolk not too far from the county's border with neighbouring Essex. Poslingford is located roughly 7 miles east of the market town of Haverhill and sits a mile east of the B1063 road which links Clare with Newmarket. Poslingford is a small and linear village with most properties lining a north to south running lane, The Street, together with a sparse dotting of farms and cottages across the wider parish. Like most Suffolk parishes Poslingford would have chiefly earned its living from arable farming and that still applies today with broad fields of mainly cereals dominating the landscape. A small stream, closely following the Clare road, drains the parish southwards merging with the Chilton Stream immediately before meeting the River Stour at Clare, the Stour, forming the county's border, zigzags its way southeast before entering the North Sea between the twin ports of Harwich & Felixstowe. Poslingford is sited at around 70 metres above the sea in a surprisingly rumpled area of the county where a local high point reaches 115 metres to Poslingford's northwest. Covering just over 2,400 acres Poslingford parish was towards the larger end of Suffolk's scale, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Poslingford's entry in Domesday is a little confusing, its households, namely 54, were sufficient to place what is a relatively tiny village today into the largest 20% of settlements by population at Domesday's date. It's assets, shared between 3 landholders, with Ralph Baynard having the largest share, were rather more modest with merely 8 ploughs backed by typical meadows & woodland being more characteristic of the small rural settlement that it is today.

The Church

St Mary's church sits west of The Street set back some distance from the road by an extensive unfenced churchyard. Like many churches St Mary was visited upon by the Victorian restorers who, in this case, made quite extensive changes. Beneath this veneer of restoration, however, lies a church from the earliest days of stone-built churches in this area. The core of the nave, whilst heavily restored, is from the 12th century, the period of Norman Romanesque styling as shown by features remaining such as its northern window. Both northern & southern doorways are also of the same period, the latter's capitals and abaci being noted by Pevsner. To both east, the chancel, and west, the tower, of the nave one moves into the late 13th century, the period when early English Gothic is transforming into the Decorated style and often termed Transitional as a consequence. The Victorians were not the first to go about modifying the church, throughout the 14th and 15th centuries Perpendicular windows appeared in place of the originals and the neat brick southern porch was the principal addition. The Victorian work came in two distinct phases as reported by Pevsner, the first of 1853 was followed by the more intense phase of 1882 which not only restored much fabric but also completely rebuilt the church's eastern wall. Whilst The Street is quite narrow it carries little traffic and the verge is widened in places to allow safe parking. To reach the church a gravel path crosses the open churchyard to the site, whilst the churchyard is relatively uncluttered it is compact so the photographer needs to show some care in choosing the best aspects.