England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Sotherton St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Sotherton lies in northeastern Suffolk roughly 3 miles east of the market town of Halesworth. Sotherton sits immediately west of the A145 road which connects the town of Beccles through to the A12 (Lowestoft to Ipswich) road. Sotherton has no real village its properties lie scattered across a rough oval between the A145 and the winding B1124 road that connects it to Halesworth. The 16/17th century Sotherton Hall marks its western boundary whilst scattered farms and cottages lie between it and the parish church. Much of the parish is prime arable land, like so many in its county, with broad fields, now largely hedge-less to allow modern machinery, growing mainly cereals, a more traditional rotational system would have pertained at the time of this transcript. Sotherton is drained southeastwards by the River Wang which soon meets the Blyth and passes to the North Sea between Southwold & Walberswick. The terrain is rather gentle and rises from 10 metres at the Wang to just 20 metres within the bounds of the parish, a few spots further northeast touch the 40 metre contour but rarely much higher. Sotherton parish was one of the smaller in the area covering just 1,000 acres and supporting a population of close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Sotherton, held by Drogo de la Beuvriere was equally small and rural offering just 5 ploughs backed by some meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits in the northeastern corner of the parish just south of the River Wang and west of the A145, the lane which serves it becomes a footpath soon after the church. Sadly the church is a virtual rebuild from Victorian times completed in 1854. The rebuild, however, made extensive reuse of the original materials which show the predecessor to have been a typical Suffolk Decorated styled church from the early 14th century, a monument to an unknown knight in the northern recess is, however, 13th century so maybe an earlier church than the reused materials suggest. The church is small and simple as befits its small congregation, consisting only of the nave, which still bears its original roof, and chancel with a stone bellcote gracing the western end. The lane leaving the A145 is marked by a sign for the church it being just a couple of hundred yards along. The parking needs to be careful but little traffic uses the lane. The church hides behind a substantial screen of trees with wooden gates for entry. Once through this band there are no significant obstacles for the photographer.