England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Southwold St Edmund

The Parish

The parish of Southwold sits on Suffolk's eastern, North Sea, coast forming a short stretch of that coastline. Southwold is located roughly 10 miles east of the market town of Halesworth and 14 south of the port of Lowestoft. Southwold, itself, is also a market town and port which sits at the eastern end of the A1095, a short spur road connecting the town with the A12 (Lowestoft to Ipswich) road. Southwold has a long history, believed to have been founded by Danes c1010AD it was granted a market in 1490 by Henry VII. London was not the only place to have a great fire and in 1659 much of Southwold was destroyed by its own fire. Southwold made its historical debut some 13 years later when the Battle of Sole Bay took place between the English & Dutch immediately offshore, an event commemorated till modern times. Whilst functioning as a local market Southwold was principally a port, both fishing for mainly sole & herring and also for the import & export of goods. The constant siltation issues of this coastline has meant much labour to keep the port viable and today it is an important but secondary function. Today Southwold largely earns its living from tourism, described by Pevsner as "one of the happiest and most picturesque seaside towns in England". Not for Southwold the brash attractions of larger resorts it maintains its dignity whilst serving the visitors to beach, town and attractive local walks. The harbour-side fish & chips are recommended and the coast's beach huts sell for eye-watering sums reflecting the esteem in which Southwold is held. Modern developments came and went for Southwold, a light railway now dismantled forming a popular walk across the river to equally popular Walberswick. Southwold forms the exit to the North Sea of the River Blyth whilst Buss Creek almost cuts it off from the rest of the county to the north too. Southwold is sited at between sea level and 10 metres higher, land is gentle inland too rarely rising above 20 metres for many a mile. Strangely the parish of Southwold covered little more than the town and immediate surroundings, at just under 600 acres it was one of the smallest rural parishes in the county, within that small area would have been a population of close to 2,000 parishioners. In Domesday times Southwold was a tiny place, a holding of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds offering just 5 ploughs and a small meadow, how times change.

The Church

St Edmunds' church sits at the heart of the town, sitting within its own "close" and surrounded by the town's commercial and residential properties, it lies just over 100 yards east of the A1095 as that road forms the main High Street. St Edmund is an imposing building, 144 feet long and with a tower of 100 feet it was an important landmark for coastal shipping and still dominates the town in ensemble with the town's lighthouse. The construction of St Edmund is well documented and begins with not the fire mentioned above but an earlier one of c1430 which destroyed the previous incarnation. Thus St Edmund is a construct of the Perpendicular period, a style used throughout and only modified by later restorations. The principal restoration, in which much was rebuilt and the building re-roofed, dates from 1867. Pevsner describes the church in great detail and it is not the place here to replicate that detail, suffice it to say that St Edmund is one of Suffolk's finest Perpendicular churches and deserves a thorough exploration. Like many town churches parking is best sought in one of the town's car-parks and St Edmund approached on foot. Approaching by Bartholomew Green is probably the most effective view with first the tower in full view then followed by the lengthy nave and chancel. The church sits within an extensive churchyard which, whilst it has a few trees dotted about, does not impede the photographer and allows sufficient distance to adequately capture this magnificent church.