England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Thurston St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Thurston lies in the northwestern section of central Suffolk just over 4 miles east of the market town of Bury St Edmunds. Thurston is a large and rather dispersed village which sits between a mile and two miles north of the busy A14 Newmarket to Ipswich road. Lanes connecting the A14 with the A143 form the village's western boundary but the built area extends for over a mile east of that point and is half a mile deep from north to south, much of that area is as a result of modern development driven by proximity to Bury and the presence of a railway for commuting. Like most Suffolk parishes, at the time of this transcript, Thurston would have been an arable farming community, as it sits on the southern edge of the sandy and slightly less fertile area of Breckland some sheep & rabbit rearing also kept the economy busy. The arrival of the Bury to Ipswich rail-line and upgrading of the A14 to a fast dual carriageway have majorly impacted the parish. Thurston is drained northwards towards the Black Bourn which in turn joins the Little Ouse and thence across the Fens meeting the Great Ouse and the Wash through the port of King's Lynn. Thurston is sited at just under 50 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where local heights rise only gradually to close to 80 metres south of the A14. A large parish by Suffolk standards Thurston covered 2,200 acres within which would have accommodated close to 600 parishioners. In Domesday times Thurston, like many parishes in this area was largely held by Bury St Edmunds Abbey with King William retaining a small stake, it could offer 13 ploughs plus the usual meadows, pastures and woodlands but had a high population for a rural parish making it one of the largest 20% in the book.

The Church

St Peter sits on the eastern edge of Thurston roughly 200 metres north of the railway line. The church is a welcome survivor from near disaster as in c1800 the former western tower collapsed destroying not only itself but also the nave and its aisles, all this damage despite a report detailing the imminent failure. Thankfully enough money was found to not only rebuild the western end but also to widen the tower by 1.2 metres to improve stability and raise the roof ridge height. The original structure had been typical 14th century Perpendicular in design, a style perpetuated by the remaining chancel which is of a similar era. The latter has been extensively restored in the early 1890s. The church sits on the eastern side of Church Road and is marked by an extensive fringe of evergreens shading the metal gates, Church Road is sufficiently wide to allow careful roadside parking. Sadly the better angles from southeast and south are restricted by the many trees and thus although northern faces are available it is a tricky subject on a sunny day.