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

The Parish

The parish of Westhall is located in northeastern Suffolk about 3 miles northeast of the small market town of Halesworth. Westhall sits, in lanes, about 2 miles west of the A145 road which connects Beccles with the A12 at Blythburgh. Westhall is a curiously scattered settlement with most properties gathered around Mill Common alongside the rail line (no station) between Lowestoft & Ipswich and many more lying across the area between this centre and the church almost 2 miles to the southeast. An intensive arable farming area in the upper reaches of the River Wang almost all fields are sown to grain, beet or oil seed today, at the time of this transcript a more rotational mixed farming would have been present. The infant Wang drains southeastwards, the journey of 7 miles taking it to the Blyth Estuary and the North Sea. Westhall is sited at around 30 metres above the sea, the church in the valley being some 20 metres lower, outwith the valley land is fairly at or around 30 metres for many miles. Westhall parish was fairly typically sized for this area, covering just over 2,300 acres it would have supported a population of around 400 parishioners. Despite the Norman origin of the church there is no mention of Westhall in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits some 2 miles southeast of Mill Common, the main centre of population, and is accessed by a dead-end lane, Church Hill, from the narrow lane paralleling the Wang. The church has ancient origins with several features of the Norman Romanesque style remaining, indeed Pevsner goes so far as to state it is basically a Norman church with later embellishments. From a basic 12th century beginning was added a new tower covering the western wall of the original building, in the mid 14th century new nave & chancel were also added to this small base, these being in the Decorated style of that period. Later still and Perpendicular comes the southern aisle, the windows of the nave northern wall being replaced at this time too. For once Pevsner does not mention a Victorian restoration so if one occurred it must have been sensitive or minor. Church Hill descends the shallow valley of the Wang, the church sitting at the end of surfacing has a small area for parking. Sadly there are many close trees on the southern aspect making it necessary to shoot into poorer light to obtain images.