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

The Parish

The parish of Bermondsey St Mary Magdalene lies in the extreme northeast of Surrey forming part of the border, here formed by the Thames, with neighbouring Middlesex and separated from neighbouring Kent only by the parish of Rotherhithe. Bermondsey is located roughly 1 1/2 miles southeast of the city of London and stands on the southern bank of the Thames, the A200 (London to Greenwich) and A20 (London to Maidstone) roads frame the parish to north and south. In historical times a Cluniac priory was founded here (in 1089) which formed the seed for a small village to develop. From such small beginnings Bermondsey has grown over the centuries, initially as a centre for the distasteful industries best kept from residential areas, tanning, vinegar manufacturing and brewing. The proximity to the Thames also brought maritime trades of rope-making, anchor smithing and dock work. Thus Bermondsey became part of the inexorable early growth of London south-of-the-river and is nowadays an integral part of the broader metropolis that is Greater London. A major development in the parish was the construction of some of London's first railway lines, as early as the 1840s, the line from London along the North Kent coast was cut through and a major junction of lines formed where Bermondsey meets Deptford. The growing population by as early as 1827 saw the parish subdivided by the creation of St James and this process continued through the Victorian era as a further 5 areas were given their own parish churches. Sitting alongside the Thames most water drains by sub-surface means to it and thus to the North Sea through the Thames Estuary. Bermondsey is sited at little more than 5 metres above the sea with land gradually rising to slightly over 10 metres by the time one reaches Camberwell to the south. Bermondsey parish was one of the smaller in the county, covering barely just under 700 acres, nevertheless it would have seen a population of intensive growth during the period of this transcript, in 1754 it was barely 5,000 but by the end of this period it had risen to close to 35,000, a vast sea of urban growth. In Domesday times Bermondsey was a mere hamlet, held by the King, himself, it could offer merely 5 ploughs and the usual meadows & woodland.

The Church

St Mary Magdalene's church sits on the eastern side of Bermondsey Street roughly a half mile southeast of London Bridge Station. Today's church is a product of an rare church-building century, namely the 17th. A medieval church once stood to the north of the Cluniac priory but no trace of that early foundation remains. The present church has some early fabric in the lower stages of the tower and also the northern aisle but is otherwise a complete build of the late 1670s. The nave is augmented by two aisles of unequal and asymmetric widths, these structures also having a southern transept too. Whilst the interior maintains its 17th century feel the exterior has been subject to the familiar pattern of changes. In 1794 a southern gallery was added whilst in late Georgian times, 1830, the whole received its stucco coating and the western frontage was remodelled in what Pevsner describes as an "unscholarly Gothic Revival". Further changes were wrought in 1883 when the chancel was lengthened. The final changes were as a result of a fire in 1971 which required the restoration of the western gallery. Like most urban churches this is one best approached on foot as parking is not possible close by. The urban setting presents its own problems for the photographer, whilst the church backs onto a small park the views from the east are rather disappointing and the best aspect is that facing the street of Bermondsey Street.