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

The Parish

The parish of Hascombe lies in southwestern Surrey not too far from its border with neighbouring Sussex. Hascombe is located roughly 3 miles southeast of the small market town of Godalming and sits on the B2130 road which connects Godalming with Cranleigh. Hascombe is a rather dispersed settlement, there is a small grouping of properties on the B2130 and along Church Road but otherwise the parish consists of a scatter of farms and cottages across a rolling and rather well-wooded landscape. Hascombe sits within that portion of Surrey south of the North Downs and within The Weald, a sparsely populated area in early times due to the poor soils sitting on the underlying Greensand. Small scale farming, mainly pastoral, characterised the landscape at the time of this transcript. Today the area is well-known as a rural retreat with numerous large country houses of c1900 dotted amongst the hills and copses. Hascombe is drained northwards by a small tributary of the River Wey which is soon joined, after squeezing through the chalk ridge at Guildford the Wey meets the Thames at Weybridge thence through the capital to the North Sea. Hascombe is sited at around 100 metres above the sea in undulating countryside where within less than a mile land rises to almost 200 metres on nearby Hascombe Hill topped with its Iron Age hill camp. Hascombe parish was one of the smaller within rural Surrey, covering just under 1,600 acres it would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Like much of The Weald Hascombe is not mentioned in Domesday Book, a reflection of the low population of the area at that time.

The Church

St Peter's church sits on the western side of Church Road which leaves the B2130 road at the White Horse Inn. Unfortunately the present church is not that in which these marriages took place as it was built in 1864 to replace a prior and medieval predecessor. Early gazetteers indicate that the previous St Peter was a product of the 13th & 14th centuries in Early English Gothic & Decorated styles. It is that Early English Gothic style that the Victorian architect choose for the replacement. Pevsner is usually fairly dismissive of churches from this period but in this case he is clearly charmed by the creation. The basic layout of nave & chancel is augmented by a shingled bellcote at the western end, an apse to the east and a southern chapel, all very much in keeping with the picturesque and "bosky" local scenery.  Church Road is narrow and lined with edging posts to deter parking on the verges, a polite request to the inn is perhaps best for short stay parking. The churchyard, surrounded by a low local stone wall, is open and uncluttered and with no obstacles for the photographer.