England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Kingston upon Thames All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Kingston upon Thames lies in the extreme north of Surrey forming part of the border with neighbouring Middlesex, the border here, as its name suggests, being formed by the course of the River Thames. Kingston upon Thames lies roughly 12 miles southwest of the city of London and sits on the former route of the A3 road which runs from London to Portsmouth, this road, much modernised, nowadays runs around the eastern side of Kingston upon Thames. Kingston upon Thames' origins are intrinsically linked with its position at a major crossing point of the Thames, at one time only Kingston & London Bridges existed before the plethora of today's crossing points emerged. Even prior to the bridging a ford is mentioned here in Roman times and is believed to have been Julius Caesar's crossing point to enter northern Briton. Kingston upon Thames grew to prominence as a major market town under Saxon times whereby it was the residence of the under-kings of Surrey and saw the crowning of both King Aethelstan in 925 and Edward the Martyr in 975. Throughout medieval times and beyond Kingston upon Thames grew into a major market town, whilst in more modern times the sprawl of Greater London has advanced across the green-space of Richmond Park and Kingston upon Thames nowadays finds itself an integral part of London's conurbation. Much of that growth has been promoted by the arrival of various railway lines in late-Victorian times. Today Kingston upon Thames remains a noted market location with all major businesses and services for its immediate region, it also remains a commuting centre for the city beyond. Kkingston upon Thames is, of course drained by its neighbouring river which passes through the capital on its way to the North Sea. Kingston upon Thames is sited at just 5 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where local heights, away from the river itself, rise to just under 30 metres to the south. Kingston upon Thames parish was one of the larger in the more urban area of northern Surrey, covering just over 6,000 acres it would have supported a population, growing through the period of this transcript to over 9,700 parishioners. That population being just a small fraction of today's population which was estimated at almost 150,000 by the 1960s. Even in Domesday times Kingston upon Thames was an important place, holding a population such that its was amongst the largest 20% in the book, largely held by King William, himself, there was an impressive list of assets, 28 ploughs, meadows & woodland and no fewer than 6 mills plus a fishery making it one of the King's more profitable holdings.

The Church

All Saints' church sits at the heart of Kingston upon Thames and mere yards from the Thames, itself. Dominating the central market place it is a typically large town church. Whilst the church undoubtedly has Norman origins there is very little remaining of that period, or even the early medieval, due to extensive restoration and enlargement in later times. Outwardsly the church appears distinctively Victorian but Pevsner's scrutiny reveals traces of earlier periods. Traces of Norman Romanesque work can be found within the crossing piers whilst archaeological excavations revealed the destroyed western portal The northern and southern arches of the crossing are tentatively dated to c1300 but much modified. The arcades to the nave also carry a tentative dating of c1400 placing them within the Decorated style. More firm in their dating are the northern and southern chancel chapels which show less-modified Perpendicular characteristics. In more recent times the brick top to the crossing tower was added in 1708 whilst a series of Victorian campaigns (1860s and 1880s) saw much changed which create the character of today's church. As with most major town churches parking in the immediate vicinity is extremely difficult and refuge in one of the many town car parks is best sought and the church approached on foot. The churchyard is constrained behind nearby commercial properties from the southern aspects which do somewhat limit the photographer's choices and makes for a tricky subject on a sunny day.