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

The Parish

The parish of Barford lies in southern central Wartwickshire roughly 3 miles south of the county town of Warwick. Barford sits on and mostly east of the A429 road which links Warwick with Moreton in the Marsh in Gloucestershire. Barford is a rather linear village, whilst there is a presence on the A429m the village extends northeastwards parallel with the course of the River Avon for over a half mile with most properties lining that lane (Church Street becoming High Street). Barford is very much dependent upon the Avon, it sits within a broad meander of the river which provided the parish with extensive riverside pastures suitable for grazing sheep & cattle to supplement the typical arable of the drier parts of the parish. The Avon also provided power for the village's corn mill and allowed transportation of its  agricultural produce to markets in Warwick and Stratford upon Avon. Modern developments have come to the parish, the modern M42 motorway linking Birmingham with Oxford and on to London passes through to the northeast. Barford is drained southwards and then west by the Avon which meets the Severn at Tewkesbury eventually taking water to the Bristol Channel. Barford is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in its valley setting,. land rises away from the river in gently undulations topping out at 101 metres to the southeast at Ashorne Hill. Covering just under 1,600 acres Barford parish was typically sized for the area supporting a population that was close to 850 parishioners. In Domesday times Barford was a typical small farming manor largely held by one Richard's son Osbern and offering 4 ploughs, some meadows and a mill.

The Church

Sr Peter's church stands on the southern side of Church Street towards the western end of the village and some 200 yards from the A429. This is a church much modified in Victorian times such as to be almost a new replacement church and one that would be barely recognisable for the participants of these marriages. Only the western tower remains of the medieval church, Pevsner described it as broad, low & sturdy, it is Perpendicular and from the 15th century. The main body of the church, nave and chancel with broad aisles and 5-bay arcades maintains that Perpendicular styling but was rebuilt in 1844. The southern entrance was a later addition of 1861 and the northeastern organ chamber one of 1884. Church Street is of adequate width to allow on-street parking outside the churchyard. There are a few issues for the photographer in that a line of thick trees removes the southeastern aspect whilst further trees hug the northern and eastern faces leaving only adequate views from the west, a challenge to adequately document.