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

The Parish

The parish of Temple Grafton lies in the extreme southwest of Warwickshire forming a stretch of the rather convoluted border with neighbouring Gloucestershire. Temple Grafton sits roughly 3 miles southeast of the market town of Alcester and just over a mile south of the A46 road which links Alcester with Stratford upon Avon. Temple Grafton is a small crossroads village whilst to its southwest lies the subsidiary settlement of Arden's Grafton which combined with the hamlet of Little Britain is probably the larger of the two villages. The prefix "Temple" is reference to the parish once being in possession of the Knights Templar during the reign of Henry III. The parish largely sits upon a dense clay bedrock underlain by limestone, the clay makes pastoral farming the preferred method whilst the limestone was quarried as marble-quality existed in places. Temple Grafton sits roughly 3 miles northwest of the River Avon which is fed by a small tributary, the Avon flows westwards before joining the Severn on its long journey to the Bristol Channel. Both villages sit at roughly 90 metres above the sea and land rises little above that height for some considerable distance, the local isolated knoll of Oversley Castle at 105 metres being the local high spot. Temple Grafton parish covered just a little under 2,000 acres, a fairly typical size for its area, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 400 parishioners. Domesday Temple Grafton was a rather small settlement held by one Osbern son of Richard offering just 7 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits just east of the village crossroads in Temple Grafton, itself, just beyond the village school and on the northern side of Church Bank. As can readily be seen the church is a relatively modern construction completed in 1875 so not the venue for these marriages. The replacement church is built largely in a style reminiscent of the Decorated style of the early 14th century with its nave and chancel augmented by a northern aisle and northern vestry. The stand-out feature is the southwestern porch tower with a timber-framed bell-stage and topped by a shingled spire. The building makes much use of the local Lias stone with ashlar highlights. Church Bank is used by locals for parking provided one stays away from the proximity to the school. The church stands behind a low local stone wall with wooden gates for entry, the churchyard is relatively free of obstructions for the photographer.