England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ufton St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Ufton lies in southeastern Warwickshire roughly 5 miles southeast of the town of Leamington Spa. Ufton sits on the A425 road which connects Leamington Spa with the market town of Southam. Ufton has a large roundabout at its centre with most properties lying close to that feature or along a lane running southwards from it. Ufton is a farming parish like many in this area of the county, it would have had a mixed farming regime at the time of this transcript with roughly equal parts arable and pastoral, today the balance has shifted towards arable. A feature of the area are two large patches of woodland which would have been coppiced in earlier times for woodland products such as poles, brushes and besoms. Ufton is drained northwards by the nearby River Itchen, on reaching the Leam water turns westwards passing through Leamington to meet the Avon, the latter continues generally westward until the Severn is met where water finally flows south to meet the sea through the Bristol Channel. Ufton sits on a little hilltop at around 110 metres above the sea, the highest point for some distance being 119 metres at nearby Harbury to the south. Ufton parish was typically sized for this area covering just over 1,500 acres and supporting a population of close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday times Ufton was a holding of Coventry Abbey and offered 8 ploughs and a 1 acre meadow, a small rural manor.

The Church

St Michael's church sits just north of the roundabout that marks the centre of Ufton. The church has its origins in the 13th century but like most churches has been steadily modified through the ages, more so in the Victorian period. Retained features from the 13th century Early English Gothic period include its doorway and reused windows in the lancet style within the chancel. The southern arcade is the major feature from that era showing octagonal columns, its matching northern equivalent is later and probably early 14th century in the Decorated style. The western tower, perched perilously above the bank that drops several feet to the A425 lying below, is later still in the Perpendicular style and from the 15th century. Three periods of extensive restoration/rebuild are documented by Pevsner, the first of 1855 rebuilt the chancel albeit reusing the earlier medieval features noted above, it was closely followed in 1860 by a more general restoration of the church, finally in 1932 the western tower was also thoroughly restored. Parking on the A425 is obviously not a good idea, the lane to the south Ufton Fields being a better bet, The churchyard sits well above road height with a rising pathway leading from the metal gates at the roundabout to the church, there are no obvious obstructions for the photographer although obviously getting west of the tower is impracticable.