England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Alderton St Giles

The Parish

The parish of Alderton lies in the extreme northwest of Wiltshire forming a very short stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Gloucestershire. Alderton is located roughly 9 miles northwest of the town of Chippenham and sits a half mile east of the B4040 road which links Malmesbury with Chipping Sodbury. Alderton is a small estate village with most properties on the inside of a triangular array of lanes. Alderton is one of only a few Wiltshire parishes which sit west of the Roman Road of Fosse Way which forms the eastern edge of the parish. Alderton sits upon limestone, this would have been quarried for local building stone, road building and for burning for lime. The limestone also gave the parish its characteristic small walled pastures which would have been dominated by sheep. Modern developments have come to the parish, Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway from London to Bristol passes through just south of the village without granting Alderton a station. Alderton is drained northeastwards by one of the headwaters of the River Avon which, after passing through Malmesbury performs a broad meander south and back westwards to pass through Bath & Bristol to reach the sea at the Bristol Channel. Alderton is sited at around 120 metres above the sea, which is close to the highest ground nearby. Covering just under 1,600 acres Alderton parish was typical of many southern farming parishes, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday time Alderton was shared between Ralph de Mortimer & Poyntz's son Drogo, no count of ploughs was recorded but potential for 7, there were small meadows and a mill.

The Church

St Giles' church sits on the northern edge of the village on the southern side of the lane headed for nearby Sherston. Early gazetteers describe a medieval church, a very ancient structure, but today's church is a product of a rebuild of 1845 and therefore differs significantly from the church in which these marriages would have been celebrated. The rebuild did retain much of the medieval including the 12th century Norman Romanesque styled northern doorway and the 13th century Early English Gothic 3-bay arcade complete with its double-chamfered arches and rounded piers. The 15th century Perpendicular tower, curiously placed to the north, was also preserved but given a spire. Whilst the other major addition of the 1845 build was a large southern transept. Immediately opposite the church is a broad roughly-surfaced access driveway to a farm, also a public footpath, it is of sufficient width to allow parking without blocking access. The church is placed within the churchyard tight to its southern boundary removing all of the photographer's favoured aspects, only views from northern angles are available.