England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bromham St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Bromham lies in west central Wiltshire about 4 miles northwest of the market town of Devizes. Bromham is a large compact village built along a lane which lies about a miles west of the A342 road which links Devizes with Chippenham. Bromham's employment largely came from farming the limestone hills that surround, largely pastoral but with also some arable mixed inwards. Quarrying was also a minor parish activity. Whilst all around Bromham there are rolling limestone hills, the village, itself, is built in a valley on a tributary of the Avon river. The stream flows westwards to join the Avon at nearby Melksham and thence flows through the Avon Gorge into the Bristol Channel. Bromham is sited at around 90 metres above sea level and the land close by all has a similar height. Bromham parish is typical in size for this part of Wiltshire and covers roughly 3,500 acres, it would have supported over 1,500 parishioners. In Domesday times Bromham was held directly by the King and could boast 10 ploughs as well as 2 mills and sundry woodland and meadow.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits adjacent to the High Street on its northern side and almost centrally within the village, The building is largely a mixture of two styles, the chancel is Early English, but was rebuilt in that style in 1876, the central tower base is also of that era. The remainder of the church, including the recessed spire is later and Perpendicular of the 14th or 15th centuries. Pevsner, however, waxes most lyrical about the southern chapel (Tocotes & Beauchamp Chapel) which he describes as "exceedingly ornate". The church is separated from the street by a stone wall topped with brick, a pair of metal gates gives access to the graveyard by a flagged path. Given the height of the steeple the church is best seen from the opposite side of the street rather than from within the grounds themselves.