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

The Parish

The parish of Cholderton lies in southeastern Wiltshire forming a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Hampshire. Cholderton is located roughly 5 miles east of the market town of Amesbury and sits on the A338 road which connects Salisbury with the busy A303 from London to Exeter. Cholderton is a small village grouped around a pair of road junctions with minor lanes and is dominated by the estate of Cholderton Lodge. It is likely that Cholderton was a closed parish with most land in single ownership discouraging inward migration and leading to a small settlement. The area around the parish is intensively arable with cereals dominating as the main crop. Cholderton is drained southwards by the River Bourne which merges with the Wiltshire Avon at Salisbury before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour. Cholderton is sited at around 90 metres above the sea but chalk hills rise all around peaking at just short of 200 metres on nearby Beacon Hills. Cholderton was fairly typically sized for its area, covering a little under 1,700 acres it would have supported a population of close to 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Cholderton was equally small, shared by 3 landholders it could muster just 6 plough and some small pastures.

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits east of the A338 accessed across the Bourne by a narrow lane. Sadly this is not some medieval masterpiece nor indeed the venue for these marriages as the original church has been demolished and today's church was built in the 1840s as a replacement. There is little remarkable architecture-wise to comment except for the interesting fact regarding the roof which was formerly that of a maltings in Suffolk. The access lane is sufficiently wide to permit parking and the churchyard is open, uncluttered and with no obstacles for the photographer.