England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
West Dean St Mary

The Parish

The parish of West Dean lies in the extreme southeast of Wiltshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Hampshire, indeed part of West Dean parish lies in the latter county. West Dean is located roughly 7 miles east of the city of Salisbury and stands a little over 2 miles north of the A27 road, a linking road connecting Romsey with the A36 (Southampton to Salisbury) road. West Dean is a crossroads settlement in two halves separated by the River Dun, south of the river properties sit around a T-junction whilst north of the river they line a northward running lane. About 2 miles west of West Dean lies the chapelry of East Grimstead, the chapelry was not licensed for marriages during the transcript period, it is another crossroads village spread between two t-junctions of lanes to the north of the Dun. West Dean is a farming parish with arable dominant, in addition much of the north of the parish is wooded which would have been managed for both timber and woodland products, a saw mill exploiting the timber has been operating within the parish for over 100 years. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line between Romsey & Salisbury passes through and grants West Dean a station leading to some commuter growth to this small village. West Dean is drained eastwards by the Dun which meets the Test near to Mottisfont, the Test makes its way through both Romsey & western Southampton to form part of Southampton Water to reach The Solent and thence to the English Channel. West Dean sits on rising ground from 40 to 50 metres above the sea, land rises abruptly to the south onto the escarpment of Dean Hill reaching 146 metres at its tumulus topped summit. West Dean parish, including the chapelry of East Grimstead, covered around 4,400 acres making it an extensive parish for the area, it would have supported a population of close to 450 parishioners. In Domesday times West Dean was held by a hunter, Waleran, it offered just 3 ploughs, a small meadow and a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church was largely demolished in 1868 and replaced by a new church which had been completed in 1866. Most of the old church was subsequently destroyed leaving only the Borbach Chantry, which is now conserved by the Churches Conservation Trust. The old church had the standard nave and chancel with the aforesaid chantry chapel and a southern porch, it was topped by a wooden turret at the western end. Today's church repeats that motif, it too having a wooden bell-turret but above a steep pyramidal roof, the chancel also bears an apse. The new church stands on Rectory Lane's western side a few metres north of the station, it is largely hidden from the roadside by thick, tall hedging, a small gate grants access to a churchyard with no obstacles to concern the photographer.