England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Limpley Stoke St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Limpley Stoke is the most westerly of all Wiltshire's parishes projecting into Somerset and sitting west of the Avon which normally forms the boundary between the two counties. Limpley Stoke only acquired parish status in 1846 having previously been merely a tything of Bradford on Avon, despite this status it was licensed for marriages because of its remote setting from its mother parish. Limpley Stoke sits on the A36 road which links Bath with Warminster and on the western banks of the steep sided course of the River Avon. The village occupies steep ground with a series of lanes running parallel to the valley, it is contiguous with Freshford to the south. Until modern times this would have been a small pastoral settlement with sheep grazing the poor and thin limestone soils, in addition the local limestone was frequently extracted for building stone and many quarries line the course of the river. Modern developments have come to the parish, the first through was the Kennet & Avon Canal which avoided Limpley Stoke by following the eastern banks, it was followed by the Bath to Bradford on Avon railway line which grants nearby Freshford a station. Limpley Stoke is drained westwards by the Avon which flows through Bath and Bristol to the Bristol Channel. Limpley Stoke occupies ground rising from 30 to 140 metres above the sea, this rise covering merely a quarter mile, land rises still further into Somerset topping out at 151 metres. The area assigned to Limpley Stoke as a parish was a mere 560 acres within which it would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Whilst Limpley Stoke is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book the manor of Woodwick, held by Bath Abbey, was within the area, it had few assets beside a half share in a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the southern edges of Limpley Stoke at the junction of Church Lane with Middle Stoke. The church has been found to have ancient origins as behind panelling from 1929 was found Anglo-Saxon herringbone stonework from the 11th or early 12th century, also of this early time is the re-purposed former southern doorway incorporated into an arcade which is 11th century and plain. Also early but 13th century is the northern porch arch which shows the style of the Early English Gothic. The church's western tower is later being from the 14th century but capped by a 15th century stone spire, the tower was rebuilt almost from the ground up in 1706 and in 1952 had to be extensively repaired following a lightning strike which split the spire. The last medieval fabric relates to the east windows of the aisle which Pevsner dates to the 15th or even 16th century. Restoration came late to St Mary with the majority of the work being done in 1921 when the southern aisle was added as well as many changes including masking early fabric, further work in 1929 has already been mentioned. Parking at St Mary is difficult because of the narrowness of the surrounding lanes, it is best to find parking and approach on foot. Whilst the churchyard is relatively free of obstacles those present, trees, dominate both southwestern and southeastern corners of the church removing the favoured aspects, all other angles are available to the photographer.