England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Orcheston St George

The Parish

The parish of Orcheston St George lies in south central Wiltshire about 8 miles west of the small market town of Amesbury. Orcheston is, today, a single, if somewhat linear, village which sits a half mile east of the A360 which connects Amesbury with Devizes. Orcheston was previously two discrete villages of Orcheston St George & Orcheston St Mary but whilst both churches survive there is only a single village with a ling strip joining the two, relatively small hamlets. Of the two settlements St George was the southernmost. Orcheston St George sits in the chalky hills northwest of one of Britain's most famous archaeological monuments as the wonder that is Stonehenge and its surrounding ritual landscape is merely a few miles away. At the time of this transcript Orcheston St George would have been a farming community dominated by grazing of sheep on the rounded downs of the area. Nowadays a more threatening presence lies just above the twin village, commandeered by the military in World War II and still retained is the vast Salisbury Plain Army Ranges with much of the parish subject to restricted access. The headwaters of the River Till rise in the village and flow southwards soon joining the Wylye and then the Wiltshire Avon to reach the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour. Orcheston St George sits at around 90 metres above the sea but land rises all around to the "Plain" which sits at or close to 150 metres. Orcheston St George parish had a rather unusual shape being reminiscent of a backward "L", a north to south strip being augmented westwards by a narrow east to west patch, the parish was a fairly typical small Wiltshire parish covering just under 2,400 acres and supporting a population of just under 250 parishioners. The lumping of the two Orchestons is not just a modern phenomenon as they were recorded as one in Domesday Book, two landholders (perhaps they reflect the two villages), Osbern Giffard & Edward of Salisbury, collectively the twin parishes totalled just 7 ploughs and some meagre pastures.

The Church

Orcheston's main lane leads north from the A360 about a mile northwest of Shrewton, St George's church is found at its first crossroads albeit behind fronting properties. St George's church is now deconsecrated with St Mary the main village church, it is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust and still visitable. The church shows small traces of a very early origin, the northern doorway showing the Norman Romanesque style of the 12th century. Late, if much modified, is the chancel, a pair of lancet windows from the Early English Gothic era of the 13th century together with parts of the chancel arch date it firmly. The short blocky western tower topped by battlements and a pyramidal roof is later & Perpendicular in style. Major alterations work occurred during the 19th century, a major episode of 1833 being followed by further more modest campaigns to result in today's amalgam of a church. A large set of farm buildings and mature trees hide the church from the road but a pair of footpath signs point the way, parking is best sought around the crossroads as post deter parking on the verge here. Sadly for the photographer the church is crammed into the southeastern corner of the churchyard removing the better aspects especially on a sunny day.