England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hindlip St James

The Parish

The parish of Hindlip lies in central Worcestershire roughly 3 miles north of the county town of Worcester. Hindlip sits just north of the A449 road which links Kidderminster with the M5 motorway. Hindlip is an estate village which has found a new role in modern times, at the time of this transcript it was a small settlement dominated by the 19th century Hindlip Hall and its estate. Today that Hall is the headquarters of West Mercia Police and the estate has become a police campus with training facilities and residences occupying the former estate. The economy of the parish would have been typical of such estate villages and dominated by the agricultural needs of the estate. Modern developments have come to the parish, the Birmingham & Worcester Canal passes through the southern portion of the parish and the A449 is now modern dual-carriageway highway. Various small streams drain the parish westwards to meet the nearby Severn, the Severn heads determinedly southwards to reach the sea through the Bristol Channel. Hindlip is sited at around 60 metres above the sea, it stands on the highest ground for some distance in relatively gentle terrain. Hindlip parish covered just over 1,000 acres and supported a small population of just under 150 parishioners. Domesday Hindlip was equally small, a holding of the Bishop of Worcester its assets were a mere 4 ploughs backed by meadows and woodland.

The Church

St James' church is closed for general worship and has become a Police memorial chapel, it stands within the campus of the Police Headquarters at the eastern end of The Drive and just west of Hindlip Hall. Little remains of the medieval within the church as it was comprehensively rebuilt in 1864, the western tower being the largest remaining piece of medieval fabric. The tower is in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th or early 15th century but carries a top-stage from the 17th century. Whilst both nave and chancel were also 14th century, and still retain a few windows of that era, the rebuild of 1864 removed much detailing. A further substantial body of work soon followed in 1888 when the contiguous southern aisle and chapel were added together with a large northern vestry, all of the church's interior dates from the 1888 campaign. Visiting the church is currently possible provided visitors comply with signage and parking restrictions given the estate's modern day usage, as the church is tightly enclosed by trees from the north and sits just above road height the better views are from The Drive.