England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Holt St Marlin

The Parish

The parish of Holt lies in the western portion of central Worcestershire roughly 4 miles west of the spa town of Droitwich. Holt sits on the banks of the Severn its church a half mile or so east of the A443 road which links Worcester with Abberley. Holt consists of three distinct clusters, a small one sits alongside church & castle, to the north and either side of the Severn lies Holt Heath where A443 meets A4133 arriving from Droitwich whilst on the east bank sits Holt Fleet, the latter two settlements connected by the bridge of 1828 (of 5 arches with the middle of iron and 266 feet in length). Holt has a lengthy history, a major centre in Norman times its castle built by Urse D'Abitot was raised in 1086 as part of the defence of the Marches but the oldest surviving portion today is the square tower of 1385, Given its location alongside the Severn it is not surprising that pastoral farming and river transportation of goods were important elements in the local economy whilst the iconic red sandstone of the area was also quarried extensively, on drier portions of the parish cereals were the main arable crops. In more recent times large pits, used as a water-sports centre, have formed on former gravel beds extracted largely for road building. Holt is drained southwards by the Severn on its long journey to the sea arriving at the Bristol Channel. Holt is sited at just 15 metres above the sea in riverside Holt Fleet whilst Holt Heath and the church stand at 40 metres, away from the river land only rises gently westwards to around 80 metres within a mile or so. Holt parish at close to 1,900 acres is fairly typically sized for its area within that acreage it would have supported a population of around 300 parishioners, As already mentioned in Domesday times Holt was an important centre large enough to be classified amongst the largest 20% by population in the land, held by the Bishop of Worcester its assets were modest but wealthy ones, 12 ploughs, the usual meadows & woodland but more importantly 2 fisheries and a salthouse were the main sources of its wealth.

The Church

St Martin's church sits a half mile east of the A443, the lane leading to the site marked only with a small white sign for "Holt Church". With a Norman castle opposite it is not surprising that parts of the church should date from the same era. Indeed Pevsner described St Martin as "one of the most impressive Norman village churches in the county". The identification of the Norman Romanesque is somewhat hampered by over-enthusiastic work in Victorian times to emulate the same styling. The basic core of the church, the nave and chancel are 11th century early Norman Romanesque demonstrated by the string course of these two parts, and the original openings that sit above it. The chancel is the more complex piece having been extended during the 13th./14th century in a mixture of Early English Gothic & Decorated styles that might be deemed Transitional. The latest medieval piece is the western tower, a fairly typical Perpendicular style begun in the late 14th century and topped with a late 15th century bell-stage. The over-zealous work of the Victorians in a Neo-Norman style happened during the late 1850s and adapts several motifs of the original 11th century work, the lavish western window being a good example of the work. The lane to the church leads east through the willow-lined gravel pits before turning to the north at right-angles, the church's position being highlighted by a tall conifer in the castle grounds. The verge provides ample safe parking outside a churchyard which has a few more smaller conifers providing a slight challenge for the photographer to find an adequate uninterrupted view.