England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Northfield St Laurence

The Parish

The parish of Northfield lies in the extreme northeast of Worcestershire, indeed it sits at the meeting point of three counties, Worcestershire with Staffordshire & Warwickshire. It's administrative history is further compounded by being transferred to Birmingham in 1911 but historically of Worcestershire. Northfield is located about 6 miles southwest of the city of Birmingham and sits on the A38 road which connects Birmingham onwards to Worcester. Once a discrete village Northfield has now become contiguous with the expanding metropolis with no gap between it and its much larger neighbour. Modern development, besides the expanding industrial and housing areas, come in the form of in temporal order, the Netherton Canal, the Birmingham to Worcester rail line whilst a few miles to the west runs the modern M5 motorway. Whilst Northfield would have a largely farming based economy at the time of this transcript industry was expanding rapidly with the manufacture of nails a local major employer; some quarrying of the local sandstone for building also occurred. Northfield is drained northeastwards by the River Rea which, on its long journey to the sea, joins, in turn, the Cole, Tame and then the Trent to eventually reach the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Northfield is sited at around 170 metres above the sea on rising ground which emerges as the Clent & Lickey Hills nearby reaching local heights of almost 300 metres on Beacon Hill. Northfield parish was extensive as were many in this corner of the county, it covered almost 5,800 acres and would have supported a population growing from around 800 to over 2,200 during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In Domesday times Northfield was a rural parish, held by William son of Ansculf it could offer 14 ploughs but had few other assets worth recording.

The Church

St Laurence's church sits in the heart of the original village of Northfield, hidden in a vast swathe of modern e.g. post Georgian development and sitting on Church Hill to the northeast of Northfield's rail station. The church has its origins in the 12th century and Pevsner notes a doorway to the northern aisle and some windows in the northern face of the tower as being of that era. The church's most splendid feature, however, is its representation of the early English Gothic, a style which Pevsner says is "some of the finest work in the county" of that era. The chancel is singled out as a complete and unspoiled example of this period at its best with lancet windows shown to good effect. In order and following this build we have the 13th century southern aisle, a four-bay southern arcade of the 14th century and the upper portion of the tower, rebuilt in the 15th century. Work continued into the 20th century when the northern aisle was added in 1900 but utilising a 14th century style. The church sits within a slightly elevated churchyard protected by a local stone wall, an attractive lychgate granting entry. The church is slightly crammed in upon the northern edge of the churchyard but the better views are from west and southeast and these are relatively free from photographic obstacles.