England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Peopleton St Nicholas

The Parish

The parish of Peopleton lies in southern central Worcestershire about 4 miles north of the small market town of Pershore. Peopleton is a mid-sized compact village which sits a mile north of the A44 road which connects Worcester with Evesham and sits on the eastern banks of the Bow Brook. A broad lane, Main Street, leads northwards from the A44 towards Upton Snodsbury and most properties lie along this lane or to its east. Like many rural Worcestershire parishes there was a mixed farming regime with both arable and pastoral in place, in this parish 2/3rds was arable. Modern developments have come to the parish, the Worcester to London railway line skirting the parish just across the A44. The Bow Brook drains the parish southwards, meandering across the countryside to reach the Avon to the west of Pershore, the Avon, in turn, meets the Severn and the sea through the latter's estuary, the Bristol Channel. Peopleton is sited at around 30 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where local heights rarely rise above 50 metres for some distance. Peopleton parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering just under 1,500 acres it would have supported a population of about 300 parishioners. In Domesday time Peopleton was a modest holding of Westminster Abbey, its assets being 8 ploughs and a small meadow,

The Church

St Nicholas' church sits towards the southern end of the village on the western side of Main Street. The church shows a mish-mash of styles from 13th century style lancets, much renewed, through Decorated & Perpendicular styles of the 14th & 15th centuries but all have been much restored during Victorian, modern times and earlier. A restoration of the late 16th or early 17th century saw windows replaced in the sanctuary. A major restoration by the Victorians in both 1840, when the brick western tower, replacing a simple bell-turret, was added and in 1855 when a general restoration took place, Further work occurred in the early 20th century, a restoration of 1908 replaced the northern porch and added the large vestry to the southwestern corner, at the same time internally the chancel arch was replaced. Careful parking is possible along Main Street, the churchyard has a low, ivy covered, local stone wall with a very shaded set of gates for entry. Once within there are few obstacles for the photographer.