England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
White Ladies Aston St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of White Ladies Aston lies in south central Worcestershire about 5 miles east of the city of Worcester. The unusual name of the parish is derived from it being held during the 13th century by the Cistercian nuns of Whistones, the "white ladies" of the name. White Ladies is a rather linear village with most properties lying along a north-to-south running lane which parallels the A44 road (Worcester to Evesham) and just over a half mile to its east. White ladies Aston has a minor claim to fame as Oliver Cromwell allegedly stayed the night in the manor prior to the Civil War Battle of Worcester. The parish is a farming community and typical of this region with a mixed regime of both arable and pastoral farming. The Bow Brook drains the parish southwards before joining, in turn, the Warwickshire Avon and then the Severn before reaching the sea through the Bristol Channel. White ladies Aston is sited at around 50 metres above the sea in gentle countryside where local heights rise little more than 20 metres above that height for many miles. This is an area of the county with fairly small parishes and White Ladies Aston was typical of those, it covered just over 1,200 acres and would have held close to 350 parishioners. In Domesday times, and prior to the Cistercians, White Ladies Aston was a relatively small place, held by the Bishop of Worcester it could offer 9 ploughs, the normal meadows & woodland plus 2 furlongs set to forest.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits on the southern side of the access lane for Aston Court Farm but is usually accessed by a lengthy footpath from the Evesham Road. The church has a Norman core, both nave and chancel, despite later modifications, being recognised as Norman Romanesque in style, a style characteristic of the 11th & 12th century. Given no church is mentioned in the Domesday entry it is likely that St John has its origins in the 12th century. These portions were remodeled in the 14th or 15th centuries utilising both Decorated & Perpendicular styles and Pevsner indicates that the tall and weatherboarded bell-turret also dates from that period. Successive restoration in the 1860s and 1920s have modified the arcade and chancel arch as well as adding the timber southern porch. The entrance to the footpath is market by wooden gate and a large prominent blue sign, with space for a single car at the entrance, a short walk of close to 100 yards brings you to a churchyard which is relatively free from photographic obstructions..