England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Soulbury All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Soulbury lies in the extreme east of Buckinghamshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Bedfordshire. Soulbury is located roughly 4 miles northwest of the Bedfordshire town of Leighton Buzzard and sits on the meandering B4032 road which links Leighton Buzzard with Winslow. Soulbury is a crossroads village formed around a three-way junction with the B4032 providing the High Road and a westward extension whilst the lane to the north headed for Great Brickhill provides the northern arm. Soulbury sits on high ground west of the River Ouzel, a position giving access to excellent quality soils ideal for arable farming, cereals are the main crop today whereas at the time of this transcript a rotation system would have applied. Modern developments have come to the parish aplenty, first to arrive was the route of the Grand Union Canal which connected London with Birmingham and passes along the Ouzel valley, next the main railway line from London to the Northwest & Scotland passes through the parish without granting a station, in addition Leighton Buzzard's new bypass the A4146 carves a similar line through as a relief to the traffic in that ancient town. Soulbury is drained northwards by the Ouzel which passes through eastern Milton Keynes New Town to meet the Great Ouse and continue north and eastwards to reach the North Sea through The Wash. Soulbury is sited at around 120 metres above the sea, some 40 metres above the course of the Ouzel, land continues rising gently westwards reaching 151 metres at nearby Drayton Parslow. Soulbury was one of the larger parishes in extent in its county, covering almost 4,500 acres it would have supported a population of close to 600 parishioners. Domesday Soulbury was also a moderately sized settlement even by that early time, its manor was shared by no fewer than 6 landholders with collective assets of 26 ploughs, extensive meadows and 2 mills making for a wealthy settlement at that time.

The Church

All Saints' church sits to the west of the B4032, here High Road, towards the southern edge of the village. This is a church which has been extensively modified in both late-medieval & Victorian times such that little remains from its earliest times. The earliest fabric remaining dates back to the early 14th century where both the chancel and aisles were added to an even earlier nave, both are in the Decorated style of that half-century. The subsequent Perpendicular era saw arcades added to the nave, the southern porch added, and the western tower built, a clerestory was also inserted all during the late 15th & early 16th centuries. The Victorian restorers were extremely zealous in tackling this church, the campaign of 1862- 1863 completely rebuilding the Perpendicular elements of the church and replacing most of the windows prompting Pevsner to declare the church "over restored". High Road has ample parking slots north of the site, the churchyard is set above road height with a sloping pathway rising to it, the church sits well back from the road and has clear and unobstructed views from most angles.