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

The Parish

The parish of Wyke Regis lies in the extreme south of Dorset forming a lengthy stretch of the county's coastline with the English Channel. Wyke Regis lies just over a mile south from the port & coastal resort of Weymouth and, indeed, was the mother parish for that locality until Weymouth became its own parish. Wyke Regis sits on the A354 road which links Weymouth through to the Isle of Portland. Early maps show Wyke Regis as a distinct and separate village, all has changed today as suburban Weymouth has engulfed the former village and Wyke Regis now is part of a lengthy urban area stretching as far as Upwey to the north and the fringes of Portland to the south. The area has long been associated with naval institutions with the Isle of Portland providing shelter to the harbour lying to its east, much of the coastal area of the parish is devoted to marine activities. To Wyke Regis's west lies The Fleet and enclosed body of water protected by the iconic Chesil Bank. Wyke Regis's economy was 3-fold at the time of this transcript, the maritime connection together with fishing, the extraction industries harvesting the local limestone and the usual pastoral farming of mainly sheep on the limestone hills. Today tourism together with the maritime industries dominates, Weymouth is one of the premier seaside resorts and the South West Way National Trail brings through hikers attempting that lengthy effort. Modern developments are typified by the rail link to Weymouth and its port from where it was possible to travel to both the Channel Islands and to France by ferry. As a coastal settlement sitting on porous limestone much of the parish drainage reaches the English Channel through sub-surface means. Wyke Regis is sited at around 50 metres whilst parts lie at sea level, land rises inland to low hills reaching just short of 70 metres inland of Fleet. Covering just short of 2,100 acres Wyke Regis parish was typically sized for its area, the urbanistion, however, brought a population of over 1,900 parishioners. Whilst Wyke Regis is not mentioned specifically in Domesday Book the tiny manor of Bridge, held by a series of minor officials both Norman and Saxon, has an entry from within the area of the parish, it was a tiny place offering land for a single plough but with a fishery its main asset.

The Church

All Saints' church sits northwest of the route of the A354, its line from Portland being carried onwards as the B3156, the church sits on the western side as it crests the low hill on which the original village sat. The church is well-documented with a dedication date recorded as 1455 which is consistent with the largely Perpendicular styling we see today. Pevsner, however, believes this to represent a complete rebuild in the late medieval period of what had once been a much earlier church, his theories being backed by further evidence taking the church back to the early 12th century. Of that early church nothing remains today's church being a single-build entity of the late perpendicular style. The church has the standard layout of its era with nave and chancel and an impressive western tower all built using Portland stone in ashlar blocks. The church is large, as befits its substantial congregation, with aisles and arcades increasing its internal seating area. Unlike most churches Pevsner fails to mention a Victorian restoration although most of the internal fitting date from1859 so it is likely some refreshing of the fabric took place then too. Parking, in the form of dedicated bays, lies to the southeast of the site with a short walk to the churchyard entrance. Given the impressive dimensions of the church and the slightly cramped churchyard it is these combined which present the main issues for the photographer.