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

The Parish

The parish of Bisley lies in the southern portion of central Gloucestershire roughly 4 miles east of the town of Stroud. Bisley sits more than 3 miles north of the closest significant main road, the A419 linking Stroud with Cirencester. Bisley has a long history, formerly a market town it was already well established by Domesday times. see below, and for most of the medieval period was the larger of it and Stroud, indeed Stroud was merely a chapelry of Bisley for much of that time. Today's Bisley is somewhat diminished from those early days with the market lost it is merely a large village sitting on a plateau within the Cotswold Ranges, most properties line a north to south running High Street with a more modern extension northwest of the church, the main street covers a half mile from north to south. One historical footnote is that Bisley was the home of the initial conspiracy behind the Gunpowder Plot from here the plan was conceived. For much of the medieval and later periods it was the manufacture of both cloth and silk that employed many in the village, power from the effervescent River Frome deep in the Golden Valley to the south powered many mills along its course leading to the growth of subsidiary settlements of Brownshill, Chalford and Oakridge Lynch along its course. In addition to the cloth trades the local stone was actively quarried, it making excellent paving stone and grindstones. Modern developments have come to the parish with the railway line from Stroud to Swindon switching occasionally from the south to the northern side of the Frome's course. The Frome drains the parish westwards passing through Stroud and out across the plains to the Severn and thence to the Bristol Channel. Bisley parish was extensive, despite losing land to Stroud it remained covering over 7,900 acres within which it supported a population estimated to be around 5,300 parishioners. As already mentioned Bisley was already established by Domesday times with its 102 households placing it within the top 20% of settlements recorded in the book by population, held by Earl Hugh of Chester its impressive total of 34 ploughs was substantial, adding in its 5 mills along the Frome made it a very wealthy holding indeed.

The Church

All Saints' church sits tucked away west of the High Street accessible only of foot from most directions behind fronting properties. Pevsner clearly believes the site itself, if not today's church, has really ancient origins stating that it may have been the site of a Roman and and then a Saxon minster, both Roman altars and Saxon carved stones have been recovered by archaeologists. Fragments of carved Saxon stone are incorporated into the eastern wall of the chancel but nothing else that early remains. The earliest fabric remaining other than this tantalising fragment is from the 13th century, the Early English Gothic period, the southern arcade being the most complete piece of those times. Much else dates from the early 14th century whwn rebuilding was completed and a reconsecration took place in 1315 after the completion of the rebuild of the chancel. Decorated styled windows survive later Victorian restoration in the nave as well as the northern arcade. The western tower of 3-stages and topped with its impressive spire is also a creation of the 14th century if heavily modified by Victorian work. The 15th century saw the insertion of a typical Perpendicular feature, the clerestory to improve internal lighting. Victorian restorations were thorough bordering upon severe, after a minor piece of work on the chancel in 1851 the main work covered 1860 to 1862 and included the almost complete rebuilding of the nave, its aisles and the southern porch leaving much dating detail lost as a consequence. There are several ways to approach the church mostly from north or east after finding suitable parking in the village, the church sits comfortably within an open and uncluttered churchyard allowing unrestricted views for the photographer.