England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Childswickham St Mary the Virgin

The Parish

The parish of Childswickham, sometime rendered as Childs Wickham, lies in the extreme north of Gloycestershire forming a stretch of the county rather fretted boundary with neighbouring Worcestershire, indeed such was the complexity that Childswickham was transferred to Worcestershire in 1931. Childswickham is located roughly 5 miles west of the small market town of Chipping Campden and lies about a mile west of the A44 road which links Evesham in Worcestershire with Stow on the Wold. The village is mid-sized and forms am oblong running eastwards from the main crossroads to the church. Childswickham sits in the Vale of Evesham only a few miles west of the escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, the setting is on rather thick and heavy clay suitable only for pastures, a local diversion, however, was orcharding for cider apples which is still conducted today. Modern developments have come and gone from the parish, the railway line linking Cheltenham with Stratford upon Avon having closed and been turned partially into a cycleway and partly preserved, nearer Cheltenham, as a heritage line. Childswickham is drained northwards by small tributaries of the Badsey Brook which is soon joined, the brook meets the Avon to the east of Evesham and water turns westwards to Tewkesbury and the Severn from where it reverses direction and heads south to the sea through the Bristol Channel. Childswickham is sited at around 50 metres above the sea but eastern and southern views are dominated by the abrupt escarpment of the Cotswolds topped by the Cotswold way Trail and reaching 310 metres at the iconic Broadway Tower. Childswickham parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering close to 1,900 acres and supporting a population of around 450 parishioners. Domesday Childswickham recorded 44 households which was just sufficient to project it into the top 20% of settlements by population, held by a Burser, Robert, its assets of 15 ploughs, some meadows and 2 mills show a comfortably prosperous settlement for its time.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the southeastern corner of the village accessed along a dead-end lane running from the small triangular green on which sits the war memorial, beyond the church it becomes a popular footpath headed from Broadway. So great is the 19th century changes made to this church that it would not surprise if it was deemed entirely modern. However enough survives to reveal its true antiquity, hiding behind the 14th century western tower the west wall is 12th century Norman Romanesque in origin. The doorway is tentatively dated by Pevsner to c1130-1140. Also 12th century is the arch to the north transepts but the transept itself was part of 13th century rebuilding when redone in the early English Gothic style. The final substantial medieval fabric lies in the western tower and the nave's roof adorning bellcote, the western doorway to the tower shows the Decorated style indicating an early 14th century commencement which may well have endured into Perpendicular times. The massive changes of the 19th century began in Georgian times when the south transept was demolished in 1806. During Victoria's reign the nave, firstly, was rebuilt in 1871 shortly followed by the chancel in 1874 transforming the once entirely medieval church. Finally the late 20th century saw some limited additions of a western gallery in 1901 and a northern vestry in 1994. The lane ends at the churchyard gates with a small car park set to the right as you arrive allowing easy parking. The church is placed into the southeastern corner of the churchyard removing the optimal aspects but all other angles are available to the photographer.