England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ballingham St Dubricius

The Parish

The parish of Ballingham lies in south central Herefordshire about 7 miles north of the market town of Ross on Wye.Ballingham is a small and relatively compact village which sits in an area devoid of significant toads enclosed with a tight and incised meander of the River Wye, the closest numbered road being the B4224 which connects Hereford all the way through to the Gloucestershire village of Mitcheldean and which sits, across the Wye by over 2 miles east of Ballingham. The course of the Wye is impressive hereabouts describing broad meanders which have cut over 100 metres deep into the surrounding landscape, sitting enclosed on 3 sides Ballingham is a remote place one has to want to go to with only a pair of narrow lanes running to it. The Wye, however, would have provided rich pastures on its water-meadows leading to a mixed farming regime when set alongside the usual arable fields on higher ground. Modern developments did once come to Ballingham, a railway line from Hereford to Ross on Wye cutting through the ridge to the west of Ballingham through one of a series of tunnels, the line is now closed and largely dismantled. The Wye drains the parish eventually southwards reaching the Bristol Channel through the port of Chepstow. Ballingham is sited at around 90 metres above the sea, sitting on a ridge some 60 metres above the Wye, land continues to rise westwards to top out at 187 metres close to Little Dewchurch to Ballingham's west. Ballingham parish was a small parish in a county of small parishes, covering just under 850 acres it would have supported just about 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Ballingham was equally small, held directly by King William its resources amounted to just 4 ploughs. 

The Church

St Dubricius' church sits just south of Ballingham, alongside the Hall, a typical siting for a church. Whilst the church has medieval origins there has been much change over the centuries and a major Victorian restoration is described by Pevsner as "drastic" and resulted in the loss of much dating detail. A single small lancet window of the early English Gothic period (13th century) remains in the northwestern part of the nave and the basal portion of the tower appears to be contemporary. Much else would have been 14th century and Perpendicular before the Victorian restorers got to work, the 14th century nave was almost totally rebuilt, the fenestration of the chancel also renewed during the major changes of the 1880s. The church has ample parking on the verge to its north, the site is surrounded by an ivy-covered local stone wall with a pair of gateways granting access and the churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacles to photography.