England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Brinsop St George

The Parish

The parish of Brinsop lies in western central Herefordshire about 5 miles northwest of the county city of Hereford. Brinsop sits a half mile north of the A480 road which connects Hereford with Kington. There is very little to modern day Brinsop, little more than a hamlet with a cluster of farms and cottages squatting at the foot of the isolated knoll of Credenhill Park Wood topped by its Iron Age hill fort reputed to be the second largest in Britain. Brinsop was and still largely is a farming community with pastoral farming dominating. Small brooks drain the parish southwards to join the nearby River Wye which continues on its long journey to the sea through Hereford to reach the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Chepstow. Brinsop is sited at around 100 metres above the sea and is hemmed in to the north by isolated prominent hills, Credenhill Park Wood reaches 219 metres whilst to the north Round Oak Hill climbs to 249 metres. Parishes in Herefordshire are often small and Brinsop was one of these, covering just over 1,300 acres it would have supported a population of barely 100 parishioners. In Domesday times Brinsop was equally small with just 8 ploughs offered and held by Alfred of Marlborough. 

The Church

St George's church sits almost at the base of Credenhill Park Wood accessed by a dead-end lane which becomes a private road but with access permitted to the church. The church is largely in the Decorated style with Pevsner giving a close date of 1330 - 1340 for the windows. A simple church of nave & chancel in one augmented by a northern aisle, the four-bay arcade clearly shows it has been doubled in length at some time in the past. As with many churches the Victorians made their usual restoration, in this case of the 1860s, here this resulted in the addition of the bell-turret added to the western end, the rebuilding of the southern porch and renewal of roofing. The 20th century saw further changes with the addition of a vestry. It is internally that St George's main attraction lies, the tympanum with its portrait of the saint in question spearing a dragon is well worth a visit as is the alabaster reredos of 1926 in blue and gold. The surfaced lane becomes a track at the private road sign but continues through a right-angled bend to the churchyard where parking is available. The church sits towards the rear of the oblong churchyard which has few obstacles for the photographer.