England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Little Dewchurch St David

The Parish

The parish of Little Dewchurch lies in southern Herefordshire roughly 6 miles south of the county town of Hereford. Little Dewchurch is located about 3 miles east of the A49 road which connects Hereford with Ross on Wye. Little Dewchurch is a little crossroads village situated in rolling, hilly countryside with a rich clay-enhanced bed-rock giving excellent pastures for the characteristic Herefordshire beef cattle, the hills are deeply cut by small streams giving a rather picturesque landscape. Much of the village is sited on a narrow lane running westwards from the old Hereford-Ross road, downgraded to unnumbered as a result of the creation of the A49 yet still quite busy. Little Dewchurch sits a little out of the valley of the River Wye which is fed by a pair of fast-flowing streams, the Wye has a long journey to the Bristol Channel arriving through the port of Chepstow. Little Dewchurch is sited at around 150 metres above the sea  with land rising to a local spot height of 276 metres to the northwest on nearby Aconbury Hill. Little Dewchurch parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering close to 1,700 acres it would have supported a population of a little under 350 parishioners. Little Dewchurch is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St David's church sits on the western edge of Little Dewchurch at the head of a steep valley heading to the Wye. Sadly much of the medieval has been lost from St David as the church was almost completely rebuilt between 1869 & 1870. The only remaining piece that retains its early features is the western tower which shows the style of the Decorated period that flourished during the first half of the 14th century. A feature of the tower is the rather large gargoyles decorating the corners of the battlemented top. The participants of these marriages would, however, barely recognise the remainder of the church which post-dates these events transcribed. Some materials from the 14th century original have been reused notably in the southwestern window of the nave but others are in styles atypical of the original period such as the lancet style used in the chancel. Church Lane heads westwards from the village and curves around the churchyard to a substantial surfaced parking area allowing a leisurely visit. Apart from a couple of close trees taking away the southeastern aspect the churchyard is relatively free from obstacles for the photographer.