England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bulkington St James

The Parish

The parish of Bulkington lies in northeastern Warwickshire not too far from the county's border with neighbouring Leicestershire. Bulkington is located roughly 4 miles southeast of the industrial town of Nuneaton and sits at the crossroads of the B4112 (Nuneaton to Rugby) road with the B4029 (Bedworth to Brinklow) roads. Bulkington is a large village much expanded from early days, early maps show a tightly clustered village, largely built around a square of lanes and sitting close to the church. Today Bulkington has expanded by over a mile towards both Bedworth and Nuneaton with modern developments.  Bulkington parish also included the smaller villages of Bramcote,  a little over a mile to its northeast, and Weston in Arden & Ryton, both nowadays engulfed by Bulkington's expansion. Whilst the wider parish engaged in a typical Midlands mixture of arable and pastoral farming with a little quarrying of the local free-stone, the village, itself, was largely employed in manufacturing of ribbons. Modern developments almost engulf Bulkington, to the west runs the Coventry Canal whilst to the north its counterpart is the branch of the Ashby de la Zouch Canal, later to arrive is the railway line linking Nuneaton & Rugby, a portion of the main line from London to the North-west. Finally to the east runs the modern M69 motorway providing a link between the M6 & M1. Bulkington is drained northwestwards by the infant River Anker which weaves in & out of the Coventry Canal before passing through Nuneaton, the Anker meets the Tame at Tamworth and turns north to reach the Trent close to Alrewas, the Trent turns water back east on the long journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. Bulkington is sited at around 110 metres above the sea, a height generally held nearby, it is only close to the Leicestershire border that it is markedly exceeded by spot heights above 130 metres. Bulkington parish was extensive, covering a little over 4,300 acres which supported a population of close to 1,850 parishioners. Bulkington, Weston in Arden and Bramcote all have entries in Domesday Book, Bulkington was tiny place held by the Count of Meulan offering merely a pair of ploughs and meadow, Weston in Arden, similar held, was actually larger marginally with 4 ploughs and a meadow whilst Bramcote held by Earl Aubrey of Coucy was effectively asset-less with only 3 households.

The Church

St James' church stands in what was the original centre of Bulkington village prior to its expansion, on the northern side of the B4029, here named School Road. The church, it must be first stated, has been extensively restored in Victorian times masking the ancient origins of the building which require Pevsner's teasing-out to discern. There are tiny traces of 12th century Norman Romanesque fabric in the porch albeit reset during those restorations. More solid evidence comes from the southern and northern arcades both 13th century and Early English Gothic in their styling, the northern version built on the cusp of 1300 might reasonably be said to be Transitional. From the 14th century comes the southern aisle and the chancel with a mixture of Decorated & especially Perpendicular motifs. The 15th century Perpendicular period is more represented and unchanged as the stately western tower in a grey sandstone dates largely from this period. The nave shows a typical Perpendicular clerestory as well as numerous other features in that style. The main restoration came in 1865 when as Pevsner states the church was "re-roofed, re-seated and over-restored", besides the restoration effects that work also replaced both the chancel and vestry arches. The final major work came in 1907 when the southern porch was rebuilt. There is no parking immediately outside the churchyard from where the main entrance may be found, to the west, however by the subsidiary entrance sits a large parking bay. Sadly for the photographer this is a church where the favoured southern aspects are removed by close set trees, all other aspects are more free.