England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bradoc St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Bradoc (also rendered Braddock) is located in south central Cornwall about 8 miles south of Bodmin. Bradoc is not a village as such, a mere hamlet with a scattering of farms and cottages. Bradoc lies in lanes about a mile south of the the A390 road which links St Austell with the A38 (Bodmin to Liskeard) road. Bradoc sits in rolling pastoral farmland to the south east of Bodmin Moor. Much of the parish is wooded. The principal drainage is headed southwards to join the River Lerryn which heads for the estuary at Fowey and the English Channel. Bradoc is sited at around 160 metres above sea level and the notional centre sits on quite a knoll with the valleys etched 60 metres deeper. By Cornish standards Bradoc is a fairly typically sized parish for the coastal fringe, it would have supported slightly less than 300 parishioners, considerably more than live there today. In Domesday times Bradoc was held by one Count Robert of Mortain, it boasted just 2 ploughs, some woodland and meadow.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the eastern side of the lane which runs through the notional centre of Bradoc, it occupies a circular site which is usually indicative of a prior pre-Christian use. The earliest date found in the church is Norman but the majority dates from the Perpendicular (late 14th - early 15th) centuries. The church follows the standard layout of nave, chancel and western tower albeit augmented by a north side transept. The church sits behind a low hedge in its very narrow lane. Access is at the southern end where an arched gateway with a metal pair of gates gives access to the graveyard. Although there are many trees around views from the south are available for photography.