England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Calstock St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Calstock lies in the extreme east of Cornwall, indeed it forms a substantial part of the border with neighbouring Devon. Calstock is located about 4 miles southwest of the Devon market town of Tavistock and sits on the western banks of the River Tamar which forms the border of the two counties. Calstock is a rather linear village built along the banks of a meander of the river with most properties in a riverside position and in an attractive setting. Calstock sits in lanes about 2 miles south of the A390 road which connects Tavistock with Liskeard. At the time of this transcript Calstock would have had a very diverse economy, besides farming (both arable & pastoral), the Tamar was tidal up to the village so it was an important small port for river traffic as well as the source of an important fishery for salmon & trout. In addition there was widespread mining, of copper, lead, tin & even uranium; quarrying of the local granite for building stone was also an important local industry. The Tamar drains the parish southwards to reach the English Channel to the west of Plymouth. Calstock is sited in a deep meander of the river, the riverside properties being at 20 metres above the sea whereas the church is high on the hill at 100 metres; local heights rise above 250 metres within a couple of miles in a strikingly indented landscape. Cornish parishes are fairly large and Calstock was no exception, it covered just over 6,100 acres albeit 1,400 were regarded as "waste" and supported a population of almost 2,600 parishioners. In Domesday times Calstock was a relatively small place, held by Count Robert of Mortain it could offer just 8 ploughs and small woodlands.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits high above the village on the crest of the ridge forming the tight meander of the Tamar, it commands fine views through an angles of 270 degrees as a result. St Andrew received a significant restoration in 1866 which largely masks the dating evidence for the origins of the church, Pevsner rather scathingly describes the building as "not very promising externally". Detailed evidence, however, places the origins in the 14th century although little remains of that era. From the 15th century comes the western tower, aisles and porch whereas the nave & chancel are dominated by 19th century work. Church Hill climbs steadily from the village and at the top bends westwards, the church is straight ahead. A stone-built lychgate grants access through the head-height stone wall boundary, The site is elongated to east and west but the church is rather hemmed in from the south which impedes the best photographic angles.