England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Fowey St Fimbarrus

The Parish

The parish of Fowey lies on the southern coast of Cornwall more or less centrally along that lengthy stretch. Fowey is situated roughly 8 miles east of the town of St Austell and 10 south of Bodmin. A coastal port and market town Fowey sits on the end of the A3082 road which connects it with St Austell, the town hugs the western banks of the drowned valley of the River Fowey, one of Cornwall's many rias. Fowey began life as a small fishing port founded by the monks of Tywardreath Priory largely to supply them with fish and fishing has always been important to the town. By the middle of the 14th century Fowey was the major port not only for fish but also for the export of cloth, hides and most importantly tin, in return a busting market for its imported wine, salt & cloth from the continent developed. Its deep water harbour was also attractive to the navy and it became a supply port for that service too. The railways came to Fowey with a branch line from Lostwithiel mainly to move china clay but also led to a tourism boom, the railway has now gone but the tourists remain and are the main source of revenue for the town today. A sailing haven and rest stop for hikers on the South West Way trail the cramped and narrow streets bustle with day visitors to what is viewed as a typical Cornish sea port. As a coastal settlement numerous small streams and drains lead down to the waterfront. Fowey is sited at between sea level and its more western reaches at 70 metres above the sea, a ridge followed by the B3269 road reaches 125 metres in deeply incised countryside. Fowey parish was typically sized for a lowland rural parish at just under 2,000 acres within which a population of around 1,600 parishioners could be supported. Fowey is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Fimbarrus' church lies at the heart of the old centre of town just inland from the main part of the port and surrounded by the steep and narrow streets that make the town such an attraction. The earliest church on this site carried a date of 1170 but of that building little remains due to an extensive rebuild of the early 14th century culminating in a re-dedication in 1336. Much of the nave and chancel together with the arcades and aisles date from this rebuilding in the Decorated style. The western tower is, however, later and Perpendicular in style with Pevsner assigning it a date of the 15th century. The southern aisle was extended eastwards in the first decade of the 16th century to form the Treffry chapel, the refurbished windows showing classic late-Perpendicular styling. As is usual the Victorians made their restoration, in this case there were two, the first of 1876 removed a western gallery and replaced most of the windows as well as re-roofing the northern aisle, while the later in 1894 added a vestry. Even in the 20th century work was undertaken in the 1930s to repair damage to the roofing of the nave & chancel. The church occupies a cramped site and with no parking close by it is best to utilise the town's car parks and walk to the site. The constrained and steeply rising site is a marked challenge to the photographer to achieve an adequate set of images.