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

The Parish

The parish of Kilkhampton lies in the extreme north of Cornwall and as it is extensive in area it forms not only part of the border with neighbouring Devon but also part of the county's coastline with the Atlantic. Kilkhampton is located roughly 4 miles northeast of the coastal resort of Bude and sits on the A39 road which connects Bude with the Devon port of Bideford. Kilkhampton is a substantial village, indeed at one time it was a small market town albeit that function has been lost, which stretches for almost a mile along the A39 with developments off it to both east and mainly west. Kilkhampton has its origins in the medieval borough creations as a planned town designed around a market square, the Norman castle which protected and accompanied the new town being sited roughly 3/4 of a mile to the west. The remains of the castle which was partially destroyed at the end of the Civil War are mere hummocks and bumps today. Besides acting as a local centre for trade and commerce Kilhampton parish was largely a farming parish with pastoral farming the dominant form, the nearby coast being rocky and west facing never developed much of a fishing community. Today that coastline is treasured tourist country with numerous car parks accessed down steeply sided coombes providing visitors with the sea and small beaches, the South West Coastal Trail also passes through on one of its more strenuous stretches. Kilkhampton sits on a watershed, streams flowing westward make the short journey down those coombes to the Atantic whilst those flowing east join the Tamar, marking the border with Devon, turn southwards and reach the English Channel through Plymouth. Kilkhampton is sited at around 170 metres above the sea, not quite the highest land around as the A39 finds a height of 224 metres about 3 miles to the north. Kilkhampton parish was extensive, one of the larger in extent in its county, covering around 7,300 acres it would have supported a population of around 1,200 parishioners. In Domesday times Kilkhampton was a profitable holding of King William with an impressive 35 plough as its main asset, there were also the usual meadows, pasture & woodland.

The Church

St James' church sits at the heart of Kilkhampton on the western side of the A39 where the market square is formed. The original 12th century church, already an impressive building, would have been constructed as part of the formation of the borough. That church is represented by the southern doorway an impressive piece of Norman Romanesque style, the inner doorway is the second largest in its county and formed of four arches carried upon three colonettes. The bulk of the church is, however, in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th century and marks a major rebuild at that time. The tall, three stage, western tower is perhaps the most memorable piece and is certainly a landmark across a wide area. Further work followed in the 16th century with construction of the Grenville chapel marking the patronage of that local family over the centuries, an inscription carries a date of 1567. For once Pevsner does not mention a substantial Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was light & sensitive. The interior of the church is also worth a look the sight of 157 rows of benches with elaborately carved bench-ends is impressive. Parking within the square is relatively straightforward and entry is gained through a lychgate facing that square. Whilst the churchyard is large the church sits rather cramped into the southeastern corner and tight to the bordering trees which removes th favoured southeastern aspect from the photographer's armoury and makes for a challenge to adequately capture the building.