England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Laneast St Sidwell & St Gulval

The Parish

The parish of Laneast lies in northeastern Cornwall roughly 7 miles west of the market town of Launceston. Laneast sits just over a half mile south of the A395 road, a linking road connecting the A30 (Launceston to Bodmin) road with the A39 (Bideford to Camelford) road. Laneast is a small ridge-top settlement running along a narrow lane high above the incised course of the River Inny. Laneast sits amongst the fore-slopes of nearby Bodming Moor, already at some elevation, combining this elevation with the westerly location drives the farming economy towards one primarily dominated by pastoral methods. Such is the poor quality of the land that early gazetteers describe over a quarter of the parish acreage as "waste", a term used to describe unimproved grazing land. Laneast is drained eastwards and then southeastwards by the Inny which eventually meets the Tamar at the border with Devon, the Tamar heads southwards to the English Channel arriving through Plymiuth Sound. Laneast is sited on strongly rising ground from 150 to 210 metres, land continues rising onto the wind-turbine be-topped moorland of Napps Moor which reaches 251 metres on the course of the A395. Parishes surrounding Bodmin Moor are usually quite extensive but Laneast was not one of those, covering just under 2,300 acres it would have supported a population of close to 300 parishioners. Laneast is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Sidwell & St Gulval's church sits on the western side of Laneast's main street, Church Way. The church was first created as a chapelry of Launceston before becoming a full parish in its own right. The church originally was built in the 12th century Norman Romanesque period as a cruciform church, masonry from that period remains in the chancel, the north wall and the northern transept. During the later medieval period the design was changed to the then favoured layout as in the 14th century a western tower replaced the central crossing tower in the Perpendicular style. That style is also found throughout the remaining areas of the main body of the church. The tower was added to in the 15th century when the top-stage complete with fashionable pinnacles was added. Like most churches a typical Victorian restoration was conducted, here in 1848, which was sensitive to the styling of the existing fabric. The church sits on falling ground, to the north there ia parking at a bend in the lane, with a rising sloping path headed to the gates, the churchyard being several metres above road height at the entrance. A few trees marr views from the southwest but otherwise all aspects are available to the photographer.