England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Lezant St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Lezant lies in the extreme eastern of Cornwall, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Devon. Lezant is located about 4 miles south of the market town of Launceston, it sits in lanes about 3/4 mile west of the A388 road which links Launceston with Saltash and the Devon port of Plymouth. Lezant is a scattered parish with several distinct settlements within it, the main village of Lezant is quite small but there are separate settlements at Trebullett (to the southwest) and Treburley (on the A388). This area was largely used for pastoral farming, the soils being rather thin and stony. Lezant sits on a ridge of higher ground, at about 90 metres above sea level, between two incised streams, to the east is the Lowley Brook and to the south the River Inny. Both are tributaries of the Tamar which forms the county boundary and heads southwards to reach the English Channel at Plymouth. Cornish parishes are normally extensive in area and Lezant is no exception, it covered almost 4,000 acres and would have supported around 900 parishioners. There is, however, no mention of Lezant in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Michael's church (the dedication is also credited to St Breock in some sources but here I follow Pevsner) lies at the heart of Lezant on the western side of its main junction of lanes. The church has features from two distinct phases of build. The earliest portions are the north aisle and chancel walls which Pevsner dates to 13th or even potentially 12th century. The western tower and southern aisle he dates to the Perpendicular period of the 15th century. The church sits in quite a sloping site, the southern end being elevated above the narrow lane that heads westwards. At the eastern end, closest to the main village, a very nice lychgate gives access to the graveyard. Views from the south are rather restricted by the tight boundary but elsewhere there are few hindrances to photography.