England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
St Buryan Parish Church

The Parish

The parish of St Buryan lies in the extreme southwest of Cornwall, on the Penwith Peninsula, and forming an extensive stretch of the county's coastline with the English Channel. St Buryan is located roughly 6 miles southwest of the market town and port of Penzance and stands on the B3283 road, a linking road forming an alternative route from Penzance to Land's End from that of the A30. St Buryan was founded supposedly by King Athelstan in the 10th century as one of the most important ecclesiastical centres in the land, a collegiate church and sanctuary status attracted pilgrims and ecclesiastical administrators to the early settlement. In 1304 St Buryan was granted a right to hold a market by King Edward I and became a small market town serving southern Penwith. Whilst that market never lead to the expected growth it has created a substantial village built around the church at its main crossroads, most properties either lie directly along the B3283 or side lanes to the southeast. The wider parish had a diverse economy, the soils of Penwith are rather poor in quality so whilst some arable was present the majority was set to livestock, early gazetteers describe almost 30% of the parish acreage as "waste" denoting rough grazing, the home of hardy sheep. With its extensive coastline there were sheltered harbours from which the traditional mackerel & pilchard fishing took place. Penwith is, of course, noted for its history of tin ore extraction, within St Buryan parish this was carried out by alluvial streaming rather than sunken shafts. Today the area is noted for its tourism, the village for its spirituality, the local area for its concentration of ancient archaeological sites and the coastline, a roller-coaster of cliffs and coves traversed by some of the most strenuous stretches of the South West Coast National Trail. Several fast-flowing streams descend from the parish to each of these coves that to St Loy's Cove being the main channel draining the parish to the English Channel. The parish covers height between sea level and 150 metres above that level with the village standing at 120 metres above the sea. St Buryan parish covered a large area of almost 5,500 acres which would have supported a population of close to 1,900 parishioners. Whilst St Buryan does have a Domesday entry it is recorded as a tiny place held by the Canons of St Buryan offering merely some pasture and a half share in a plough.

The Church

The parish church stands at within the northwestern quadrant of the main crossroads of the village within what had between a circular churchyard, a "llan" to the Welsh, until the southern boundary had been straightened to accommodate the developing B3283. As already mentioned the collegiate church is believed to have been founded by King Athelstan in the 10th century to celebrate victory in war over the Danish invaders. There is nothing in today's church which dates back to those earliest times. Pevsner identifies remains of the later Norman church which replaced that first foundation, a nave, chancel and northern chancel chapel together with the quire of the canons, of that 12th century church only 2 blocked arches in the northern wall of the chancel  and some piers and responds in the arcade. The church is documented as being re-founded in 1238 and from that time it was supported by chapelries at St Levan and Sennen until they became separate parishes themselves. That re-foundation saw a new, 13th century, church supersede the Norman predecessor, however even less of that Early English Gothic church remains, merely the basal courses of the East Chapel. Most of the early church was swept away by a great rebuilding starting at the end of the 15th century which began with the construction of the 92 foot granite western tower estimated completed in 1501, a landmark across the parish and a way-mark for mariners at sea. Across the 16th century and in the Perpendicular style the main body was completed. By the middle of the 18th century repairs were needed to the north wall and during the 19th century further restorations are recorded from 1814, 1854 and 1881 to keep the church in good order. Internally, however, the 16th century rebuild included the church's stand-out piece, the rood screen  which runs across not only the nave but also the aisles and which is comparable to only a few others in western England and is well worth a visit in its own right. There are ample parking spots along the B3283 as it passes through the village, the churchyard stands raised above road height and is reached by a flight of 6 steps, the better views, however, are from outside the churchyard given its compact size and the height of that tower.