England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
St Juliot St Julitta

The Parish

The parish of St Juliot lies in northern Cornwall and forms part of Cornwall's Irish Sea coast. St Juliot is located about 6 miles north of the market town of Camelford and just over 2 miles east of the port of Boscastle. St Juliot is a tiny place, not even marked of today's Ordnance Survey maps, which sits just south of the B3263 road which connects Boscastle with the A39 (Camelford to Bude) road. Today's largest settlement is the combined villages of Marshgate & Tresparrett which are closer to the A39. The area is steep and rugged with deeply incised river valleys, it is estimated that almost a third of the parish acreage was unproductive waste at the time of transcript, the remainder would have largely been set to pasture. Today the area benefits from the scenery with extensive tourist facilities and a challenging stretch of the South West Coastal Trail passes through the parish. The parish is drained westwards by the short-lived River Valency which flows swiftly to the sea through Boscastle. The church is sited at around 140 metres on the edge of the Valency valley but land within the parish rises steeply to reach 260 metres on Tresparrett Down. St Juliot parish was fairly typically sized for this area, covering just over 2,600 acres it would have supported a population of around 250 parishioners. In Domesday times St Juliot was even more obscure and small, one of the holdings of Count Robert of Mortain it could only muster a half share in a plough and a 30 acre pasture.

The Church

St Julitta's church sits perched high above the steeply sided valley of the Valency nearby to Hennett farm. A narrow and twisting lane runs from Tresparrett towards Lesnewth and a small and yet narrower lane turns westwards off that to parallel the valley and reach the church. A footpath follows the Valency from Boscastle rising to the church and makes a fine outing for those staying in the area. The church is notable for its literary connection, the 1870s restoration being conducted by no less a figure than Thomas Hardy, working as an architect prior to finding fame as a writer. The church was in a poor state but he still lamented the destruction which was required to make it once again serviceable. With origins in the 14th century and with further work in the Perpendicular era all was sacrificed to the restoration with only hints of the church that preceded. For those approaching by vehicle there is an ample parking slot by the church with gates and stone steps leading into the churchyard, the church is tightly contained within the trees which makes for a limited set of angles for photography.