England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Coldridge St Matthew

The Parish

The parish of Coldridge lies in central Devon roughly 10 miles northwest of the market town of Crediton. Coldridge, often rendered as Coleridge in early texts, sits about 2 miles southwest of the A377 road which connects Crediton with Barnstaple. Coldridge is a small and compact village sitting within an extensive rural parish sitting between the courses of the rivers Taw & Yeo. Like many in Devon the westerly location makes growing cereals tricky so pastoral farming dominated the local farming methods, Devon's noted dairy breeds being the main products including the milk & butter derived therefrom. As well as farming Coldridge had a substantial weaving community producing simple cloth such as serge. Coldridge is drained largely by the Taw which meets the Yeo at Mynet Rowland Bridge turning northwest to head to the Irish Sea through the port of Barnstaple. Coldridge is an undulating rather than hilly parish, the church sits at 140 metres above the sea on the highest ground which falls away within the parish bounds to low points of 80 metres along the river courses. Coldridge parish covered around 3,200 acres and supported a population of close to 650 parishioners. Domesday Coldridge was held by Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances and was a modest manor of 8 ploughs backed by the typical meadows, pastures and woodland, patches of which still lie to the north of the village and along the Taw.

The Church

St Matthew's church sits on the eastern edges of the village accessed along a short lane marked by the village war memorial from the main lane through. Whilst there is some fabric remaining from both 12th and 13th centuries little survives due to a 15th century rebuild and later heavy Victorian restoration work. The remaining fabric lies within both nave and chancel but is a mere remnant of those early times, a north window of the chancel and a pointed arch which once lead to its former tower from the nave. The rebuild of the 15th century turned the church from early styling into a typical Devon Perpendicular church as it was rebuilt in almost a single phase complete with its western tower and stair turret of the late 15th century. The 16th century saw the addition of the northern chancel chapel to complete the early work. A heavy Victorian restoration of 1877 almost completely rebuilt the chancel whilst a less rigorous version from 1897 was more sensitive but both made changes to the medieval fabric accordingly. Turning east from the war memorial one is met by an uncharacteristically non-Devon plain containing ample parking outside the churchyard which has wooden gates for entry. Once within the churchyard is open and uncluttered with no obstacle for the photographer.