England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Landkey St Paul

The Parish

The parish of Landkey lies in northern Devon a little over 2 miles east of the port & market town of Barnstaple. Landkey sits a half mile south of the much improved A361 road which links Barnstaple with Tiverton and is known as the North Devon Link Road. Landkey is a village which has grown substantially in modern times, old maps show twin centres of residence, in the west Landkey, itself, gathered around St Paul's church and immediately north of the bridge over Landkey Beck, a quarter of a mile east with open country between the two lies Landkey Newland, the larger of the two in early times and consisting of a strip running westwards from a second bridge over the beck and contiguous with Swimbridge Newland. Today the two are one large built area running for a mile or more alongside the beck. Whilst the core of Landkey's economy would have been, like most Devon parishes, based upon pastoral farming of, mainly, cattle; the economy was broader based due to the exploitation of the abundant local limestone which resulted in two large quarries. The largest of these quarries remains about a mile west of the village. A feature of the village, today, is the local Tarka Trail, a tribute to the character, an otter, in Henry Williamson's book based upon the area. The Landkey Beck drains the parish westwards to reach the Taw at Bishops Tawton where water turns north passing through Barnstaple to the Irish Sea via the twin estuaries of Taw & Torridge. Landkey is sited at around 30 metres above the sea with its newer northern suburbs some 30 metres higher in strongly rolling countryside, precursors to nearby Exmoor, where local heights rise to 229 metres on Hutcherton Down to the northeast. Covering around 2,400 acres Landkey parish was typically sized for a western pastoral parish, that acreage would have supported a population of around 750 parishioners. Landkey is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Paul's church, some early gazetteers name it Holy Trinity, lies on the western edge of the village surrounded by featureless modern dormitory developments and on the northern side of the lane, Church Meadows. Essentially this is a church from early times almost totally rebuilt during the great church-building era of the Perpendicular. Only in the chancel is earlier masonry remaining from pre-Perpendicular eras, a lancet-styled window in its northern wall evidence that that wall, at least, remains from the 13th century original. The remaining core of the church, nave, western tower and northern aisle is strongly Perpendicular and from the 15th century. To this 15th century rebuilt church transepts were added in the early 16th century to complete the church prior to more modern changes. A typical Victorian restoration is recorded as having been completed in 1869 which chiefly targeted the chancel including leaving a new chancel arch as well as a thorough refresh of thw whole building. It is possible to find on-street parking along Church Meadows. The churchyard sits well above road height with a rising pathway climbing diagonally from the road to the main entrance. Once within the extensive and roughly triangular churchyard the photographer has plenty of options for acquiring images with few obstacles to avoid.