England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Virginstow St Bridget

The Parish

The parish of Virginstow was formerly in the northeast of Cornwall within a salient pushing deep into Devon territory, in 1936 it, and 4 other parishes, were transferred to Devon and the border straightened. Virginstow sits roughly 6 miles northeast of the Cornish market town of Launceston and stands about a mile east of the A388 road which links Launceston with Holsworthy. Virginstow is a tiny place, a linear run of properties sitting atop a hill east of the River Carey which runs for only a little more than a quarter mile along a narrow west to east running lane. The area is hilly and as such early gazetteers estinated almost half of the parish acreage as "common or waste", today we would term it upland rough grazing suitable only for sheep, the lusher areas of the parish would have held dairy cattle. Modern developments came and went from the parish, a railway branch line followed the Carey's valley linking Launceston with the Okehampton to Holsworthy line but is closed and almost disappeared. Virginstow is drained southwards by the Carey which soon meets the Tamar, forming the county border with Cornwall, which continues south to reach the English Channel west of Plymouth. Virginstow is sited at around 140 metres above the sea, some 50 metres above the height of the Carey, land continues to rise in billowing hills with a local high spot of 207 metres at Ivyhouse Cross. Virginstow parish was one of the smallest in its new county, covering only 800 acres it would have supported around 150 parishioners. Virginstow is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Bridget's church sits on the northern side of the village's main lane and toward the western end of its short run of properties. Sadly today's church is not the venue for these marriages as the medieval church was demolished and today's St Bridget completed in 1851 on the original foundations. The new church is built in the re-fashionable style of the 13th century, the Early English Gothic, with most windows showing the lancet styles peculiar to that era. The standard nave and chancel is only augmented by a southern porch and a western, quite tall, bellcote, the church was described simply by Pevsner as "modest and old fashioned". The verge, well worn from usage, opposite the entrance is used as a parking space for a car or two. Entrance is through a small metal gate set between sheltering trees, once within there are no obstacles for the photographer.