History

The Parish of Landulph

The Parish of Landulph covers around 2,200 acres of land and 480 acres of water and foreshore. It consists mainly of farms and hamlets, with the village of Cargreen as the principal centre of population. The parish is bounded by water on three sides: the River Tamar to the north and east, and Kingsmill Lake to the south. This unique setting has shaped Landulph’s history and continues to attract new residents who enjoy sailing and water sports.

Early Origins

At the time of the Roman invasion, the area was home to Ancient Britons, members of the Dumnonii or Cornovii tribes. The Romans occupied Britain from the 1st to the 4th century AD and built a fort at Calstock to oversee tin and copper mining. These metals were shipped down the Tamar, passing what is now Landulph.

After the Romans departed came the “Age of the Saints,” when Christian missionaries arrived from Ireland, Wales, and Brittany. Among them was Saint Dilpe, who established a Lan site (sacred enclosure) on the site of the present church. This gave the local manor and parish its name: Landulph, meaning “The Church Site of Dilpe.”

By the 9th century, Saxons were pressing into Cornwall. In 838 AD they defeated a combined Cornish and Viking army at Hingston Down on Kit Hill. Gradually, Cornish and Saxon communities integrated, though the Tamar was fixed as Cornwall’s boundary in 927 AD.

Place names often reveal history. A grant of lands in the Landulph Manor of Tinnel in 1018 records Cargreen as Carrecron in Cornish, meaning “Seal’s Rock.” It also mentions Kings Mill as Cynges Myine, referring to the corn mill that operated there for a thousand years.

The Norman Conquest of 1066 brought more change, and the manors of Landulph and Ellbridge appear in the Domesday Book as Landelech and Telbrig.

Late Medieval to Stuart Period

The present church at Landulph is thought to have been built in the 15th century, replacing earlier buildings on the same site. At this time the parish developed as a small port, with ships carrying pilgrims across the Channel, who were heading for the shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela.

The Courtenay family were Lords of the Manor of Landulph, which covered just over a third of the parish. When Henry Courtenay was executed in 1539, the manor passed to the Duchy of Cornwall, along with the patronage of Landulph Church.

At Clifton, in the north of the parish, stood an Elizabethan mansion that became home to Sir Nicholas and Lady Lower in the 17th century. They brought Landulph’s most notable resident to the parish: Theodore Paleologus, a descendant of the last Christian emperors of Greece. He was buried at Landulph Church in 1636.

Growth and Community

Until the 19th century, most people lived in rural hamlets and worked on local farms. John Leland (1534–43) described Cargreen as a small village called Caregrin. In 1602, historian Richard Carew wrote:

“Above Saltash, Cargreen, a fisher town, showeth itself, but can hardly muster a mean plight of dwellings or dwellers; so may their care be green, because their wealth is withered.”

However, Cargreen was well developed by the early 19th century when a sale catalogue of 1831 lists cottages, gardens, two public houses, quays, granaries, a lime kiln, stables, coal yards, and a boathouse at Cargreen.

The Tamar Valley’s mild climate and sheltered riverbanks made it ideal for market gardening and fruit growing. The river provided easy access to markets in Devonport and Plymouth, and quays enabled paddle steamers and barges to transport produce and passengers. A manure factory was built on the quay, and schooners carried ore from mines in the upper Tamar Valley. A school was built near Landulph Cross in 1843, while Methodists, Baptists, and Bible Christians established chapels. The village had four shops, including a bakery and post office, and a drill hall for the Rifle Volunteers.

Transport and Change

Across the river, the railway from St Budeaux to Bere Alston opened for passengers on the 2nd June 1890, giving Landulph residents new access to Devonport and Plymouth. The landlord of the Royal Oak (later renamed the Spaniards Inn) ran a ferry boat to Thorn Point, from where passengers walked to Bere Ferrers Station. On their return, they would wave for the ferryman to collect them.

Many of the small cottages in Cargreen housed agricultural workers, bargemen, and watermen with their families. Life was hard, and the river could be hazardous—several graves in Landulph Churchyard mark those who drowned. Families were often large and lived in cramped conditions, prompting many to leave or emigrate in search of a better life.

Modern Times

Since the Second World War, social and technological changes have transformed parish life. Though Landulph remains mainly agricultural, few now work on the land or river. The Tamar Valley has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and its hamlets and villages, including Cargreen, provide sought after homes for newcomers drawn to rural and riverside living.

Increased mobility and changing shopping habits mean that the small village shops and pubs once essential to the community are no longer viable. Many of the families who once sustained the parish—miners, market gardeners, bargemen, sailors, farmers, and fishermen—are gone. Yet their work and lives shaped the parish we know and cherish today. Their stories are our history of People and Place, and we hope to preserve them, keeping the connection between past and present alive.

© Andrew Barrett, November 2025, All rights reserved

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