The village is situated two miles (3 km) southwest of Launceston and half-a-mile west of Cornwall's border with Devon at the River Tamar.

[11] The parish church of St Michael is in Lawhitton village at SX 355 825; it is of various periods of English Gothic architecture.

Features of interest include the Jacobean pulpit, 1665, and two monuments, to R. Bennet (d. 1683) and in Coade stone to Richard Bennet-Coffin (d.

[14] His son was Col. Robert Bennet (1605–1683) of Hexworthy, a Member of Parliament during the Civil War and a noted commander of the Parliamentarian forces.

[14] His descendant Richard Bennett-Coffin (d.1796) was the second son of Edward Bennett of Lawhitton by his wife Honor Coffin (born 1682), 11th daughter of Richard Coffin (1623–1700) of Portledge in the parish of Alwington in North Devon, lord of the manor of Alwington and Sheriff of Devon in 1683.

The Coffin family had been established at Alwington since the reign of King Henry II (1154–1189), and remained there in unbroken male succession until 1766.

[16] Richard Bennett adopted the name and arms of Coffin in 1767 by Act of Parliament, but died without progeny at Esher in Surrey and was buried at Lawhitton where survives his monument.