From "Notes on the Parish of Mylor", published by Hugh Pengelly Olivey 1907
Beware, Ongoing work - This is First Draft Only and likely to contain typographic errors
SECTION 6
The Church - Old and Restored.
THE church underwent a thorough and careful restoration and renovation in the year 1870. The Rev. Jeffreys Wilkins Murray was then the vicar, and it was in a very dilapidated condition. He appears to have been particularly well versed in architectural and archaeological matters, and much of the description of the church(1) and restoration which follows are believed to be from notes made by him, and which are now among the parish papers. I therefore need make no apology for quoting largely from these notes. Before this date, it continued much as described by Tonkin (see p. 27), and "consisted of a nave, one aisle of the same length, with a handsome north cross aisle belonging to Carclew, and a little distance from the west a low square campanile covered with slate."He might also have added a south porch and tower.
It now consists of a chancel, nave, tower at west end, south aisle, north and south transepts, south porch, and vestry. In the south wall of the chancel are a piscina and a credence; the piscina is of the detached pillar form, and similar to that in Bodmin church, but somewhat larger, being 2½ feet in height and 1½ feet across the top.
The lower portion of the old rood screen has been refixed in its original position (across the entrance to the chancel); it is elaborately carved and adorned with colour, and has the words in old Cornish, IARYS IONAI IESW CREST, "The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The arcade has six semi-circular arches of very fine Caen stone, with pillars and capitals of the same material; the latter, which are octagonal, are enriched with well sculptured foliage. It is conjectured that these originally came from Glasney College.
The north transept, or Carclew aisle, is separated from the church by a light modern arcade or screen of Bath stone, the piers of which are panelled with Gothic tracery. This chapel or transept contains numerous monuments to the Bonithon, Kempe, and Lemon families, etc.
The entrances are a south porch, a north door, a chancel or priest's door, and a west door. The outer arch of the porch, with its jambs, are of Caen stone; the latter are panelled. In the east wall is a benatura or stoup, also of Caen stone. The north door is late Norman; its rounded arch is externally spanned by a serpent keyed with a gargoyle, and resting on ornamental pillars, detached shafts, and moulded bases. The lintel and jambs are adorned with chevron mouldings, the tympanum with a Greek cross in a circular panel. The western gable of the nave is surmounted with an embattled turret, which has one small bell. A detached belfry stands at a short distance to the west of the church, it contains three bells. When, in May, 1869, the church, being found to be in a very dilapidated and dangerous condition, was taken down for restoration and addition, it displayed three different styles of architecture: Norman, from about the reign of Henry I or Stephen (A.D. 1130-50); about A.D. 1400 the church was enlarged and partly reconstructed in the Late Decorated style; and this process was carried still further about A.D. 1500 in the Perpendicular style. Sculptured stones belonging to each style have been found in the old building material.
Frescoes and other wall-paintings formerly decorated the interior of the old church. The most ancient of them had become so much injured through decay and successive layers of whitewash, and had been pierced in so many places for the erection of tablets, etc., that no entire design remained. They were discovered on the north wall of the nave, extending from the apex of the Carclew arch to the western extremity of the wall.
On scaling off the whitewash, two or three separate layers of paintings were found, one over another, consisting of innumerable figures of persons and portions of inscriptions. On the original surface of the wall, close to the Carclew arch, was a fresco representing a woman clothed in a red garment, open at the neck, her hair arranged in a horizontal row of yellow curls, protuding beneath the lower edge of a plain closely-fitting white cap; the head slightly inclined upward, the features being coloured a pale pink. To the east of the Norman doorway, on the lower part of the wall, part of another fresco appeared figured in black; the right arm was flexed at the elbow, and the hand grasped a staff; between it and the front of the shoulder of the figure appeared to be the pages and clasps of an open book. Other portions of the wall appeared to be covered with robed figures, represented by red and black lines on an orange ground; the folds of drapery were gathered at the waist by a cord or belt. One figure had its right arm raised towards its face, and many of the figures had been injured through lowering the wall for a late roof; thus a long row of them had lost their heads. Ribbon labels or scrolls overlaid some of the figures; on these were still visible portions of Latin inscriptions in well-formed black letter. On the east side of the scrolls was the figure of a tower, with belfry window, battlements and spire, all drawn in black upon white, the coloured figures being found underneath.
Towards the Carclew arch occurred, also, as part of the same series of designs overlaying the coloured figures, a slender black rod with a fircone top. Still underneath the whitewash the remains of comparatively modern work, painted upon and obliterating the Latin scrolls, was found a red bordered tablet, inscribed in black-letter, the English words of I Cor., vi, 9. A similar tablet was found under the whitewash on the south walls, bearing Eccles., v, I, and date 1638.
An interesting description of these, with drawings, has been made by the Rev. W. Jago of Bodmin, and may be seen with illustrations in No. xi of the journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall.
On the exterior of the church are some grotesque heads, and in the tower was found a shallow stone bowl of Norman design with a human face for a spout.
The following notes having reference to the state of the church before restoration and its probable history, and here reproduced from newspaper cuttings found pasted in an old register book, are probably also those of the Rev. J. W. Murray.
At the Norman Period the church was probably cruciform, as a gurgoyle (or water spout) fitted for a junction of roofs was found built into the fourteenth century tower, and as the foundations were traced with the stones set on their edges along under by the present arcade (sixteenth century) and branching off to the south in the direction of the new additional South Chapel. As the Norman north wall was in a falling condition, it was, with the doorway, taken down and rebuilt stone for stone with the addition of the Norman windows on either side, where the apertures only seemed to indicate such in the old church. The tympanum of another Norman door, with one half of the door jambs found in the walls of the fourteenth and sixteenth century additions to the church, have again been worked into the west wall where the sockets made to receive the bar of the door were then discovered, thus proving the doorway originally to have been there. The stone used by the Normans was grey and dark brown granite, the latter very soft, the hard kind of brown elvan with killas, Caen stone, and a dark slate-coloured species of sandstone; the mortar being earth with lime made from coral and shells, and the plaster, lime mixed with coral and shells, the paving being also a kind of brown Purbeck sandstone. The gurgoyle is of Pentewan stone. Of the fresco colouring in black and yellow wave lines with figures, there was little left, and that too much mutilated to make restoration possible. To the Norman style of architecture succeeded the Early English (about 1220), after which came the Early, and then the Late Decorated (about 1350), and then the Perpendicular style (about 1400 to 1500). There are traces of the two latter in particular in this church.
The Decorated church of Mylor was cruciform and constructed for the most part out of the materials of the former and Norman church. The western gable was then taken down and the entrance doorway under it blocked up and a mass of masonry put together with earth mortar and lime, nine feet square, and built against the Norman walls immediately at the west end, and a small tower with battlements, and apparently a dwarf spire raised upon this mass. The Norman wall to the north was also left, with its door, and all else utterly destroyed. This we see by the north transept of the Decorated church, whose walls were full of Norman door jambs, fragments of windows, capitals, with blocks of Caen stone, etc., and in this transept were four openings in the walls, two looking north and two south, made up of Norman fragments about six inches square. The two apertures looking north have been preserved. A doorway and tower now stand over the portions of the other two. The fresco painting and writings in black and yellow on the Norman wall were apparently of three different dates: the earliest possibly Norman, the later of the Decorated period, and the writings-in what is now called "church text"- that of the sixteenth century. Following the Decorated and cruciform fabric came a third great change in the destruction of the chancel, nave, and south transept of the same, and turning the church into a less interesting and significant form of north and south aisle (with no distinctive chancel) and south porch, but leaving north transept and tower of the former building with the original Norman remains apparently untouched. Of this as of the two former alterations we can find no local or other record, and the style again is our only guide. In this Late and heavy Perpendicular work a strange though somewhat suggestive contrast appears. The well-wrought arcade with the corresponding windows of the finest kind of Caen stone, also the porch, contrasted strongly with the building work, which in all its parts was as indifferent as it well could be. Hence, too, the supposition that from the old connection between Mylor and Glasney it is possible that this old Perpendicular work may have been brought from there. The whole of this third portion of the church in its supporting walls was full of Norman and Decorated fragments, the material of the two preceding fabrics; the whole of them with the exception of the porch was, in 1869, found to be in an almost falling condition, held up by the old churchyard cross, partially to the south but running out to the east and north. The foregoing shows the destruction wrought at different periods and the feeble and disastrous attempts at repair. The practice of all former alterations, called, perhaps, restorations, has been to destroy ruthlessly any features which appeared to have lasted their day, and to introduce others which appeared better to suit the altered tastes of the time. It is happily the case that at the present day a better spirit prevails in our restorations, and any feature which has the mark of antiquity and tells its history, where it is suitable, is most religiously preserved. That has been the case in this church under the able and loving care of the then vicar and his friends, and the church has become one of the most beautiful and interesting in the west of Cornwall. That this has been the case the description of the work done by way of restoration will show. It is now in excellent order, and interesting as a monument of the piety of the past and present generations.
RESTORATION.
The work of restoration consisted-in the Norman portion-of rebuilding the north wall and door, replacing Norman west door, insertion of Norman windows in Forest Gate stone in strict accordance with original north door, placing gargoyle at junction of nave and north transept roofs. The Decorated portion-opening out of tower arch with two-light gable window; in north transept insertion of corresponding entrance door at east side with lateral single-light windows and gable cross, with clearing-out and displaying the rood loft stairs and internal entrance to church. Stone used as in original work-coarse grey granite.
The Perpendicular portion - rebuilding on exact basis of former work, south, and east of north walls, replacing all the windows, taking down and rebuilding arcade, with cleaning the same and windows in every part; also cleaning the stonework of porch by a similar process, and restoring the old water stoup at east side, with addition of new south chapel and vestry in corresponding stone (viz. Bath stone) and style; a reredos, also of Bath stone, with red granite polished shafts, and a mosaic, executed in Venice, by Salviati and Co., the gift of the grandchildren of the late Sir William Lemon. The pavements laid in encaustic tile. The roof pitch-pine, of sixteenth century work, plain and open, though in chancel boarded between rafters and ornamented with semi-circular ribs and screenwork. There is an open and paved Posse all around the building for the sake of dryness and circulation of air. At the time of the above restoration the church was also re-seated throughout. All the seats, with the exception of those in the Carclew chapel, for which there is a faculty, and those in the Clinton chapel, are free and unappropriated.
The stained-glass windows were also added, those in the north transept by Messrs. Hardman, of Birmingham. The two side windows are inscribed "In memory of Lady Frances Margaret Tremayne, who died April 11th, 1866,"and "In memory of Lady Jane Louisa Hely Hutchinson, who died August 29th, 1868."The former window, which is towards the east, is filled with a representation of Our Lord teaching little children. The other, on the west side, represents him as the Good Shepherd with a starry firmament overhead. The tower window, which represents St. Peter and St. Paul, was given by Mr. Stivey, a gentleman then connected with the royal dockyard, whom Mr. Murray has described as his "right hand"in the execution of the work of restoration, and who rendered most valuable aid in superintending the same.
The window in the new vestry is by Gibbs, of London, and is the gift of Captain and Mrs. Norway, and represents St. Miloris, the patron saint of the church. It displays within a canopied niche the young martyr with sword of suffering and palm branch of victory. Legends are introduced: "Gloria in excelsis Deo"; "Sanctus Meliorus, martyr die Augusti xxviii, ccccxi,"and beneath, upon a back-ground of grapes, appear the words: "Te martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus to per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur ecclesia patrem immensx majestatis.""Credo sanctorum communionem."
The east window in the chancel is also by Gibbs. The subjects represented are The Crucifixion, Descent from the Cross, Resurrection and Ascension. This was provided by the general fund.
The north window in the chancel is inscribed "In memory of Capt. Downey, R.N., lost in H.M. ship "Briseis"that foundered at sea in 1838"; also, "In memory of Capt. Luce, R.N., died at 'The Knoll,' Malmesbury, Wilts, 1874."The subject is St. Peter and John the Baptist in the side lights, and Noah in the centre. The south window in the south transept is "In memory of Nevil Norway, D.L., J.P., Commander R.N., who died at Lawn Cliff, Flushing, February 27, 1887, aged 79 years."The subject is: The Good Shepherd, St. Peter and St. John.
On a small window in the same transept, facing east, is inscribed: "In memory of Charles Griffin, R.N., Catherine his wife, and Alicia Peel Cady their daughter, wife of Edward Cady. This window is erected by her children, 1897."It consists of one light-The Saviour, "I am the resurrection and the life."
The cost of restoring the Carclew transept was defrayed by the late Col. Tremayne, who was also a generous donor to the general fund. The entrance to this transept or chapel is occupied by a handsome stone screen of three arches, and a new doorway has been cut on the east side, over which the old sculptured crucifixion(2) found in the old wall on the other side of the church has been placed, and a small circular tower, terminating in a spire, has been built in the angle formed by the Carclew transept and chancel.
The church was opened, after restoration, on Friday the 19th August, 1870. The Bishop of Exeter (the late Dr. Temple) being the preacher at the morning service, and the Rev. T. Phillpots, of Porthgwidden, in the afternoon.
The Mission Church at Mylor Bridge was erected in 1892, the foundation stone being laid by Mrs. Tremayne, April 5. It will seat about two hundred persons. The cost was about £600. The old mission church, formerly an Independent chapel, is now used as a Sunday School, and also as a Church Room for all church purposes. It was recently (1904) presented to the parish by the late Col. Tremayne, to be under the sole charge of the vicar for the time being, and is vested in the Diocesan Finance Committee.
OLD INTERIOR.
No reference has so far been made in this description of the old church to its internal arrangements. My recollection carries me back to about I 840. It was then furnished with pews in a very irregular manner and almost all kinds of shapes, some very large square ones, and had high panelled sides, such as wherein it is reputed our forefathers used to fall asleep under a long and drowsy sermon. The custom among the men was first to stand up and look into their hats, and during the prayers to stand leaning over the side of the pew. A gallery extended across the west end, and another which contained the old barrel-organ (which was also convertible, but the barrel was most frequently used during the singing, which consisted of a psalm from the Tate and Brady version) extended from the Carclew arch and joined that at the west. I have no recollection of other instrumental music being used.
The pulpit stood in the south aisle, just at the west corner of the new south transept, and had a big sounding board suspended over it.
There was a curious appropriation of pews prior to the time I speak of, for an account of which I am indebted to Miss Doble. By this it will be seen that they were bought and sold and became the private property of individuals, and in some cases were left by will.
Being such an unusual mode of allotment I transcribe the whole document. It is as follows:
"An account of the Pews in Mylor Church, Dec. 9th, 1830
1. Occupied by James Husband and family, purchased by him of John Snell of Flushing, Shoemaker for £4. 15th Nov. 1820.
2 and 3. Formerly one seat. No. 2 occupied by Mrs. Tresidder of Flushing. No. 3 occupied by Mrs. Griffin and her family by paying a rent to Mrs. Tresidder. Claimed as being built by her grandfather Henry Short when he was churchwarden about i00 years ago.
4. Occupied by Mr. Carne until Christmas when the ch. ws. will appoint others. Claimed by the Rev. M. Yescombe as purchased in 1797 of Wm. Tyrrel, butcher of Penryn and let by Rev. M. Y. to Mr. Carne at an annual rent. Rev. M. Y. lives at Truro.
5. Churching Pew under the Pulpit.
6. Occupied by Ben Lawrence farmer and others.
7. Pew for the servants of the Bishop's tenements.
8. Occupied by Mr. Penn, Governmt storekeeper, claimed by Lord Clinton's steward and let by him at an annual rent.
9. Occupied by John Carlyon for Bridge tent.
10. Occupied by Mrs. Haynes and another.
11. Occupied by Nic. Goodfellow farmer Crownick Tenement and others.
12. Occupied by Mrs. Louttit Tregew Tent and others.
13. Occupied by John Thomas and family, built by his grandmother.
14. Free.
15. Occupied by Capt. Steel by the order of Rev. Chancellor Martin. Claimed by Regenna Mitchell a labourers wife who had let it to Capt. Steel at a rent.
16. Free.
17. Occupied by Mr. Millar and by Mr. Painter farmer at the ch. ws. appointment.
Eight Pews under the Large Gallery Free.
18. Miller Rowe and J. Husband for Penoweth.
19. Mr. John Rowe for Portlew tenemt.
20. C. Goodfellow for Tregoweth Tenmt and others.
21. Mr. Rundle for Dowstall Tenemt.
22. Halwyn Tenemt and Tregew Tenemt.
23. John Allen and Thos. George farmers and by John Barbery 58 years.
24. Tenants of Mount Stewart Cottage.
25. Ile occupied by Sir Charles Lemon Bart. and household.
The chancel 10 Pews occupied by various families who pay an annual rent to the Vicar.
Ile Lord Clinton's partly occupied by tenants and partly let out at an annual rent.South Gallery.
1. Occupied by Mr. Buzza.
2. Claimed by Provis, mariner, bought by him at a Public Auction of Mr. Willoughby's Exors.
3. Free. Occupied by Cuttance.
4. Claimed by Mrs. Sarvis, given to her mother by Mrs. Nicholls whose Grandfather built it 106 years ago, let 8 years ago for the singers.
5. Occupied by Mary Webb of Flushing, built by her grandfather, let by her at an annual rent for the singers 8 years ago.
6. Occupied occasionally and locked up by Benjn. Stephens, bought of Mrs. Fanny Symons and let 8 years ago for the singers.
Claimed by Miss Kempthorne, purchased by her mother 40 years ago, let 8 years ago at 10/6 a year for the singers.
8. Free.
9. Claimed by Hannah Welch a pauper as having been built by her grandmother.
10. Claimed by John Forster, bought it for 3s. of Willoughby's Executors.Large Gallery.
1. Free. 2. Free. 3. Free.
4. John Dupen bought it of Heny George 1752
S. John Barbery bought of Rd Philp.
6. Claimed by Grace Thomas, left to her by will by Thos. Pascoe, left to him by Grace Knight, bought by her of Grace Polkinhorne.
7. Free. 8. Free.
9. Saml O'Brien bought it of Willoughby's Ex' for £3 5s., 16 Sept. 1822.
10. Ann Deacon, a pauper, heiress to her Grandfather John Deeble who built it.
Great Gallery.
I I. Claimed by Kitty Millett as having been built by her Grandfather Richards by permission of Francis St. Barb. Vicar and Churchwardens 100 years ago.
12. Free."
FONTS AND DOORWAYS AS EVIDENCES OF ANTIQUITY.
Of all marks of former and older churches perhaps fonts, which frequently escaped the general destruction, are amongst the chief and most certain evidences; and next of those things preserved from the wreck are doorways. At Mylor we find the north Norman doorway very complete, with font bearing a similar cross in one of its panels, though apparently some years later than the doorway, and these remains must be the connecting link between the Norman fabric and the great church restoration period of about 1259, when Bishop Bronescombe built and rebuilt a great number of Cornish churches, and appropriated their revenues to the college of Glasney, which he had founded.
There appears to be no special mention of Mylor in the Domesday book of William the Conqueror, although there are these distinct traces of Norman work in the church, and there are no remains of an earlier building. The Norman work might date from A.D. 1100.
The grant of Truro by William the First to Robert, Earl of Montaign (and Cornwall), his half-brother, in place of Condorus, the former earl, and the building of the castle in that place, implies the spread of Norman interest and Norman architecture in this as in other parts of the country at that period, viz., 1070 to 1150
THE FONT.
The font is Late Norman, of grey granite, and very plain. It consists of an octagonal bowl, a round shaft, and a carved basement. Within the circular panels on its sides, among other devices, are the following in relief: a cross patonce, a cross moline, a fimbriated saltire, and three chevrons in pale. The bowl is considered to be of later date than the shaft and base.
THE PULPIT.
This is a fine old piece of carved wood-work, and by some said
to be what is called an "armada pulpit"-one brought
over from Spain by Philip of Spain, from which to preach the true
gospel to the English. This idea Mr. Peter in his pamphlet has no
belief in.
THE ORGAN.
The organ originally was by Flight. It has from time to time been
much altered and reconstructed. It is a good instrument. The
present organ chamber was constructed a few years ago (about
1875).
CHURCH PLATE.
There is a good collection of Church Plate, which consists of:
(1) An Alms Dish, weighing 31oz., 18dwts.,1/2gr, with a coat of
arms (supposed to be Mabberley) on the upper surface. On the
under surface is inscribed "A gift to the parish of Mylor,
18th September, 1743."No one of this name appears to have
been connected with the neighbourhood. The fact of a coat of arms
being found on church plate does not always indicate that it was
the gift of the person bearing those arms, and this dish may have
been a salver for domestic use. I can point to a case in
illustration, where the cost of a certain paten occurs in the
churchwardens' accounts, and which bears a coat of arms
altogether unconnected with the neighbourhood.
(2) An Alms Dish, weighing 45oz., 1ldwts., 11grs., with the
sacred monogram on the front, and the Clinton arms and date, 1762
under.
(3) A Flagon, weighing 43oz., 6dwts., 21/¼grs., with monogram as
on (2), and the Clinton arms twice on the sides, and date, 1762.
(4) A Chalice, weighing 26oz., 19dwts., 12¾grs., with monogram,
arms, and date as before.
(5) A Paten, weighing 5oz., 6¾grs., with the same monogram,
arms, and date. All these are of silver.
(6) A small Paten of plated metal.
The weights here given I have extracted from Mr. Thurstan Peter's excellent pamphlet, The Churches of Mylor and Mabe.
A neat brass Lectern was presented by Mrs. Olivey, in 1892, in memory of her husband, Hugh Oliver Olivey, who had been for many years a churchwarden.
THE BELLS.
In the detached belfry which stands at the west of the church are three bells, having the following measurements and legends
1. Thirty-two inches in diameter, and has inscribed,
"In honore Santi Georgii."
2. Thirty-five inches in diameter, has inscribed,
"Ego me preco se clamando
Centerimus audite venite."-1637.
It has been a puzzle for eminent scholars to give a sensible
translation of this.
3. Tenor, 372 in. in diameter, had formerly only "1664." It is now inscribed, "Recast by John Warner and Son, London, 1888."
In the embattled turret in the western gable of the nave is a small bell.
At the time of the restoration of the church, two of the bells in the belfry were found to be cracked, of the date of which there was no record; they had not been used for a number of years. These were recast in 1888 as a memorial of the late vicar, the Rev. J. W. Murray, who had devoted so much attention to the restoration of the church. This memorial included also the restoration of the belfry. The work of recasting was carried out by Messrs. Warner and Sons, London, at a cost of about £70; the total cost amounting to £100. These bells were first rung on Whitsunday, l0th May, 1888. A few years later a carillon was adapted to them, by means of which the three are now chimed by one person.
The small bell in the turret appears to have some history attached to it. It was at Trefusis for some time, and was given to the church a few years ago and placed in its present position. It may be the bell (referred to by Polwhele in his history), which was removed from Redruth and taken to Trefusis. If so, it would show great antiquity. Polwhele's account is as follows: "At the bottom of the great street at Redruth, near the river, was the chapel," and, in a note, "Here service was performed twice a week within the memory of some living, but now the chapel is unroofed, and the bells carried to Trefusis, as it is situated on Trefusis's land." - W. Tonkin's MSS.
It may be that from the remoteness of the church of this parish from any considerable village, the bells have not been such an important feature here as in most other places. The churchwardens' accounts do not show such items as, "For the ringers, Sth November" (Gunpowder plot), "the 29th May" (the restoration of King Charles II), for accession or coronation days, or for royal birthdays; neither is the "death bell"tolled, or what is called the "passing bell," by which the living were called upon to pray for the departing soul. In reference to this, we find in the "Advertisement for due order," etc., of 7 Eliz., 11 Item, that when a christian bodie is in passing that the bell be tolled and the curate be speciallie called for to comfort the sick person and after the time of his passinge to ring no more than one short peale; and one before the buriall and another shorte peale after the buriall." In 1662, the bishop of Winchester, in his visitation charge, asked: "Doth the parish clerk or sexton take care to admonish the living by tolling of a passing bell of any that are dying, thereby to meditate of their own deaths, and to commend the other's weak condition to the mercy of God." It was a superstitious idea that the great bell was always to be used on these occasions as a means of scaring the evil spirits farther away, by which means the poor soul would have a better start of them, and being heard farther away, procure the dying man a greater number of prayers.(3)
In connection with bell-ringing, the following old and quaint lines may be quoted as appearing in the tower of Landulph Church, dated 1768.
"Let awful silence first proclaimed be,
And praise unto the Holy Trinity;
Then honour give unto our noble king,
So with a blessing let us raise this ring.
Hark how the chirping treble sings most clear,
And covering Tom comes rowling in the rear;
And now the bells are up come let us see
What laws are best to keep sobriety.
Who swears or curses, or in choleric mood
Quarrels or strikes altho' he draws no blood,
Who wears his hat or spur, or o'erturns a bell
Or by unskilful handling marrs a peal,
Let him pay sixpence for. each single crime,
'Twill make him cautious 'gainst another time.
But if the sexton's fault an hindrance be,
We call from him a double penalty.
If any should our parson disrespect,
Or wardens orders any time neglect,
Let him be always held in full disgrace,
And ever more be banished this place.
So when the bells are ceased then let us sing
God bless the Church, God save the King."
A shorter version is also painted on a board in the belfry of St. Merryn Church.
KING CHARLES'S LETTER.
There is in good preservation in the church King Charles's letter of thanks to the people of Cornwall for their loyalty and bravery in defending his rights. It is painted on wood, and dated Loth September, 1643, from his camp at Sudeley Castle. I here transcribe it.
"C. R. We are highly sensible of ye extraordinary merit of Our County of Cornwall of their zeal for the defence of Our Person and the just rights of Our Crown in a time when we could contribute so little to our own defence or to their assistance in a time when not only no reward appeared but great and probable dangers were threatened to obedience and loyalty of their great and eminent courage and patience in their indefatigable prosecution of their great work against so potent an enemy backed by so strong rich and populous cities and so plentifully furnished and supplied with men, arms, money, ammunition, provisions of all kinds and of the wonderful success with what it hath pleased Almighty God though with the loss of some most eminent persons who shall never be forgotten by us to reward their loyalty and patience by many strange victories over them and our enemies in despite of all human probability and all imaginable disadvantages that as we cannot be forgetful of so great desserts so we cannot but desire to publish to all the world and perpetuate to all time the memory of these their merits and of our acceptance of the same and to that end we do hereby render our Royal thanks to that our county and in the most publick and the most lasting manner We can devise commanding copies hereof to be printed and published one of them to be read in every Church and Chapel therein and to be kept for ever as a record of the same that as long as the History of these Times and this Nation shall continue the memory of how much that County hath merited from Us and Our Crown may be derived with it to posterity. Given, etc."
THE REGISTERS.
These commence in 1673, and are contained in eighteen books, most of which are in a fair state of preservation. The old books are of parchment, loosely put together, and much of the writing indistinct, badly written, and very carelessly kept, and the entries of Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths are indiscriminately mixed up. The later books are in ruled forms, and better kept and preserved. The marriages up to 1812 have been transcribed by the writer of this work, and are published in Vol. VII of Cornish Marriages, by Messrs. Phillimore and Taylor.
With regard to the keeping of parish registers, the first mandate for keeping them was made in the time of Henry VIII, about 1536, by Thomas Cromwell, who was vicar-general. This mandate was renewed in more vigorous terms on the accession of Elizabeth, 1558, but not being regularly observed, it was ordered in I S97 that parchment register books should be purchased at the expense of every parish, and that all names in the older books (mostly of paper) should be therein transcribed. It was at the same time ordered that copies should be annually forwarded to the episcopal registry to be preserved in the episcopal archives. This injunction was so imperfectly carried out, and the duplicates when forwarded so carelessly kept, that the diocesan registers are mere fragments of what they should be, and in some cases are in such confusion as to be practically valueless. There are few dioceses that have any registers earlier than 1660.
In many parishes the early registers have been lost, and they are usually defective or wanting during the Commonwealth. This was more particularly the case with regard to marriages, which during that period were sanctioned to be performed by magistrates. The old register books contain many scraps of local information interpolated in the pages, of which the writer has availed himself in compiling this work.
In 1547, the order for keeping registers was as follows: "That the parson, vicar, or curate and parishioners of every parish within this realm shall in their churches and chapels keep one book or register, wherein they shall write the day and year of every wedding, christening, and burial made within their parish for their time; and so every man succeeding them likewise; and therein shall write every persons name that shall be so wedded, christened, or buried. And for the safe keeping of the same book, the parish shall be bound to provide of their common charges one sure coffer with two locks and keys, whereof the one shall remain with the parson, vicar, or curate, and the other with the wardens of every parish church or chapel wherein the said book shall be laid up; which book they shall every Sunday take forth in the presence of the said wardens, or one of them, write and record in the same all the weddings, christenings and burials made the whole week before; and that done, to lay up the book in the said coffer as afore. And for every time the same shall be omitted, the party that shall be the fault thereof shall forfeit to the said church 3s- 4d., to be employed to the poor man's box of that parish." (Injunctions of Edward VI.)
In the injunction of Elizabeth, the fine is to be employed half to the poor man's box and half towards the repairing of the church; and, still later, the whole forfeit is to be employed for the reparation of the church. A statute of William III made the keeping of such a register obligatory on the minister of every parish and place. But the statute itself was passed for the grant of a tax to assist in carrying on the war then pending. Later acts have for the most part changed the person of the registrar. The minister still remains the registrar of marriages according to the rites of the Church of England. But special registrars are appointed for the registration of births and deaths, and of other modes of marriage, and of making the ceremony of marriage a civil rite.
In the register of burials there frequently occurs a note that the body was buried in woollen only. This was on account of an act passed in 1679 (and which was repealed in 1814) to encourage the wool trade. An affidavit had to be taken before a magistrate by two credible persons, on oath, "that the said . . . was not put in, wrapt, or wound up, or buried in any shirt, shift, sheet or shroud made or mingled with flax, hemp, silk, gold or silver, or any other than what is made of sheep's wool only, or in any coffin lined or faced with any cloth stuff or anything whatsoever made or mingled with flax, hemp, silk, hair, gold or silver, or any other material but sheep's wool only."This affidavit must be made within eight days after the interment, and the relatives shall bring the same so signed to the minister, who shall enter the same in his register. If these conditions were not complied with, then the goods and chattels of the deceased were liable to forfeiture of £5, to be levied by distress by the churchwardens and overseers, to whom the minister was to give notice of default. Half the penalty was given to the poor, and the remainder, with all costs incurred before the justices, went to the informer.
There were many other strict acts passed relating to the manufacture of woollen and the encouragement thereof, dating from the time of Edward IV, 1442, but the particular act referred to was 30 Car. 11, c. 3.
Another entry in these burial registers is of some interest. The word "mort"occurs, and a sum is paid which varies in different entries. These were called in the old days oblations, or in still older times "soul scot,"sums paid to the clergy as a kind of heriot. Just as the lord, on the death of a life, claimed the best beast or other goods, so the clergy claimed the second best chattel; and anciently it was usual to bring the mortuary to the church along with the corpse when it was brought to be buried. A variety of customs existed in different parishes with regard to mortuaries, and they frequently gave rise to exactions. By a statute of 21 Hen. VIII, an attempt was made to reduce them to some kind of certainty. By that statute it was enacted: 41 that all 'mortuaries' or 'corse presents' to parsons (the latter term showing them to be voluntary donations) should be taken in the following manner, viz., for every person dying therein who did not leave goods to the value of ten marks, nothing; to every person leaving ten marks and under thirty pounds, 3s. 4d.; above thirty pounds and under forty, 6s. 8d.; if above fifty pounds, of what value soever, 10s. and no more, and under this statute stands the law of mortuaries to this day."(4)
The duration of our parish registers of three-and-half centuries is a direct link with bygone days, and although in many cases indifferent care has been taken of them, they are as a rule the best preserved of any parish documents.
(1) The illustration of the old church is reproduced from a pencil sketch, and shows the old cross, head downwards, supporting the bulging south wall. The gentleman shown by the chancel door is Mr. Boucout, who occupied the cottage which stood on what is now a portion of the churchyard, and which is shown in the diagram of the churchyard additions. A son of this gentleman, who was born here, is Sir James Penn Boucout, now a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia, and an ex-Premier.
(2) "This was found in two stones. Together they represent in relief Our Blessed Lord on the Cross beneath a cusped canopy or trefoil arch. The head of the figure is inclined towards the north, resting on the right shoulder."-Rev. W. Jago. See also sketch copied from his Article No. XI,. Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall. This sculpture is now very indistinct; the weather probably has affected it after being buried so long.
(3) In many counties it is
still the custom to toll the great bell on the occasion of a
death in the parish, and in allusion to this the following
inscription is on the tenor bell of North Curry Church, Somerset
"May all that I shall summon
to the grave, The blessing of a well spent life receive."
It is also the custom there to toll this bell after the funeral,
and indicate the age by a series of strokes with an interval
between each wore; and also the sex, by nine for a man, seven for
a woman, five for a boy, three for a girl.
(4) Justice Stephen's Commentaries of the Law of England.
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