It’s Easter Sunday. It seems appropriate therefore to write about something religious. The original Cornish monasteries were part of the Celtic church, but by the Norman period these were just memories, if that. Then, from 1100 to the mid-1200s, a great wave of monastic foundations burst across the British Isles. Cornwall received its share of … Continue reading The medieval monasteries of Cornwall
Category: religion
Why religious dissent didn't take off in 17th century Cornwall
On the 15th of March 1675, Hugh Acland of Truro reported ‘a great meeting of Quakers in a parish adjoining this town about seven last Friday evening where there were a great many others of young people that were not of their opinion but went out of curiosity. The room being full, one of the … Continue reading Why religious dissent didn't take off in 17th century Cornwall
The lifestyle of the Celtic saints
Around 140 separate Celtic saints were venerated in Cornwall. Later, it was assumed most of them came from elsewhere, from Wales, Brittany or Ireland, even though many were in fact probably native to Cornwall. As time passed, saints became the object of local folklore. In imagining the histories of their saints, the Cornish revealed how … Continue reading The lifestyle of the Celtic saints
It’s Celtic saints’ month
With St David’s Day tomorrow, St Piran’s on Thursday and St Patrick’s in a couple of weeks’ time, this has to be the month of the Celtic saints. To the greater glory of St Euny, my local saint, I shall be forced to devote the next three blogs to the subject. Stauined glass modern representation … Continue reading It’s Celtic saints’ month
Who was Bishop Colenso?
Christian missionaries don’t get such a good press these days, often viewed as merely an arm of western colonialism, accompanying the trader and the soldier. But some missionaries broke the mould. One was John Colenso, born at St Austell on January 24th, 1814. The Colensos were actually a Penzance family. John’s father was a mine … Continue reading Who was Bishop Colenso?
The fall of the Arundells of Lanherne
By the end of the fifteenth century the Arundell family of Lanherne at St Mawgan had climbed to the top of Cornwall’s pecking order. Yet, by the 1600s the family was declining fast. The reason was simple enough. Their stubborn commitment to Roman Catholicism after the Reformation of the 1540s made them suspect in the … Continue reading The fall of the Arundells of Lanherne
What to see in Cornish churches: 1
My religious correspondent has sent me this description of two Cornish churches which both have medieval art worth taking a look at. Breage The most striking thing about Breage church is its wall paintings. The two largest are opposite the main door. On the left is St. Christopher, patron saint of travellers, greeting you as … Continue reading What to see in Cornish churches: 1
Cornish studies resources 