Cornwall's Maritime Churches
Reading about Saint Anthony
Lucy Raymond, an undergraduate student of history, introduces us to the maritime and mythical roots surrounding St Anthony’s church, located on the Roseland Peninsula.
Introducing St Anthony’s church
The church site is described by the British Publishing Company as ‘Place’ or ‘Plase’, translated as ‘palace’ in Cornish. Despite being a known dwelling of the Prior and his two black canons, it would appear that the church was rededicated in 1259 by Walter Bronescombe, Bishop of Exeter, where the Priory of Plympton was the patron. [1]
Today we can see this tangible connection, as the church itself is adjoined to Place House which has been home to the Spry family since as early as 1547. The Spry family were incredibly influential throughout Cornwall, particularly within the Roseland.
‘[The church] was granted by Henry, in 1547, to Thomas Goodwin, and afterwards became the property of the Sprys’. [2]
The Spry family were the sole contributors to the restoration of the Church, which occurred in the nineteenth century, overseen by Reverend C W Carlyon. This included the rebuilding of the wooden roof, floor tiles and stained glass.
Where it all began
Canon John Adams has had a lifelong interest in history, genealogy and antiquarian research. In his account of medieval chapels in Cornwall, he states that the historian Hals dates the founding of the Church of St Anthony-in-Roseland back to 1124.
‘1124, at which time William Warlewast, Bishop of Exeter, founded here a church and dedicated it to St.Anthony.’ [3]
Yet local historian Nev Meek states the history of St Anthony begins via a missionary saint who travelled to Cornwall, setting up isolated cells. Bishop Bronescombe then rededicated the church to St Anthony later on. Meek discusses the refashioning and restoration of the chancel in the nineteenth century, after it was knocked down in the period of the dissolution of the monasteries. [4] It is interesting to see differences in historical understanding.
Maritime roots
St Anthony-in-Roseland, as well as St Just-of-Roseland were heavily involved in tin trading until the nineteenth century, as their navigable waters allowed merchants from the Mediterranean to commonly trade tin.
Yet there is more to the church and its maritime roots than meets the eye.
Upon arrival, you can see the graves of the members of the late immediate Spry family as well as their servants. Thomas Davy Spry, as one example, was very heavily involved in the capture of the Spanish vessel Diana, on 11 November 1779. [5] The London Gazette from April 1 1775 includes the promotion of Sir Richard Spry, from ‘Rear Admiral of the White’ to ‘Rear Admiral of the Red’ for his admired involvement in the Navy. [6] Interestingly, on April 13 1779, an edition of the same newspaper states
‘The King hath been pleased to grant unto Thomas Davy, Esq: Captain to the Royal Navy…his Royal Licence and Authority to take and use the Surname and Arms of Spry.’ [7]
The notion he was granted the surname and arms of Spry, indicates the importance and grandeur now bestowed upon the family. Further information regarding the Spry family can be found within Helms and Cruickshank’s work on the history of the house of commons. They include how the Spry family can be traced back in Cornwall to the reign of Henry VII, Arthur Spry being an important member of Parliament who had influence in passing a ‘bill to enable a quay to be erected at Falmouth’. [8]
Another valuable source is Edward Harte’s poetry, published as a souvenir pamphlet in 1955. Harte sums up the general feelings surrounding this beautiful church in a thought-provoking tribute, rendering the site a ‘Paradise, this fairyland, of deep blue waters, sun-drenched sands.’ [9]
Harte suggests this church as special and hence the only one that Henry VIII had restored in Cornwall. He describes a compelling scene here
‘The story is that when they were in Cornwall, Admiral Spry sailed out of Falmouth Harbour one morning to have a look at the coast from the sea to find which was the best way to defend it…he ran into the French fleet coming in to sack Penryn. He wiped the lot up and scored the first great Naval Victory of Henry VIII days. This uplifted the morale of the Cornish people and made Henry popular. He knew that the Cornish were. Religious race and he cashed in on the fact. He ordered the Church to be restored and a roof to be put on it like the bottom of a ship to commemorate this victory, and so it is today.’
On a more religious or legendary level, Harte captures the common belief amongst the Roseland peninsula and throughout Cornwall, that Jesus visited multiple churches with his uncle Joseph of Arimathea. Supposedly
‘the traders brought Joseph’s damaged boat into the bay by Place. While they were making it seaworthy they had somewhere to stay as it was a trading post.’ [10]
Local newspapers have been an incredibly useful source for finding out, first-hand, about the church and its maritime history. One issue of the Cornishman in 1947 states
‘on the site of St. Anthony Gardens, there once stood an ancient chapel dedicated to St. Anthony, the patron saint of fishermen…it is noteworthy that various parishes in Cornwall have been dedicated to St. Anthony, among them St Anthony-in-Roseland.’ [11]
The maritime connection is evident here, and adds another layer of understanding to the origin of the church itself. Among online newspapers, coverage of the restoration of the Church and funding can be found too, as well as funerals of noteworthy members of the community, namely Sir Samuel Thomas Spry. [12]
The guide ‘Notes on the parish of St. Anthony in Roseland’ holds a lot of in-depth information about the church’s architecture, declaring the reasons behind its vernacular.
‘The soil is fertile, and the parish has such a lengthened coast line, that great advantages accrue to the farmer, from the proximity of an abundance of rich seaweed, which is thrown upon the beaches after every southern or western gale’. [13]
He then continues to speak about the ‘non-human’ inhabitants of St Anthony
‘The tides that flow around this fairy little peninsula are of valued importance to the inhabitants. They bring lots of useful seaweed, besides small fish, such as eels, shrimps, smelts, mullet, and small pollock.’ [14]
The fishing community, although no longer as prominent, was of large importance for those who lived in this parish.
Census records and genealogy have been useful in finding local maritime connections which run deeper than outward location. Bill O’Reily has partaken in a comprehensive history of the churchyard of St Anthony. His website is extremely useful for anybody looking for particular histories of individuals. [15] Within the census, there is a common occurrence of typically maritime careers including fishermen, seaman and members of the Navy. As well as this, however, there is a lot of mention of farming, which suggests the community remains diverse and agricultural.
St Anthony’s today
The Church of St Anthony is now looked after by the Churches Conservation trust and does not hold active services.
See the Churches Conservation Trust site >
References
[1] ‘The Story of S.Gerrans with S.Anthony-in-Roseland Cornwall’ Pamphlet, (The British Publishing Company Ltd: Gloucester), pp.3-16, (p.14)
[2] Ibid.
[3] Penryn Campus special collections, ICS3, (1930s-1970s), Canon R H Adams manuscript and typescript material: ‘St Anthony-in-Roseland
[4] Nev Meeks videos will be available shortly on the video library >
[5] Richard Hiscocks, ‘Thomas Davy Spry’ 2018, here >
[6] The London Gazette, (April 1 1775) issue 11549, here >
[7] The London Gazette, (April 13th 1779), issue 11549
[8] M.W. Helms, Eveline Cruickshanks, ‘Arthur Spry of Plymouth, Devon and Place, St Anthony’, originally published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690, eds. By B.D.Henning, (1983) here >
[9] Edward Harte, Place: St Anthony in Roseland, (Truro: Cornwall, 1955). Souvenir Booklet,
[10] Edward Harte, The Story of Place: St Anthony in Roseland, (Truro, Cornwall), p.17 here >
[11] ‘Patron Saint of Fishing’, Cornishman, Penzance, (25th September 1947) issue 4979, p.2
[12] ‘Local Intelligence’, Royal Cornwall Gazette (May 28 1852), issue 2553, p.5
[13] Notes on the parish of St. Anthony in Roseland and its restored Church, with remarks on the life and temptations of the Patron Saint: with illustrations by the Rev. C.W. Carlyon, (London: James Truscott, Nelson Square, 1852) pp.1-40, p.4
[14] Ibid, p.8.
[15] See work by Bill O’Reiley here >
Further reading
Special collections
Penryn Campus special collections, ICS3, (1930s-1970s), Canon R H Adams manuscript and typescript material: ‘St Anthony-in-Roseland
Pamphlet
Harte, Edward., The Story of Place: St Anthony in Roseland, (Truro, Cornwall), p.17 p. Here >
‘The Story of S.Gerrans with S.Anthony-in-Roseland Cornwall’ Pamphlet, (The British Publishing Company Ltd: Gloucester), pp.3-16, (p.14)
Newspaper
Local Intelligence’, Royal Cornwall Gazette (May 28 1852), issue 2553, p.5. Here >
‘Patron Saint of Fishing’, Cornishman, Penzance, (25th September 1947) issue 4979, p.2. Here >
The London Gazette, (April 13th 1779), issue 11549. Here >
Book
Notes on the parish of St. Anthony in Roseland and its restored Church, with remarks on the life and temptations of the Patron Saint: with illustrations by the Rev. C.W. Carlyon, (London: James Truscott, Nelson Square, 1852) pp.1-40, p.4
The Parochial History of Cornwall: Founded on the Manuscript Histories of Mr.Hals and Mr.Tonkin with addition and various appendices by Davies Gilbert, VOL.II, London, (J.B.Nichols and Son, 1838) this book can be found at the Devon and Exeter institution and has information about most parishes in Cornwall.
Helen Doe, The Maritime History of Cornwall: an introduction, (Tor Mark: Redruth, 2006)
Chapter in an edited book Graham Busby, ‘“So Beautifully Cornish”, The Church Heritage and Identity Creation’, in Memory, Place and Identity, eds. by Garry Tregidga, (London: Francis Boutle Publishers, 2012), pp.68-80. Graham Busby has done a lot of work on the visitors of St Just Church. His work is well worth reading.
Online websites/articles