Cubert
Encyclopedia
Cubert is a civil parish and village in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. It is situated three miles south-southwest of Newquay
.
Once known as St Cubert, the village is dominated by the spire of its 14th century church which was enlarged by the addition of a south aisle a century later.
The village is named after the Welsh missionary St Cubert who, as a companion of St Carantoc, brought the Christian faith to this part of Cornwall, and to whom the church is dedicated. Unlike his companion St Carantoc—who travelled on to Brittany
--St Cubert returned to Wales
becoming abbot of his monastery and, according to the Welsh chronicles
, dying in 775.
on the inside wall of the church. On early maps it often appears as St Kibberd—possibly indicating what the visiting cartographer heard when a local inhabitant was asked the name of the village.
To the west of the village, half way between the village and the coast, is the medieval Holy Well dedicated to St Cubert, from which the coastal bay takes its name. At the north end of the beach, only accessible two hours before and after low-tide, is a natural well in the rock that 19th century romanticists like to think was the origin of the name Holywell
.
A mile to the east of the village near the Newquay crossroads, where the four parishes of St Cubert, Crantock
, St Newlyn East
and Perranzabuloe
meet, was the chapel of St Nectan (the foundations of which were uncovered when the road was widened and straightened in 1970), where on certain feasts during the year the relics of the Patron Saints of the four parishes were carried in procession for their veneration by the faithful.
An inscribed stone, dated from the sixth to eighth centuries, was found imbedded in the walls of the fifteenth-century church. It bears the name of "Cenet[o]cus, son of Tege[r]nomalus".
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is situated three miles south-southwest of Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
.
Once known as St Cubert, the village is dominated by the spire of its 14th century church which was enlarged by the addition of a south aisle a century later.
The village is named after the Welsh missionary St Cubert who, as a companion of St Carantoc, brought the Christian faith to this part of Cornwall, and to whom the church is dedicated. Unlike his companion St Carantoc—who travelled on to Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
--St Cubert returned to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
becoming abbot of his monastery and, according to the Welsh chronicles
Welsh chronicles
A number of medieval chronicles of the history of Wales survive,notably the 9th century Historia Brittonum and the 10th century Annales Cambriae. These early chronicles are written in Latin, while from the 12th century, some are composed in Middle Welsh...
, dying in 775.
History and antiquities
The village has been without its prefix 'St' since the 16th/17th century when it was abandoned at the same time as the churchwardens whitewashed over the figure of St Cubert dressed as an abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
on the inside wall of the church. On early maps it often appears as St Kibberd—possibly indicating what the visiting cartographer heard when a local inhabitant was asked the name of the village.
To the west of the village, half way between the village and the coast, is the medieval Holy Well dedicated to St Cubert, from which the coastal bay takes its name. At the north end of the beach, only accessible two hours before and after low-tide, is a natural well in the rock that 19th century romanticists like to think was the origin of the name Holywell
Holywell, Cornwall
Holywell is a coastal village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated about three miles west-southwest of Newquay.Holywell beach adjoins the settlement to the northwest and Penhale Camp, an army training establishment regularly used by cadets, is half-a-mile to the southwest...
.
A mile to the east of the village near the Newquay crossroads, where the four parishes of St Cubert, Crantock
Crantock
Crantock is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately two miles southwest of Newquay....
, St Newlyn East
St Newlyn East
St Newlyn East is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles south of Newquay...
and Perranzabuloe
Perranzabuloe
Perranzabuloe is a coastal civil parish and a hamlet in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated just over a mile south of the principal settlement of the parish, Perranporth; the hamlet is also seven miles south-southwest of Newquay...
meet, was the chapel of St Nectan (the foundations of which were uncovered when the road was widened and straightened in 1970), where on certain feasts during the year the relics of the Patron Saints of the four parishes were carried in procession for their veneration by the faithful.
An inscribed stone, dated from the sixth to eighth centuries, was found imbedded in the walls of the fifteenth-century church. It bears the name of "Cenet[o]cus, son of Tege[r]nomalus".