Madron Parish Church
Encyclopedia
St Madrona's Church is in Madron, Cornwall, near Penzance. The church was in early times the mother church of Morval
and Penzance
.
The consecration of Madron
Church was performed by the Bishop of Exeter
who travelled from Exeter
with two archdeacons, the chancellor of the cathedral and the Lord Prior of the Knights of St. John in London; with them also travelled an entourage of clergymen, knights, grooms and servants. This was not a specific journey to Madron by the Bishop, he had 14 other churches to consecrate on that summer tour in 1238 as well as a quiet word with some rebellious parishioners in St Buryan
. (The dedication is sometimes given as a male saint, Madernus.)
Early Tudor period The church was not finished until 1500 by which time the vicar Benedict Tregos was probably worrying about having backed Perkin Warbeck
when he landed at Sennen
1499 proclaiming himself Richard IV. Warbeck came to a traitor's end and Tregos avoided the wrath of Henry VII
and the charge of treason by paying for the north aisle himself, decorating the church in Tudor rose
s and placing the king’s arms on expensive panelling. He succeeded and died peacefully many years later. The church contains the brass of John Clies and family, 1623.
Restoration A list of the cost of repairing pews in 1837 illustrates the point that persons of substance in the parish had their own personal pews while one must assume that the general populace stood at the rear. By 1855 it was decided “that it is most desirable that an effort be made to restore Madron Church to a condition worthy of the sacred purpose for which it was built.” To do this all the old pews were removed and uniform pews set in their place. Heating and lighting were added and the chancel re-floored. By 1889 the church emerged looking much as it does today.
and raising the ground level 6 feet to meet the general level. It was not until 1828 that this work was completed and the new burial ground consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter
. The total cost of this was £369 11s 6d. Ironically the churchyard was full again by 1878 and the church side of Madron cemetery consecrated the following year by Edward White Benson
, the Bishop of the new diocese of Truro
. The architect Edmund Sedding
is buried here.
. The third bell caused much trouble and was sent back to be re-cast. It still wasn’t right and was re-cast again in Helston
, and yet again in Loughborough. A further two others were still unsatisfactory and were re-cast at Hayle
Foundry in 1823. This situation prevailed until 1898 when it was decided that they needed renovation. By happenstance this coincided with Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee and a sixth bell, a treble was added. The seventh and eighth bells were added in 1950 and the entire peal re-dedicated on the 3rd March 1951. The peal that rings out over Madron today is:
Morval, Cornwall
Morval is a rural civil parish and hamlet in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is approximately two miles north of Looe and five miles south of Liskeard....
and Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
.
The consecration of Madron
Madron
Madron is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a large rural parish on the Penwith peninsula north of Penzance.Madron village is situated approximately two miles northwest of Penzance town centre....
Church was performed by the Bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
who travelled from Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
with two archdeacons, the chancellor of the cathedral and the Lord Prior of the Knights of St. John in London; with them also travelled an entourage of clergymen, knights, grooms and servants. This was not a specific journey to Madron by the Bishop, he had 14 other churches to consecrate on that summer tour in 1238 as well as a quiet word with some rebellious parishioners in St Buryan
St Buryan
St Buryan is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The village of St Buryan is situated approximately five miles west of Penzance along the B3283 towards Land's End...
. (The dedication is sometimes given as a male saint, Madernus.)
Early Tudor period The church was not finished until 1500 by which time the vicar Benedict Tregos was probably worrying about having backed Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
when he landed at Sennen
Sennen
Sennen is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Sennen village is situated approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
1499 proclaiming himself Richard IV. Warbeck came to a traitor's end and Tregos avoided the wrath of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and the charge of treason by paying for the north aisle himself, decorating the church in Tudor rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
s and placing the king’s arms on expensive panelling. He succeeded and died peacefully many years later. The church contains the brass of John Clies and family, 1623.
Restoration A list of the cost of repairing pews in 1837 illustrates the point that persons of substance in the parish had their own personal pews while one must assume that the general populace stood at the rear. By 1855 it was decided “that it is most desirable that an effort be made to restore Madron Church to a condition worthy of the sacred purpose for which it was built.” To do this all the old pews were removed and uniform pews set in their place. Heating and lighting were added and the chancel re-floored. By 1889 the church emerged looking much as it does today.
Churchyard
By 1820, the circular acre around the church had filled with the remains of deceased parishioners and it was decided that the churchyard would need to be extended. The work that this involved was extensive and involved extending to the north which in turn involved demolishing a cottage and compensating the leaseholder, diverting the stream from Madron WellWater well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
and raising the ground level 6 feet to meet the general level. It was not until 1828 that this work was completed and the new burial ground consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
. The total cost of this was £369 11s 6d. Ironically the churchyard was full again by 1878 and the church side of Madron cemetery consecrated the following year by Edward White Benson
Edward White Benson
Edward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death.-Life:Edward White Benson was born in Highgate, Birmingham, the son of a Birmingham chemical manufacturer. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1852...
, the Bishop of the new diocese of Truro
Diocese of Truro
The Diocese of Truro is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury.-Geography and history:The diocese's area is that of the county of Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly. It was formed on 15 December 1876 from the Archdeaconry of Cornwall in the Diocese of Exeter, it is thus one...
. The architect Edmund Sedding
Edmund Sedding
-Biography:Sedding, son of Richard and Peninnah Sedding of Summerstown, near Okehampton, Devon, was born on 20 June 1836: John Dando Sedding was his younger brother. He early displayed antiquarian tastes, which led to his visiting cathedrals, abbeys, and churches in England and France...
is buried here.
Church Bells
The set of bells that punctuate life around the church, were first mounted in the church tower in the early 18th century. At that time there were only three bells, however, in 1761 the village decided to sell these three bells and invest in a new peal of five bells. These were ordered from the Bayley foundry in BridgwaterBridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
. The third bell caused much trouble and was sent back to be re-cast. It still wasn’t right and was re-cast again in Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
, and yet again in Loughborough. A further two others were still unsatisfactory and were re-cast at Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
Foundry in 1823. This situation prevailed until 1898 when it was decided that they needed renovation. By happenstance this coincided with Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee and a sixth bell, a treble was added. The seventh and eighth bells were added in 1950 and the entire peal re-dedicated on the 3rd March 1951. The peal that rings out over Madron today is:
| weight | inscription | founded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (cwts, qtrs, lbs) | |||
| 1 | 3-2-19 | “In memory of John Kemp White, 1867-1947, Choirmaster and organist. His children’s gift” | 1950 |
| 2 | 4-0-0 | “The gift of the Truro Diocesan Guild of Ringers. In memory of John Symons MRCS.” | 1950 |
| 3 | 4-0-5 | “God save our Queen and church. William Borlase Tremenheere, vicar.” | 1898 |
| 4 | 4-2-23 | “Number 3” | 1761 |
| 5 | 4-2-27 | "Rev. Michael Nowell Peters (vicar), P. Kempe (churchwarden)." | Recast Loughborough 1842 |
| 6 | 4-3-3 | “Rev. W. Tremenheere (vicar), Jas. Glasson (churchwarden).” | Re-cast Hayle 1823 |
| 7 | 6-3-15 | “Number 2.” | Re-cast Hayle 1823 |
| 8 | 9-2-8 | “Walter Borlase (vicar), Thos. Jenkin (churchwarden).” | 1761 |