St Keverne
Encyclopedia
St Keverne is a civil parish and village on the Lizard Peninsula
in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
.
The Cornish Rebellion of 1497
started in St Keverne. The leader of the rebellion Michael An Gof
(the "smith
" in Cornish) was a blacksmith from St Keverne and is commemorated by a statue in the village. Before his execution, An Gof said that he should have "a name perpetual and a fame permanent and immortal". In 1997 a 500th anniversary march celebrating the An Gof uprising, (Keskerdh Kernow 500) was held, which retraced the route of the original march from St Keverne, via Guildford
to London.
to Kennack Sands, and the Manacles
offshore. Settlements on the coast include Porthallow
, Porthoustock
and Coverack
. Inland the parish includes the hamlets of Zoar
, Laddenvean
, Traboe
, Trelan and Gwenter. The eastern part of Goonhilly Downs
is also in the parish.
A 32-pounder carronade
that divers recovered in 1978 from the wreck of HMS Primose
stands by the lych-gate to the churchyard. (Primrose was wrecked on The Manacles
off The Lizard
on 21 January 1809 with the loss of 125 lives and only one survivor, a drummer boy.)
. Other antiquities are a cist called the Three Brothers of Grugith on Crowza Downs and a destroyed fogou
at Polkernogo.
St Keverne was in Celtic times part of the Meneage
which belonged to several small monasteries. The monastery at St Keverne survived the Norman Conquest but was seized soon after by a lay lord. By 1236 the churches and demesnes of Tregonan
had come into the possession of the Cistercian abbey at Beaulieu
and their title was confirmed by Earl Richard in 1258. This was a valuable possession including as it did the rectorial tithe of a large and prosperous parish, the tithe of fish, and the lands of the churchtown. The right of sactuary held by Beaulieu Abbey
was extended to St Keverne. A small cell of monks was maintained at Tregonan; slight remains of the building there existed until the early 20th century. In the parish is Lesneague which can be derived from Cornish lis (court) and manahec (monks' land) which would indicate that it was once the seat of a local chieftain.
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
in Cornwall
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...
.
The Cornish Rebellion of 1497
Cornish Rebellion of 1497
The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 was a popular uprising by the people of Cornwall in the far southwest of Britain. Its primary cause was a response of people to the raising of war taxes by King Henry VII on the impoverished Cornish, to raise money for a campaign against Scotland motivated by brief...
started in St Keverne. The leader of the rebellion Michael An Gof
Michael An Gof
Michael Joseph and Thomas Flamank were the leaders of the Cornish Rebellion of 1497....
(the "smith
Smith (metalwork)
A metalsmith, often shortened to smith, is a person involved in making metal objects. In contemporary use a metalsmith is a person who uses metal as a material, uses traditional metalsmithing techniques , whose work thematically relates to the practice or history of the practice, or who engages in...
" in Cornish) was a blacksmith from St Keverne and is commemorated by a statue in the village. Before his execution, An Gof said that he should have "a name perpetual and a fame permanent and immortal". In 1997 a 500th anniversary march celebrating the An Gof uprising, (Keskerdh Kernow 500) was held, which retraced the route of the original march from St Keverne, via Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
to London.
Geography
The parish is a large one. It includes some 10 miles of coast from Nare Point at the mouth of the Helford RiverHelford River
The Helford River is a ria located in Cornwall, England, UK, and not a true river. It is fed by a number of small streams into its numerous creeks...
to Kennack Sands, and the Manacles
The Manacles
The Manacles are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall close to Porthoustock, which is a popular spot for diving due to the shipwrecks around them. The name derives from the Cornish for 'church stone', the top of St Keverne church being visible from the area.The rocks...
offshore. Settlements on the coast include Porthallow
Porthallow
Porthallow is a small fishing village on the east coast of the The Lizard peninsula just south of the Helford River, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Historically the village had a pilchard industry. It has one road running through it, with a pub, the Five Pilchards, and a post office. It is...
, Porthoustock
Porthoustock
Porthoustock is a hamlet near St Keverne in Cornwall, United Kingdom, on the east coast of Lizard Peninsula. Aggregates are quarried nearby and Porthoustock beach is dominated by a large concrete stone mill. The mill was once used to crush stone but is now disused. Container ships of up to 82m can...
and Coverack
Coverack
Coverack is a coastal village and fishing port in Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated on the east side of the Lizard peninsula approximately nine miles south of Falmouth....
. Inland the parish includes the hamlets of Zoar
Zoar, Cornwall
Zoar is a hamlet on the Lizard Peninsula in south Cornwall, UK. It is situated 1½ miles northwest of the coastal village of Coverack....
, Laddenvean
Laddenvean
Laddenvean is a small settlement in southwest Cornwall, United Kingdom. It lies immediately north of, and adjoins, St Keverne village seven miles south of Falmouth....
, Traboe
Traboe
Traboe is a hamlet within the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. It is approximately a mile down the road from Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station. It contains eleven houses and a building which used to house Rosuick Farm Shop, this being the purpose for which it was built. The list of houses includes a...
, Trelan and Gwenter. The eastern part of Goonhilly Downs
Goonhilly Downs
Goonhilly Downs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest that forms a raised plateau in the central western area of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, England, UK. Situated just south of Helston and the Naval Air Station at Culdrose, it is famous for its Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, the...
is also in the parish.
Parish Church of St Akeveranus
St Keverne was in the Middle Ages the site of an important monastery. The church is dedicated to St Akeveranus though for a considerable period this was corrupted to Kieran. The church is very large for a village church and in its present form is 15th century: however parts of the stonework appear to have been reused from a previous church building. The tower is topped by a spire (unusual in Cornwall) and features of interest include the bench ends and a mural painting.A 32-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
that divers recovered in 1978 from the wreck of HMS Primose
HMS Primrose (1807)
HMS Primrose was a Royal Navy Cruizer class brig-sloop built by Thomas Nickells , at Fowey and launched in 1807. She was commissioned in November 1807 under Commander James Mein, who sailed her to the coast of Spain....
stands by the lych-gate to the churchyard. (Primrose was wrecked on The Manacles
The Manacles
The Manacles are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall close to Porthoustock, which is a popular spot for diving due to the shipwrecks around them. The name derives from the Cornish for 'church stone', the top of St Keverne church being visible from the area.The rocks...
off The Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
on 21 January 1809 with the loss of 125 lives and only one survivor, a drummer boy.)
History and antiquities
A Bronze Age standing stone exists at Tremenheere, which means "Standing Stone Farm" (Tre = place/farm, Menhir = standing stone) and there is another place of the same name in LudgvanLudgvan
Ludgvan is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, UK. The village is situated 2½ miles northeast of Penzance.The parish includes the villages of Ludgvan, Crowlas, Canon's Town and Long Rock...
. Other antiquities are a cist called the Three Brothers of Grugith on Crowza Downs and a destroyed fogou
Fogou
A fogou or fougou is an underground, dry-stone structure found on Iron Age or Romano-British defended settlement sites in Cornwall. Fogous have similarities with souterrains or earth-houses of northern Europe and particularly Scotland including the Orkney Islands...
at Polkernogo.
St Keverne was in Celtic times part of the Meneage
Meneage
The Meneage is a district in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. The nearest large towns are Falmouth and Penryn....
which belonged to several small monasteries. The monastery at St Keverne survived the Norman Conquest but was seized soon after by a lay lord. By 1236 the churches and demesnes of Tregonan
Tregonan Grange
Tregonan Grange was a Cistercian grange of Beaulieu Abbey at Tregonan in the parish of St Keverne, Cornwall, UK. It was founded before 1263 and expropriated before 1527; "considerable remains" existing 1755 have since disappeared.-References:...
had come into the possession of the Cistercian abbey at Beaulieu
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
and their title was confirmed by Earl Richard in 1258. This was a valuable possession including as it did the rectorial tithe of a large and prosperous parish, the tithe of fish, and the lands of the churchtown. The right of sactuary held by Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey located in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203-1204 by King John and peopled by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order...
was extended to St Keverne. A small cell of monks was maintained at Tregonan; slight remains of the building there existed until the early 20th century. In the parish is Lesneague which can be derived from Cornish lis (court) and manahec (monks' land) which would indicate that it was once the seat of a local chieftain.
Notable residents
- Michael An Gof (the "smith" in Cornish), blacksmith, leader of the first Cornish rebellion in 1497
- Charles Incledon, singer
See also
- Cornish self-government movementCornish self-government movementCornish nationalism is an umbrella term that refers to a cultural, political and social movement based in Cornwall, the most southwestern part of the island of Great Britain, which has for centuries been administered as part of England, within the United Kingdom...
- Cornish Rebellion of 1497Cornish Rebellion of 1497The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 was a popular uprising by the people of Cornwall in the far southwest of Britain. Its primary cause was a response of people to the raising of war taxes by King Henry VII on the impoverished Cornish, to raise money for a campaign against Scotland motivated by brief...
- Keskerdh Kernow 500
- Second Cornish Uprising of 1497Second Cornish Uprising of 1497The Second Cornish Uprising is the name given to the Cornish uprising of September 1497 when the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay, near Land's End, on 7 September with just 120 men in two ships...