St Mellion
Encyclopedia
St Mellion is a village and rural civil parish in east Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. The parish is three miles (5 km) south of Callington and is in the St Germans Registration District. The population in the 2001 census was 377. To the north, the parish is bordered by Callington and St Dominick parishes, to the east and south by Pillaton
parish, and to the west by St Ive
parish.
The parish name is taken from St Melaine
, a 6th century bishop of Rennes
, Brittany
. The church of St Melanus stands in the village of St Mellion (the largest settlement in the parish) at . The older part of the church is the south side which was built in the 14th century whereas the north side is of the late 15th century and was built of granite. There is a fine series of monuments to the Corytons: these include a brass to Peter Coryton and his wife and 24 children, 1552, and two elaborate sculptural compositions to William Coryton
, 1651, and Sir William, 1711 (both in a style characteristic of the early 17th century).
St Mellion is also the location of Pentillie
, a 17th century castle and estate which has been the seat of the Coryton family since 1698. They had previously had an estate at West Newton Ferrers, also in St Mellion. The manor of Newton Ferrers (Niuuetona, Niweton, Niwetone) was mentioned in the Domesday Book, 1086. The present house was built about 1686-1695 (these dates being on the gatepiers) for Sir William Coryton. It is a plain granite mansion of two storeys: the centre is of seven bays and there are two projecting wings of two bays each. It is the earliest Cornish mansion in the classical style (i.e. with no Tudor survivals). Two thirds of the house were gutted by fire in 1940; of this some has been rebuilt while the rest remains as a ruin. The St Mellion golf course is also in the parish.
Crocadon Quarry, a small Site of Special Scientific Interest
noted for its geological
interest, is located 200m east of St Mellion village.
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 parish is three miles (5 km) south of Callington and is in the St Germans Registration District. The population in the 2001 census was 377. To the north, the parish is bordered by Callington and St Dominick parishes, to the east and south by Pillaton
Pillaton
For the village in Staffordshire, see Pillaton, StaffordshirePillaton is a village and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom....
parish, and to the west by St Ive
St Ive
St Ive is a village and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Ive should not be confused with St Ives, the well-known seaside town in the west of Cornwall...
parish.
The parish name is taken from St Melaine
Melaine
Saint Melaine was a 6th century Bishop of Rennes in Brittany .-Traditional history:...
, a 6th century bishop of Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, 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...
. The church of St Melanus stands in the village of St Mellion (the largest settlement in the parish) at . The older part of the church is the south side which was built in the 14th century whereas the north side is of the late 15th century and was built of granite. There is a fine series of monuments to the Corytons: these include a brass to Peter Coryton and his wife and 24 children, 1552, and two elaborate sculptural compositions to William Coryton
William Coryton
William Coryton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1641. He was expelled from parliament for falsyfying returns....
, 1651, and Sir William, 1711 (both in a style characteristic of the early 17th century).
St Mellion is also the location of Pentillie
Pentillie
Pentillie is a grade II* listed country house and estate, located on the banks of the River Tamar in Pillaton, near to St Mellion, in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom...
, a 17th century castle and estate which has been the seat of the Coryton family since 1698. They had previously had an estate at West Newton Ferrers, also in St Mellion. The manor of Newton Ferrers (Niuuetona, Niweton, Niwetone) was mentioned in the Domesday Book, 1086. The present house was built about 1686-1695 (these dates being on the gatepiers) for Sir William Coryton. It is a plain granite mansion of two storeys: the centre is of seven bays and there are two projecting wings of two bays each. It is the earliest Cornish mansion in the classical style (i.e. with no Tudor survivals). Two thirds of the house were gutted by fire in 1940; of this some has been rebuilt while the rest remains as a ruin. The St Mellion golf course is also in the parish.
Crocadon Quarry, a small Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
noted for its geological
Geology of Cornwall
The Geology of Cornwall is dominated by its granite backbone, part of the Cornubian batholith, formed during the Variscan orogeny. Around this is an extensive metamorphic aureole formed in the mainly Devonian slates that make up most of the rest of the county...
interest, is located 200m east of St Mellion village.