St Stephens by Launceston Rural is a civil parish in the east of 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...

. It is in the Registration district

Registration district

A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships...

 of Launceston. The population of the parish in the 2001 census was 312. The former parish of St Stephens by Launceston was abolished in 1894: St Stephens by Launceston Urban became part of the town of Launceston, while St Stephens by Launceston Rural became part of Launceston Rural District.

The parish lies immediately north west of the town of Launceston and is bounded to the south by the parishes of Launceston, St Thomas the Apostle Rural, and Lawhitton

Lawhitton

Lawhitton is a civil parish and village in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated two miles southwest of Launceston and half-a-mile west of Cornwall's border with Devon at the River Tamar....

. To the east it is bounded by the River Tamar

River Tamar

The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...

 (the border between Cornwall and Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

). To the north and north-west it is bordered by the parishes of Werrington

Werrington, Cornwall

Werrington is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was formerly in Devon.In Werrington Park is a substantial house built by Sir Francis Drake about 1620. A larger mansion was built next to it on the site of old parish church in the early 18th century...

, North Petherwin

North Petherwin

North Petherwin is a civil parish and village in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated five miles northwest of Launceston on a ridge above the River Ottery valley....

 and Egloskerry

Egloskerry

Egloskerry is a village and civil parish in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles northwest of Launceston....

.

History

In Anglo-Saxon times there was a monastery here dedicated to St Stephen whose canons owned the surrounding land including the town of Launceston (i.e. Lan-stefan-ton) (the name did not then belong to Dunheved the present town). A mint was established here as early as the reign of Aethelred II, 976, but only one specimen is known to exist (it weighs 1.61g). However after the Norman Conquest the Norman Earl acquired Dunheved and rebuilt the castle there. He expropriated the market and mint of the canons and the townspeople followed them to Dunheved. (The name of Launceston belonged originally to the monastery and town here, but was then transferred to the town of Dunheved.) The church of St Stephen retained its importance and remained the mother church of many of the surrounding parishes, Tremaine, Egloskerry, Tresmeer, Werrington, St Giles, Laneast, St Thomas, St Mary Magdalene and others throughout the Middle Ages.

Notable buildings

The parish church, dedicated to St Stephen, is within the northern outskirts of the town of Launceston at . The church's buttressed and battlemented tower (16th century) houses a ring of six bells. The church was built in the early 13th century after the monastery which had been on this site had moved into the valley near the castle

Launceston Castle

Launceston Castle is located in the town of Launceston, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. .-Early history:The castle is a Norman motte and bailey earthwork castle raised by Robert, Count of Mortain, half-brother of William the Conqueror shortly after the Norman conquest, possibly as early as 1067...

. The old tower was demolished by Reginald Earl of Cornwall. The present fine tower was built in the 16th century; the font is Norman. On the Tamar at Yeolmbridge is the oldest bridge in Cornwall: it has two pointed arches and the roadway has been widened in modern times.

Notable residents

• Joan Rendell
  Joan Rendell
  Joan Rendell MBE was a Cornish historian, writer and phillumenist. For most of her life her home was at Werrington. She was the daughter of Gervase Rendell, of St Austell....
  
  , historian, resided at Yeolmbridge in the latter part of her life.