Description

SW 97 NE
4/129

ST ENDELLION
Church of St Endelienta

(Previously listed as Parish Church of St Endellion)

6.6.69

GV I
Parish church and collegiate church. Foundation date uncertain but reconstituted in 1265 and by 1288 was recorded as consisting of 4 prebendaries. Survived Chantry Act 1545 and is sole survival of collegiate church in Cornwall. Circa early C15 with west tower added in circa later C15, restored in mid C19 and in 1937-8. Unbuttressed tower of large ashlar blocks of Lundy granite with moulded plinth and strings. North and south aisles with smaller blocks of roughly coursed local slatestone and granite and chancel with dressed slatestone and granite. Moulded plinth to south aisle, south porch, chancel and north aisle. Rag slate roofs with chancel roof slightly lower than that of nave.

Nave of 5 bays with north and south aisles, chancel projecting beyond aisles, west tower and south porch. North and south aisles with 4 C15 Perpendicular windows in 4-centred arches with hoodmoulds and partly renewed mullions. Windows in north aisle shorter than those in south as ground rises to north. Rood loft projection with 4-light window adjoining towards east end of north aisle with late C19/C20 north door near west end. No window openings in west end of north and south aisles. East windows of north and south aisles with 4-light Perpendicular tracery in moulded basket arch with evidence of rebuilding of masonry in south aisle. Chancel with south door with chamfered segmental arch with runout stops and hoodmould partly blocked by south aisle. 5-light east window with tall cusped lights in moulded basket arch. Unbuttressed west tower of 3 stages with band of quatrefoils at base, moulded plinth and strings and battlemented parapet with octagonal turrets with ball finials. West door with pointed 4-centred arch with heavy rollmould, incised spandrels, hoodmould and plank door with cover moulds. 3-light west window with probably remodelled 4-centred arch with uncusped tracery. Segmental headed narrow light above and 2-light belfry openings with crude segmental headed lights and slate louvers. Gabled south porch with 4-centred moulded arch with moulded jambs on inner and outer face rebated to take door. Double plank doors. Sundial above in memory of Jonathan George and Digory Gray, 1826, churchwardens. South door to south aisle with plank door in 3-centred arch with deep cavetto moulded arch and jambs decorated with fleurons in relief and unusual stops.

Fine circa C15 waggon roofs to nave, chancel, north and south aisles and porch. Reputed to have been taken down and re-erected during 1937 restoration. Principal rafter dated 1675 found during restoration, suggesting previous C17 repairs. Nave with carved ribs with 2 plain ribs between, 5 carved longitudinal ribs and partly restored carved wall plates; chancel with moulded ribs and carved wall plates; north aisle with carved ribs with 3 plain ribs between and 3 carved longitudinal ribs and south aisle with moulded longitudinal and transverse ribs. Both with carved wall and arcade plates. The carved bosses in the waggon roofs have been partly restored with 3 in nave, 5 in north aisle and most of those in south aisle remaining intact. 5 ancient carved angels at base of ribs with remainder carved in Exeter and by local joiner circa 1900 to 1930s. Several dated and inscribed.

North and south aisles with 5-bay arcades with type A (Pevsner) granite piers, moulded bases, carved capitals of differing patterns, partly replaced in south aisles and 4-centred moulded arcade arches. Tower arch with moulded 4-centred arch. Furnishings; circa C15 carved bench ends in nave with symbols of the crucifixion and 1 with arms of Roscarrock impaling Granville of Stowe. Benches C20. North and south aisles with C20 benches and bench ends carved locally by Trelights. C17 chairs in south aisle and chancel and circa C17 bench in south aisle with moulded and carved panels and renewed seat.

South aisle with altar tombs or lower part of shrine to St Endelienta comprising circa 1400 altar of Catacleuse stone attributed to the Master of St Endellion. Rectangular with deeply recessed niches with flat ogee cusped arches on colonettes with band of quatrefoils below. Holy water stoup by south door also attributed to the same hand, of Catacleuse stone with carved arms of Roscarrock, Chenduit or Cheney and Pentire. Piscina in south aisle with ogee cusped head and piscina in chancel with segmental chamfered head. North aisle or Roscarrock aisle with rood loft stairs intact and square aumbry. Font, C12 with deep round bowl, thick round shaft and octagonal base. Font cover memorial 1914-1919. Pulpit reworked from parts of C17 altar rail and 1 bench end, probably during the 1937 restoration.

Memorial; North aisle C16 ledger stone of Joh'is Roskarrock with marginal inscription and cross in relief. On north wall memorials to Samuel Billing of Port Isaac, 1839; William Bate 1856 and William Hocken, 1778. South aisle with C19 memorials to the Gray family on the south wall and several good ledger stones on floor including those to Thomas and Mary Broad, 1753 and 1758; to Mary Peter who died of smallpox in 1758; to John Hamley of Trefreke, 1720; to Hen. Darle of North Hill, 1776 and several to the Lang. family with heraldic arms. At west end, ledger stone with indents for brasses. Chancel with memorial to the Philip family by Caffin and Co, 1876 and also C19 memorials to the Trevan family. Bronze plaque on west wall of south aisle depicting Joy in Heaven over repentant sinner, signed H. Radoaernadri, 1903.

Fragment of wall painting at west end of north aisle. C18 ringers rhymes with pictures of ringers in belfry (not inspected). Bells recast in 1734 and 1952. In 1950 the college of Heralds granted the foundation a coat of arms. The collegiate church has an interesting history and the fabric is of good quality with complete waggon roofs, a fine altar tomb and holy water stoup.

Church Guide
Pevsner, N and Radcliffe, E. The Buildings of England, Cornwall 2nd ed. 1970.
Polsue, J Lake's Parochial History of the County of Cornwall 1867-73 rp. 1974
Sites and Monuments Register, Truro, Cornwall.

Listing NGR: SW9970578664

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529577

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
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  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)