Germoe
Encyclopedia
Germoe is a village and civil parish in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. Germoe village, the parish's principal settlement and church town
, is situated approximately five miles (8 km) west of Helston
and seven miles (11.3 km) east of Penzance
. The A394 Penzance to Helston road runs along the southern boundary of the parish. Other settlements in the parish include Balwest
, Boscreege
and Tresowes Green.
The parish is named after Saint Germoe, one of the companions of Saint Breage
. According to legend Germoe was a king in Ireland whose feast day is 6 May.
Historically, the largest landowners in the parish were the Godolphin
family (the Dukes of Leeds
).
Germoe parish is bounded to the north, east and south by Breage
parish and to the west by St Hilary
parish. The population was 508 in the 2001 census
. The parish is now rural in character but was once associated with mining; to the north it borders the geological formation known as the Tregonning-Godolphin Granite (one of five granite batholith
s in Cornwall) and the area was formerly an important source of tin and copper ore (see Geology of Cornwall
).
chapel was built at Balwest in 1829 for miners in the north of the parish.
s of its type preserved in Britain. John Milliton of Pengersick Castle became High Sheriff of Cornwall
and Pengersick Castle was also improved around 1530 as a fortified manor house after the wreck of a valuable Portuguese ship. Rumors of ghosts and devil-worship surround the castle. Historical research has proven these stories to be false: no monks were murdered there (although one was assaulted by Henry Pengersick), the supposed plague pit
s featured in the television programme Most Haunted
were located in another part of the castle, and the Black Dog
is reported to be a myth created by 19th century smugglers to frighten people away.
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...
. Germoe village, the parish's principal settlement and church town
Churchtown, Cornwall
In Cornwall, the churchtown is the settlement in a parish where the church stands, for example,*Churchtown Mullion,*Churchtown Redruth,*Churchtown St Hilary,*Churchtown St Merryn,*Churchtown St Minver,*Gorran Churchtown,*Gulval Churchtown,...
, is situated approximately five miles (8 km) west of 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 seven miles (11.3 km) east of 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 A394 Penzance to Helston road runs along the southern boundary of the parish. Other settlements in the parish include Balwest
Balwest
Balwest is a hamlet in the civil parish of Germoe in west Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The hamlet is on the southern edge of a former mining area, part of a geological formation known as the Tregonning-Godolphin Granite which was formerly an important source of tin and copper ore .A Wesleyan...
, Boscreege
Boscreege
Boscreege is a small village in the civil parish of Germoe in west Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The village is on the southern edge of a former mining area, part of a geological formation known as the Tregonning-Godolphin Granite which was formerly an important source of tin and copper ore ....
and Tresowes Green.
The parish is named after Saint Germoe, one of the companions of Saint Breage
Breage
Breage, also known as Breaca, Briac, etc., is a saint venerated in Cornwall and southwestern Britain. According to her late hagiography, she was an Irish nun of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall...
. According to legend Germoe was a king in Ireland whose feast day is 6 May.
Historically, the largest landowners in the parish were the Godolphin
Baron Godolphin
Baron Godolphin is a title that was created three times: first in the Peerage of England, then in the Peerage of Great Britain, and lastly in the Peerage of the United Kingdom...
family (the Dukes of Leeds
Duke of Leeds
Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen...
).
Germoe parish is bounded to the north, east and south by Breage
Breage, Cornwall
Breage is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated three miles west of Helston....
parish and to the west by St Hilary
St Hilary, Cornwall
St Hilary is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles east of Penzance and four miles south of Hayle.Chynoweth is an area immediately north of St Hilary....
parish. The population was 508 in the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. The parish is now rural in character but was once associated with mining; to the north it borders the geological formation known as the Tregonning-Godolphin Granite (one of five granite batholith
Batholith
A batholith is a large emplacement of igneous intrusive rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust...
s in Cornwall) and the area was formerly an important source of tin and copper ore (see Geology of Cornwall
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...
).
Churches
The parish church in Germoe is mostly of the 14th century and is built on the site of an earlier Norman church. The church has a chancel, nave, north aisle, south transept, and a three-stage battlemented tower of granite ashlar. There is a Godolphin family pew in the north aisle. A small medieval building in the churchyard wall is known as St Germoe's Throne. The Anglican ecclesiastical parish of Germoe is now grouped with Breage. A Wesleyan MethodistWesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements...
chapel was built at Balwest in 1829 for miners in the north of the parish.
Pengersick Castle
Pengersick Castle is of late medieval date and features one of the few towerTower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
s of its type preserved in Britain. John Milliton of Pengersick Castle became High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
and Pengersick Castle was also improved around 1530 as a fortified manor house after the wreck of a valuable Portuguese ship. Rumors of ghosts and devil-worship surround the castle. Historical research has proven these stories to be false: no monks were murdered there (although one was assaulted by Henry Pengersick), the supposed plague pit
Plague pit
A plague pit is the informal term used to refer to mass graves in which victims of the Black Death were buried. The term is most often used to describe pits located in Great Britain, but can be applied to any place where Bubonic plague victims were buried....
s featured in the television programme Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
were located in another part of the castle, and the Black Dog
Black dog (ghost)
A black dog is the name given to a being found primarily in the folklores of the British Isles. The black dog is essentially a nocturnal apparition, often said to be associated with the Devil, and its appearance was regarded as a portent of death. It is generally supposed to be larger than a normal...
is reported to be a myth created by 19th century smugglers to frighten people away.