Madron
Encyclopedia
Madron is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. It is a large rural parish on the Penwith peninsula
north of Penzance
.
Madron village is situated approximately two miles (3 km) northwest of Penzance town centre.
Madron parish encompasses the villages of Tredinnick
, Lower Ninnes, New Mill
, Newbridge
and Tregavarah
. It is bounded by the parishes of Sancreed
and St Just
to the west, by Zennor
and Morvah
to the north, by the sea and the parish of Paul
in the south and by the parishes of Gulval
and Penzance
to the east. The population was 1,466 at the 2001 census
.
The parish church, Madron Parish Church
, is in the churchtown
and is dedicated to Madron (or Madrona) (in local dialect "Maddern"). The word Modron appears in Cornish and Welsh literature, Modron being the mother goddess, mother of Mabon
(after whom the parish and village of St Mabyn
is named).
Madron Feast Week is from the first Sunday in Advent. The Western Hunt traditionally meets at Madron on Feast Monday and also on Boxing Day.
The village has a Garden of Remembrance
for the dead of both World Wars.
Unlike Penzance, Madron was recorded in the Domesday Book
. It was within the Manor of Alverton, an area that in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval period formed much of what is now the southern part of west Penwith
. The church itself was once under the control of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem and was known by the Cornish
name of Landithy, a name which is still used in parts of the village today.
Madron Well was, until the 18th century, the principal source of water for the nearby community of Penzance and these communities were further linked by the fact that Madron Church was the mother church of Penzance.
following the Battle of Trafalgar
in 1805 was received first in Britain by the arrival of HMS Pickle
en route to Falmouth under the command of Lieut. John Richards Lapenotiere
in Mount's Bay
. It is believed a fishing vessel from Penzance passed the news to the shore which was formally announced from the balcony of the Assembly Rooms (now the Union Hotel) in Chapel Street, Penzance. Since the mother church of Penzance was at Madron, the mayor of Penzance took up a procession which made its way to Madron where a memorial service was held and the Nelson banner was paraded for the first time. On it was the epitaph “Mourn for the brave, the immortal Nelson’s gone. / His last sea fight is fought, his work of Glory done”. Storms in the English Channel
meant that Nelson’s body did not arrive by sea in London until January 1806. However subsequent literature on the Union Hotel and Madron Chuch makes no mention, of these events, and it is not recorded in the Borough records or the Royal Cornwall Gazette, the only Cornish newspaper at that time. An annual Trafalgar Service commemorating the death of Nelson was started on 27 October 1946 when so many people attended that the service was relayed outside. These services continue to this day. The Trafalgar Fields housing development was so named to reinforce the links with Nelson.
and William Bonython Moffatt
, it was intended to house 400 paupers and cost £6050 to build. It was in use until 1948 when the National Health Service
came into being.
Borough Council made representation to include the village of Madron within its boundaries but due to strong local resistance this move was defeated. The nearby settlement of Heamoor
(until 1934 part of the parish) was included within the revised boundaries of the borough and remains part of the parish of Penzance to this day.
. It is, to a degree, remarkable since it has a cottage for the head master on site. The school was extended from the original two classrooms to its current size in the late 1960s. It has subsequently been renamed St Maddern's Church of England School.
which is home to Madron Football Club. Previously it has been home to both Madron Cricket Club & Penzance & Newlyn Rugby Club 2nd 15.
The nearby Madron Well is an example of a Cornish Celt
ic sacred site, which is renowned for its healing properties. A tradition at this site persists to this day whereby people attach pieces of rag (clouties) to the nearby bushes as a symbol of appeasement to the spirits within the well site (see also Clootie well
). Until the 18th century it was the only source of water for Madron and Penzance.
Madron Baptistry
A short distance away is the ruined well-chapel (also known as Madron Baptistry) which has been dated to the 6th century, but is likely to have even earlier foundations. The building measures 7 metres by 5 metres and has no roof, and it is not known if it ever had a roof. Ivy and wild roses creep over the walls and ferns grow from between the granite
blocks. Spring water, from the same source as the original well, is fed into a stone basin in the south-western corner. A low altar stone may be seen against the eastern wall, and stone seats line the walls.
Trengwainton Garden
Trengwainton Garden
, a National Trust
property, is situated near Madron.
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 a large rural parish on the Penwith peninsula
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
north 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...
.
Madron village is situated approximately two miles (3 km) northwest of Penzance town centre.
Madron parish encompasses the villages of Tredinnick
Tredinnick
Tredinnick may refer to:* David Tredinnick , Australian actor* David Tredinnick , British politician* Miles Tredinnick , English writer* Noel Tredinnick , English organist and composer...
, Lower Ninnes, New Mill
New Mill, Cornwall
New Mill is a small settlement in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately two miles north of Penzance. The area includes the hamlets of Boskednan and Bodrifty, a former Iron Age settlement....
, Newbridge
Newbridge, Cornwall
Newbridge is a village on the Penwith peninsula in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the A3071 road approximately three miles west of Penzance....
and Tregavarah
Tregavarah
Tregavarah is a small hamlet in the parish of Madron in Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated approximately 2 miles west of Penzance....
. It is bounded by the parishes of Sancreed
Sancreed
Sancreed is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles from Penzance....
and St Just
St Just in Penwith
St Just is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish encompasses the town of St Just and the nearby settlements of Trewellard, Pendeen and Kelynack: it is bounded by the parishes of Morvah to the north-east, Sancreed and Madron to the east, St Buryan and Sennen to...
to the west, by Zennor
Zennor
Zennor is a village and civil parish in Cornwall in England. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. It is located on the north coast, about north of Penzance. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain—its name comes from the Cornish...
and Morvah
Morvah
Morvah is a civil parish and village on the Penwith peninsula in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately eight miles west-southwest of St Ives and 5½ miles north-west of Penzance....
to the north, by the sea and the parish of Paul
Paul, Cornwall
Paul is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated two miles south of Penzance and one mile south of Newlyn.The village of Paul is represented on Penzance Town Council...
in the south and by the parishes of Gulval
Gulval
Gulval is a village in the former Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. Although historically a parish in its own right, Gulval was incorporated into the parishes of Penzance, Madron and Ludgvan in 1934, and like Heamoor, is now considered to be a suburb of Penzance...
and 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...
to the east. The population was 1,466 at 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 church, Madron Parish Church
Madron Parish Church
St Madrona's Church is in Madron, Cornwall, near Penzance. The church was in early times the mother church of Morval and Penzance.The consecration of Madron Church was performed by the Bishop of Exeter who travelled from Exeter with two archdeacons, the chancellor of the cathedral and the Lord...
, is in the churchtown
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,...
and is dedicated to Madron (or Madrona) (in local dialect "Maddern"). The word Modron appears in Cornish and Welsh literature, Modron being the mother goddess, mother of Mabon
Mabon ap Modron
Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's warband. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. His name is related to the Romano-British god Maponos, whose name means...
(after whom the parish and village of St Mabyn
St Mabyn
St Mabyn is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated three miles east of Wadebridge....
is named).
Madron today
Landithy Hall, which opened in 1909, contains the Community Rooms and hosts many village events. It is here that Madron Parish Council holds the majority of its meetings, the other venue being Trythall School.Madron Feast Week is from the first Sunday in Advent. The Western Hunt traditionally meets at Madron on Feast Monday and also on Boxing Day.
The village has a Garden of Remembrance
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
for the dead of both World Wars.
History
Evidence of early medieval habitation at Madron is in the form of one or two inscribed stones. One was found in the wall of the village church and has since been removed; the inscription consists of a cross and legible text, but its meaning is not clear. The other inscription was reported by R. A. Stewart Macalister in 1949 as being 'built into the N. wall of the N. aisle, west of the entrance door' of the church, but has not been seen since; Elisabeth Okasha speculates that Macalister may have seen the inscription in another church, and misremembered its location. Langdon (1896) records eight stone crosses in the parish, of which one is in the churchyard and one is at Heamoor.Unlike Penzance, Madron was recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. It was within the Manor of Alverton, an area that in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval period formed much of what is now the southern part of west Penwith
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
. The church itself was once under the control of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem and was known by the Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
name of Landithy, a name which is still used in parts of the village today.
Madron Well was, until the 18th century, the principal source of water for the nearby community of Penzance and these communities were further linked by the fact that Madron Church was the mother church of Penzance.
Admiral Lord Nelson
The news of the death of Vice Admiral Horatio NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
following the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805 was received first in Britain by the arrival of HMS Pickle
HMS Pickle (1800)
HMS Pickle was a topsail schooner of the Royal Navy. She was originally a civilian vessel named Sting. of six guns, that Lord Hugh Seymour purchased to use as an armed tender on the Jamaica Station...
en route to Falmouth under the command of Lieut. John Richards Lapenotiere
John Richards Lapenotière
Captain John Richards Lapenotière was a British Royal Navy officer who, as a lieutenant commanding the tiny topsail schooner HMS Pickle, observed the Battle of Trafalgar on the 21 October 1805, participated in the rescue operations which followed it and then carried the dispatches of the victory...
in Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay is a large, sweeping bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom, stretching from the Lizard Point to Gwennap Head on the eastern side of the Land's End peninsula. Towards the middle of the bay is St Michael's Mount...
. It is believed a fishing vessel from Penzance passed the news to the shore which was formally announced from the balcony of the Assembly Rooms (now the Union Hotel) in Chapel Street, Penzance. Since the mother church of Penzance was at Madron, the mayor of Penzance took up a procession which made its way to Madron where a memorial service was held and the Nelson banner was paraded for the first time. On it was the epitaph “Mourn for the brave, the immortal Nelson’s gone. / His last sea fight is fought, his work of Glory done”. Storms in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
meant that Nelson’s body did not arrive by sea in London until January 1806. However subsequent literature on the Union Hotel and Madron Chuch makes no mention, of these events, and it is not recorded in the Borough records or the Royal Cornwall Gazette, the only Cornish newspaper at that time. An annual Trafalgar Service commemorating the death of Nelson was started on 27 October 1946 when so many people attended that the service was relayed outside. These services continue to this day. The Trafalgar Fields housing development was so named to reinforce the links with Nelson.
Penzance Workhouse
Once situated within the parish of Madron was the Penzance Union Workhouse. The Penzance Poor Law Union was formed on 10 June 1837 and the population that fell within the Union at the time of the 1831 census was just under 40,000. The Penzance Union workhouse was built in 1838. Designed by George Gilbert ScottGeorge Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
and William Bonython Moffatt
William Bonython Moffatt
William Bonython Moffatt was an architect, who for many years was a partner with Sir George Gilbert Scott at Spring Gardens, London.Moffatt was the son of a small builder and pupil of James Edmeston...
, it was intended to house 400 paupers and cost £6050 to build. It was in use until 1948 when the National Health Service
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
came into being.
Local government
For the purposes of local government Madron elects its own parish council. Under the 1934 restructure of local government the then PenzancePenzance
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...
Borough Council made representation to include the village of Madron within its boundaries but due to strong local resistance this move was defeated. The nearby settlement of Heamoor
Heamoor
Heamoor is a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Formerly a secondary settlement of the village of Madron, Heamoor is now a suburb of Penzance and is situated approximately one kilometre northwest of the town centre....
(until 1934 part of the parish) was included within the revised boundaries of the borough and remains part of the parish of Penzance to this day.
Schools
Madron Daniell's Endowed School was built by George Daniell in 1710 (his family were Lords of the Manor of Alverton in Penzance since the 7th century). It is located next to the parish church with a view over Penzance and Mount's BayMount's Bay
Mount's Bay is a large, sweeping bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom, stretching from the Lizard Point to Gwennap Head on the eastern side of the Land's End peninsula. Towards the middle of the bay is St Michael's Mount...
. It is, to a degree, remarkable since it has a cottage for the head master on site. The school was extended from the original two classrooms to its current size in the late 1960s. It has subsequently been renamed St Maddern's Church of England School.
Playing field
The village has a King George V Playing FieldKing George's Fields
A King George's Field is a public open space in the United Kingdom dedicated to the memory of King George V ....
which is home to Madron Football Club. Previously it has been home to both Madron Cricket Club & Penzance & Newlyn Rugby Club 2nd 15.
Buildings and gardens
Madron WellCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic sacred site, which is renowned for its healing properties. A tradition at this site persists to this day whereby people attach pieces of rag (clouties) to the nearby bushes as a symbol of appeasement to the spirits within the well site (see also Clootie well
Clootie well
Clootie wells are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas. They are wells or springs, almost always with a tree growing beside them, where strips of cloth or rags have been left, usually tied to the branches of the tree as part of a healing ritual...
). Until the 18th century it was the only source of water for Madron and Penzance.
Madron Baptistry
A short distance away is the ruined well-chapel (also known as Madron Baptistry) which has been dated to the 6th century, but is likely to have even earlier foundations. The building measures 7 metres by 5 metres and has no roof, and it is not known if it ever had a roof. Ivy and wild roses creep over the walls and ferns grow from between the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
blocks. Spring water, from the same source as the original well, is fed into a stone basin in the south-western corner. A low altar stone may be seen against the eastern wall, and stone seats line the walls.
Trengwainton Garden
Trengwainton Garden
Trengwainton Garden
Trengwainton is a garden situated in Madron, near Penzance, Cornwall, UK, which has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1961. The garden is noted for its collection of exotic trees and shrubs and offers views over Mount's Bay and The Lizard....
, a National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
property, is situated near Madron.
Notable residents
- Nessie Dunsmuir (1909–1999), poet
- William Sydney GrahamW. S. GrahamWilliam Sydney Graham was a Scottish poet who is often associated with Dylan Thomas and the neo-romantic group of poets. Graham's poetry was mostly overlooked in his lifetime but, partly due to the support of Harold Pinter, his work has enjoyed a revival in recent years...
(1918–1986), poet and husband of Nessie Dunsmuir, a plaque in Fore Street commemorates him - Alfred WallisAlfred WallisAlfred Wallis was a Cornish fisherman and artist.Wallis's parents, Charles and Jane Wallis were from Penzance in Cornwall and moved to Devonport, Devon to find work in 1850 where Alfred and his brother Charles were born. Shortly after this the children's mother died and this prompted the family to...
(1855–1942) artist, died in Madron workhouse - David Neil Liddiard Jenkin (born 1943), Cornish Wrestling and Judo Champion, Great Britain Wrestling (Sombo) and British Judo Council (England) representative. Coach to the British wrestling (Sombo) team at the World Games Den HaagThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 1993. British Judo Association National vets under 78 kilo champion 1990/91. Attended Madron School and Lescudjack County Secondary, Penzance. Represented Heidelberg University at the German student judo championships, Aachen, 1971. Son of Leonard and 'Poppy' Jenkin.
External links
- Canon Jennings - Some Notes on Madron Registers, 1929
- Madron official community website
- Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Madron
- http://www.dingdongcounthouse.org.uk The history of the Count House of Ding Dong Mine.