St Sampson's church is the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 parish church

Parish church

A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

 of the village of Golant

Golant

Golant is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the west bank of the River Fowey and lies in the civil parish of St Sampson....

, 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...

, UK

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...

.

St Sampson's features in Simon Jenkins

Simon Jenkins

Sir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...

's book England's thousand best churches, in which it is described as "warm and welcoming". However, the poet Sir John Betjeman

John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...

 claimed its pews were the most uncomfortable in Cornwall. It is open every day of the year, holds services every Sunday and evening prayer every Thursday evening at 6 o’clock. Its choir sings every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.

Saint Samson of Dol

Although Cornwall has more saints than any other county in the UK, Saint Sampson

Samson of Dol

Saint Samson of Dol was a Christian religious figure who is counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany. Born in southern Wales, he died in Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town in north Brittany.-Life:...

 is one of the better known ones. He sometimes stayed in Golant while travelling to Brittany and became the archbishop of Dol

Dol-de-Bretagne

Dol-de-Bretagne , cited in most historical records under its Breton name of Dol, is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine département in Brittany in north-western France.-History:...

.
Many Cornish saints travelling from Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 to France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 via the south Cornish coast stopped on the way (sometimes in or near the village). There is now a footpath, the Saints' Way

Saints' Way

The Saints' Way is a long-distance footpath in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The footpath runs from Padstow in the north to Fowey in the south, a distance of 26 miles . The path is well marked and guide books are available....

, popular with walkers which runs from Padstow

Padstow

Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...

 on the north coast to Fowey

Fowey

Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...

 passing through the village and past the church.

Interesting features

St Sampson is portrayed in some of the stained glass windows in the church. The church has a ring of five bells. The organ was installed in 1995 and is a hybrid using some of the pipes from an organ originally in St Michael's Church, Newquay

Newquay

Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....

, and also some from the organ in Paul Parish Church

Paul Parish Church

Paul Parish Church is a parish church in the Church of England located in Paul, Cornwall, UK.-History:The church is said to have been founded in 490 by Paul Aurelian, a Welsh saint. The church building is medieval but was largely destroyed in a raid by the Spanish in 1595.. It was rebuilt by...

. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register

List of the Vicars of Golant

• 1528 Richard Baker
• 1554 William Boyne
• 1556 Thomas Boyne
• 1559 Roger Prior
• 1571 Nicholas Maine
• 1577 Benedict Tyrack
• 1580 James Penhalwick
• 1615 Daniel Wetherell
• ???? Thomas Hore
• 1640 George Brush
• 1677 Thomas Sampson
• 1735 Robert Blatchford

• 1769 Peter Coryton
• 1770 R. Eastcott
• 1780 Wymond Cory
• 1820 Thomas Pearce
• 1841 Charles Lyne
• 1865 George Ross
• 1888 H. A. Hill
• 1892 A. H. Langridge
• 1894 B. F. Trusted
• 1900 W. H. Sharpe
• 1902 H. Lines
• 1919 E. A. L. Clarke

• 1925 H. Edwards
• 1934 L. W. Stenson Stenson
• 1950 H. P. Osborne
• 1951 W. G. Hayward
• 1958 R. J. M. May
• 1963 G. E. J. Whitmore
• 1965 William J. Hall
• 1974 M. J. Oatey
• [--?--](priest in charge) Philip de Grey-Warter

External links