St Carantoc's Church, Crantock
Encyclopedia
St Carantoc's Church, Crantock is in the village of Crantock
, Cornwall
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Truro
, the archdeaconry of Cornwall and the deanery of Pydar. Its benefice
is combined with that of St Cubert.
and dates back to the time of St Carantoc
in the 6th century. The earliest features of the existing church are Norman
. A collegiate church
was founded on the site by Bishop William Briwere
of Exeter
in the early 13th century. In 1224 the choir was reconstructed and a tower was added. In 1412 the tower collapsed and was rebuilt. Following the dissolution of the monasteries
the college was closed. In the 18th century the roofs and windows were restored. This was followed by a Victorian restoration
in the late 19th century and another restoration between 1902 and 1907 by Edmund H. Sedding
. When he died in 1921 Sedding was buried in the churchyard.
stone and granite
rubble
with granite dressings and slate
roofs. Its plan consists of a west tower, a nave
with north and south aisle
s, north and south transept
s, a chancel
and a south porch. The tower is in three stages, with each stage being set back and angle buttress
es up to the second stage. The parapet
is corbel
led and embattled
. The tower has a west doorway above which is a 19th-century Perpendicular style window. On the south side of the second stage is a clock face. The interior of the church has plastered walls and a slate floor. The arcades
contain some Norman architecture
. In the west wall of the north transept is a blocked 12th-century doorway.
dating from the 19th century. The font
dates from the 12th century. The communion rail dates from the 17th century and the wooden pulpit
from the 19th century. The stained glass is from the 19th century although there are fragments of medieval
glass in the sacristy
. The rood screen
dates from 1905 and was carved by Mary Rashleigh Pinwell. The church plate includes a silver chalice
dated 1576. The parish register
s date from 1559. The ring
consists of six bells. Three of these are dated 1767 by John III and Fitzantony II Pennington and the other three were cast in 1904 by John Taylor and Company.
dating from the 17th century which are set under a 20th-century gable
d roof on granite piers. The lychgate
at the south entrance to the churchyard dates from the late 19th century.
Crantock
Crantock is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately two miles southwest of Newquay....
, 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...
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
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....
in the diocese of Truro
Diocese of Truro
The Diocese of Truro is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury.-Geography and history:The diocese's area is that of the county of Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly. It was formed on 15 December 1876 from the Archdeaconry of Cornwall in the Diocese of Exeter, it is thus one...
, the archdeaconry of Cornwall and the deanery of Pydar. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is combined with that of St Cubert.
History
A church existed on the site before the Norman ConquestNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
and dates back to the time of St Carantoc
Carantoc
Saint Carantoc was a confessor and abbot of the early 6th century in Wales and what is now the English West Country.His early vita takes the form of a short homily...
in the 6th century. The earliest features of the existing church are Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. A collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
was founded on the site by Bishop William Briwere
William Briwere
William Briwere was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.- Early life :Briwere was the nephew of William Brewer, a baron and political leader during King Henry III of England's minority. Nothing else is known of the younger Briwere's family or where he was educated...
of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
in the early 13th century. In 1224 the choir was reconstructed and a tower was added. In 1412 the tower collapsed and was rebuilt. Following the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the college was closed. In the 18th century the roofs and windows were restored. This was followed by a Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the late 19th century and another restoration between 1902 and 1907 by Edmund H. Sedding
Edmund Harold Sedding
Edmund Harold Sedding was an English architect who practised in Devon and Cornwall. He was the son of Edmund Sedding and the nephew of J. D. Sedding. He was articled to his uncle, and initially employed by him, later setting up his own independent practice in Plymouth in 1891...
. When he died in 1921 Sedding was buried in the churchyard.
Exterior
The church is built in slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
stone and 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...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with granite dressings and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. Its plan consists of a west tower, a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, north and south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and a south porch. The tower is in three stages, with each stage being set back and angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es up to the second stage. The parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
is corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led and embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
. The tower has a west doorway above which is a 19th-century Perpendicular style window. On the south side of the second stage is a clock face. The interior of the church has plastered walls and a slate floor. The arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
contain some Norman architecture
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. In the west wall of the north transept is a blocked 12th-century doorway.
Interior
In the south aisle is a piscinaPiscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
dating from the 19th century. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 12th century. The communion rail dates from the 17th century and the wooden pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
from the 19th century. The stained glass is from the 19th century although there are fragments of medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
glass in the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
. The rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
dates from 1905 and was carved by Mary Rashleigh Pinwell. The church plate includes a silver chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
dated 1576. The parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
s date from 1559. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells. Three of these are dated 1767 by John III and Fitzantony II Pennington and the other three were cast in 1904 by John Taylor and Company.
External features
In the churchyard are a number of objects which are listed Grade II. These include a medieval stone coffin, and four monuments. Also in the churchyard are a granite cross dating from the 19th century which is set on a granite base probably dating from before the Norman Conquest, and stocksStocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
dating from the 17th century which are set under a 20th-century gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof on granite piers. The lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
at the south entrance to the churchyard dates from the late 19th century.