CONSTANTINE

The Parish Church

Constantine is situated in the deanery and Hundred of Kerrier, and is one of the largest Parishes in Cornwall. In 1869, it was bounded on the east by Budock and Mawnan, on the south by Helford Creek, which separates it from Manaccan, St Martins and Mawgan-in-Meneage, and on the west and north by Wendron, Stithians and Mabe. The parish is named after its patron, Saint Constantine. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Saint Constantin. The population of the parish is just over 2,000, about half living in the village of Constantine itself, and the rest in other smaller villages or hamlets - Gweek, Seworgan, Brill, Port Navas, Budock Vean, Helford Passage - or on isolated farms. On approaching Constantine, the high tower of the Church stands prominently upon an ancient mound that is probably the remains of an original Celtic monastery. Built between 1420-1480, it is dedicated to St. Constantine who, according to legend, was a chieftain or prince around the 5th century A.D. From the main porch the view southwards is superb, with a deep valley ahead and the Goonhilly Downs beyond. Employment over the centuries has centred on the river, farming and granite quarries. Now, with very little quarrying done, and no schooners and barques using the river, tourism is very important, with lots of vessels enjoying the river with its beautiful creeks and small beaches. Walkers, garden lovers and golfers all recharge their batteries in this lovely area.

If you are trying to contact the local council then search the Cornwall County Council website at https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/people-and-communities/

Contact details for the local church can be found by searching https://www.achurchnearyou.com/

PARISH INFORMATION

CENSUS:

Transcriptions can be found at COCP - the Cornwall Online Census Project - which is complete for 1841 to 1891.
These COCP transcriptions can be searched using FreeCen.

GenUKI has more reference information and alternative resources.

REGISTERS:

For Parish Register transcriptions and other resources, please see our online searchable database (C-PROP) which is updated frequently.  The C-PROP coverage page can be found here.

Images of many Cornwall Parish Registers can be viewed free of charge at FamilySearch.

OTHER RECORDS:

Bastardy Documents: (Alphabetical order by Mother's surname)

Coroners' Inquests: (newspaper reports)

Deaths, Funeral Accounts and Obituaries: (newspaper reports)

Other Documents:

For a document dated 28 Dec 1894, listing lunatic paupers, click here.

Other Newspaper Reports:

Parish 'settlement' records: (Alphabetical order - these documents arise out of the Poor Law Acts and may have a wider relevance than just settlement)

Trade Directories etc.:

For other information and links to trade directories see GenUKI and the University of Leicester's website.

Voters Lists:

Wills:

A list of available Wills and Probate Documents. See also the wills on the unknown parish page.
Copies of the original documents marked CRO can be purchased using the Kresen Kernow copying service, or may be freely accessible on films from the FamilySearch website. Copies marked NA can be purchased from the National Archive.
Help with locating the Wills on the FamilySearch films can be found here.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

For further information regarding History, Population, and much more, visit GenUKI.

Maps:

For a zoomable and printable map of Cornwall please visit Cornwall Council’s mapping website. To see the modern, civil parish boundaries, click on the Layers Tab for Government Boundaries.

For maps and satellite images use Google Maps.

The Ordnance Survey Maps for Great Britain from the 1840s are online at the 'National Library of Scotland' Map Images page https://maps.nls.uk/. Click on 'Find By Place' and type in the parish or town you are looking for.

A large number of old O.S. Maps of many areas of Cornwall (various scales) are also available, the index is here.

The ecclesiastical (church) parish boundaries can be found by searching here on the Church of England website.

Online Books:

1. Constantine is included in The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume I by Davies Gilbert, William Hals, Thomas Tonkin, Henry Samuel Boase, originally published in 1838 (page n276). Also downloadable as a pdf.
2. The Circle, or Historical Survey of Sixty Parishes and Towns in Cornwall, by William Penaluna, first published in 1819.

PHOTOS:

Constantine Church

Constantine is a large parish in west Cornwall, extending to over 8,000 acres, and it lies on the northern bank of the Helford River and estuary. Because of its size, it has a number of neighbours, which are (working anti-clockwise from the east) Mawnan, Budock, Mabe, Stithians, Carnmenellis (from 1846 to early 21st century), Wendron, Mawgan in Meneage and (across the Helford) St Martin in Meneage, Manaccan and St Anthony in Meneage.

There has been a place of worship on the site for something approaching 1500 years, since there was a Celtic monastery named Langostentyn here in about the 6th century AD, built on the roughly oval mound on which the present church stands. Constructed of perishable materials, naturally there is no sign of it today, but a more substantial building was erected following the Norman Conquest, and in 1258, during the episcopate of Walter Bronescome, Master Nicholas de Tregorrec was presented to the vacant living by its patron, Odo de Lanladron or Nansladron. In 1283 one of Odo’s descendants then came to an agreement with the Dean and Chapter of Exeter Cathedral under which he exchanged the church for their manor of Methleigh in Breage. The church was thus appropriated to Exeter Cathedral (and after 1877 to the Dean and Chapter of Truro), with the living becoming a vicarage.

Between about 1420 and 1480 the earlier church was rebuilt, and that is essentially the structure we see today, although it underwent a series of restorations from 1859 to 1901 including the total rebuilding of the chancel in 1862 by the architect J.P. St. Aubyn. In about 1420 the south aisle (but only the length of the nave) and south porch were added to the original nave and chancel. A little later in the 15th century the 3-stage western tower and the full north aisle were built, followed by a 1-bay extension to the south aisle to the east, to bring it level with the north aisle. Finally, in about 1480, the Bosahan aisle was added and a rood screen inserted. And that is the church we see today, save that the rood screen was a casualty of the iconoclasts of the Reformation.

The church is dedicated to St Constantine, who is traditionally said to have been a Cornishman – unlike the majority of the Celtic saints who were either Irish, Welsh or Breton. Quite who he was, however, is rather more problematic. The outspoken and critical Gildas berates Constantine as “the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia”, and goes on to allege that he did “wound and tear, even in the bosoms of their temporal mother, and of the Church their spiritual mother, two royal youths with their two attendants”. If that was not enough, he apparently “for many years before stained himself with the abomination of many adulteries.” An interesting character indeed, and although some have suggested that this is the man who later converted to Christianity, most modern scholars reject that idea, pointing out that Constantine (the first Christian Roman emperor) became a favourite name in post-Roman Britain. What seems to be generally accepted is that the saint was of noble Cornish birth, gave up a life of privilege to become a monk, and developed a strong following – the ruined chapel dedicated to him, and his nearby well, still stand in St Merryn parish, and there was a chapel dedicated to him in Illogan, with further dedications in Devon.

There are a number of gateways into the churchyard – one on the south leading up to the porch, another on the north into the centre of the churchyard, but perhaps that in the south-east corner provides the most attractive view of the southern side of the church. Walking then along the length of the building, past the turret containing the old rood-loft stairs, we come to the porch with its old holy water stoup. Entering the church itself, immediately to the left is the font, carved from granite, but it dates only from the early 20th century. Nearby, in a frame attached to the west wall, is the sole remaining fragment of the former rood screen, which originally stood across the entire width of the church. The oak carving is unusual, and if the entire screen had been composed of similar panels, it must have been awe-inspiring. Not far away is the old parish chest which the eminent Cornish historian, Charles Henderson, considered to be one of the finest in the Duchy. Although the lid is plain oak, the sides have linenfold carved panels, and the detailed carved front panels apparently date from about 1520.

Moving eastwards up the south aisle reveals a brightly coloured painting of the patron saint on the south wall, and almost at the east end can be seen the old doorway to the rood-loft stairs, and the access opening above. Just to the left of the upper opening is a marble memorial plaque with a swaged urn by Isbell of Truro to John Nicholas of Trebah, who died in 1788 aged 57 with the rather enigmatic dedication – “Here feeble nature drops the silent tear; While reason and religion better taught, Congratulate the Dead.” Also attached to the south wall is a framed scroll containing the handwritten names of the men of the parish who served during the First World War, with a typed list to the right of it giving, in alphabetical order, the names of the 142 men concerned, 23 of whom failed to return. Close by is a similar list of the service men, and 10 women, who took part in the following conflict – unusually, the number is greater than that of the First War.

There are a number of stained glass windows in the church, but perhaps the most eye-catching is that in the east window of the south aisle. Made as recently as 1973 by John Hall & Sons of Bristol and London, the colours are stunning, and the 2 middle lights depict the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the Archangel Gabriel, and in the left light a woodcock on her nest and a pair of choughs, with a Celtic cross and sword above St Constantine in the right hand light. In the tracery are the right hand of God, the dove of the Holy Spirit, and the Agnus Dei. Moving across to the nave, a view towards the chancel confirms that the seating consists of mid 19th century low box pews, the outer ends displaying fielded panels, although the outer doors have been removed. The roof timbers, too, come from the same era, and consist of arch-braced collars with wind-braces, no doubt replacing the former waggon roof so typical of Cornish churches.

The chancel is plain, its stone walls (stripped of their plaster in the late 19th century) appearing perhaps a little stark, and the dark coloured pointing in the crack in the north wall rather emphasises the defect rather than concealing it. The marble and mosaic reredos, however, adds a touch of colour to the scene. On the wall is a slate memorial to Thomas Perry, a vicar of the parish from November 1686 until his death in 1734, an impressive record of almost 48 years. Its rather naive skulls with crossed bones in the top corners may well have frightened some of the younger generations! A more impressive, and artistic, memorial is to be found laid in the floor just to the left of the altar – a brass to Richard Geyrveys who died in 1574 and his wife Jane (née Trefusis) with their 16 children below their images. It is said that the brass was taken up for repair in 1860, when it was discovered that it is in fact a palimpsest, the reverse having Flemish work of the 14th century of a knight in armour.

Moving across to the north aisle shows that the seating on the north side is of simple oak benches, which replaced the former box pews in the early part of the 20th century. The 2 arches in the arcade leading into the Bosahan aisle are also prominent, the 3rd arch being occupied by the organ. The Bosahan aisle contains all that remains of the medieval wall painting which doubtless covered the previously plastered walls – it shows the face of a man wearing a bishop’s mitre with his right hand raised in blessing. Nearby is a brass to John Pendarves who died in 1616 and his wife Melior who preceded him by 9 years; unusually for that time, they only had the 2 children, Samuel and Mary who are also shown on the memorial.

Returning outside, and walking to the east of the church, shows how closely the church fits into the village itself, with houses built right up the northern boundary. It also shows clearly the raised oval mound on which the church was built. And just across the road on the south side is an extension to the graveyard, sloping quite steeply to the south, filled with burials and numerous interesting headstones.

Church from the south east	Holy water stoup in porch	20th century granite font
Fragment of carved oak rood screen	16th century parish chest	Painting of St Constantine
Rood loft stair doorway & opening	Memorial to John Nicholas (died 1788)	World War I scroll
World War II scroll	South aisle east window	View of nave
Chancel	Slate memorial to John Perry (died 1734)	Brass to Richard & Jane Geyrveys
North aisle	Wall painting in Bosahan aisle	Brass to John & Melior Pendarves
Church from the east	Churchyard extension on the south	Photos ©John Evans Click thumbnails to enlarge

ADJACENT PARISHES:

Budock, Mawnan, Mabe, Stithians and Wendron.