The Celtic Christianity of Cornwall: Divers Sketches and StudiesTaylor, Thomas
History
The Celtic Christianity of Cornwall: Divers Sketches and Studies
Taylor, Thomas
Cornwall (England : County) -- Church history
Of St. Keverne we learn from Domesday Book that the canons of St.
Achebran had one manor which was called Lannachebran, which the same
saint had held in the Confessor’s time. There is, however, evidence of
its quasi-prebendal character more than a century before the Survey was
made.[87] By Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans, the
church was given to the abbot and convent of Beaulieu for the good of
his own soul and that of King John his father.[88] The vicarage was
taxed by Bishop Bronescombe, in 1260, very unfavourably to the vicar,
there being assigned to the abbot and convent of Beaulieu more than
five-sixths of the income. Leland, writing about the year 1530, states
that near “The Paroch church of S. Keveryn otherwise Piranus,” there is
a sanctuary with ten or twelve dwelling houses and hard by “there was a
sel of monkes but now gonn home to ther Hed Hows.” These monks were
doubtless Cistercians from Beaulieu who, for some reason or another, had
been temporarily resident in the parish. The appropriation of the church
by Earl Richard, and its taxation by Bishop Bronescombe, had left it a
rather poorly endowed vicarage, of which the patronage and greater
tithes belonged to Beaulieu. That Lannachebran was originally Celtic and
monastic does not admit of doubt.
The account supplied by Domesday Book respecting St. Pieran
(Perranzabuloe) is very illuminating. “The Canons of St. Pieran,” so the
statement runs, “have a manor called Lanpiran, which in the time of King
Edward they held freely.... From this manor have been taken away two
manors which in the time of King Edward rendered to the Canons of St.
Pieran four weeks’ farm (_firmam iii septimanarum_). Of these manors
Berner holds one of the Count. And from the other hide which Odo holds
of St. Pieran the Count has taken away all the stock (_pecuniam_). These
two manors rendered to the Dean by way of custom 20s. in addition to the
said farm (_firmam_).” The first of these two manors was that of
Tregebri, which elsewhere in Domesday Book is described as being “of the
honour[89] of St. Perann.” The Count of Mortain took from both all that
had formerly belonged to the saint. Dean and canons were swept away at
an early date and the church given by Henry I to the dean and chapter of
Exeter. When the vicarage was taxed in 1269, to the vicar was assigned
the altarage of the mother church of St. Piran and of the chapel,
together with all the offerings derived from the exposition of the
relics, the vicar rendering a yearly tribute of six marks to the dean
and chapter. The relics referred to were those of St. Piran the founder
of the church, concerning which some interesting particulars are
supplied in an inventory of the year 1281. Among other treasures mention
is made of a reliquary in which is kept the head of St. Pyeran, with the
rest of the relics secured with iron and a lock, a hearse in which the
body of Pyeran is placed for processions, a tooth of St. Brendan and a
tooth of St.
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