PARISH history

The Saint, Patern (or Padern) has had several candidates, which has become mixed and confused over the ages. It is believed that the actual St. Patern to which the Parish's of North and South Petherwin are dedicated to, was actually the father of St. Constantine, a Cornish King who gave up his throne to become a monk. St. Patern and St. Constantine have thus always been indelibly linked, with dedications always being near one another (a Celtic practice when Saints are related or work together). St. Constantine Church at Milton Abbot being the case in point for South Petherwin.

With the assumption that that Dunheved (Now known as Launceston) was the seat of the Celtic Kings of the area and that when Constantine became a monk he gave his territory to the Celtic Church, the Parish, along with North Petherwin and Lawhitton (Landwithan), would have been administered by the Celtic Bishop of St. Germans Monastery.

With the Saxon invasion, the new Saxon King created a new diocese in the South West based at Sherbourne. The lands which were controlled by the Celtic Bishop, were conceded to the new Bishop's control, to finance his work in Cornwall.

It is with the Saxons that both Petherwin's began to dominate the region, with the river Kensey being the natural divide. North Petherwin in the North with the new monastery of St. Stephens (a Saxon minister being appointed to quell the Celts), and South Petherwin to the south of the Kensey. The Saxons allowed the decline of Dunheved as a means to crush the Celtic will. The Diocese moved first to Crediton from Sherbourne, then on to Exeter.

The next radical change came with the Normans who saught to suppress the Saxon's control. First St. Stephen's was reduced as a minister with the priory being moved across the Kensey to Newport. Then the ruined ancient fort of Dunheved was rebuilt as a Castle and walled town.

South Petherwin then became the mother Church for Launceston, and it is for the Church's importance in providing a valuable source of income to the church as a whole, that accounts for the size of the Church when it was rebuilt in the fifteenth century. Its significance is also shown by the existence of five roads which all congregate at the Church. (Three still exist as normal tarmac roads; one is a footpath leading across fields from Tregadillet, with a fifth road from Trecrogo, which is now sadly blocked off.) The estate was much larger than the present Parish and also included Trewen, hence the Medieval association between St. Michaels Church, Trewen and St. Paternus Church, South Petherwin (A link now ended with the consolidation of Parochial charges)

St. Michaels Church, Trewen

St. Paternus Church, South Petherwin

The parish is now situated in the Hundred of East and deanery of Trigg Minor.

The Church consists of a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, and vestry. The chancel was restored in the 19th century. The arcades each consist of six four-centered arches, supported on monolith granite pillars. There are north and south porches. The tower has three stages, and is buttressed on the square; it is wholly built of local stone apart from the battlements and pinnacles which are of granite. The belfry contains five bells and a clock. There was a Holy Well in a field at Oldwit Farm, where water was collected and brought to the church each time a baptism took place. Below is a link to ground plan of work completed on the church in the 1800's

http://www.churchplansonline.org/

The current Methodist Chapel

Over the years there has been many Methodist Chapels, with the present one being built in 1872. The stone was quarried from the nearby Bangor's Slate quarry, which at the time, provided employment for many within the parish.

Beacon Farmhouse

For many years the Parish was serviced by one pub called the Brandreth Arms, which is now Beacon Farm. This was also situated within the main village just down from the Pump.

The Pump for many years was the only main source of water for the Village.

Parishioners queue at the Pump during a water shortage believed to sometime in the 1950's

From Left to Right Alfie 'Chips' Cheeseworth (Local Carpenter), Hilda Wilton, Archie Couch, Charles Barber, ?, Ian Bennett

BLIGH OR BLIGHT PROPERTY
   [from Administrative History] In 1719 Arthur Lawrence of Launceston married Judith daughter and coheir of Charles Blight of Launceston. From this family the Lawrences succeeded to property at Brockle, Larrick and Hendra in South Petherwin, and in Bodmin. Other deeds in this section relate to the family of Bligh of Botathan in South Petherwin, which bore the same arms as the Bodmin family. The Lawrences seem never to have owned any of their property, and the deeds may have been collected for genealogical purposes.

   Title Deeds

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/153 - date: 1693-1832
         [from Scope and Content] Brockle and Larrick in South Petherwin

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/154 - date: 1290-99, 1712-94
         [from Scope and Content] Hendra in South Petherwin

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/157 - date: 1676-1723
         [from Scope and Content] Botathan and Trethevy in South Petherwin

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/158 - date: 1631-92
         [from Scope and Content] Trewarlet in Lezant and South Petherwin

   Leases

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/162 - date: 1795-1809
         [from Scope and Content] Brockle, Larrick and Hendra in South Petherwin

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/164 - date: 1681-1744
         [from Scope and Content] Trethevy in South Petherwin

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/165 - date: 1626-86
         [from Scope and Content] Trewarlet in Lezant and South Petherwin

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

   Title deeds

      FILE [no title] - ref.  LR/214 - date: 1635-1713
         [from Scope and Content] Lands in South Petherwin

Trecrogo, South Petherwin. This quadruple ditched enclosure is unique in Cornwall. It lies in close proximity to two Bronze Age round barrows and is likely to be a contemporary ceremonial monument. Photo © Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service

Due to the fact that there is little information available on the Parish's history, a major research is being performed into this subject. If anyone has any information or old photographs it would help the project immensely. Please contact us at sOUTH petherwin@tiscali.co.uk

As the Information is gradually put together it will be posted to this page so keep checking for the updates

PARISH history

Parish Groups

old photo's

pARISH cENSUS