St Mawes

Last updated

St Mawes
Village
View of St Mawes.jpg
Cornwall UK mainland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
St Mawes
Location within Cornwall
OS grid reference SW845330
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Truro
Postcode district TR2
Police Devon and Cornwall
Fire Cornwall
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cornwall
50°09′29″N5°01′05″W / 50.158°N 5.018°W / 50.158; -5.018

St Mawes (Cornish : Lannvowsedh) is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carrick Roads, a large waterway created after the Ice Age from an ancient valley which flooded as the melt waters caused the sea level to rise. The immense natural harbour thus created is claimed to be the third largest in the world. St Mawes was once a busy fishing port, but the trade declined during the 20th century and the village now serves as a popular tourist location, with many properties functioning as holiday accommodation.[ citation needed ] The village is in the civil parish of St Just in Roseland and lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Contents

History and geography

The village takes its name from the Celtic saint Saint Maudez (Mawe), who may have come from Ireland but is mainly venerated in Brittany. [1] [2] A name: 'Musidum' in Roman times, has subsequently been applied to St. Mawes, although the source is dubious. [3]

St Mawes was once an important town [4] and was made a borough in 1563, returning two members to parliament. It was disfranchised in 1832. The town was described, in 1880, by an anonymous writer, [5]

... as a quiet little fishing village, and consists of a long straggling street, fronting the water; it has, however a good pier, which was erected in 1854; and a sea-wall, with a parapet was built not long ago, along the centre front of the town.

St Mawes Castle is a well-preserved coastal fortress from the time of Henry VIII, built to counter the invasion threat from the Continent. Charles Henderson, writing in 1925, says of St Mawes, "an ancient fishing town which in late years has assumed the different and more sophisticated character of a watering place". The seal of St Mawes was Az. a bend lozengy Or between a tower in the sinister chief Arg. and a ship with three masts the sail furled in the dexter base of the second, with the legend "Commune Sigillum Burgi de St. Mawes al Mauditt. [6]

Royal family

St Mawes harbour St Mawes Harbour April 2016.jpg
St Mawes harbour

There have been frequent private visits to St Mawes by members of the royal family including Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and more recently Charles III and Queen Camilla, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, who ended their stay in July 2008 by naming the new St Mawes ferry The Duchess of Cornwall. The Queen visited St Mawes in 1977 during her Silver Jubilee Tour. [7] In June 2002 for The Queen's Golden Jubilee and, with a brand new cast in June 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, The Queen's Coronation was re-enacted in great detail by the young people of the village in a ceremony entitled "The Children's Coronation". [8]

Church history

The church of St Mawes St Mawes' Church, St Mawes.JPG
The church of St Mawes

The name of the town comes from Saint Maudez, a Breton saint, and there was a chapel here dedicated to him with his holy well nearby. Its existence in 1427 is mentioned in George Oliver's Monasticon and it remained in use until the reign of Elizabeth I when it was abandoned. From that time until ca 1838 there was no chapel for the townspeople until a private chapel built in 1807 by the Marquis of Buckingham was licensed by the Bishop. This was on a different site and was rebuilt in 1881. St Mawes continued however to be in the parish of St Just in Roseland. [9] St Mawes' Church, St Mawes was opened in 1884. There is also a Methodist church, which was built in the first half of the 19th century and is a Grade II listed building. [10]

Demographics

According to 2011 UK census data, 714 people lived in St Mawes. 91% of residents were born in UK and the most common religion stated was Christian (74.8%). [11]

Cultural associations

The Square, St Mawes The Square, St Mawes (9549378808).jpg
The Square, St Mawes

The 1964 Agatha Christie film Murder Ahoy was filmed here, as was the 1964 film Crooks in Cloisters . [12] Cormoran Strike, the protagonist of the eponymous detective novel series by Robert Galbraith, was raised in St. Mawes.

Transport

The St Mawes Ferry at Falmouth St Mawes Ferry at Falmouth.jpg
The St Mawes Ferry at Falmouth

A year-round ferry provides a service to Falmouth, which is less than a mile away by boat, but due to its proximity to the Fal estuary it is some 30 miles (48 km) away by road. The Place Ferry links the South West Coast Path and operates from Good Friday to the end of October. [13]

Notable residents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falmouth, Cornwall</span> Town in Cornwall, England

Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veryan</span> Human settlement in England

Veryan is a coastal civil parish and village on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village has been described as one of Cornwall's loveliest inland villages and as ′a mild tropic garden′ by John Betjeman. It is probably best known for the round-houses, built by the vicar Jeremiah Trist in the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Fal</span> River in Cornwall, England

The River Fal flows through Cornwall, rising at Pentevale on Goss Moor and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth. On or near the banks of the Fal are the castles of Pendennis and St Mawes as well as Trelissick Garden. The River Fal separates the Roseland peninsula from the rest of Cornwall. Like most of its kind on the south coast of Cornwall and Devon, the Fal estuary is a classic ria, or drowned river valley. The Fal estuary from Tregony to the Truro River was originally called Hafaraell.

Flushing is a coastal village in the civil parish of Mylor, west Cornwall, UK. It is 3 miles (5 km) east of Penryn and 10 miles (16 km) south of Truro. It faces Falmouth across the Penryn River, an arm of the Carrick Roads. The village is known for its yearly Regatta week in July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zone Point</span>

Zone Point is the southernmost extremity of the Roseland peninsula extending into Falmouth Bay near St Mawes in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at grid reference SW8430.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truro and Falmouth (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

Truro and Falmouth is a constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jayne Kirkham of the Labour Party. The seat had previously been held by Conservative MPs since its creation in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portloe</span> Village in Cornwall, England

Portloe is a small village in Cornwall, England, on the Roseland Peninsula, in the civil parish of Veryan. Portloe harbours two full-time working fishing vessels, the Jasmine and Katy Lil, which fish for crab and lobster in Veryan and Gerrans Bay, and a fleet of smaller leisure boats in summer. Visitors are attracted to Portloe by its fishing, scenery, and walks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrick Roads</span> Estuary of the River Fal in Cornwall, England

Carrick Roads is the estuary of the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall in England. It joins the English Channel at its southern end near Falmouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ewe</span> Human settlement in England

St Ewe is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, which is believed by hagiographers to have been named after the English moniker of Saint Avoye. The village is situated approximately five miles (8 km) southwest of St Austell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Goran</span>

St Goran is a coastal civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK, six miles (10 km) south-southwest of St Austell. The largest settlement in the parish is the coastal village of Gorran Haven, a mile to the east with a further cluster of homes at Trevarrick. The population at the 2011 census was 1,411.

Feock is a coastal civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Truro at the head of Carrick Roads on the River Fal. To the south, the parish is bordered by Restronguet Creek and to the east by Carrick Roads and the River Fal. To the north, it is bordered by Kea parish and to the west by Perranarworthal parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerrans</span> Human settlement in England

Gerrans is a coastal civil parish and village on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village adjoins Portscatho on the east side of the peninsula. The village is situated approximately seven miles (11 km) south-southeast of Truro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Just in Roseland</span> Village and civil parish in Cornwall, England

St Just in Roseland is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is 6 miles (10 km) south of Truro and 2 miles (3 km) north of St Mawes, a small village within the parish of St Just in Roseland. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 1,158.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Cornwall</span>

The evolution of transport in Cornwall has been shaped by the county's strong maritime, mining and industrial traditions and much of the transport infrastructure reflects this heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Maudez</span> Breton saint

Maudez is a Breton saint who lived in the 5th or 6th century. He is also known as Maudé, Maudet, Maodez or Modez (Breton), Maudetus (Latin), Mandé (French) and Mawes. In the Breton calendar his feast is 18 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meneage</span>

The Meneage is a district in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. The nearest large towns are Falmouth and Helston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Cornwall</span> Overview of and topical guide to Cornwall

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cornwall: Cornwall – ceremonial county and unitary authority area of England within the United Kingdom. Cornwall is a peninsula 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 is also a royal duchy of the United Kingdom. It has an estimated population of half a million and it has its own distinctive history and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mawes' Church, St Mawes</span> Church in Cornwall, England

St Mawes’ Church is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Truro in St Mawes, Cornwall, England, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percuil River</span> River in Cornwall, England

The Percuil River is an estuary and stream draining the southern part of the Roseland Peninsula of Cornwall, UK and is one of three major tidal creeks of the River Fal. The small port and holiday destination of St Mawes is on the western shore and is linked to Place Creek on the eastern shore by the Place Ferry. The ferry is used by walkers on the South West Coast Path.

Presented below is an alphabetical index of articles related to Cornwall:

References

  1. ↑ Into Cornwall, St Mawes, Information about St Mawes
  2. ↑ Doble, G. H. (1964) The Saints of Cornwall: part 3. Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 57-73
  3. ↑ Drew, Samuel (1824) The Origin of Cornish Place Names.
  4. ↑ 'Cornwall', in Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales To 1516, ed. Samantha Letters (Kew, 2005), British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/list-index-soc/markets-fairs-gazetteer-to-1516/cornwall accessed 29 March 2020
  5. ↑ "St Mawes Castle". The Cornishman. No. 120. 28 October 1880. p. 6.
  6. ↑ Pascoe, W. H. (1979). A Cornish Armory. Padstow, Cornwall: Lodenek Press. p. 134. ISBN   0-902899-76-7.
  7. ↑ "Protected Jubilee tree is left dying after act of vandalism". Thisiscornwall. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  8. ↑ "Next generation play out the coronation - to the Queen's delight". Western Morning News . 1 June 2012.
  9. ↑ Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; pp. 115-16
  10. ↑ Historic England. "METHODIST CHURCH, St. Just-in-Roseland (1312736)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "City Population: St Mawes" . Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  12. ↑ Filming locations for Crooks in Cloisters on the Internet Movie Database
  13. ↑ "King Harry Ferry" . Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  14. ↑ "Barry Bucknell". Making the Modern World. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  15. ↑ "West Country property: the enchanting village". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  16. ↑ "West Country property: the enchanting village". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "West Country property: the enchanting village". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  18. ↑ BT Phone Book

Bibliography

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.