St Maddern's Church, Madron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Maddern's Church, Madron |
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| 50°7′53.81″N 5°33′53.59″W / 50.1316139°N 5.5648861°W | |
| Location | Madron |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Maddern |
| Consecrated | 1336 |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 8 (1761–1950) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Madron |
| Deanery | Penwith |
| Archdeaconry | Cornwall |
| Diocese | Truro |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Maddern's Church is a very old church located in Madron, a village near Penzance in Cornwall, England. It was once the main church for nearby areas like Morvah and Penzance. This means other churches in those places were started from St Maddern's. It is also a Grade I listed building, which means it is a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
Contents
Discover the Church's Design
This church is a large building, mostly built in the 15th century (the 1400s). However, some parts of it, like the chancel (the area around the altar), are even older, from the 14th century (the 1300s).
You can find an old stone font bowl inside, which was used for baptisms. It is thought to be from the Norman period, which was a very long time ago, around the 11th or 12th century. There are also a few old bench ends, which are the decorated ends of the wooden pews where people sit.
A Look Back at St Maddern's History
The church has a long and interesting past, full of changes and important events.
Early History of the Church
In the 12th century, the church and a nearby estate called Landithy were given to the Knights Hospitallers. These were a group of knights who helped pilgrims and the sick. A "vicarage" was set up in 1278. This meant a vicar (a type of priest) was officially in charge of the church and its local area.
The church was officially made sacred, or "consecrated," in 1336 by the Bishop of Exeter. He traveled all the way from Exeter with many important people, including other church leaders and knights. This was a busy trip for the Bishop, as he consecrated 14 other churches that summer.
The Tudor Period
The church building was not fully finished until around 1500. At that time, the vicar, Benedict Tregos, had a problem. He had supported Perkin Warbeck, a man who pretended to be a prince and tried to become king. Warbeck landed nearby in 1497.
To avoid trouble with King Henry VII, Vicar Tregos paid to build the north aisle of the church himself. He also decorated the church with Tudor roses, which were a symbol of the king, and put the king's coat of arms on expensive wooden panels. His plan worked, and he lived many more years in peace. Inside the church, you can also see a special brass plaque from 1623 that remembers John Clies and his family.
Church Restoration
In 1837, records show the cost of repairing pews. Back then, important people in the village had their own private pews. Most other people likely stood at the back of the church. By 1855, people decided the church needed a big makeover. They wanted to make it look "worthy of its sacred purpose."
So, all the old pews were removed and replaced with new, matching ones. They also added heating and lighting, and the floor in the chancel was redone. By 1889, the church looked much like it does today after all these improvements.
The Church Bells of Madron
The church has a set of bells that have marked time for the village for centuries. The first bells were put in the church tower in the early 1700s. There were only three bells at first.
In 1761, the village decided to sell these three bells and buy a new set of five. These new bells were ordered from a company in Bridgwater. However, one of the bells caused a lot of problems and had to be melted down and remade several times! Other bells also needed to be remade later.
By 1898, the bells needed fixing again. This happened at the same time as Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, so a sixth bell was added to celebrate. The seventh and eighth bells were added in 1950, making a full set of eight. All eight bells were officially dedicated on March 3, 1951.
Here's a closer look at each bell:
| weight | inscription | founded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (cwts, qtrs, lbs) | |||
| 1 | 3-2-19 = 411 pounds (186 kg) | “In memory of John Kemp White, 1867–1947, Choirmaster and organist. His children’s gift” | 1950 |
| 2 | 4-0-0 = 448 pounds (203 kg) | “The gift of the Truro Diocesan Guild of Ringers. In memory of John Symons MRCS.” | 1950 |
| 3 | 4-0-5 = 453 pounds (205 kg) | “God save our Queen and church. William Borlase Tremenheere, vicar.” | 1898 |
| 4 | 4-2-23 = 527 pounds (239 kg) | “Number 3” | 1761 |
| 5 | 4-2-27 = 531 pounds (241 kg) | "Rev. Michael Nowell Peters (vicar), P. Kempe (churchwarden)." | Recast Loughborough 1842 |
| 6 | 4-3-3 = 535 pounds (243 kg) | “Rev. W. Tremenheere (vicar), Jas. Glasson (churchwarden).” | Re-cast Hayle 1823 |
| 7 | 6-3-15 = 771 pounds (350 kg) | “Number 2.” | Re-cast Hayle 1823 |
| 8 | 9-2-8 = 1,072 pounds (486 kg) | “Walter Borlase (vicar), Thos. Jenkin (churchwarden).” | 1761 |
The Church Organ
The church also has a pipe organ built by a company called Hele and Co. An organ like this uses air flowing through pipes to make music. You can find more details about this specific organ in the National Pipe Organ Register.
Exploring the Churchyard
By 1820, the churchyard, which is the burial ground around the church, was full. So, people decided it needed to be made bigger. This was a big job! It meant extending the churchyard to the north. To do this, they had to tear down a small cottage and pay the person living there. They also had to move a stream that came from the Madron Well and raise the ground level by 6 feet to match the rest of the churchyard.
This work took a long time and was finally finished in 1828. The new burial ground was then made sacred by the Bishop of Exeter. All this work cost a lot of money back then: £369, 11 shillings, and 6 pence. Interestingly, the churchyard was full again by 1878! So, a new part of the Madron cemetery was made sacred the next year by Edward White Benson, who was the Bishop of the new Diocese of Truro. The famous architect Edmund Sedding is buried here.
The Rose-Price Mausoleum
To the north-east of the church, you can see a special building called the Rose-Price mausoleum. It's a grand tomb made of granite stone blocks for the Rose-Price family from a nearby estate called Trengwainton. This mausoleum is also a Grade II listed building, meaning it's historically important.
The mausoleum was opened for the first time in almost 50 years on January 30, 1881. This was for the burial of Mrs. Louisa Douglas Nugent. A newspaper from that time, The Cornishman, described how the "gloomy-looking huge mausoleum" was opened "block by block." Inside, there are stone slabs with space for eighteen coffins below a brick-lined dome. There's also a vault with room for six more. A granite block inside says, "Sir Rose Price, Bart., erected this tomb Anno 1827." Many family members are buried there, including Sir Rose Price himself and his wife.
