Launcells is a hamlet and civil parish in north-east Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is 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 has a population of , and covers an area of...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Bude

Bude

Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...

.

The civil parish contains other settlements of Red Post

Red Post

Red Post is a crossroads near Launcells in Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the A3072 Holsworthy to Stratton road where it is crossed by the B3254 road....

 and Grimscott

Grimscott

Grimscott is a village in Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated in the civil parish of Launcells, east of the town of Bude.Half a mile east of the village is Grimscott SSSI , noted for its biological interest....

. As of 2001, 563 people live within the civil parish.

Geography

The River Tamar

River Tamar

The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...

 forms the eastern boundary of the civil parish, as well as the Cornish boundary with Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

.

Parish church

The parish church is dedicated to St Swithin: nearby, in the wooded valley is the holy well of St Swithin. There are two aisles but the arcades differ: while the north is of granite the south is of Polyphant stone. The fine series of over 60 benchends is from the same workshop as those of Kilkhampton

Kilkhampton

Kilkhampton is a village and civil parish in northeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the A39 approximately four miles north-northeast of Bude.Kilkhampton was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Chilchetone"...

 and Poughill

Poughill

Poughill is a hamlet in north-east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located one mile north of Bude .-History and notable buildings:Poughill is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Pochelle. Notable old houses in Poughill include Burshill Manor , an open hall house, and Church House, dated 1525.The...

. Other features of interest are the medieval wall painting and the tomb of Sir John Chamond, 1624.

Charles Henderson

Charles G. Henderson

Charles Gordon Henderson was a historian and antiquarian of Cornwall.Charles Henderson's only quarrel with Cornwall was that it had given him no more than a quarter of his blood. His father, Major J. S. Henderson, was half Scottish and half of the Irish family of Newenham: his mother was a...

 writing in 1925 gives the dedication as to St Andrew

Saint Andrew

Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...

. The origin of the name Launcells is probably from Lan- and a personal name Kellys. In the early Middle Ages the church belonged to Hartland Abbey

Hartland, Devon

The town of Hartland, which incorporates the hamlet of Stoke to the west and the village of Meddon in the south, is the most north-westerly settlement in the county of Devon, England....

and there are records of a dispute over the building of the chancel in 1382 which required episcopal intervention. Unusually for a Cornish church it has not been affected by Victorian or later restorations.

External links