Ludgvan
Encyclopedia
Ludgvan is a civil parish and village in Cornwall
, England
, UK
. The village is situated 2½ miles (4 km) northeast of Penzance
.
The parish includes the villages of Ludgvan, Crowlas
, Canon's Town
and Long Rock
. It is bounded by the parishes of Towednack
and Lelant
to the north, Madron
and Penzance
to the west, by St Erth
, St Hilary
and Marazion
to the east and by the sea to the south.
For the purposes of local government, Ludgvan elects a parish council every four years. The principal local authority is Cornwall Council. The village has an Old Cornwall Society.
Ludgvan village is physically split between the area known as Churchtown, situated upon the hill, and Lower Quarter to the east, adjoining Crowlas
.
for place of ashes or burnt place. Ludgvan was mentioned in the Domesday Book
(under the name of Luduhan) as falling within the manor
of Ludgvan Lese, which at the time of record covered more of what is now the Penwith
district including some parts of the modern parish of St Ives
. The Lords of the manor of Ludgvan Lese kept certain shipping rights within the port of St Ives up to and possibly beyond the 19th century. Ludgvan Lease now exists as a hamlet within the parish.
. The family of Tremenheere derive their name from the estate they held at Tremenheere from medieval times. Their coat of arms is "Sable three Doric columns palewise Azure" with the Cornish motto: "Thrugscryssough ne Deu a nef".
, FRS, inventor of the Bath Oliver
biscuit, and founder of the Royal Mineral Water Hospital, Bath was born here.
William Borlase
the antiquary and naturalist, was Rector of Ludgvan from 1722 to 1772.
Humphry Davy and others Also within the parish of Ludgvan lies Varfell
which was the ancestral home of the Davy family, including Sir Humphry Davy
. It has been claimed that Ludgvan was the home of the last native wolf in Great Britain; however, this cannot be confirmed by available historical sources. James Hosking (or Hoskin) was a Ludgvan farmer who visited the United States in 1811 and wrote an account of his experiences.
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK
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...
. The village is situated 2½ miles (4 km) northeast of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
.
The parish includes the villages of Ludgvan, Crowlas
Crowlas
Crowlas is a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the A30 about three miles east of Penzance and forms a small conurbation with Ludgvan "Lower Quarter", within the parish of the same name. The hamlet of Whitecross lies to the north....
, Canon's Town
Canon's Town
Canonstown is a hamlet in Cornwall, UK situated on the A30 between Penzance and Hayle....
and Long Rock
Long Rock
Long Rock is a village in southwest Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately one mile east of Penzance and 1½ miles west of Marazion in the civil parish of Ludgvan.Long Rock is effectively an eastern suburb of Penzance...
. It is bounded by the parishes of Towednack
Towednack
Towednack is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The parish is bounded by those of Zennor in the west, Gulval in the south, Ludgvan in the east and St Ives in the north...
and Lelant
Lelant
Lelant is a village in west Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the west side of the River Hayle estuary about 2½ miles southeast of St Ives and one mile west of Hayle....
to the north, Madron
Madron
Madron is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a large rural parish on the Penwith peninsula north of Penzance.Madron village is situated approximately two miles northwest of Penzance town centre....
and Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
to the west, by St Erth
St Erth
St Erth is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The village is situated four miles southeast of St Ives and six miles northeast of Penzance....
, St Hilary
St Hilary, Cornwall
St Hilary is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles east of Penzance and four miles south of Hayle.Chynoweth is an area immediately north of St Hilary....
and Marazion
Marazion
Marazion is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the shore of Mount's Bay, two miles east of Penzance and one mile east of Long Rock.St Michael's Mount is half-a-mile offshore from Marazion...
to the east and by the sea to the south.
For the purposes of local government, Ludgvan elects a parish council every four years. The principal local authority is Cornwall Council. The village has an Old Cornwall Society.
Ludgvan village is physically split between the area known as Churchtown, situated upon the hill, and Lower Quarter to the east, adjoining Crowlas
Crowlas
Crowlas is a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the A30 about three miles east of Penzance and forms a small conurbation with Ludgvan "Lower Quarter", within the parish of the same name. The hamlet of Whitecross lies to the north....
.
History
Like many communities in Cornwall the legendary origins of Ludgvan are attributed to the arrival of its patron saint, in this case Saint Ludowanus. However, the place-name appears to derive from the CornishCornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
for place of ashes or burnt place. Ludgvan was mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(under the name of Luduhan) as falling within the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Ludgvan Lese, which at the time of record covered more of what is now the Penwith
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
district including some parts of the modern parish of St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
. The Lords of the manor of Ludgvan Lese kept certain shipping rights within the port of St Ives up to and possibly beyond the 19th century. Ludgvan Lease now exists as a hamlet within the parish.
Parish Church
The church is dedicated to St Ludowanus and St Paul the Apostle but it is probable that the saint did not exist (by just prefixing 'Saint' to the existing name 'Ludgvan): it was rededicated in 1336 and earlier spellings of the place-name vary between forms with and without 'Saint'. The building was originally cruciform and Norman but was rebuilt in the 15th century with a tower: in 1840 a south aisle replaced the previous transept and porch. The feast traditionally celebrated in the parish is the Sunday nearest to January 22. The last church services conducted in Cornish were in Ludgvan in the late 17th century (however this claim is also made for Towednack).Tremenheere
At Tremenheere is the Tremenheere Sculpture Garden. The meaning of Tremenheere is "Standing Stone Farm" (Tre = place/farm, Menhir = standing stone) and there is another place of the same name in St KeverneSt Keverne
St Keverne is a civil parish and village on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 started in St Keverne. The leader of the rebellion Michael An Gof was a blacksmith from St Keverne and is commemorated by a statue in the village...
. The family of Tremenheere derive their name from the estate they held at Tremenheere from medieval times. Their coat of arms is "Sable three Doric columns palewise Azure" with the Cornish motto: "Thrugscryssough ne Deu a nef".
Notable residents
Dr Oliver William OliverWilliam Oliver (physician)
William Oliver was an English physician and philanthropist, and inventor of the Bath Oliver. He was born at Ludgvan, Cornwall, and baptised on 27 August 1695, described as the son of John Oliver. His family, originally seated at Trevarnoe in Sithney, resided afterwards in Ludgvan, and the estate...
, FRS, inventor of the Bath Oliver
Bath Oliver
A Bath Oliver is a hard, dry biscuit or cracker made from flour, butter, yeast and milk; often eaten with cheese. It was invented by a Dr William Oliver of Bath, Somerset around 1750, giving the biscuit its name....
biscuit, and founder of the Royal Mineral Water Hospital, Bath was born here.
William Borlase
William Borlase
William Borlase , Cornish antiquary, geologist and naturalist, was born at Pendeen in Cornwall, of an ancient family . From 1722 he was Rector of Ludgvan and died there in 1772.-Life and works:...
the antiquary and naturalist, was Rector of Ludgvan from 1722 to 1772.
Humphry Davy and others Also within the parish of Ludgvan lies Varfell
Varfell
Varfell is a hamlet within the parish of Ludgvan, Cornwall, UK. Varfell was formerly the ancestral home of chemist Humphry Davy.Varfell is now one the centres of production for the large flower and bulb growers Winchester Bulbs. Varfell Farm is the world's largest producers of daffodil bulbs....
which was the ancestral home of the Davy family, including Sir Humphry Davy
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
. It has been claimed that Ludgvan was the home of the last native wolf in Great Britain; however, this cannot be confirmed by available historical sources. James Hosking (or Hoskin) was a Ludgvan farmer who visited the United States in 1811 and wrote an account of his experiences.
External links
- Online Catalogue for Ludgvan at the Cornwall Record OfficeCornwall Record OfficeCornwall Record Office , part of Cornwall Council, is situated at Old County Hall in Truro and is the main repository for the historical archives of Cornwall....