Morwenstow
Encyclopedia
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...
. The hamlet is situated near the coast approximately six miles (10 km) north 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...
.
Morwenstow is the most northerly parish in Cornwall. As well as the churchtown
Churchtown, Cornwall
In Cornwall, the churchtown is the settlement in a parish where the church stands, for example,*Churchtown Mullion,*Churchtown Redruth,*Churchtown St Hilary,*Churchtown St Merryn,*Churchtown St Minver,*Gorran Churchtown,*Gulval Churchtown,...
, other settlements in the parish include Shop, Woodford
Woodford, Cornwall
Woodford is a hamlet in northern Cornwall, England. It is located southeast of Morwenstow, northwest of Kilkhampton and north of Flexbury. It contains the Woodford Methodist Church....
, Gooseham
Gooseham
Gooseham is a hamlet in northeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated six miles north of Bude and is approximately one kilometre south of the border with Devon. The Marsland Valley nature reserve is near the hamlet....
, Eastcott
Eastcott, Cornwall
Eastcott is a hamlet near Morwenstow in Cornwall, England, UK....
, Wooley and West Youlstone
West Youlstone
West Youlstone is a hamlet in northern Cornwall, England. It lies seven miles north north west of Bude and north of Kilkhampton along the A39 road. It belongs to the parish of Morwenstow, of which it lies to the east of. Archaeological discoveries on the site have revealed it was occupied in the...
. Morwaentow parish is bounded to the north and east by parishes in 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...
, to the south by 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"...
parish and to the west by the Atlantic.
Morwenstow is the one-time home of the eccentric vicar and poet Robert Stephen Hawker
Robert Stephen Hawker
Robert Stephen Hawker was an Anglican priest, poet, antiquarian of Cornwall and reputed eccentric. He is best known as the writer of The Song of the Western Men with its chorus line of And shall Trelawny die? / Here's twenty thousand Cornish men / will know the reason why!, which he published...
(1803–1875), the writer of Cornwall's anthem Trelawny
The Song of the Western Men
"The Song of the Western Men" was written by Robert Stephen Hawker. It is also known by the title of "Trelawny".Hawker wrote the song in 1824, telling of events that took place in 1688. When the song first appeared many thought it to be a contemporary record of events, although in fact the song...
. Hawker is also credited with reviving the custom of Harvest Festival
Harvest festival
A Harvest Festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world...
s.
Parish church
The Church of St Morwenna and St John the Baptist, MorwenstowChurch of St Morwenna and St John the Baptist, Morwenstow
The Church of St Morwenna and St John the Baptist, Morwenstow is in the parish of Morwenstow, north Cornwall, United Kingdom , the most northerly in Cornwall. The church is dedicated to Morwenna, a local saint, and to John the Baptist, and is a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican...
is dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and Morwenna
Morwenna
Saint Morwenna was an early 6th century saint from Morwenstow in Cornwall.Her name at Marhamchurch is recorded as Marwenne and she is also the patron saint of Lamorran. Morwenna is said to have been one of the many children of King Brychan of Brycheiniog...
and is of the Norman period. The Vicarage was built for Hawker and has chimneys in the form of the towers of various churches associated with him.
The nearby coast is hazardous to shipping and the corpses of drowned sailors were laid out in the churchyard and then buried. Hawker buried over forty who were washed up within the parish boundaries.
One of the memorials in the churchyard was the white figurehead of the "Caledonia
The Caledonia (brig)
The Caledonia was a brig of some 200 tons, built in Arbroath, Scotland, and wrecked on September 7, 1843 on Sharpnose Point, near Morwenstow, Cornwall.-Final voyage:...
", a 200 ton ship from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
which sank on the perilous rocks of Higher Sharpnose in 1842. The captain and crew are buried in the churchyard. In 2004 the figurehead was removed for conservation, with the intention of placing a replica in the churchyard and the conserved original inside the church.
Landmarks
A path leads from the church and down to the cliff edge, where the National Trust'sNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
smallest building, "Hawker's Hut
Hawker's Hut
Hawker's Hut is a historic hut at Morwenstow, Cornwall originally built by the eccentric clergyman, poet and antiquarian, Robert Stephen Hawker , close to Higher Sharpnose Point. The hut is located approximately 1 mile from Morwenstow Church.The hut is mainly of timber construction and is partially...
," is built into the face of the cliff overlooking the sea out towards the island of Lundy
Lundy
Lundy is the largest island in the Bristol Channel, lying off the coast of Devon, England, approximately one third of the distance across the channel between England and Wales. It measures about at its widest. Lundy gives its name to a British sea area and is one of the islands of England.As of...
. Here, Hawker spent many hours in contemplation, writing poetry, and smoking his opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
pipe. He also entertained guests here, including Alfred Tennyson and Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
.
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 Stanbury in the parish is the birth place of John Stanberry
John Stanberry
John Stanberry was a medieval Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of Hereford.Stanberry was probably born at Morwenstow, Cornwall. He was provided as the Bishop of Bangor 4 March 1448 and was consecrated on 23 June 1448. He was translated to Hereford on 7 February 1453. He died on 11 May 1474.-References:...
, Bishop of Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...
, who was made first Provost at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
by King Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
. Sir William Adams
William Adams (oculist)
Sir William Adams also known as Sir William Rawson after 1825. He was born at Morwenstow in Cornwall. He was well known as an ophthalmic surgeon and was founder of Exeter's West of England Eye Infirmary. John Nash had built the Ophthalmic Hospital for him on Albany Street, London...
the oculist was also born at Stanbury. The manor house was built in the 16th century, and is said to be haunted.
Nearby Tonacombe Manor has been described as the perfect Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
manor; it is also alleged to be haunted.
A striking example of curved and contorted stratified rocks
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
occurs at Stanbury Creek. Dark cliffs of folded, interbedded shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s and mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
s form wave-cut platforms.
GCHQ Bude, a satellite ground station stands on the cliffs of Cleave and its array of dishes is visible for miles around.
Literary associations
Morwenstow and its surroundings feature heavily in the plot of the mystery thriller novel Set in Stone (1999) by the British author Robert GoddardRobert Goddard (novelist)
Robert Francis Goddard is a British novelist.-Life and career:Goddard was educated at Wallisdean County Junior School and Price's Grammar School in Fareham before going on to study history at the University of Cambridge...
.
The Wreck at Sharpnose Point by Jeremy Seal (June 2003) is a novel based on the wrecking of the 'Caledonia' (first published in New York, 2001 ISBN 0330374656).
Notable people
- Sir William Adams the oculist was born at Stanbury.
- Robert Stephen HawkerRobert Stephen HawkerRobert Stephen Hawker was an Anglican priest, poet, antiquarian of Cornwall and reputed eccentric. He is best known as the writer of The Song of the Western Men with its chorus line of And shall Trelawny die? / Here's twenty thousand Cornish men / will know the reason why!, which he published...
, poet and clergyman - Stanley Lucas (15 January 1900 Morwenstow - 21 June 2010) was a BritishUnited KingdomThe 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...
supercentenarianSupercentenarianA supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
. Lucas was the oldest living man in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at the time of his death. - John Stanbury, Bishop of Hereford, who was made first Provost at Eton CollegeEton CollegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
by King Henry VI, was also born at Stanbury.