Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 13, 2026

St Ervan

St Ervan is a rural civil parish and hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated three miles (5 km) southwest of Padstow. St Ervan is named after St Erbyn, the original patron of the church, who is said to have been the father of St Selevan. Notable features in St Ervan are the Anglican church, the village hall and the Nonconformist cemetery. The parish population at the 2011 census was 521. In addition to the hamlet of St Ervan, also called Churchtown, the parish incorporates the hamlets of Penrose and Rumford.

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Church of Saint Hermes
Church of Saint Hermes
Location within Cornwall
50°29′39.6″N 04°58′25.9″W / 50.494333°N 4.973861°W / 50.494333; -4.973861
SW 89176 70283
LocationSt Ervan
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
WebsiteLannpydar.org.uk
History
DedicationSt Hermes
Architecture
Functional status
active
Heritage designation
Grade II* listed1
Designated1969
Specifications
MaterialsSlatestone rubble with granite dressings, and Catacleuse stone windows
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseTruro
ArchdeaconryCornwall
DeaneryPydar
ParishSt Ervan
Clergy
RectorRevd. Helen Baber

St Ervan is a rural civil parish and hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated three miles (5 km) southwest of Padstow.2 St Ervan is named after St Erbyn, the original patron of the church, who is said to have been the father of St Selevan.3 Notable features in St Ervan are the Anglican church, the village hall and the Nonconformist cemetery. The parish population at the 2011 census was 521.4 In addition to the hamlet of St Ervan, also called Churchtown, the parish incorporates the hamlets of Penrose and Rumford.

Church

The parish church is dedicated to St Hermes5 and has a very unusual tower which was originally 50 feet (15 m) high and was built in the 14th/15th centuries. The upper part was brought down by explosives in the 1880s, but it was not properly capped until 1956 and now stands 24 feet (7 m) high. The church is in the Lann Pydar6 joint benefice with: St Eval Church, St Mawgan Church and St Columba's Church, St Columb Major. The church was supported by the Arundell family who lived at the manor of Trembleath as early as 1240.7

The English poet, Sir John Betjeman mentioned the church in his poem "Summoned by Bells" (1960), chapter VIII.

Monuments

There are several notable slate, wall monuments within the church1

  • Richard Harvey, d. 1666 and Richard Russell, died 1654.8
  • William Pomeroye, d. 1622 with figure carved in central panel in contemporary dress.98
  • Humphrey Arthur, died 1676 with floral decoration around a central inscription panel and another slate to his wife Elizabeth.8
  • Nicholas and Jane Brewer, d. 1642,
  • Richard Hare d. 1610, Richard Louis d. 1688, John Tom d. 1647. In the nave
  • Two daughters of Walter Piper, d. 1723 and fragment of slate with carved kneeling figures.
  • Richard and Eleanora Vivian who d. in 1708 and 1707.

There are also two late 17th-century monuments with columns and entablatures, one in the south transept to Ralph Keate who died in 1672.

Cemetery

St Ervan Nonconformist Cemetery is located on the outskirts of the village on the road toward Penrose. It was opened in 1919 and is used to serve three Nonconformist chapels in the Parish.

Monuments

St Ervan Parish War Memorial, found at the centre of the cemetery, is a wheel cross set on a tapering shaft with a tapering plinth. Black lettering is used to commemorate the Great War 1914-191910

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Historic England. "Church of St Hermes, St Ervan (Grade I) (1212526)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 Newquay & Bodmin ISBN 978-0-319-22938-5
  3. Ellis, P. B. (1992) The Cornish Saints. Penryn: Tor Mark Press, p. 11
  4. "parish population 2011". Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  5. The Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 93
  6. "Lann Pydar Benefice". The Lann Pydar Benefice, Cornwall. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  7. "St Ervan Parish Church". Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  8. Beacham, Peter; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2014). The Buildings of England. Cornwall. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300126686; p. 539
  9. "The Wayback Machine has not archived that URL". Pomeroy Twigs. Retrieved 10 July 2023. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  10. "St Ervan << Cornwall War History". Cornwall's War History. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
External links