Crowan ( kw, Egloskrewen (village), Pluw Grewen (parish)) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, United Kingdom. It is about three-and-a-half miles (6 km) south of

Camborne Camborne ( kw, Kammbronn) is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth and Deadman's Cove. Camborne was formerl ...

.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' A former mining parish, all of the mines had shut by 1880.

Geography

Crowan had a population of 2,375 (2001) which had increased to 2,454 in the 2011 census. Crowan Churchtown is not the largest settlement: there are villages at Praze-an-Beeble,

Nancegollan Nancegollan ( kw, Nansigolen) is a village in the civil parish of Crowan in west Cornwall, England. Nancegollan is on the B3303 road and south-east of Leedstown. The railway line from Helston to Hayle passed through the village (closed in 1964 ...

, Bolitho and

Leedstown Leedstown is a village on the B3280 road between Helston and Hayle in the civil parish of Crowan (where the 2011 census population is included.), Cornwall, England. It lies north-west of Helston and south-east of Hayle at above sea level. It is ...

and a hamlet at Black Rock (on the B3280 road four miles (6.5 km) south of

and five miles (8 km) north of

Helston Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map shee ...

). The hamlets of

Carzise Carzise is a hamlet in west Cornwall, England. It is west of Leedstown and south-east of Fraddam.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' Carzise is situated in the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape which was designated ...

, Clowance Wood,

Drym Drym is a hamlet in the parish of Crowan (where the 2011 census population was included ), Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, ...

, Fraddam,

Gwinear Downs Gwinear Downs is a hamlet in the parish of Crowan, Cornwall, England.Gwinear Downs
Explore Br ...

Horsedowns Horsedowns (or Horse Downs) is a hamlet east of Leedstown, south of Praze-an-Beeble and in the civil parish of Crowan, in West Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is re ...

Nine Maidens Downs Nine Maidens Downs is a moorland southwest of Four Lanes in Cornwall, England, UK. Stone circles The name Nine Maidens comes from two Early Bronze Age stone circles which stood 18m apart on the downs. There was a belief that the stones were orig ...

Noonvares Noonvares is a hamlet in the parish of Crowan, Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. ...

, Paul's Green,

Releath Releath ( kw, Reslegh) is a hamlet southwest of Burras in west Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the ...

, Townshend and Tremayne are also in the parish. The

River Hayle A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wa ...

rises near Crowan and flows through the village and the railway branch to

passed nearby.

Notable buildings and antiquities

The parish church is dedicated to St Crewenna and is built of granite. St Crewenna was possibly one of the Irish saints accompanying saints Germoe and Breaca. Crowan church was given, by William, Earl of Gloucester to

St James' Priory, Bristol The Priory Church of St James, Bristol (), is a Grade I listed building in Horsefair, Whitson Street. It was founded in 1129 as a Benedictine priory by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the illegitimate son of Henry I. The early nave from 1129 survive ...

, which was a dependency of the Benedictine Abbey of Tewkesbury. The present church is of the 15th century but was substantially

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

in 1872. In some 18th-century documents there is evidence that the parish was called Uni-Crowan and this may be connected to the fact that the parish was in two parts, one in Penwith and one in Kerrier hundred. The Kerrier portion was once a separate chapelry and may have had

St Uny Saint Euny or Uny (6th century) is the patron saint of the churches of Lelant and Redruth in west Cornwall, England, UK. Life William Worcester in his account of travels in Cornwall in 1478 records that St Uny, the brother of St Herygh, was buried ...

as its patron saint. Crowan feast was observed on the nearest Sunday to the eve of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The six church bells were cast in 1729 by

Rudhall of Gloucester Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 cast more than 5,000 bells. History There had been a tradition of bell casting in Gloucester since before the 14th century. ...

and restored in 1881. The inscriptions are, * 1st bell ″A. R. 1729″, * 2nd bell ″Prosperity to this parish″, * 3rd bell ″Abr. Rudhall, of Gloster, cast us all, 1729″, * 4th bell ″Peace and good neighbourhood″, * 5th bell ″Prosperity to the Church of England″. The 5th bell was sent to Messrs Warner and Sons, London to be recast in 1881, * 6th bell ″I to the Church the living call, and to the grave do summon all″. There are numerous monuments to members of the St Aubyn family. Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet, is buried at Crowan; his monument was carved by

William Behnes William Behnes (1795 – 3 January 1864) was a British sculptor of the early 19th century. Life Born in London, Behnes was the son of a Hanoverian piano-maker and his English wife. His brother was Henry Behnes, also a sculptor, albeit an in ...

. The three St Aubyn brasses (c. 1420, c. 1490 & c. 1550) are now at Clowance. Nine Maidens Cross

Clowance House was the seat of the St Aubyns (from 1671 they were the

St Aubyn Baronets There have been two baronetcies created for members of the St Aubyn family, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. The St Aubyn Baronetcy, of Clowance in the County of Cornwall, was created in the Ba ...

, but the legitimate line ended with

Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet (17 May 1758 – 10 August 1839), was a British Member of Parliament, High Sheriff of Cornwall and Grand Master of the Freemasons. Born in London, he succeeded to the baronetcy on 12 October 1772, at which point he ...

in 1839). Three years before his death the wings of the house burnt down on 10 November 1836. The resort of Clowance estate offers swimming, tennis, gym and fitness facilities, a bar and an Italian restaurant. Prehistoric remains: Crowan parish has many remains of prehistoric times including barrows and stone crosses. There are four Cornish crosses in the parish; one cross was found at Praze-an-Beeble and now stands by the parish church; three are at Clowance. The original location of the Praze cross is unknown. Two of the Clowance crosses have a cross on one side and a crude crucifixus figure on the other; one formerly stood at Bold Gate on Clowance Down and the other at Binnerton Cross. The third cross is curiously ornamented on the front and back of the shaft; it formerly stood at the northwest corner of Nine Maidens' Down. Manor Mill is an ancient mill used for grinding corn until 1946. It then became a pottery and later still a weaving mill.

Mining

Crowan was formerly a mining parish with thousands employed in the mines. By 1880 all the mines had shut and Polcrebo still had a steam-engine in good condition. Other mines included Binner Downs, Crenver, West Treasury, Wheal Abraham, Wheal Strawberry and Wheal Treasury. Financed by a London company, shafts were sunk and old levels extended at Polcrebo in 1884, with tin-ore accumulating at the surface.

References

External links

Church of St Crewen
{{authority control Civil parishes in Cornwall Villages in Cornwall