St Issey ( kw, Egloskrug) is a
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 ...
and village in
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 ...
, England, United Kingdom which lies approximately two miles (3 km) south of
Padstow
Padstow (; kw, Lannwedhenek) is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately northwest of Wadebridge, ...
. The parish covers an area of approximately . At the 2011 census the parish population was 940. An electoral ward with the name of ''St Issey'' also existed before being replaced by
St Issey and St Tudy in 2013. Its population at the same census was 4,111.
History
The parish takes its name from Saint Yse (or Ida), one of the twenty-four children of
St Brychan, a 4th-century Welsh saint and king. (The name of the hamlet
St Jidgey
St Jidgey is a hamlet in mid Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies along the A39 road, north of St Columb Major and southwest of Wadebridge. It contains the Halfway House Inn, a coaching inn. The name is recorded as Sentysy in 1517; it is de ...
is also derived from the name of the same saint.) The Cornish name means "the church on the tumulus". In early records Egloscruk is the name of the parish, while St Ida refers to the site of the saint's chapel and holy well at Zanzidgie. Until 1199 the parish formed part of the manor and
peculiar of Pawton, belonging to the Bishop of Exeter; it was then appropriated by the bishop to the Chapter of
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...
. At Sea Mills near
Trevorrick
Trevorrick is a hamlet near St Issey in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is located about two miles south of Padstow
Padstow (; kw, Lannwedhenek) is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England. ...
are the remains of a
sea mill on the
River Camel
The River Camel ( kw, Dowr Kammel, meaning ''crooked river'') is a river in Cornwall, England. It rises on the edge of Bodmin Moor and with its tributaries its catchment area covers much of North Cornwall. The river flows into the eastern Cel ...
.
On 20 August 1940 several bombs were dropped in the St Issey area, although some failed to explode.
Parish church
The parish church is partly
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
and was enlarged in the 15th century when the south aisle and tower were built. The tower has been rebuilt twice, c. 1680, and again in 1871. In 1869 the church tower was struck by lightning and collapsed. Though there was a "lamentable rebuilding in 1871" (
Charles Henderson) there are some features of great interest. These include the reredos and a Pietà of
Catacleuse stone which may be fragments of a late medieval monument, possibly that of Lady Matilda Chyverston which is mentioned in a document of 1399. According to local tradition the stonework was originally in the chapel at Halwyn, an estate of the Hamelys. Ruins of the house, chapel and columbarium were mentioned by Henderson in 1925.
The Ring O' Bells Inn
On a corner opposite the church is the Ring O Bells Inn, known locally as 'The Ringers". Dating from the 17th century, it is one of the oldest inns in the area and retains many of its original features. In more recent times the inn featured prominently in ITV television's ''
Cornwall with Caroline Quentin
''Cornwall with Caroline Quentin'' is a British documentary series about Cornwall, presented by Caroline Quentin
Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin becam ...
'', an eight-part series featuring the actress 'discovering' Cornwall during the summer of 2011.
Trelow Downs
Trelow Downs, to the south of the civil parish, is designated as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
for the dry and wet heaths, valley mires and scrub.
HMS ''St Issey''
On 28 December 1942 the British
tug HMS ''St. Issey'' (Lt. J. H. W. Howe,
RNR
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
) was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine ''U-617'' off
Benghazi
Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...
,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
.
Rescue Tug HMS ''St. Issey'' of the Saint class
-Uboat website
References
External links
Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for St Issey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Issey
Civil parishes in Cornwall
Villages in Cornwall