St Sampson's Church is the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of the village of Golant,

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, United Kingdom; it is dedicated to St Sampson of Dol. St Sampson's features in Simon Jenkins's book ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', in which it is described as "warm and welcoming". The poet John Betjeman remarked that its pews were "extremely uncomfortable, recall the fidgets of Gus and Flora in '' Ravenshoe''". It is open every day of the year, holds services every Sunday and evening prayer every Thursday evening at 6 o’clock. Its choir sings every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.

History

Saint Samson of Dol

Although Cornwall has more saints than any other county in the UK, Saint Sampson is one of the better known ones. He sometimes stayed in Golant while travelling to Brittany and became the archbishop of Dol. Many Cornish saints travelling from Ireland to France ''via'' the south Cornish coast stopped on the way (sometimes in or near the village). There is now a footpath, the

Saints' Way The Saints' Way () is a long-distance footpath in mid Cornwall in the United Kingdom that connects the coastal towns of Padstow and Fowey. The Saints' Way follows a possible reconstructed route taken by early traders and Christian travellers ...

, popular with walkers which runs from

Padstow Padstow (; ) is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary, approximately northwest of Wadebridge, ...

on the north coast to

Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...

passing through the village and past the church.

Later history

Until 1281 this church was a chapelry of

Tywardreath Tywardreath (; , meaning "House on the Beach" (or Strand)) is a small hilltop village on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, about north west of Fowey. It is located in a sheltered spot overlooking a silted-up estuary opposite ...

and the people of Golant were required to contribute to the upkeep of Tywardreath church. In the period c. 1460 to 1508 the chapel at Golant was rebuilt and in 1508 they refused to make these contributions. The church and its churchyard were consecrated by a suffragan bishop (acting for Hugh Oldham, the Bishop of Exeter). Before that date burials had to be made at Tywardreath. The nave roof has inscriptions recording that its rebuilding was the work of various craft guilds while the south aisle roof was given by the Colquite family. There is a holy well near the porch enclosed in a 15th-century wellhouse.

Features of interest

St Sampson is portrayed in some of the stained glass windows in the church. The church has a ring of five bells. The organ was installed in 1995 and is a hybrid using some of the pipes from an organ originally in St Michael's Church,

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

, and also some from the organ in

Paul Parish Church Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

. A specification of the organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register

List of the Vicars of Golant

The Vicars of Golant:List of Vicar

on parish website *1528 Richard Baker *1554 William Boyne *1556 Thomas Boyne *1559 Roger Prior *1571 Nicholas Maine *1577 Benedict Tyack *1580 James Penhalurick *1615 Daniel Wetherell *???? Thomas Hore *1640 George Brush *1677 Thomas Sampson *1735 Robert Blatchford *1769 Peter Coryton *1770 R. Eastcott *1780 Wymond Cory *1820 Thomas Pearce *1841 Charles Lyne *1865 George Ross *1888 H. A. Hill *1892 A. H. Langridge *1894 B. F. Trusted *1900 W. H. Sharpe *1902 H. Lines *1919 E. A. L. Clarke *1925 H. Edwards *1934 L. W. Stenson Stenson *1950 H. P. Osborne *1951 W. G. Hayward *1958 R. J. M. May *1963 G. E. J. Whitmore *1965 William J. Hall *1974 M. J. Oatey * -?--(priest in charge) Philip de Grey-Warter Golant st samson 006

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golant, Saint Sampsons Church Church of England church buildings in Cornwall Grade I listed churches in Cornwall