![Week St Mary Church - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Week_St_Mary_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_210889.jpg)
Week St Mary ( kw, Gwig Sen Maria) 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 ...
in northeast
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. It is situated south of
Bude close to the
River Tamar and the border between Cornwall and
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
in the
Hundred of Stratton. The parish population at the 2011 census is 657.
Week St Mary has a 14th–15th century
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...
dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and the tower contains a ring of six bells. The parish is in the
diocese of Truro
The Diocese of Truro (established 1876) is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury which covers Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and a small part of Devon. The bishop's seat is at Truro Cathedral.
Geography and history
The di ...
.
History
The manor of Week was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as having one hide of land and land for eight ploughs. It was one of twenty-eight manors held by Richard from
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 2nd Earl of Cornwall (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastin ...
. There were three ploughs, four serfs, six villeins and ten smallholders. There were 2 acres of woodland and one square league of pasture. There were forty sheep and twenty-five other beasts. The value of the manor was £1-10 s.
Parts of the college founded here by
Thomasine Bonaventure in 1506 have been converted into a farmhouse. It is now owned by the
Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then makes them available for holiday rental. The Trust's headqua ...
. The building of the college was overseen by John Dinham of Wortham who remodelled his own house
Wortham Manor
Wortham is an historic manor within the parish of Lifton in Devon, England. The early sixteenth century manor house survives, today the property of the Landmark Trust. It was long the seat of the Dynham family, a junior branch descended from th ...
at about the same time. As well as being a school the college was also a chantry and the schoolmaster was required to pray for the souls of the foundress's husbands. The chantry led to it being dissolved in 1548 though in 1546 it was said to be "a great comfort to all the country there".
The 14th–15th century church was hit by lightning in 1878 throwing one of the basement stones of the pinnacle from the tower. The stones at the base of the tower are now separated by gaps of to . The church tower had been hit by lightning on two previous occasions.
Geography
The parish covers an area of or 9.6 square miles (24.8 km
2), and had a population of 550, according to the 2001 census, 657 in 2011.
Protected areas
The parish contains two
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), both noted for their
biological
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary in ...
interest. Brendonmoor SSSI, in the east of the civil parish, was notified in 1990 and Greenamoor SSSI, also a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
jointly owned by
Plantlife and
Cornwall Wildlife Trust
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust is a charitable organisation founded in 1962 that is concerned solely with Cornwall, England.
It deals with the conservation and preservation of Cornwall's wildlife, geology and habitats managing over 50 nature reser ...
, was designated in 1992.
References
External links
{{Use British English, date=November 2020
Villages in Cornwall
Civil parishes in Cornwall
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall
Manors in Cornwall