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 authorit ...

and village in

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

, England, United Kingdom which lies approximately two miles (3 km) south of

Padstow Padstow (; kw, Lannwedhenek) is a town, 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, northwest of Bodmin and ...

. 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 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 14 ...

. At Sea Mills near Trevorrick 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 Ce ...

. 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 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'', 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 ...

for the dry and wet heaths, valley mires and scrub.

HMS ''St Issey''

On 28 December 1942 the British

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

HMS ''St. Issey'' (Lt. J. H. W. Howe, RNR) 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 Ghaz ...

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 the east, Suda ...

.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