St Probus and St Grace's Church, Probus, is a Grade I listed

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, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Diocese of Truro in

Probus, Cornwall Probus ('' Cornish: Lannbrobus'') is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It has the tallest church tower in Cornwall. The tower is high, and richly decorated with carvings. The place name originates from the ch ...

History

There was a monastery here before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

which continued to exist until the reign of

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...

. King Henry gave the church of Probus to Exeter Cathedral and the clergy of Probus thereafter were a dean and five canons (the deanery was abolished in 1268 and the canonries in 1549). The first vicar was instituted in 1312; the parish had dependent chapelries at

Cornelly Cornelly (Welsh: ''Corneli'') is a community and electoral ward in Bridgend County Borough, South Wales. As of 2011 the population of the Cornelly ward was 7,059. Cornelly was created following ''The Bridgend (Cynffig, Cornelly and Pyle Communi ...

and

Merther Merther ( kw, Eglos Merther, meaning ''marter's church'') is a small hamlet east of Truro in Cornwall, England. It lies on the eastern side of the Tresillian River in the civil parish of St Michael Penkevil. It was formerly the churchtown of ...

. The church was built mainly in the 15th century but the tower was still under construction in 1523. In the church is the brass of John Wulvedon and his wife, 1512. This tower is the highest among Cornish parish churches and resembles those of Somerset rather than other Cornish towers. The stone was brought from the quarry by the parishioners in their carts led by John Tregian of Golden; however the rival squire Nicholas Carminow of Trenowth (John's brother-in-law) made great efforts to obstruct the work. The church was restored in 1850 by

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccl ...

. The restoration was prompted by an outbreak of dry rot. The ceilings had been covered at some time with plaster, and the pillars with whitewash. The church was filled with high pews made of deal. The arch into the tower was blocked up with a gallery, shutting out the principal west window. All of these defects were rectified and it reopened on 28 October 1851. The tower was restored between 1922 and 1923 by J. Dawson and Sons, Steeplejacks. In the early years of the 19th century the rare custom of turning to the East for the Doxology at the conclusion of the recitation of each Psalm, particularly by those in choir, was observed in Probus church.

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with *

St Crida's Church, Creed St Crida's Church, Creed is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Truro in Creed, Cornwall, England, UK. History The church of St Crida was of Norman foundation but in its existing form is more or less of the 15th cen ...

*St Nun's Church, Grampound *

St Ladoca's Church, Ladock St Ladoca's Church, Ladock, is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Truro in Ladock, Cornwall, England, UK. History The parish church of St Ladoca has a fine west tower built of granite blocks. The north side of ...

* St Hermes' Church, St Erme

Organ

The organ dates from 1884 and was built by

Hele & Co Hele & Co (also known as Hele & Sons) were the main organ builders in the south west of England from 1865 to 2007.''The Freeman-Edmonds Directory of British Organ Builders''; by Andrew Freeman & Bernard Edmonds. 2002 History The company was fo ...

. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Probus Probus Probus