Constantine () (, meaning ''church enclosure of St Constantine'') 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles (8 km) west-southwest of Falmouth. The electoral ward also bears the same name but includes
Budock Water
Budock Water (, meaning ''church hillspur'') is a village and former Manorialism, manor in the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Budock, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth ...
and the surrounding area. At the 2011 census, the population of the ward was 4,709 and the population of the civil parish was 1,789. The parish of Constantine is bounded by the parishes of Mabe, Mawnan, Gweek, Wendron and the north bank of the
Helford River
The Helford River () is a ria (flooded river valley) in Cornwall, England, fed by small streams into its many creeks. There are seven creeks on the Helford; from west to east these are Ponsontuel Creek, Mawgan Creek, Polpenwith Creek, Polwheve ...
.
Constantine is named after Saint Constantine, a 6th-century Cornish
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
fogou
A fogou or fougou (pronounced "foo-goo") is an underground, dry-stone structure found on Iron Age or Romano-British-defended settlement sites in Cornwall. The original purpose of a fogou is uncertain today. Colloquially called , , , giant holts ...
was constructed near Trewardreva: its purpose is unknown.
The ancient name of Constantine, "Langostentyn", implies that the settlement was monastic, with the "Lan" prefix. Dr Lynette Olson (1989) has examined literary and archaeological evidence for all early monastic establishments in Cornwall and found significant doubts about the religious nature of Constantine before the Norman Conquest.
After the Norman conquest
The land holdings in the parish were the manors of Polwheveral, Trewardreva, Merthen (also a tithing and barton), Tucoys (also a tithing), Treworval and Treviades; the barton of Bonallack; and Trenarth and Budock Vean. Trewardreva Manor House was built circa 1600 and remodelled in 1719–49; the west wing was demolished in 1860. It is now Grade II* listed. Treviades Barton, also Grade II* listed, is a gentry house with historic garden.
Andrew Langdon (1999) lists twelve stone crosses, or parts of crosses located in the parish. One of these was carved and erected in 1991. Several have been transferred from other sites. The stone cross at the cross-roads in High Cross was found in 1992 and re-erected nearby. Arthur Langdon (1896) recorded six Cornish crosses in the parish; in the churchyard, at Bosvathick, at Merthen, at Nanjarrow, at Trevease and at Trewardreva.
St Constantine Church
Little remains of the Norman church, which was rebuilt between 1420 and 1480: the tower has been called impressive. There is a brass of 1574 to Richard Gerveys and family.
The chancel was rebuilt in 1862 and there was other restoration work between 1859 and 1901. Restoration of the roof timbers (costing £1,200) commenced in 1874, completed in 1878, with the re-opening ceremony held on 22 January 1879 by Edward Benson the
Bishop of Truro
The bishop of Truro is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of 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 De ...
. In 1882 the north aisle was restored with a new roof of pitch pine and slates, as well as new seating. The restoration of the Bosahan aisle was commenced in the summer of 1882 and completed the following May.
The church was given a grade I listing on 10 July 1957.
Extractive industries
The settlement called Constantine Churchtown grew up around the church. Mineral extraction led to an increase in population and the village expanded down what is now called Fore Street, during the 19th century. However, one property, "The Bow Window", is thought to be a 300-year-old farmhouse. The parish had three main industries: agriculture; mining for
tin
Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...
, copper, and iron; and quarrying
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
. The largest mine was Wheal Vyvyan, which was worked from 1827 to 1864. The production figures for copper 1845–1864 and for tin ore, 1855–1864, are given in ''Cornish Mines''. The value of copper raised peaked in 1845, 1850 and 1855. The peaks of value in tin ore production were in 1856 and 1863. In 1864, the value of tin raised was only a quarter of the previous year's value and the mine closed.
Twentieth-century
In 1921, Alice Hext of Trebah gave the playing field and sports pavilion to the village, in memory of her husband, Charles Hawkins Hext, who died in 1917. She supported the development of the Sport and Social Club until her death in 1939.
In 1933, overhead cables, providing electricity to homes were installed in the village.
Port Navas has an ancient
oyster
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...
farm.
Government and politics
Constantine Parish Council has prepared a Parish Plan as a framework for future development/conservation.
Twinning
Like many other Cornish places, Constantine Parish with Gweek, is twinned with a partner in
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
in western France. In this case the village is twinned with Pont-Croix, Département
Finistère
Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.
A British School was opened in 1836 at Ponjeravah. After 1957, the school moved to what is now the Church Hall and in 1966 to its present site, the building being refurbished and extended in 2005, as Constantine Primary School. The school is part of Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust. There is also a pre-school, set in an eco-friendly building on the primary school campus. For secondary education, children have to travel to Helston,
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
, Falmouth or Penryn.
Constantine parish is the home of five
bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...
s of the Cornish Gorseth, including a former Grand Bard, Vanessa Beeman.
Cultural activities
A social enterprise, Constantine Enterprises Company, bought the former Methodist chapel in 1998. A wide range of social and cultural events happen there, all run by volunteers. The building is now known as the Tolmen Centre. The Tolmen Centre has hosted three editions of an international guitar festival, that has attracted a range of concert performers including the Silesian Guitar Octet, Mick Abrahams, Andrea Dieci, Ben Salfield (who also directed the three festivals) and Stonephace (featuring Adrian Utley and Larry Stabbins).
The village has a number of choirs and a Silver band.
In September 2006, Constantine won the Calor Best Village in Cornwall 2006 competition. Constantine was also judged the Best Village in the West of England 2007, in the Business Category.
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling () is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton people, Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’"Phillipps, K C: ...
tournaments, for prizes, have been held in Constantine, for example at the Bowling Green.The Cornish Telegraph, 23 September 1874.
Annual events
Saint Constantine's "Feast" is celebrated in the village, on or around 9 March. The Agricultural Society (founded 1900) and the Cottage Garden Society run shows early in July. The Constantine Social Club runs a carnival, usually on a weekend at the end of July. The Constantine Art Society has a two-week exhibition, starting at the end of July. An annual "Cornish Talk and Taste" festival takes place in January.
Historic estates
Within the parish of Constantine are situated various historic estates including:
* Bosahan, the estate of a branch of the Trefusis family from Mylor.
* Carwithenack (Carwythenack), a seat of the Chapman family who had a vault in the Bosahan aisle in the parish church, also the Stapleton family and in the late 14th century of the Tremayne family later of Collacombe in Devon.
* Trefusis, the original estate of the Trefusis family.
Brill
Brill may refer to:
Places
* Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands
* Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England
* Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK
* Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...
(a hamlet to the west of the village of Constantine), Brillwater, Calamansac, Carvedras, Goongillings, Groyne Point,
High Cross
A high cross or standing cross (, , ) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. Th ...
* John Hellins F.R.S., the mathematical astronomer, was curate of Constantine from 1779 to 1783.
*Vanessa Beeman, Grand Bard of
Gorseth Kernow
Gorsedh Kernow (Cornish Gorsedd) is a non-political Cornish organisation, based in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. It is based on the Welsh-based Gorsedd, which was founded by Iolo Mo ...