St Teath (; ) 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in north

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, in the United Kingdom.

Geography

The village is situated approximately southwest of

Camelford Camelford () is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council. The ward pop ...

and northeast of

Wadebridge Wadebridge (; ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles the River Camel upstream from Padstow.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 ''Newquay & Bodmin'' The pe ...

. The hamlet of Whitewell lies to the west. The parish population at the 2011 census was 2628. An electoral ward also exists which includes

Delabole Delabole () is a large village and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, which lies approximately two miles (3 km) west of Camelford. The village of Delabole came into existence in the early 20th century; it is named af ...

and

St Breward St Breward () is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the western side of Bodmin Moor, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Bodmin. At the 2011 census the parish population including Cooksland and Fentonadle ...

; the population for this ward at the same census was 3,957.

History

Parish church

The

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 ...

is dedicated to Saint Tetha the

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

, a 5th-century companion of

Saint Breaca Breage or Breaca (with many variant spellings) is a saint venerated in Cornwall and South West England. According to her late hagiography, she was an Irish nun of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall. The village and civil pari ...

and supposed daughter of King

Brychan Brycheiniog Brychan ap Anlach of Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Name variations Brychan had Irish ancestry and came from Ireland to Wales, therefore his original name ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The church is a Grade I protected building consisting of a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

core and 15th-century expansions. It is large, with a nave and two aisles. The church was collegiate until 1545 when the two

prebends A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir s ...

were abolished. The church was renovated in 1879, reopening 6 November by the Bishop of Truro, Edward Benson. There is a Cornish cross in the cemetery on the other side of the road from the churchyard. An account of it was given in the ''Antiquarian Magazine'', August 1883. Part of it was once used as a footbridge; it was afterwards used in the churchyard wall but the parts were reunited and repaired; both the head and the shaft are ornamented. There is also a cross base in the churchyard.

Anne Jeffries

St Teath was the birthplace in December 1626 of Anne Jeffries, a woman said to have associated with fairies.

Cattle sale and cricket match

The first recorded mention of cricket in Cornwall is an advertisement in the '' Sherborne Mercury'' on 18 June 1781 for the sale of cattle at St Teath, near

. The advertisement was dated 14 June 1781 and signed by Nathaniel Long.

Whereas the annual sale for cattle at St Teath, near Camelford, Cornwall held at the first Tuesday in July had for several years being rather neglected. This is to inform the publick, that the Gentlemen farmers etc of the neighbourhood will produce a large show of cattle of the said day being the 3rd day of July next.
NB. ''The evening of the same day will be cricketed for a very handsome silver-laced hat.'' 20th Century

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, bombs were dropped twice on or near St Teath, this occurring on consecutive days in August 1940. On the second occasion, 30 August, none of the bombs that were dropped actually exploded.

Cornish wrestling

Throughout the 19th century, St Teath hosted

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 in various venues including the New White Hart Inn.West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 26 May 1870.Royal Cornwall Gazette, 16 July 1880. Abraham Bastard (1789–1868), was born in St Teath and beat the famous wrestler James Polkinghorne in a famous match at St Kew in the 1820s.''Historic venue for wrestling in St Kew'', Cornish Guardian, 16 August 1956, p9. He later became a preacher, who wrote a well known book of his life.''Cornish Wrestling down the ages'', West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 4 January 1954, p1.Samuel Ley Thorne,''The Converted Wrestler; or the Life of Abraham Bastard'', 1877

References

External links

*
Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for St Teath
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Teath Civil parishes in Cornwall Villages in Cornwall