The North Aisle was pulled down in 1803 because it was unsafe; it was then an Elliot private pew due to being out of materials, now it’s the organ chamber. The lofty arch over the organ and the low arch in the North Wall of the present church were built of the stones taken from the row of Early English Arches between the North Aisle and the Nave. The low arch was probably intended to give access to the Moyle vault (by the family vault, Moyle is another family).
Little is known about the Chancel, other than that we know it fell down in 1592 on a Friday, which was very soon after the conclusion of the Friday service.
The south Aisle has been enlarged to nearly the same size as the Nave, the result being to give the useless clerestory windows and also window in the south tower, which is now open to the church.
The row of arches between the Nave and the South Aisle has been a completed in a totally different style to that of the two West End. Between the arches has been much reduced in thickness.
There are only a few fragments of the old woodwork left in the church.
1.There is a rudely carved Miserere Stall, which evidently formed of a series, as it has on one side a groove for the seat a joining stall.
2. A piece of oak bearing a shield charged with a key and sword crossed, said by some authorities to have been the arms of the Priory. The See of Truro has now adopted them.
3. There is also another piece of oak but has nothing remarkable about it.
The Reliquary Chapel
From 1161-1539 the Augustinian priory at St Germans Church was split into two. Whist the monks lived there they built the reliquary chapel at the end of the south aisle. We know that the chapel was definitely built in 1358. The chapel portrays the architecture of the first half14th century. It could have been possible that the reliquary chapel might have been just a chapel, it may have been an East chapel attached to the narrow Norman Aisle as there is evidence that 2 arches separate it form the nave. The roof was probably flat and made of oak, which is similar to Exeter Cathedral and St Vie near Liskeard consecrated in 1338.
The reliquary chapel brought a lot of wealth to town. The wealth came by people visiting the town, so when they came down they had to have somewhere to stay and they brought souvenirs from the local shops. The church also became rich with people paying to see the reliquary chapel.
We think the chapel was a separate building but we have no written evidence that it was. But we can see a definite break in the wall, where we think the door was situated; there is evidence of a doorway that has been covered up.
The whole town declined in the last years of the monks living at St Germans Church and was being descried as a fishing village (or Fischar Town) when the monks started to live at the church there was about 20-30 monks but then towards the end there was about 7 monks who lived there.
On the east wall of the chapel there are two 3-light windows. The windows are by Jones And Morris and the figures in the window are pre-Raphaelite style installed in 1888-1902. St German of Auxerre is shown in stained glass above the statue or Jesus the Good Shepard.
The south wall has two lancet windows, each consisting of three lights. Each light portrays a separate angel, Mercy, Justice, Faith, Hope, Charity, Angel of Peace. The window was put into the chapel in 1902 and was donated by Mr Alfred Burton and designed by Sir Edward Burne Jones.
On the south aisle side of the chapel there is an original decorated window and a recess with an ogee canopy (break in the window) and an Obean Arch, which clearly used to house a door into the chapel, which is evidence that there was a separate entrance into the chapel.
The Sedalia (seat) was intended into the wall with white stone; it has a ledge for sitting on and a ledge below to rest feet upon. The piscina was intended into the wall with white stone with a bowl at the bottom, it is used for washing the challace or cups.
The 15th Century South Aisle
The South aisle can be dated by the arms of Bishop Lacy (1420-1450) amongst the shields on the hood moulds on one of the windows. There a number of shields on the dripstone terminals of the windows, which show the contributions landowners, have made to the parish in the extension of the south aisles and as a place of worship. There are four such windows, all of four lights, three clearly perpendicular, the fourth still reticulated, that is dec. The aisle is battlemented outside (as the south tower) and has handsome and original south porch with two entrance arches close to each other on West and South and a depressed tunnel vault with a grid of thick granite ribs.
The main change to the South Aisle was when it was widened to 32ft making it 7ft wider than the nave. The purpose of this extension was to provide an adequate parish church. On order to increase the width of the south aisle on the same level it would have been necessary to excavate rather deeper into the hill, and probably in order to avoid the expense of doing this floor of the south aisle and nave was raised 18 inches. This had a very bad effect as it dwarfed the columns and spoilt the proportion of the arches.
The south aisle was very unusual with a grand wall, posh large perpendicular windows, which was built, form the money the reliquary chapel and the monks.
In the church you can see a diagonal line and markings where the old roofline, which is visible in the present of the south Aisle, and North tower. If you look towards this diagonal line at the back of the church you will see a Coat of Arms of King Charles, which was presented to the Cornish Churches for their help during the Civil war. Behind the coat of arms is the diagonal line of stones marking the original lean – to aisle edging onto the central nave. Parts of the Clerestory windows can still be seen above the aisle column. Originally there was a row of clerestory windows either side of the nave and above the lean – aisles to let light into the main nave.
Chancel Disaster
“The parish church answereth in bigness the large proportion of the parish and the surploss of the priory, a great part of whose chancel, anno 1592 fell suddenly down upon a Friday very shortly after public service was ended, which heavenly favour, of so little respite, saved many persons’ lives, with whom immediately before it had been stuffed and devout charges of well disposed parishioners quickly repaired this ruin.”
Carew wrote this in the 1590's. It was a paragraph form ‘The Survey of Cornwall’
The paragraph above tells about when the chancel fell and what was happening just before the chancel fell down. This is evidence that there was a chancel and it did fall down.
The chancel fell down three times but disastrously in 1592, after which time the grant east window of ten lights erected in its present position.
18th and 19th Century
From 1576 the Elliot’s play a really important part in the local community. They were very religious and lived in the old monastery. They took control of the church, which in he church you can see many reminders of the Elliot’s.
The main thing throughout the 18th and19th century was that were the Elliot’s most important in the town.
In 1802-03 they take down the North Aisle and rebuild it in the mock decorated gothic style. Also they changed the transept to the church by adding a family pew. This would make them higher up so everyone would look up to them. The Elliot’s were very trendy and decided to change the church. It started to become a fashion to have paint in churches so the Elliot’s covered it in lime wash-white.
In 1897-94 they employed an architect called Piers St Aubyn. He changed the lime wash and introduced the Victorian gothic period, he also layered off the floor in the south aisle, he got rid of the horsebox pues and then he also rebuilt the chancel windows.
It was not until 1887 when the church was totally restored. At that date the south bed of the church was fond to be in a very bad state of repair: the mortar had practically perished, most of the stone decayed and the buttress at the northwest corner of the North Tower was falling away from the Tower, being only kept in place by iron ties and the enormous growth of ivy. About everything was re-done over whilst the church was in charge by the Elliot family. The price of the restoring the church was estimating in 1893 at £2000 but when it was eventually completed it only came to £1700.
The most known changes were all the walls were plastered over and white washed. They had taken out a form of sitting and introduced horsebox pews. Lowered the floor level and the east window was made into stain glass.
Conclusion
I feel that the church has been well kept throughout the centuries. The people I feel that have made the church are e the Monks they probably made the most amount of money and with the money they got they extended the church to make it the largest parish church in England. The main parts of the building are south aisle, which was extended, the porch, which had a gable (very unusual for Cornwall), the two towers, which are both different (also very unusual for Cornwall) and finally the windows are very important because they have mostly been kept the same throughout the years. The Elliot’s also have been a particular part of the past because they started to run the church when no one else would. They also improved it form when the monks left, although the monks did the church good they did not keep it running throughout the years. The Elliot’s even paid numerous amounts of money to improve the church and make it more stylish.
The church is in a pleasant part of the country and has a pretty little village surrounding it.
Document 1
Source
The source is from the notebook of Henry 5th, Earl of St German. (Kept in the Muniment Rooms at St Germans.
What does it say?
It tells us the history of changes at St Germans. It says Cathedral could have been shared with St Petrol’s, Bodmin? Also about the Monastic Building and The Parish Church. Also he has written about pulling down the North Aisle in 1803, the Elliot family pew, whitewashed church with horsebox pews and South Aisle 18’ higher than North and then in 1887 changes were made by Piers St. Aubyn.
Is it Authentic?
You can see that this is clearly authentic because you can clearly see it is in Henry 5th handwriting.
Is it Reliable?
I think it is reliable due to general sense.
- He made use of scholarly writings at the time with which he was familiar.
- We doubt that the Bishopric was shared with St Petroc’s Bodmin.
- Perhaps he is a little proud in recording his family’s responsibility for changes – but they did do a lot.
Is it Corroborated?
I think this source is corroborated.
- All known documents support his historical or developmental account with minor exceptions.
- We have the “Faculty” for the 1803 changes and the Architect’s drawings for subsequent changes to the windows of the North Aisle.
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We have early photographs form the mid 19th century, showing the horsebox pews, the higher floor level and the whitewashed church building.
Other comments
Clearly this is an impressively accurate account constructed with both a light scholarly touch and from deep personal knowledge and involvement.
Document 2
Source
A short history and guide of the Church of St Germans written by John E Spence c.1966
What does it say?
There was a Celtic Church here, which was monastic. Saxon Church was Cathedral and there were five named Bishops. Norman rebuild (Nave and Chancel with two Aisles) accompanied by religious (monastic) house on site of Port Elliot. Changes to reliquary Chapel, South Aisle (15th century) and collapse of Chancel, (1592) mentioned. 19th century changes mentioned, the dismantling of North Aisle, plus 1887 work of Piers St Aubyn.
Is it Authentic
I think this is authentic as it’s a guidebook and written by Cannon Spence.
Is it reliable?
It is mostly reliable. It is based on earlier history or guides written by Charles Henderson (1929) he was a distinguished Cornish Oxonian historian. It also used an architectural history of St Germans written by Prebendary Hingeston - Randolf and published in1902
Is it corroborated?
Yes it is generally corroborated by all earlier accounts. Both primary materials like that of Richard Carew of Anthony and Secondary sources like Pevsner’s guide to Cornish buildings.
Other comments
It appears to be definitive without motive being too detailed – but its use of language makes it a difficult to read.
Document 3
Source
Carew’s ‘survey of Cornwall’, written in 1590’s, published in 1602
What does it say?
Carew writes about St Germans being the greatest parish in Cornwall. It has ruins around the city and the town had little wealth and had a fishing trade. He also writes about the largeness of the church, the chancel that fell down in 1592 on a Friday after a service ended which everyone says ‘it was a heavenly favour form god that so many lives were saved’. He tells us that the Elliot’s take over the church. He also describes the ancient house of the bishops at the end of the town.
Is it authentic?
I think this is authentic because it is a survey of Cornwall where someone has been to the church and wrote about it.
Is it reliable?
I do think this document is reliable because other people have written that the town was once a fishing village. Also I think it is reliable because we have more prove tat the chancel fell down on a Friday after a service in 1592, and in other documents people say that say it was ‘a heavenly favour from God’. But I am not sure reliable the second paragraph is, as I have not heard of him in any other documents.
Is it corroborated?
I think this document is corroborated with other documents.
- Because all other documents tells about the falling down of the chancel
- People have said it was once a fishing town
- Elliot’s took over the church
- And about the ancient house of the Bishop at the end of the town.
Other comments
Because the document is quite old it uses the old language, which can make it difficult to read. Also there could be a little more detail added into some of the paragraphs to explain more about what he meant.
Document 4
Source
Browne Willis’ ‘Notitia Parliamentaria’ published in1716. (Browne Willis’ wife came form St Germans)
What does it say?
This document talks about the after removal of the bishoprics form Credition to Exeter. It talks a little about king Athelsten and what he did; the manor was divided the Norman invasion. He also writes about the Domes day book, which tells that the parish has 29 areas of land. He writes that the value of the land belonging to the bishop was worth 81 shillings per annum, but what belonged to the canons got 100 shillings per day. He mostly writes about the time between 1050 and 1543, which would mean he would be using someone else’s information.
Is it authentic?
I don’t think this document is authentic because he is writing off other people’s documents not knowing whether they are fact of fiction. Also I haven’t seen another document with some of the writing he has on it.
Is it reliable?
I don’t think it is reliable as some of the documents are because he is married to someone who has been brought up in and wouldn’t want to make St Germans sound like nothing has happened so he could be a bit bias to her.
Is it corroborated?
Some of the information is corroborated but not everything is corroborated.
Other comments
Because the document was written in 18th century the language it is written is quite old.
Document 5
Source
Hendenam Cornish church guide, ‘Parochial, history of Cornwall'
What does it say?
This document writes about all the history of the church in a very brief way. It starts at the beginning when the church was just founded, then goes on to when the church was first written about by Athelsten. Then he wrote about the Diocesan bishopric in Cornwall. It is a significance of the importance of the Celtic church. When threw creation of bishopric was moved to Crediton and Exeter. Then he goes to say how the church changed through time and how the Elliot’s became in charge.
Is it authentic?
I think this is authentic because it is a church guide which a lot of people will be reading, they don’t want to be reading lies so that is why I think its authentic.
Is it reliable?
I think this document is reliable because it has a lot of over documents that confirm this as well, which is good. It is also written by someone who has nothing to do with the church and which makes it unique.
Is it corroborated?
I think this document is corroborated with most of the documents.
- A lot of evidence saying Athelsten wrote about the church first.
- The creation of the Diocesan Bishopric
- The Bishopric was moved to Crediton ands Exeter
- The church was redecorated
- The priory became owners of some relics
- The Elliot’s took over the church
Other comments
The guide isn’t written in a language that is difficult to read and tell you a quick summary of everything about eh church which is very good.
