The name Duloe has several origins, Dhu-Loo means Black Looe; Du-Loo God's River; and Due-Loo Two Loos, describing the situation of this parish between the East and West Looe rivers.
The parish is very scattered and consists of the village of Duloe and the hamlets of Tredinnick and Hill. It contains several old manors, of which Brodbane, Trenant, Lanwarnick, Killigorick and Tremadart are mentioned in the Domesday Book, but few traces of the original buildings remain.
There has been a settlement at Duloe for at least 2500 years. Early inhabitants of this land seeking to explain the forces governing their lives built stone circles to study the sun and the moon and offered up sacrifices to the sun the source of nourishment. Duloe has a stone circle, a link with the earliest settlement here. In a field some 300 yards from the church are eight white quartz stones in a small circle of 38 ft diameter. The present setting is the result of restoration in the last century when a burial urn of the late Bronze Age (2000-500 B.C) was found at the base of one of the stones. The Duloe Torque, a gold bracelet from the late Bronze Age, was found in a nearby field and is now in the Truro County Museum. It has been suggested that the church yard was the site of an Iron Age Fort because of the circular shape and elevation and because Tredinnick, the neighbouring hamlet means "the town of the fort".
The church is dedicated to St Cuby, who was born in Cornwall in the 5th century A.D and was the nephew of ST Nonna. He trained for the priesthood in Ireland, and established churches, particularly in Wales, and was the founder of the monastery of Holyhead in Anglesey.
St Cuby's Well lies on the right hand side of the road to Looe, past the old rectory (now called Duloe Manor) The inner chamber is of ancient date and the steps down into the water appear to mark it as a baptismal well. In the church in the north transept is St Cuby's font a stone basin from an earlier well further down the hill. It is of pre- Christian origin, and the carvings of griffin and fish link it with purification rites.
There was no doubt a Celtic Christian foundation here. The Celtic foundation was followed by a Norman building on the same site. of which only the holy water stoop as you enter through the doorway remains.
13th century The tower with the double lancet window comes from this period.
1321-Was the date the present church was consecrated.
15th century. The church was extended no doubt under the direction of the patrons, the Colshull family of Tremadart Manor. A north aisle was added, and so the original north wall was removed; in its place an arcade of four bays in the perpendicular style with pillars of Pentewan stone was erected. New windows were added on the west and north walls, the east window was enlarged, and the walls increased in height accordingly with a new arch for the transept. The font at the west end was installed at the same time.
In the late 15th century "The Colshull Chapel" was added to the east end of the north aisle. It had a rood screen and a doorway and stairs to this can be seen in the north wall. This chapel is the glory of the church as it has so many interesting features. It was built as a chantry chapel where masses would be said for the souls of departed patrons. The vault beneath was used for burials until 1889. The tomb with its recumbent effigy in the chapel is that of Sir John Colshall, who died in 1483 and was the second richest man in Cornwall. He is portrayed in plate armour with a tilting helmet beneath his head.
Under the north window is the table tomb of John Killiow of Westnorth who died in 1610 and his wife Dorothy Trevelyan, whose arms are impaled with those of her husband on the panel above the tomb.
There are three slate memorials Anna Coffyn died 1592 the daughter of Richard Colshull- she is depicted in Elizabethan dress holding gloves and book; and two small figures one Maria Arundell died 1629 a niece of Sir john Arundell who defended Pendennis Castle at Falmouth for the Royalists in the Civil war. The verse above on the shortness of life plays on an anagram of her name as "Man a dry laurel". The other lady has not been identified.
Below the east window is a slate showing two Elizabethan ladies and their families that are nameless and there is no coats of arms. they kneel on cushions with foliage trails as a surround.
The stonework of the chapel is very rich and fine, the soft Caen stone having allowed the mason to carve flowers, leaves, grapes, and heraldic devices. The east arch rests on the demi-figure of an angel.
The parclose screen of the late 15th century and was originally a dull red. The screen to the north aisle is probably part of the rood screen and incorporates symbols of the saints and family arms. On the east wall is a fine monument to Henry Bewes by William Adron; it shows the relief of a woman with a portrait medallion of the dead man. Note also the delicate art work of the hours of prayer by LT Col F A Henslowe on the north wall of the chapel. The altar at the east end was removed at the reformation along with the rood screen. A Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham is now set there with a statue blessed by Fr Hope Patten, the restorer of the Shrine in Norfolk. The tomb of Sir John Colshall was moved in the last century to accommodate the organ (now beneath the south transept arch). Outside, the chantry chapel is distinguished by its buttresses battlements and pinnacles. Notice the gargoyles and beasts and the bell turret.
16th Century this is when the north transept was added and a doorway now blocked was opened in the north wall of the aisle.
1705-Balliol College Oxford became patron and subsequently provided many rectors (and also gave the choir stalls.)
1844-The Revd Robert Scott was incumbent the co-author of Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon.
The 19th century restoration for whom the Revd Paul Bush was responsible and the Bewes family gave much support