The Five parishes of St Anthony, Manaccan, St Martin, St Mawgan and Keverne form that part of the Lizard Peninsula known as the Meneage, "the land of Monks".
600-A Celtic monk by the name of St Piran or St Kieran built a small wooden church on the site of the present church.
The more permanent building which followed it survived the Saxon invasion. But was destroyed by the Norman's some time before 1085.
977- St Keverne was known as a Collegiate Church it was a centre of learning, study and education. There at this time would have been a small Celtic Monastic Community.
The stones on the window ledges in the North Aisle are thought to have come from the ruins of the monastery.
When the Celtic church was destroyed and the Norman's put up their church in its place , the collegiate character of the church was lost, never to be regained. The new building became the Parish Church of the largest parochial area in West Cornwall.
You can still to this day find traces in the existing building of this church .In the west end of the north wall. There , the north doorway and the small window beside it have rounded heads, typical of Norman architecture.
13th Century
The pillars appear to be workmanship of this period and may have been used from some earlier building . The grey, green and rose coloured stone cannot be found locally it may have been brought from Brittany.
1201-1240-under the dean & Chapter of Exeter.
1266-1528-Advowsment to Beaulieu Abbey.
1400c- Most of the present building was constructed during the next 100 years.
1450- The tower and Spire were built.
1500-The Wagon Roof contains several of the original beams and bosses which can be seen in the South aisle and in the chancel end of the North aisle.
1547-Vicars Robert Rawe or Rewe, Martin Geffery. and 1549 William Kylter These three were "attained" for their part in the Cornish Rebellion.
1770- The Spire was destroyed by lightning but was restored as before since it served as a vital landmark for ships making for Falmouth Harbour and seeking to avoid the Manacles Rocks. Maen Eglos "Church Rocks" was the old Cornish name from which Manacles was derived.
1809- The Primrose wrecked on the Manacle Rocks. the gudgeon from the ship can be seen in the vestry.
1893-The Mural Painting was uncovered during the Victorian restoration when whitewash was removed from the walls. This depicts St Christopher the patron Saint of Travellers. To the left of the Mural is a small lancet window (of Norman origin) depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd, while below it is a rounded head of the North doorway which also indicates Norman handiwork.
To the right of the Mural painting on the North Wall we have what is felt to be the most intriguing part of the present building. The three sets of so-called Rood Screen Stairs but we are nor convinced of the correctness of this the popular explanation. The first set of stairs is lit by small lancet windows and may not be a rood stair at all. Quite likely it originally gave access to the aisle roof that may have constituted the first stage in the ascent of a central tower. The second doorway with stairs would mark where the Rood Screen originally was. The third set could mark where the rood screen was moved to in circa 1500, when a major re-design of the church took place.
1907- The peal of Eight Bells was installed, and the opening ceremony was performed by the then Lord mayor of London Sir William Treloar- a cornishman. The clock tower was installed at the same time.
1914-1918-War Memorial Cross above the chancel steps the base of which has part of an old beam dated 1457, the oldest piece of wood in the building.
Note -
The ancient oak bench end.
The Sandy's memorials the family who lived at Lanarth.
The pulpit is Jacobean and has some fine ornamental panels. Nothing of its history is known.
By the list of rectors and Vicars this church was under the patronage of Beaulieu Abbey for almost 300 years.