The first Church was probably built by St Pol de Leon himself. There is indeed a portion of an ancient Celtic Cross built into the churchyard wall.
13th Century
Paul Church is mentioned in a document as being given by Richard Earl of Cornwall to the Cistercian order at Hailes Gloucestershire for the founding of the monastery.
1336-11th July dedicated by Bishop Grandisson of Exeter. This may suggest that some re-building had taken place.
At the reformation, the patronage of the living passed to the Crown (that is the reigning monarch appointed whoever was vicar.
In Queen Mary's reign Paul is listed as the richest parish in the widespread Deanery of Penwith. (which covered the whole of the Land's End area) being shown as possessing much valuable church plate.
1595-Seven years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Spaniards came again to Cornwall; coming this time in four great galleons, they landed raiding parties along the coast, terrorising the surrounding countryside and setting fire to farms and villages along Mount's Bay. Sir Francis Godolphin did what he could to rally the thoroughly frightened villagers in defence of their homes and liberties but nothing effective was accomplished till help came from Plymouth to drive out the raiding parties.
23rd July -the Spaniads landed one small force at Mousehole where a desperate encounter took place. There was staunch resistance as is revealed in the Church register on the days immediately following the raid. The first three names recorded are those who perished in defence of the town.
24th July-James Keigwin of moussell being killed by the Spaniards was buried.
John Pearce Peiton was buried on the same day.
26th July-Jacobus de Newlyn "occisus fuit per inimicos et sepultus est 26th die Julii".
Mousehole was plundered, looted and burned and then the raiding party proceeded up Paul Lane (formerly a Roman Road to the West) to Paul Church, the greater part of which they burnt down with the exception of the south porch and the great granite tower. Inside the church to this day on the north side of the chancel arch can be seen the marks of intense scorching received by the fire 400 years ago. ( The Spaniards were experts on the use of fire as witness their Autos da fe of those days when they burnt heretics as part of a festival !)
"A tradition of the Parish states that in coming up the hill from Mousehole the Spaniards encountered some country people carrying bundles of furze and, driving them into the church, forced them to drop their burdens which they then set on fire and, as it chance to be a strong south-west wind blowing at the time they opened the doors to expedite the fire in its destructive work."
15th Century.
The tower is the oldest part of the existing building dating back to early this century. Said to be the second highest tower in Cornwall (being 89 feet high, which together with the small beacon tower on the top of the main tower reaching up as it does a further 20 feet making the total height of the whole structure 109 feet. Fires lit on the beacon towers of churches and on the top of hills meant in the time of emergency, such as the Napoleonic War, that a signal could reach London it is said in twenty minutes. From Paul Church tower some 8 parish church towers can, on a clear day be seen.
Apart for the South Porch and the scorched arch already mentioned the present building is much the same now as it was built after the fire.
1689-William Godolphin of this parish died. In the so called Newlyn Aisle (on the North side of the church behind the organ) can be found his old armour consisting of a Cuirass (Body Armour Breast plate and Back plate, all fastened together) and two swords.
Dolly Pentreaths Monument.
This monument is set in the churchyard wall. It was erected in memory of Dolly Pentreath who is buried in the churchyard and who is said to have been the last person to use original Cornish dialect in normal conversation. the monument was put up in 1860 by prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, a descendant of the great Napoleon, who was helped in this project by the then Vicar of Paul (Rev J Garrett) . Cut in stone is a transcription of the 5th Commandment("Honour thy father and thy mother") in old Cornish.
Mural Tablet to an unknown warrior.
The Mural Tablet is to be found on the north side of the chancel, just behind the choir stalls and on it are to be read these words :-
The sad truth is, as Mr Cecil Aitken points out in his "Account of Paul Church", that in spite of the last two lines of this inscription, nobody seems to have any knowledge of who he was or whence he came.