The Earliest Years
Standing on the site of St Enoder Church over 2000 years ago early man would have looked down on wooded slopes and shallow lakes. Millions of fresh water shells have been dredged up at Penhale showing these lakes to have existed for thousands of years before the first human beings even came to the area.
Attracted by the water, small groups of people eventually came to hunt and fish and make crude dwellings. Stone age flints have been discovered near Barton Lane and no doubt there are many others still to be found.
2000BC to 300AD
During the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods small settlements became established around the lakes which transverses by a causeway known in more recent times as Penhale. The roadway from the east known locally as "Deep Lane" crossed the causeway, climbed the hill and continued to wind its way westward. Deep Lane, with its cobbled floor and trees meeting overhead can still be seen between the roadwork's south of Penhale. On the west of Penhale it is known as "Narrow Lane" and continues today up to the church and onwards as far as Mitchell. This little road dates back to the Bronz Age and has been variously known as the Harrow Way, the Stanna Way, the Old Tin Road and the Great Western Highway. Along this road tin was carried to Marazion to Dover and on to Gaul.
The Penhale Round was partly excavated in 1993 before the work began on the Indian Queens Bypass and showed evidence of both Bronze and Iron Age occupation and it is more than likely that there had been an Iron Age settlement at St Enoder. It is still possible to trace the circular boundary of the round in the shape of the Rectory garden. Strategically placed alongside such an important road the village of St Enodor soon grew to be a very busy village.
The shallow lakes dried out eventually and formed low marshy areas and moorland. New Road runs along the shore of the shore of the old lake towards Brighton Cross and on to Ladock. Before this road was built all traffic going in a NS direction used My Lords Road which crossed Deep Lane a few hundred yards east of Penhale Round. My Lords Road is of particular importance in itself as it formed part of the Saints way from Padstow to the Fal estuary reaching the banks of the Fal at Lamorran. Mylor itself is just across the estuary on the western side.
The Celtic Era
5th to 9th Century AD.
When the first Christian missionaries came to the area the established a Christian sanctuary on the rectangular area adjoining the north side of the Round. A natural spring nearby made it particularly attractive tot he holy man and his followers who established the first church on the site.
Although originally immediately adjacent to the NE corner of the churchyard the water table has lowered and this spring can be found approximately 200 yards due north of the East End of the church. It is situated in a small grove of bushes and used to be marked with a stone cross. The only evidence of the spring today is the very marshy ground below it.
The first Christian Chapel on the site may have been built as early as the 5th Century AD. The dedication is uncertain, as Enoder is not the name of a Celtic Saint. It is possible that he was St Cyndr whose feast day is on the 27th April as St Enoder feast has been traditionally kept on the Sunday nearest the last Thursday in April and thye name sounds similar. St Cyndr came from Breckonshire where he founded two churches and tyravelled on to Brittany in about 547-550 AD.
After the Norman Conquest many of the Cornish saint names were altered by the Continental priests to more traditional dedications. The Domesday Book describes the manor of AEGLOSENUDER and it would seem that the Normans identified the church from that as being dedicated to St Enodorus or St Athenodorus, a third century Roman Saint who was Bishop of Pontus and who was Martyred in 272 AD. If this is so it would date the first chapel at least two centuries earlier, possibly the first wave of Christians from Gaul in the 4th Century AD.
The foundations of the early Celtic Chapel lie under the chancel with the doorway almost immediately under the archway in the carved wooden screen. The holy man would celebrated the Eucharist inside while the people gathered at the open doorway and watched. He would come to the doorway to distribute the bread and wine.
As time went on the people built an extension to the chapel so that they were no longer exposed to the chapel so that they were no longer exposed to the vagaries of the Cornish climate. This extension, known as the nave, belonged to the people and the people were responsible for its upkeep. Both the chapel and the nave were small and were probably built from uncut stone and had either a thatched or turfed roof. The Celtic nave at St Enoder extends westward to the third pew from the front. It is possible that a small Christian community was established to the south of the church where the earliest monks lived in crude stone cells and grew their own vegetables.
The Saxon Era
During the Saxon period a great deal of the building took place in the area. The Church seems to have been enlarged twice so that if you stand between the back pews of the present church looking eastwards you will be standing directly over the Western Wall of the Saxon Church. The pillars to the right and left mark the North and South walls and on the second enlargement the present eastern wall is the old Saxon wall with later additions. The odd angled wall to the north of the Chancel is also probably part of the original Saxon outer wall. Both walls faced with stone but on the inside they are made of earth and covered by thick plaster.
The Church at this time was attached to the priory of St Petrock at Bodmin and the mission priest assigned to St Enoder was probably under the protection of the local thegn or landowner who provided him with land for his house, employed him as personal chaplain and also gave him land, known as Glebe, which he could farm himself or let out for rent. Tithes or the tenth of all produce from the parishionres crops and animals provided him with a living.
From the Domesday Book of 1067 we know that the last Saxon thegn to hold the manor Aegllosenuder was one Goderick.
The entry reads as follows
"The Earl of Mortain (Moriton)_holds��.
The same Earl holds AEGLOSENUDER of St Petroc, Goderick held in the time of King Eduard.
There is one hide which has never paid geld. Land of six ploughs. There are two ploughs and three serfs and two villeins and eight borders and twenty acres of pasture. Formerly and now worth twenty shillings.
The foundations of the manor of Aeglosenuder lie beneath the present rectory gardens. The L shaped building, which lies adjacent to the road, is probably the oldest Saxon dwelling with a larger grander building facing south east being built later. An avenue of trees led to this later manor house from the road from Summercourt, the back walls of both buildings are visible today and it is possible that the garden wall immediately opposite the church formed part of the original Saxon buildings.
The priest's house was small and was built to the west of the present covered gate. The back walls remain but a modern garage now stands on the site of the house.
The village of St Enoder grew rapidly during this time and although most of the buildings were of wood or cob the stone foundations of several can still be traced. Many wells were sunk as the population grew and the road from Penhale became busy with traffic.
The Church was long and narrow with a high pitched roof, the floor was of beaten earth covered with lime ash and strewn with rushes. The windows were narrow and did not contain glass, many would have had shutters fitted. The walls both inside and out were covered with plaster and lime washed. The internal walls were often painted with biblical scenes. Inside the lighting would be from candles or rush lamps and the heating, if any, would be from charcoal braziers. People stood throughout the service, walked about or sat on the rushes. A wooden screen protected the Chancel from the Nave. Church services were quite short, as there was rarely a sermon to listen to! The Nave still belonged to the parishioners and was often used for social events, gatherings and shelter.
The Norman Era.
During the time of the Normans the church building took on a more solid appearance and was made cruciform in shape with a central tower. Internal arches were high and narrow, as was the main door, the arch of which can still be seen inside the present west door. This door is not in its original place, the arch was re-used during a later period. The small north door arch is also a Norman one re-used. (By tradition the north door is locked as it is known as the Devils Door).
Even though the walls were wide and solid not very much of the Norman Church remains. The two very large pillars on either side of the chancel steps date back to the Norman period and supported the central tower. But they have been cut and reshaped several times and the other pillars to the west which made up the crossing have long since been removed and replaced.
Outside the church, north and east of the north transept, it is still possible to see part of the original Norman foundations and inside on the east wall of what is now the memorial chapel you can still see party of the wall itself.
The Font remains as a testimony to this period. It is a fine example of a Norman font and although slightly damaged when the new western tower fell in the 17th century it is still in good condition.It would originally have had hinged lids which could be closed and padlocked to protect the holy water which was blessed on Easter day and which would remain in the font all year round. Sometimes holt water was stolen and used for witchcraft and it was important therefore to make sure the lids were secured properly.
The Font would stand at the West End of the Norman Church probably not far from where it stands now. The west wall of the Saxon church was taken down by the Normans and rebuilt further westwards making the building longer. The foundation of this wall lies just west of the two pillars in front of the organ and the font.
The overall impression of the Norman Church was one of severity. It was also quite dark inside as the windows were high and narrow. Most of the walls would have been painted and by the end of the Norman period there may have been a stone floor. There still would be no seating except a few stone benches around the chancel. The roof would still have been thatched.
The government of the Church in Cornwall altered during the Norman period and Cornwall became merely an archdeaconry in the Diocese of Exeter. It therefore became the responsibility of the Bishop of Exeter to appoint the clergy for St Enoder and no longer the responsibility of the Prior of Bodmin.
In 1264 Bishop Bronscombe founded Glasney College in Penryn with the intention that it should become "" powerful influence for the good of the Cornish Church". Several parishes were "appropriated" by Glasney and were required to pay taxes to assist in the upkeep of the College. St Enoder was one of these parishes and was called upon to pay these taxes for over two hundred years. This was in addition to the tax demanded by Rome. The drain on the parish finances was considerable.
The priests house probably remained unaltered at this time but the village was continuing to grow and was a thriving bustling community on an increasing busy road. Penhale was also a growing community and its famouse Long Fair was established during this period. It was held on 27th September, the old Feast of the Holy Cross.
The Gothic Era.
14th to 16th Century AD
Towards the end of the thirteenth century and the begging of the fourteenth St Enoder was dramatically changed . A low wall was built around the north and south elevations and was attached to church by lean-to thatched roofs.
The solid Norman walls were replaced by pillars and arches, still to be seen all down the northern side of the nave, and the whole area of the church was made larger and lighter. Pews were made for the congregation to sit on and carved pew ends made at this timecab still be seen attached to the modern pews in the side aisles. Some of the carvings are quite pagan in character and three of them depict green men. (although it is believed green men, a mans face with foliage coming from the mouth could be an ancient futility symbol, it could also be adapted to the seed being placed in Jesse's mouth being the origin of the Jesse tree). Unfortunately, the coming of the Black Death disturbed all this work of refurbishment. Bubonic plague came to Cornwall in 1348 and within one year 20,000 people died in Cornwall alone. Close knit communities, particularly those on the main roads through Cornwall, such as that of St Enoder suffered badly and many wooden, cob and thatched houses were fired to get rid of the plague carrying rats. The population of such an area began to build again but away from the centre of infection and in a more spaced out manner.
In addition to this particularly tragedy St Enoder was still obliged to pay taxes to Glasney and to Rome and as a result the church became neglected. The new open plan had considerably weakened the load bearing capabilities of the walls, the central tower was in danger of collapsing and the heavy thatched roof was in serious need of repair.
In 1464 three clergy, two carpenters, two masons, two heliers and two thatchers met at St Enoder on August 20th and declared the vicar for the dilapidation.
A new vicar was immediately appointed and the work of renovation began in earnest and continued for at least 60 years. The central tower was removed and the roof was totally reconstructed with three longitudinal aisles each with their own pitched and tiled roof. All were supported by barrel arches of carved timber.
The old Norman walls and the low walls of the early 13th Century were replaced. Windows with coloured glass were fitted (small panes of this glass still remain), tiles were laid in the Chancel and Sanctuary, arches were strengthened and a porch was added to the south door. A new tower was built at the West End of the Church and the aisles were lengthened to support it.
The Church at this time was supported by the tithes from 4 farms and financially the Parish was very sound. In 1529 Thomas Tretherffe of the Parish of Laddock left money to found a chantry at St Enoder. The chapel at the east end of the north aisle known now as the Lady chapeol dates from about this time. A slate monument to Dorothy Tanner who died in 1634 is worthy of note.
The screen-dividing nave from chancel was probably far more elaborate than the one in place today but in 2876 a local carpenter called Richard Tamblyn retrieved pieces of the old 15th Century screen and reassembled them to make the present screen. It is a hotch potch of pieces but still attractive in its simplicity.
The Reformation
16th to 17th Century AD
Although new ideas had filtered into the land already the reformation truly began in England with the excommunication of King Henry VIII in 1529. Henry immediately realised that the enormous wealth of the religious houses and monasteries could be used to pay off his debts. He appointed Thomas Cromwell as his Vicar-General and with his help ordered the dissolution of all the smaller monastic houses. He systematically seized the wealth of the Church and settled his affairs. 3 of St Enoder's farms were seized.
In 1548 Glasney was dissolved and St Enoder was free of that particular tax , but the tax that once was paid to Rome now went to the King instead and was increased.
The Reformation itself brought about many changes in Church worship and to the decoration of the church itself. Old painted walls were white-washed, coloured glass was removed from the windows and replaced with clear glass and statues were removed and smashed. A Bible printed in English was placed in every Church and the ordinary people were regularly instructed in their faith.
At St Enoder the church was in good order due to its recent renovation but some of the strict measures brought about by the Reformation upset the people. All the beautiful new stained glass windows in the church had been removed. It was forbidden to have palms to take part in Palm Sunday processions, or to burn the palms on Ash Wednesday. The use of candles was frowned upon and incense was forbidden. Everything became clean, pure and severe and some people felt the heart had gone out of their religion.
A bewildering number of orders came down the line as a sussession of Monarchs became head of the church.
In 1548 chantries were dissolved and their endowments confiscated.
In 1549 the first English Prayer Book was issued. (see Pray Book Rebelion) You will see how much, the plan to make sure that the religion of the country was taught to the people in English, rather than Latin, so that they could all understand; misfired here in Cornwall, Cornish was the language they knew and many people in Cornwall could understand English even less that they could understand Latin.
In 1550 old stone altars which were fixed to the east wall were ordered to be removed and replaced with a wooden Communion Table. The table had to be set up lengthways in the chancel so the people could kneel round it.
In 1552 the second English Prayer Book was issued and the traditional vestments for a priest were abolished, as were most of the remaining ceremonies.
The priest was required to conduct all services from among the people in the Chancel.
Services and Holy Communion became comparatively rare, only being celebrated once a month or less. Sermons became the most important part of each service and the pulpit at St Enoder dates from about this period. Family boxes or pews with doors were a common feature of the time. Sermons were often long the wealthy landowners preferred to listen to them in draught free comfort. This trend continued well into the 19th century and the two front pillars on the south aisle have flat surfaces where family were probably fixed.
Now that the people could read, wooden notice boards depicting the Creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments were fixed to the walls.
When Charles I came to the throne a new order was issued demanding that the altar be fixed once more to the east wall.
The Last 300 Years.
In 1686 the new western tower collapsed. The foundations had not been made firm enough and the tower fell across the western end of the south aisle and the porch. Both aisle and porch were repaired immediately and initials of the vicar, William Symons, and the two churchwardens and the date 1686 are to be seen on the western end of the south-facing wall. The work to rebuild the tower however was not completed until 1711 when 5 new bells were raised into position. It was rebuilt copying typical Cornish 15th Century style but with boroque scrolls on the corners which is pure 18th Century.
During the 18th Century the village was still a busy place although the main road now came down through Fraddon and Deep Lane was no longer used as the main highway. Narrow Lane was still known as the Great Western Roadway. Horse drawn carriages used the road regularly and stopped at St Enoder village inn, the Nelson Arms, for victualling and sometimes for a change of horses, before tackling Mitchell Hill.
The Rectory was enlarged at this time and an imposing new frontage was built on to the rambling old buildings, which backed onto the road. Much of the stone for this building came from the ruins of the old Manor house.
It was, however, during this period that the road from Penhale to Sunmmercourt was improved and in 1711 the Long Fair moved to Summercourt.
The Church was generally in good order during the 18th century and it wasn't until 1870 that restoration began again. £1000 was raised by public subscription and the whole Church was re-roofed and the wall and pillars strengthened and restored. The south chancel aisle was completely rebuilt and new windows put in.
In 1875 the present east window was put in place and the painted glass by Alexander Gibbs inserted as a memorial to the Reverend S W Walker who had been the incumbent in St Enoder for 45years. The old eastern window was removed and placed in the north wall of the Lady Chapel.
Parts of the square leaded windows from the south chancel aisle were fixed either side of the altar and a bracket representing an angel which had been built into the Rectory wall was removed to a position south of the altar for use as a credence table.
Richard Tamblyn of Summercourt built all the wooden screens in the church. The oak altar was presented by Major Fitzgerald of Chytane and the former altar was made into the rather fine sedile (desk) in the sanctuary.
A new organ was installed in 1896 in memory of the Reverend J.W Murray. It was placed in the north chancel aisle but was moved in 1927 to its present position at the back of the church.
The End of the Twentieth Century and into the Twenty First.
St Enoder Church still stands overlooking rolling farmland and trees. The once bustling village of St Enoder Churchtown no longer exists. All the smaller houses have long since become ruins and disappeared. Only the more substantial of the foundations are left and these form boundaries of fields and have become Cornish hedges. The Nelson Arms still stands but is now a private house. Glebe Farm, built from the stone of a row of arms houses adjacent to Narrow Lane years ago, is still a working farm and the old back part of the Rectory has been pulled down and the house made more compact. The rubble from the old building was carried and dumped in the field below the Church.
First St Enoder was by-passed by a new road and then Summercourt. Now the new A30 runs between the two. The new roads have cut across ancient pathways and St Enoder Church appears marooned and separated from its people. But the old building still has the ability to draw people to it. For centuries men, women and children have been coming to this site and now once again they are making the journey and are finding peace and comfort within the walls of this lovely old building.