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Parish Church of:
Minster
The church of St. Metherian, situated in a picturesque and sequestered spot in a deep and thickly wooded valley, is a building of stone, in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, south aisle, south porch and a western tower, with saddle back roof, containing one bell, brought from Bodmin church and dated 1727: in the south aisle is a monument, with kneeling effigies and arms inscribed to John Hender esq. J.P. lord of the honour of Bortreaux Castle ob. 7 June 1611; Jane (Thorne), his wife, and their family; in the lower panel are Six English verses: against the north wall of the chancel is a fine monument in the Renaissance style, divided into two compartments by columns of Black marble rising from brackets and supporting an entablature and semicircular pediment inclosing a quartered shield of arm; the inscriptions commemorate Sir John Cotton kt. ob. 4 Feb 1703, and Sarah (Fuljames) his wife, ob. 6 March, 1676: in the
south aisle is a mural monument with kneeling effigies, and shields of arms to William Cotton , precentor and canon of Exeter, and Elizabeth (Hender), his wife, ob. April and Sept, 1656: in the chancel is a brass with effigy and inscription to Hender Roberts, ob. 2 June, 1602, and there are other memorials to Roger Knight of Burstoke, gent. ob. 4 Nov. 1657; William Cotton esq. ob. 25 Dec 1673; Elizabeth Eastbroke, wido, ob. 1686; Sir Jonathan Phillipps kt. ob. 12 Sept , 1798, Grace, his wife and, five children, 1744-89, and to Moyse, Avery, Rundle and other families; there also remain two shields of arms in brass of the Hender and Molesworth families, belonging to a tombstone, now lost to Catherine, wife of John Molesworth: there is also an old oak chest, and in one of the windows some stained glass with the arms of Trelawny: there are traces of the rood loft staircase, now built up: the fine oak chancel screen disappeared about 1840, and some very good carved bench
ends were removed, it is said, at the restoration: the font of porphyry, is Early English, and has a hemispherical basin ornamented on the outside with a fretted pattern: the church was enlarged or partly rebuilt in the 16th century, and thoroughly restored in 1869-71, under the direction of Mr J.P. Aubyn, architect: there are 240 sittings, the communion plate includes two silver-gilt flagons, 1726-7; a chalice with cover, and a silver plate, given by Sir Jonathan Phillipps kt. in 1792. The register of baptisms dates from the year 1677; burials 1678; marriages 1681, but all are more or less defective.
Near the church formerly stood the priory of Talkarne or Mnster, founded as a cell to the abbey of St. Sergins of Anjou, by William Fitz Nicholas of Bortreaux, temp. Henry II and dedicated to St Merthiana and St. Andrew: as an alien priory it was several times seized by the Crown on the occurrence of disputes with France, and seems to have ceased to exists in 1407, previous to the general dissolution of such houses in 1414-15.
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