Grade–Ruan is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the Lizard peninsula in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, United Kingdom, approximately south of Falmouth. It is a rural parish bounded to the east by

St Keverne St Keverne () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village on The Lizard in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. In addition to the parish, an electoral ward exists called ''St Keverne and Meneage''. This stretches to the western Liz ...

parish and by the sea; to the west by

Mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

and

Cury Cury () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in southwest Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately four miles (6 km) south of Helston on The Lizard, The Lizard peninsula. The parish is named fo ...

parishes; and to the south by Landewednack parish. Grade–Ruan civil parish encompasses part of

Goonhilly Downs Goonhilly Downs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) that forms a raised plateau in the central western area of the The Lizard, Lizard peninsula in southern Cornwall, England. It is one of 229 English national nature reserves designat ...

and the major settlements are Ruan Minor, St Ruan and Cadgwith. The parish was formed in 1934 because falling population necessitated merging the

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es of Grade, Ruan Major and Ruan Minor. All three were in the Deanery and Hundred of Kerrier. Formerly, Cadgwith was partly in Grade parish and partly in Ruan Minor parish. The population of Grade–Ruan has increased steadily; it was 677 in 1961, 835 in 1981, 1070 in 2001, and 936 in 2011. There is a school in the parish, Grade Ruan CE Primary School, which is situated in Ruan Minor. Grade–Ruan lies within the

Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The Cornwall National Landscape (formerly the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) covers in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom; that is, about 27% of the total area of the county. It comprises 12 separate areas, designated under the Na ...

(AONB). The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

es of the three former parishes are St Grada at Grade, and the churches of Ruan Major and Ruan Minor, the latter two dedicated to St Rumonus. All three have towers though Ruan Minor Church tower is very small. Ruan Major Church was greatly altered by Edmund Sedding in 1867 and is now a ruin. The church of Ruan Major lay within the manor of Winnianton; its benefice was united with that of Landewednack in 1754. (There was in medieval times a chapel at Hendra.)''Cornish Church Guide'' (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 192 The church of St Rumon in Ruan Major is a grade I listed building. The church of Ruan Minor also lay within the manor of Winnianton; it was a separate rectory in 1277. The church is a small mainly 15th century building and has a Norman piscina. Erisey Manor House (originally in the parish of Grade) is a Grade II listed farmhouse. The oldest part is part of a house built in an E shape in 1620; this has been incorporated in an 18th-century rebuilding and extensions. The 1620 house was built by Richard Erisey; the Erisey male line came to an end in 1772.Erisey Manor House
British Listed Buildings James Erisey was born at an earlier Erisey House; he sailed as a privateer with Sir Francis Drake.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grade-Ruan Civil parishes in Cornwall Lizard Peninsula