Veryan
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Veryan ( Cornish: ''Elerghi'') is a coastal
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 ...
and village on the Roseland 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. The village has been described as one of Cornwall's loveliest inland villages and as ′a mild tropic garden′ by
John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...
. It is probably best known for the round-houses, built by the vicar Jeremiah Trist in the early 19th century.


Geography

The southern boundary of the parish is along the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
from the Pendower stream in the west to Portholland in the east. To the west is the parish of Gerrans and on the east is St Michael Caerhays. Veryan is bounded by the parishes of Philleigh, Ruan Lanihorne and Tregony in the north.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' The parish comprises of land and of water. The A3078 is the main form of communication and runs along the north of the parish from
St Mawes St Mawes () is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carri ...
joining the A390 at
Probus Probus may refer to: People * Marcus Valerius Probus (c. 20/30–105 AD), Roman grammarian * Marcus Pomponius Maecius Probus, consul in 228 * Probus (emperor), Roman Emperor (276–282) * Probus of Byzantium (–306), Bishop of Byzantium from 293 t ...
. The nearest railway stations are at
Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
and
St Austell Saint Austell (, ; ) is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. At the 2021 Census in the United Kingdom, census it had a population of 20,900. History St Austell was a village centred ...
. The main settlements are Veryan Churchtown, Veryan Green, Portloe and the smaller hamlets of Trewartha, Treviskey, Carne and Camels. Veryan is served by a
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
(Veryan and Portloe Stores) and a
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
(the New Inn).


History

Veryan was originally mentioned in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 as the manor of Elerchi (now Elerkey in street names etc.), which was derived from 'elerch', the Cornish for 'swan'. The origin of the name is by corruption of " Symphorian" to "Severian" and then "Saint Veryan". The church is one of the few in west Cornwall for which there is no evidence of its existence before the Norman Conquest. The church was given by the lord of the manor of Elerky to the monks of Montacute in Somerset, 1110, but a later lord, John de Montacute, gave it to the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, ca. 1220, and they held it until 1859. The parish church of St Symphorian has an unusual plan with a tower south of the south transept and a north aisle. Parts of the church are Norman and others Decorated in style. Melinsey Mill is situated within Veryan. The mill itself was built in 1565 and now the site stands as a tourist attraction which serves food. In the 19th century Veryan's vicar and local land owner Jeremiah Trist expanded the village's buildings. He convinced parishioners to attend church on a regular basis, and built two schools and a series of round houses. The school for boys was built in 1814, and on its site now stands the present infant and junior school. A "school of industry" for girls was also built, now a thatched house behind the New Inn. The round houses were built between 1815 and 1818 by Trist, inspired by one in St Winnow. There is a pair at the entrance to the village at Veryan Green and another two at village entrance on the Pendower road. All four are thatched, while a fifth behind the school has a slate roof. Trist installed crosses on each of the houses and they were said to deter the devil from entering the village. The large house, Parc Behan, overlooking the church was also built by Trist as his dwelling: the vicarage was too small and in a bad state of repair.


Carne Beacon

Carne Beacon, lying a mile from Veryan, is said to be the burial place of the Cornish saint, King Gerennius (Geraint). Local folklore suggests that the burial mound contains the golden boat with silver oars, on which his body was brought across Gerrans Bay. There is no
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
evidence for the existence of this boat. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Carne Beacon became the site of the very first Cornish above ground aircraft reporting post. It opened in January 1940 as part of No 20 Group Truro and was designated the name of T2 Veryan Post. The site was chosen because of its advantageous views over the sea. Local residents strongly objected to its placing on such a hallowed point but they were overruled by the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...
. The view was excellent for this post which was a wooden structure some 3 metres by 4 metres square. The post consisted of an observation area with aircraft plotting instrument and a small space for making refreshments and gaining shelter. They communicated by a land line telephone to
Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
where the main operations room was based. It was continuously patrolled and had to report every aircraft in a ten-mile radius. It was later equipped with high frequency radio which enabled it to communicate with aircraft that sent out distress signals. It was later refurbished with concrete and remained in use after the war mainly manned in villagers spare time. In 1962 the site closed and moved to Nare Head. The site was demolished and some remains are viewable at the Veryan Post Museum. In present-day all that remains of the post are its concrete foundations.


Local government

In 1894 Veryan became part of the Truro Rural District which was abolished in 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, and Veryan became part of Carrick District Council. The district was abolished in 2009 and Veryan now falls under the unitary
Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...
. Veryan also elects eleven councillors to the parish council. The vicarage cross consists of an ancient shaft with a modern base and cross head; it was erected early in the 20th century.


Sport

Veryan Sports and Social Club was opened in 1984 and provide facilities for cricket, bowling and tennis. Veryan Cricket Club was founded in 1860, although the game was played much earlier with a writer from '' The West Briton'' newspaper crediting Trist as inspiring the locals to play cricket since 1810. The team joined the Cornwall Cricket League in 1951 and played in Senior 1 East in 1983; the highest level in Cornwall at that time. They currently have two teams playing in Division 2 East and Division 6 Central. Their most famous player was David Halfyard. Veryan Football Club play in the Duchy League and are the current champions of the second division; level 16 in the English pyramid system.


Tourism

Veryan attracts tourism due to its location on the Roseland Peninsula and has bed and breakfasts, hotels and guest houses. The round houses are also a factor in the parish's tourism interest and are rented out for accommodation. Veryan is also popular because of its location near the
South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked Long-distance footpaths in the UK, long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harb ...
, a route for keen walkers in Cornwall. Locals also let visitors use the Indoor Bowling Green. The village also has a Sports Pavilion with provision for tennis, cricket, bowls and a children’s playground. Carne Beacon also attracts visitors as it is open to the public with prior contact.


Film and television

Various scenes for the 1992 television drama series '' The Camomile Lawn'', based on
Mary Wesley Mary Aline Siepmann CBE (24 June 191230 December 2002), known by the pen name Mary Wesley, was an English novelist. During her career, she was one of Britain's most successful novelists, selling three million copies of her books, including ten ...
's book of the same name, were filmed in Veryan (Broom Parc House) and on the coast at nearby Portloe.


References


External links


Veryan's
official website

on the
GENUKI GENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. It "provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland". It gives access to a large collection of information, with the emphas ...
website
Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue
for Veryan {{Authority control Civil parishes in Cornwall Villages in Cornwall