Warbstow ( kw, Lannwarburgh) is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
, England, United Kingdom. The parish has a population of 439 according to the
2001 census, increasing to 520 at the 2011 census.
The parish is one of the few left in England to still have an
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
. The main body of the parish includes the villages of Warbstow, Warbstow Cross and
Trelash
Trelash is a hamlet in the civil parish of Warbstow, Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornis ...
and a number of hamlets, whereas the exclave (from which the main part is separated by about 150m) includes the hamlet of
Canworthy Water
Canworthy Water ( kw, Boskarn) is a settlement in northeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated beside the River Ottery at approximately seven miles (11 km) northeast of Camelford.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 190 '' ...
.
Both the neighbouring parish of Treneglos and Warbstow belonged in the 12th century to the Lords of Cardinham who donated them to the priory of
Tywardreath
Tywardreath (; kw, Ti War Dreth, meaning "House on the Beach" (or Strand)) is a small hilltop village on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, about north west of Fowey. It is located in a sheltered spot overlooking a silted up ...
. Warbstow was then a chapelry to Treneglos and the two benefices were later united as a vicarage. According to
Charles Henderson, writing in 1925, "The presence ... of St Werburga ... is not easily accounted for (though the parish is famous for geese which figure in her legend)".

At Youlstone an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
bronze bowl was discovered in 1925. At Lower Youlton farm is a Cornish cross in use as a footbridge; it has undergone much wear from foot passengers and its original location is unknown.
Places of interest
The
parish church of St Werburgh was originally
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
, but largely rebuilt in the 15th century.
Warbstow Bury
Warbstow Bury is an Iron Age hillfort about west of the village of Warbstow, in Cornwall, England. It is a scheduled monument.
Location and description
The site is above sea level, on a hill at the heads of two tributaries of the River Ottery ...
is a large Iron Age
hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Rom ...
with massive ramparts. It was once the venue for an annual gathering of Methodists from the circuits of Camelford, Holsworthy (Devon) and Launceston who assembled here on
Whit Tuesday
Whit Tuesday (syn. ''Whittuesday'', ''Whitsun Tuesday'') is the Christian holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost Monday, the third day of the week beginning on Pentecost. Pentecost is a movable feast in the Christian calendar dependent upo ...
for an open air service.
[Shaw, Thomas (1967) ''A History of Cornish Methodism''. Truro: Bradford Barton; p. 48]
References
External links
Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Warbstow
{{authority control
Civil parishes in Cornwall
Villages in Cornwall
Enclaves and exclaves