Temple, Cornwall

Temple (Cornish: Tempel) is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Blisland, on Bodmin Moor, in the Cornwall district, in the ceremonial county of Cornwall, England. The village is bypassed by the A30 road. In 1931 the parish had a population of 29.[1]

Temple
Temple Church
Temple is located in Cornwall
Temple
Temple
Location within Cornwall
OS grid referenceSX146733
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBODMIN
Postcode districtPL30
Dialling code01208
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireCornwall
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

History and antiquities

Temple derives its name from the hospice or preceptory founded by the Knights Templars who built a refuge for pilgrims and travellers, en route to the Holy Land, in the 12th century. On the suppression of the Templars it passed into the hands of the Knights Hospitallers (in 1314), who held it until the religious houses were suppressed by Henry VIII. In 1901 it was a curacy of Warleggan and on 1 April 1934, the parish of Temple was incorporated into Blisland parish.[2][3][4]

Church

Temple Church is a Grade II* listed building built c.1120 on land owned by the Knights Templar. It became famous as a place where marriages could be performed without banns or licence (similar to Gretna Green until the early 20th century).[3] This came to an end in 1744 when the church first came under episcopal jurisdiction. By the mid-19th century, it had become a ruin and a final service was held on 29 January 1882, in front of a ″large congregation″ led by the Reverend J Brown.[5] It was rebuilt (by Silvanus Trevail) in the following year.[6] The church is dedicated to St Catherine.[7]

The church contains several references to its links with the Knights Templar, including a cross pattée in the east window and a depiction of a mounted knight in the north window of the church tower.

Crosses

Arthur Langdon (1896) recorded the existence of eight stone crosses in the parish, including two cross slabs, all in the churchyard.[8] Several of these crosses were subsequently incorporated into a stone outbuilding on the south side of the church.[9]

  • St Catherine's Church and churchyard
    St Catherine's Church and churchyard
  • East window showing the cross pattée of the Knights Templar
    East window showing the cross pattée of the Knights Templar
  • Detail of stained glass window in the church tower showing a mounted knight
    Detail of stained glass window in the church tower showing a mounted knight
  • Stone outbuilding incorporating early stone crosses
    Stone outbuilding incorporating early stone crosses
  • Temple war memorial
    Temple war memorial

See also

References
  1. "Population statistics Temple CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. "A Clergyman Found Dead Near Bodmin". The Cornubian and Redruth Times. No. 1962. 25 January 1901. p. 7.
  3. Bernardi, Dame Stella. "Temple Church Cornwall". Templar Sites in England. Archived from the original on 5 November 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  4. "Relationships and changes Temple CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  5. "The ancient Church of Temple". The Cornishman. No. 186. 2 February 1882. p. 4.
  6. Cornish Church Guide (1925). [Parochial history, by Charles Henderson; Temple, p. 202]. Truro: Blackford
  7. "Church of St Catherine". English Heritage – Pastscape. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  8. Langdon, A. G. (1896) Old Cornish Crosses. Truro: Joseph Pollard
  9. Temple Church Bodmin Moor, Church Welcome Leaflet

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