St Nun Pelynt
Pelynt is a thriving village with a growing population. It is bounded on the east by the beautiful deeply wooded valley of the West Looe River which offers some beautiful walks. The village is well served by a variety of shops, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, pub, social club and village hall, with a plethora of clubs and activities. St Nun is a Grade One listed church and is central to the village. Over the summer months we hold a series of outdoor services which have included Rogation, Pets Service, the Blessing of the Scarecrows, Equestrian Service and the Blessing of the Tractors where our younger friends explore the tractors following the service.
We have a monthly Songs of Praise Service and a more formal Holy Communion Service. For over twenty years there has been a very close connection with the Methodist Church with two united services held each month and reciprocal delegates sitting on each other’s committees. There is a broad section of services on offer to cater for the varied needs of the community from young and old and those in the middle. There is also active support and participation in all fundraising and social events.
We have a very close relationship with our school with assemblies taken by the Rector on a monthly basis. He has the opportunity in the summer term of conducting a cricket afternoon for all the juniors and helps with sport throughout the year. Open the Book, Experience events, visits to Church for major events and services, as well as help and guidance in delivering the curriculum are all part of the churches plan. The Rector’s wife and Church Warden are both governors of the school. Pelynt’s most famous son is Bishop Jonathan Trelawny who was imprisoned in the Tower of London for the religious stand he and seven other bishops took against King James II. He is buried in the family vault beneath the Trelawny Aisle, and the ‘Song of the Western Men’ – usually referred to as just ‘Trelawny’ – is recognised as the unofficial anthem of Cornwall.
The village still has close connections with the Trelawny family from whom the Benefice gets its name and whose crest we are allowed to use. We are proud to host the Trelawny Day and Trelawny Plate Services which involve the whole county. A history exhibition in the church portrays local population journeys through time and recounts Bishop Trelawny’s life in religion.
Interesting Church features
- When you enter the building look up to the roof and see the bosses, you will see faces!
- If you look at the Buller tomb note the cherub type figures either side, what are you looking at? (You should see the original figures with areas showing there was at one point a call for modesty, they were given little kilts to wear at one point in time!)
- Pelynt has one of the largest roundhead crosses in Cornwall, it is pre-Norman and thought to be a preaching cross which was originally in the churchyard.
Pelynt History Exhibition
Each year St Nun hosts an exhibition showcasing the rich history of the parish from its most famous son Bishop Jonathon Trelawny to local farming families, religious sites in the area, journeys over time of the local population and traditions. Every year there is a different topic and runs from Easter Sunday to the end of November. The church is open daily between 10am & 4pm and a free and open to all.
The church holds many volumes of research material for those who wish to trace their family histories, including transcripts of the Pelynt census and parts of the Parish Registers and books on local families. There is an index for church yards – old and new files are located in the east end of the north aisle where there are maps and references to enable location of an ancestor or more recent relative’s resting place within the churchyard and cemetery.
Other compilations are available to purchase which include:-
Religious Sites of Pelynt
Bishop Trelawny – 2nd Revised edition
Pelynt Drive About – This guides you on a drive from Pelynt church incorporating and visiting other churches in the area with information as you go, giving you sights and markers to look out for then finishing your tour back at Pelynt church. All proceeds go to the Cornish Churches Historic Trust (CCHT) Cornwall Historic Churches Trust (chct.info)
Research
Should you wish to investigate and research a person related to the parish you can contact the Cornish Family History Society Cornwall Family History Society (cornwallfhs.com) where records can be obtained.
Assemblies/Services
CHRISTMAS TERM
Monday 25th September 2.45pm School Assembly `New Starts
Monday 9th October 2.30pm Harvest Festival at The Parish Church
Friday 10th November 2.30pm (or 2.45pm if in school) Remembrance Service or Assembly
Monday 4th December 2.45pm Assembly `Christmas Theme`
Monday 18th December 2.30pm Christmas Sing a Long Parish Church
EASTER TERM
Friday 5th January 2024 2.45pm `New Year Assembly`
Monday 5th February 2024 2.45pm Assembly Theme TBC
Tuesday 5th March 2024 2.30pm St Piran`s Day Service Parish Church
Thursday 7th March 2024 2.45pm World Book Day Assembly
Thursday 28th March 2024 2.30pm Easter Celebration Parish Church
Safeguarding
Our Parish Churches are bound to ensure that children and young people as well as adults are kept safe whilst in their care as an integral part of our church life. If you have any concerns about safeguarding please contact:
Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinators
Lanreath
Mrs Sandra Pipe – 01503 220860
Lansallos
Mrs Josie Slade – 01503 220513
Lanteglos by Fowey
Mr Norman & Mrs Angie Mallard – 01726 870747 or 07791 536609
Pelynt
Rev Richard Allen – 01503 220847 or 07383621292
Talland
Mr Paul Baker – 01503 265628
In the Diocese:
Sarah Acraman Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, 01872 274351 Out of Hours for after 5pm and weekends: 01208 251300
In emergency situation: Local Authority Children’s Social Care: 0300 123 1116 Local Authority Adult’s Social Care: 0300 1234131
Newsletter
Trelawny Plate Award 2026 – Invitation from the Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall
Redruth Revival Chair Ross Williams MBE Awarded Prestigious Trelawny Plate
Ross Williams MBE has been awarded the Trelawny Plate in recognition of his outstanding contribution to arts and culture in Cornwall.
The Trelawny Plate Award is made to the person judged by a senior and representative panel “to have contributed most to the spirit of Cornwall”.
The plate itself originally belonged to Bishop Jonathan Trelawny, who was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1688. The more than 300-year-old pewter dinner plate was donated by the Bishop’s descendant, Sir John Trelawny, and is kept at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro. Recipients receive a replica plate, created by the St Justin Tin company in Penzance.
The award was presented to Ross by Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall, His Majesty The King’s representative in the county, during a special Service of Thanksgiving and Commemoration at St Nun’s Church, Pelynt, on Tuesday 14 July 2026.
Ross has worked in the arts for nearly 50 years and has been a central figure in Cornwall’s arts and culture for the last 35 years. His vision, gift for strategic development and sure-handed management have underpinned much of the development of the arts in Cornwall during that time. He has mentored a new generation of arts professionals and brought a range of organisations and projects into being under the banner of Creative Kernow, which now provide the backbone of Cornwall’s cultural life.
From a prominent Redruth family, Ross has since turned his attention to his hometown and is one of the leading figures behind Redruth Revival CIC and the Buttermarket project. As Chair of Redruth Revival, he has helped lead the heritage-led regeneration of Redruth, including the transformation of the Buttermarket into Cornwall’s first food hall and a growing cultural hub, supporting independent businesses, culture and community in the heart of the town.
Last year, Ross was also appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in The King’s Birthday Honours 2025 for services to heritage and culture in Cornwall.
After the announcement, Ross said:
“This is a wholly unexpected award, and I feel very honoured to receive it. My work in the creative and cultural sectors in Cornwall has always been about being part of a team, and I’m very grateful to all those people who have helped with that over the past 35 years.”
As part of the celebration, the Pelynt Male Voice Choir, known as Trelawny’s Men, led the congregation in Robert Stephen Hawker’s The Song of the Western Men, more commonly known simply as Trelawny.
Jonathan Trelawny was born in the parish of Pelynt in 1650 and ordained in 1673. He was one of seven bishops charged with high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London for refusing to implement King James II’s Declaration of Indulgence, which granted religious tolerance to Catholics. Bishop Trelawny was held for three weeks before being tried and acquitted. He died in 1721 and is interred in the family vault at St Nun’s Church, Pelynt.
Everyone at Redruth Revival extends its warmest congratulations to Ross on this exceptional and richly deserved honour, recognising a lifetime dedicated to Cornwall’s arts, heritage and communities.
Notes to Editors
About the Trelawny Plate AwardThe Trelawny Plate is one of Cornwall’s most prestigious civic honours, awarded every two years to an individual judged by a senior and representative panel to have “contributed most to the spirit of Cornwall”. The original 300-year-old pewter plate belonged to Bishop Jonathan Trelawny and is held by the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro. Recipients receive a replica crafted by St Justin of Penzance.
About Redruth Revival CICRedruth Revival CIC is a Community Interest Company dedicated to heritage-led regeneration in Redruth. Through restoring historic buildings, supporting local enterprise, and creating opportunities that bring people, businesses and communities together, the organisation works to strengthen the town centre and build a thriving future for Redruth. Its work celebrates the town’s rich heritage and culture while delivering lasting social and economic benefits.
The organisation’s flagship project, the Buttermarket, has transformed a cluster of Grade II listed buildings into Cornwall’s first food hall and a growing cultural hub, supporting independent businesses, cultural activity and community life in the heart of the town.
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Media Enquiries
Marketing & Events Manager
Redruth Revival CIC / The ButtermarketLottie Matthews
lottie@buttermarket.org
01209 643218
Pelynt Trelawny Day Celebrations 30th June
Remembrance Pelynt
Children from Pelynt Primary shared a Remembrance Service at Pelynt recently. Class 4 all wrote messages of thanks on the poppy crosses for all the Pelynt soldiers who had lost their lives in world wars
Richard Allen
Pelynt Easter Egg Hunt
Photo Gallery
THE REVD CANON DR MARK’S DAILY DEVOTIONALS #306 25 TH – 29 TH MAY 2026
Remembrance Day Pelynt Thursday 11th November 2021
Remembrance Day Pelynt 2021 Pelynt Primary School joined forces with the parish church to hold an outdoor service on Remembrance Day with over 40 people gathering at the war memorial. The school children laid a special wreath with a poignant message, `To those who had…
