St Pedyr's Well, Treloy

Reasons for Designation

A medieval chapel is a building, usually rectangular, containing a range of furnishings and fittings appropriate for Christian worship in the pre- Reformation period. Chapels were designed for congregational worship and were generally divided into two main parts: the nave, which provided accommodation for the laity, and the chancel, which was the main domain of the priest and contained the principal altar. Around 4000 parochial chapels were built between the 12th and 17th centuries as subsidiary places of worship built for the convenience of parishioners who lived at a distance from the main parish church. Other chapels were built as private places of worship by manorial lords and lie near or within manor houses, castles or other high-status residences. Chantry chapels were built and maintained by endowment and were established for the singing of masses for the soul of the founder. Some chapels possessed burial grounds. Unlike parish churches, the majority of which remain in ecclesiastical use, chapels were often abandoned as their communities and supporting finances declined or disappeared. Many chantry chapels disappeared after the dissolution of their supporting communities in the 1540s. Chapels, like parish churches, have always been major features of the landscape. A significant number of surviving examples are identified as being nationally important. The sites of abandoned chapels, where positively identified, are particularly worthy of statutory protection as they were often left largely undisturbed and thus retain important information about the nature and date of their use up to their abandonment.

St Pedyr's holy well survives well, despite some restoration in the 19th and 20th centuries. The well house dates from the medieval period and with its adjacent chapel would have been an important centre for pilgrimage by those seeking cures.

Details

The monument includes a medieval holy well at Treloy, which survives as a small stone building with two stone benches to either side of the entrance, and is located over a spring. The well house measures 2.03m north-south by 1.75m east-west. There is a granite pointed arched doorway in the south face, giving access to the well basin. The well basin contains clear water which flows out of the well entrance and down towards a nearby stream. The walls of the well-house are constructed of the local stone and the roof comprises large slabs of stone. The benches to either side of the entrance are low stone walls, the one to the west has a large slab of worked granite placed on it, possibly part of a window mullion. To the east of the well-house is a granite window arch embedded in the ground, probably from the site of an adjacent chapel, of which there are no visible remains. The well and chapel of St Pedyr were first mentioned in the 17th century,and in 1694 two people from Stratton in north Cornwall were given money to journey to the well to seek a cure for their legs. By 1824 the well had fallen into decay, but had been restored by 1894 when it was described as being in good condition and popular with artists and visitors, By 1925 the well was again falling into ruin, but it was restored by the Newquay Old Cornwall Society in 1953.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

31834

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quiller Couch, L, Quiller Couch, M, Ancient and Holy Wells of Cornwall, (1894)
Lane-Davies, A, Holy Wells of Cornwall, (1970)

Other
Title: 1:25000 Ordnance Survey Map; SW 86/96; Pathfinder Series 1346 Source Date: 1985 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Consulted July 1997, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN No.22143,
Consulted July 1998, FMW report for CO 412,

End of official list entry

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