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Click here for October 2005 Dig Report
In the quiet
tumbling dunes of Gear Sands on the north
coast of Cornwall there stands a crumbling ruin. In the main it is smothered in
sand. People pass by and if they give it a second glance they assume it to
be an old barn. Its crumbling walls gradually erode with weathering helped by
children and dogs. It lies alone in the starkly beautiful dunes as it has for
centuries, but not for much longer, thanks to St Piran Trust, for what you see
before you as you walk this peaceful place is St Piran's old church. This must
not be confused with the ancient oratory of St Piran which was engulfed with
sand. The old church was created as a likeness of the oratory in the first
instance sometime around the 10th century when the people had to abandon their
life at the oratory to the invading sand. They built on the far side of a nearby
stream and began again safe in the knowledge that sand does not cross water thus
ensuring the continuity of worship first put into effect by St Piran five
hundred years earlier.
For eight
hundred years from doomsday up to 1804 the church was to prove to be of great
importance it grew from a modest structure to a collegiate church in the 12th
century and by 14th century was receiving hundreds of pilgrims passing through
on their way to Compostella in Spain. This was partly due to the St Piran cult,
his head being kept in a silver casket in the church and his relics being
paraded on a feretory about the countryside. The church became considerably rich
at this time, with many offerings made to St Piran. In Tudor times the church
suffered deeply and its importance and riches declined but it continued to be
the centre of the community.
From this time
however sand began to become a nuisance due to mining operations draining the
stream. By the 17th century applications were made to the canons of Exeter
Cathedral to remove the church to a secure site. After much opposition this was
agreed and in 1795 the last wedding was held there. During this year also the
gable end of the lost oratory was sighted.
The people
dismantled the tower, windows, columns etc, to a site inland although much was
left in situ. Burials continued in the surrounding graveyard until 1835 It was
in this year also that the oratory was first excavated thus creating another
inexplicable link through the two old churches. They were then abandoned to the
sand.
Dr Dexter
conducted a limited excavation of the chancel end in 1922. He discovered two
beautiful slate tablets dedicated to two of the most important families of the
parish showing perhaps reluctance on their part to the removal of their church.
From this time
the church was abandoned to its fate. The walls up to eaves height, and one
third of the tower returned to the enveloping sand and were left in peace. Visitors were sparse at this time until the growth of tourism in post war years. Tourists searching for the oratory also scrambled around the old church walls
and the erosion became severe. In the mid 1990's English Heritage led a group of
volunteers to repoint and turf the wall tops but serious consolidation work is
necessary if the fragile church is to survive. The floor levels also need
extensive excavation internally. We need to give back dignity and recognition to
what once was of so much importance.
St Piran Trust
are committed to the care and recognition of this once proud church which is
not just a relic of our past it represents the hope and the pride of the Cornish
people when they gather round it in massive numbers to celebrate March 5th Saint
Piran and the little oratory in the sand.
We now turn to
the future. English Heritage has completed a geophysical survey of the area
which reveals small ploughed fields up to the graveyard. Within the graveyard,
several structures are shown. St Piran Trust is at last able to move forward
with plans to excavate this historic monument to St Piran and in partnership
with the Historic Environment Service we begin. The dig will take place during
the entire month of September and we shall be looking for volunteers to assist. The work involves
moving around 250 tons of sand from the interior of the church, and related
works to the outside. The cost of the complete project will be £63,000 which
includes much research, assessment and preservation. The bulk of money
will be from Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage combined with allocated
funding from Cornwall County Council. The trust has to find funding of £7,500
and half of this total has been met by grants, however we need you to help,
either by a donation
however small or by becoming one of Piran's people to help at the events we plan
through the summer months. This excavation is an historic moment in the long
history of the churches of St Piran and you could become part of tomorrow's
history now.
We appeal
particularly to our Cornish friends round the world to join with us in this
venture, making St Piran truly global.
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