St Michael's Mount, Cornwall One Place Study

Location: St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies England St_Michael's_Mount

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Contents 1 St Michael's Mount, Cornwall One Place Study 1.1 Name 1.2 Geography 1.3 Geology 1.4 Overview 1.5 Population 1.6 Cornwall Folklore 1.7 Early Times 1.8 Roman Times 1.9 Historical Timeline 1.10 The Four Miracles of St. Michael's 1.11 St Aubyn Family 1.12 The Castle 1.13 The Chapel 1.14 The Garden 1.15 The Village 1.16 Memorials 1.17 In the Movies 1.18 Cornwall Online Parish Church 1.19 Genealogy 2 Sources

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall One Place Study

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Name

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall (aka 'The Mount')

Cornish: Karrek Loos yn Koos (the grey rock in a wood)

Geography

Continent: Europe

Sovereign State: United Kingdom

Country: England

County: Cornwall

GPS Coordinates: 50.116, -5.4772

Elevation: 12.0 m or 39.4 feet

Acreage: 247

Geology

^[1][2]

"The Mounts uppermost part is of a granite intrusion into metamorphosed Devonian mudstones or pelites. The granite is itself mineralised with a well-developed sheeted greisen vein system."

"The island has a mix of slate and granite (see Geology below). Its Cornish language name – literally, "the grey rock in the wood" — may represent a folk memory of a time before Mount's Bay was flooded. Certainly, the Cornish name would be an accurate description of the Mount set in woodland."

"Remains of trees have been seen at low tides following storms on the beach at Perranuthnoe, but radiocarbon dating established the submerging of the hazel wood at about 1700 BC. The chronicler John of Worcester relates under the year 1099 that St. Michael's Mount was located five or six miles (10 km) from the sea, enclosed in a thick wood, but that on the third day of the nones of November the sea overflowed the land, destroying many towns and drowning many people as well as innumerable oxen and sheep; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records under the date 11 November 1099, "The sea-flood sprung up to such a height, and did so much harm, as no man remembered that it ever did before"."

"The Cornish legend of Lyonesse, an ancient kingdom said to have extended from Penwith toward the Isles of Scilly, also talks of land being inundated by the sea."

Overview

This is a study of the tidal island of St. Michael's Mount off the English coast of Cornwall in Mount's Bay.

It is not a study on its sister island Mont Saint Michel off the coast of Normandy France.

See Wikitree OPS 'Mont Saint Michel Normandy'.

The two are easily confused because they almost look alike and maybe that's because they were established by the same group of people, more on that later......

Population

1821 - 221 Residents

2024 - About 30 full time residents.

Cornwall Folklore

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Archangel Micheal

It is said in folklore that the patron saint of Fishermen, Archangel Micheal came to the island about 459 AD to help guide local mariners and their ships to safety and a safe anchoring point.

Jack the Giant Killer

The locals from the adjacent town have always believed in the legend of Jack the giant killer.

Apparently there was a monster named Cormoran who created and lived on the island of St. Michael, and when he got hungry, he would trek at low tide over to the town of Marizion and steal sheep to take back to his island to feed his wife Cormelian and family.

The townsfolk were scared of what the monster might do if they complained, but one young lad named jack took it upon himself to deal with the situation.

One night, Jack went to the island, dug a large pit and waited the next morning for Cormoran to come after jack blew a loud horn. Cormoran fell into the pit and was slain by Jack.....and everyone lived happily ever after....except Cormoran of course!

Well, that's the story that the locals go by anyway.

Early Times

It is believed that the 'Mount' was at one time a forested area surrounded by water. As the centuries evolved it popped up out of the water to become an island.

The area of Cornwall itself was known as a land rich in the mineral 'tin'. So much so that it became the largest producer of tin in the work throughout the centuries until the last mine closed in 1998.

The island of St. Michael is believed to have become an export trading village which sold and loaded tin on sailing vessels bound for European cities.

Roman Times

During the 'Late Bronze age' as the Romans invaded England they found that they needed tin to take back to their lands to add to copper which created bronze. Bronze was used for many purposes but mainly weapons for their soldiers.

FYI: Add 12% tin to 88% copper and you get 100% bronze.

Historical Timeline

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Note: Some events that occurred away from the Mount is listed herein as reference only.

1st Century BC

The 'Bibliotheca Historica' (Universal History), written by Diodorus Siculus describes the island of 'Ictis' (aka 'Ictin') aka (the Mount) as being a trading port for the exportation of tin and copper which came from the mineral rich Cornwall mainland.

FYI: Tin mixed with copper makes bronze which would be used for many things but mainly weapons during the bronze age. Cornwall in general, was for many centuries considered the primary source for tin in the world up until about the 20th century.

5th Century

459 - It is said that an apparition of archangel Michael stood on the Mount and directed approaching ships to safety. After that, the island became known as St. Michaels's Mount.

11th AD Century

c.1050 - Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) who reined over England as King from 1042-1066 presented much of west England, which included the Mount to Robert de Conteville (1031-1095) Count of Mortain and 1st Earl of Cornwall who in turn gave it to the Benedictine Order of Mont Saint-Michael which had already established an comparable island priory off the coast of Normandy France as well.

1066 -During the Norman Conquest (1066-1071) of England by William (XXXX-1087) the Duke of Normandy, the Benedictine Cannons from Mont St. Michel of Normandy moved into their new 'home away from home' on the Mount off Cornwall.

12th Century

1135 - Bernard of Le Bec (XXXX-1149) Abbot of Mont St. Michel in Normandy was assigned to the Mount in Cornwall and built the Benedictine Priory of St. Michael's Mount.

1144 - The Priory is consecrated by Richard Foxe (1448 -1528) Bishop of Exeter. The monastery consisted of an Abbot and 12 monks at this time.

1193 - Richard I (1157 -1199) King of England (r.1189-1199) designated one of his minions, Henry de la Pomeroy (not sure which one) to begin a siege and takeover of the Mount.

Pomeroy is credited with starting to build the castle, but committed suicide before it was completed.

13th Century

This century saw numerous religious Prior's at the monastery.

1250-1262 - The first Frenchman to lead the priory was Frà Richard le Scrope.

1262-1266 - Frà Ralph de Vieilles

1266-1275 - Frà Ralph de Carteret

1275-1283 - Frà Richard de Perrers, collated by Bishop Bronescombe

1283-1316 - Frà Geoffrey de Gernon

14th Century

1316-1342 - FràPeter de Carewe was Prior during this time.

1342-1349 - Frà Nicholas d'Isabelle was Prior during this time.

1349-1354 - Frà John Hardy was Prior during this time.

1354-1385 - No valid record of Prior at the Mount can be found during this time.

1385 - Richard II of Bordeaux (1367-1400) King of England (r.1377-1399) installed Richard Auncel (XXXX-1410) of Tavistock England to become the first non-French Prior. He presided from 1385-1412.

15th Century

1400-1422 - The Hundred Years War happened, and Henry V (1386-1422) King of England took over the Mount.

1412-1424 - Dom. William Lambert became Prior of the monastery.

1424 - During the first reign of Henry VI (1422-1461), the priory on the Mount ended its tenure of the faith and became a secular church which was turned over to the nuns of the Abbess and Convent of Syon at Isleworth, Middlesex, England.

1444 - Henry VI changed his mind during this year and decided to convey the church to the Kings College of Cambridge, England.

1462 - Edward IV (1442-1483) King of England, during his first reign (1461-1470) made the decision to turn the church back over to nuns of Syon Abbey.

1473 - For almost six months, John de Vere (1442-1513) 13th Earl of Oxford and the Earl of Beaumont (1428-1473) seized the Mount, and fought off the troops of the Crown during the War of the Roses. This was known as 'The Siege of St Michael's Mount.

1497 - A relatively unknown Perkin Warbeck (XXXX-1499) of Belgium who claimed to be an heir to the English Crown occupied the Mount during this year.

16th Century

1536 - During this period, Henry VIII (1491-1547) King of England (r.1509-1547) established what was called 'The Dissolution' whereas he banned all Catholic houses of worship, and related entities in England.

1537 With the end of the monastery, the last religious leader of the Mount was Monsignor Richard Arscott (1502-1578) Archpriest.

1588 - The first warning lantern was lit from the castle as the Spanish Armada approached the English coast. When the first lantern light was spotted a few miles away, the second lantern was lit, and so on until the last light reached London and the government of Queen Elizabeth's was warned to put plans in place to fight off any invasion of England by the Spanish.

1599 - It is believed that the Mount was sold by Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) to Robert Cecil, (1562-1612) 1st Earl of Salisbury

17th Century

1644 - Sir Francis Basset (1594–1645) of Cornwall became owner of the Mount as bought from the son of Robert Cecil, and Basset was made Governor of the Mount as well in 1this same year. He eventually ran up his debts and was forced to sell the island.

1646 - Colonel John St Aubyn (1613-1684) captured the island from the Royalists during the English Civil War (1642-1651).

1647 - Colonel John St Aubyn was appointed Governor of the island and it was transformed into a penal colony.

1659 - Politician and Sheriff of Cornwall, Colonel John St Aubyn purchased the island from Francis Bassett's son John Basset (1621-1661).

18th Century

1727 - A fitting harbor was constructed for the fishermen of the island.

1755 - From a thousand miles off, the great earthquake of Lisbon, Portugal was followed by a great tsunami that struck the island and southern coast of England.

19th Century

1812 - During the Napoleonic War with France, the cannons of the castle were fired and destroyed a French ship of battle.

1821 - The harbor pier was extended.

1823 - The harbor was enlarged to accommodate bigger vessels.

1846 - Queen Victoria (1819-1901) (r.1837-1901) and prince Albert (1819-1861) stepped ashore for a visit to the Mount.

1852 - With the railroad now being directed to the town of Penzance, Cornwall became an out of the way spot rarely visited. The residents of the Mount had no choice but to abandon their homes and head to other areas for work.

1877 - John St Aubyn (1829-1908)) 2nd Baronet now became 1st Baron St. Levan (aka Lord St Levan).

1879 - The causeway between the Mount and shore was raised one foot.

20th Century

1900 - During this period as John St Aubyn, Lord St. Levan built a tramway on a track pulled by cables from his castle down to the shoreline to facilitate delivery of supplies.

1939-1945 - World War II was in process.

1941-1942 - With the anticipation that Germany could possibly invade England, the Mount was fortified just in case. Three stone structures (aka pillboxes) were established at strategic locations for defense if needed.

FYI: After numerous trips to the Mount, Ulrich Friedrich-Wilhelm Joachim Von Ribbentrop (1893-1946), Adolf Hitler's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador to Britain had his heart set on living a good retirement on the Mount after Germany invaded and conquered England. This did not work out to well for him as he was later arrested and executed for war crimes.

1954 - Francis Cecil St Aubyn (1895-1978) 3rd Baron St Levan presented the Mount to the National Trust to be used as a tourist attraction. However, the family retained the right to use the castle for almost a thousand years.

The Four Miracles of St. Michael's

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As recorded for posterity, a monk took note of four miracles that occurred in the mid 1200's.

May 1262 - A blind visitor to the Mount named Christina came to pray for restoration of her sight which was witnessed by the monks here.

June 1262 - the parents of a speechless woman named Matilda brought her to prayer for a miracle, and afterwards she awoke to a regained ability to speak.

1263 - A young woman from Wales who had lost her sight also prayed for restoration and was granted the wish by St. Michael.

1263 - A speechless man regained his voice after deep prayer.

Note: Whether fact or fiction, one has to believe that St Michael's Mount is a place of miracles that have brought pilgrims from far and wide throughout the centuries.

St Aubyn Family

^[23]

St Aubyn Baronets, of St Michaels Mount

Sir Edward St Aubyn (1779-1872) 1st Baronet

Sir John St Aubyn (1829-1908) 2nd Baronet (elevated to the peerage as the 1st Baron St Levan, created in 1887)

Barons St Levan (1887)

Sir John St Aubyn (1829–1908) 1st Baron St Levan

John Townshend St Aubyn (1857–1940) 2nd Baron St Levan, CB, CVO, DL, JP

Major Francis Cecil Ord St Aubyn (1895–1978) 3rd Baron St Levan, DL, JP

John Francis Arthur St Aubyn (1919–2013) 4th Baron St Levan, OBE, DSC, DL

James Piers Southwell St Aubyn (born 1950) 5th Baron St Levan

Hon. Hugh James St Aubyn (born 1983). Heir Apparent

The Castle

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On the trek up to the castle, the visitor will pass 'The Giant's Well' which is designated as the spot where Cormoran the Giant fell into head first and was slain by a young lad named Jack.

Also on this trek, one will also come to some rocks on the ground, one of which is shaped like a heart. Legend has it, if you stand on the heart shaped stone you can still hear the Giant's heart beat.

The castle has many interesting rooms which are filled with artwork from well known artists. Weaponry is also displayed along with many heraldic plaques, amour, and furniture by Chippendale.

The Blue Drawing Room - Formerly the Lady Chapel of the Priory, the walls of sky blue coupled with gleaming white trim abound to make this a very distinct room indeed. Chairs and curtains in blue are a good complement to the wall color. Also featured are Gainsborough and Reynolds portraits.

The Chevy Chase Room - The former monastery refectory became what is known as 'The Chevy Chase Room' and gets its name from the "Ballad of Chevy Chase" which originated from a cavalry raid and moonlight fight between the English and the Scots at the Battle of Otterburn in August 1388. Serving as a dining room, it features a beautiful white barrel vaulted ceiling contrasted by massive black curved beams. Also featured is very intricate plaster frieze that surround the room. Above the fireplace is the royal coat of arms of Charles II which celebrates his restoration to the Crown.

The library - This is a cozy place to play chess on the rosewood table of 1840 which also features a hand woven carpet and brightly colored chairs. Of course what would library be without books...yes there are many to choose from.

Other Rooms - Also available for viewing are the Map Room, Smoking Room, and St. John's Room.

The Garden Terrance

Sitting just behind the castle is a terraced landscape of sub-tropical plants such as cactus and agave. Tulbaghia’s wave their delicate heads, and binding threads of rosemary, lavender and Lampranthus submit to the slope of the terrace.

The Chapel

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Featuring barrel ceilings, Gothic arches, and stained glass windows and a rose window, it exudes a peaceful setting for prayer and reflection....and asking for a miracle as well!

Alabaster Panels

Three 15th century alabaster panels that were crafted in Nottingham, England adorn behind the alter. The center figure is the the severed head of John the Baptist on a charger being received in Heaven by the Holy Trinity and assorted saints. Above the alabasters is a crucifix carved by the artist John Miller, and given by him to the church in 1987.

Bronze of St. Michael

This bronze figure by Lyn Constable Maxwell represents the saint defeating the Devil which extending the hand of mercy.

Lantern Cross

Made of Cornish stone from nearby Padstow, the four panels represent the crucifixion, the virgin and child, a king (possibly Edward the Confessor, and a priest.

The Organ c.1786

Once owned by Colonel John Lemon, MP for Truro, the organ from his London home was sold to his friend John St Aubyn for £800.

Services

The chapel is extra-diocesan and continues to serve the Order of St John by permission of Lord St Levan. They hold regular services to this day.

The Garden

c.1887

^[34][35]

Behind the Steward's House, the beautiful gardens of St Michael's will delight the gardener to no end. It features a variety of exotic plants, shrubs, flowers and trees.

The Steward's House c.1815

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As its name implies, it was the residence of the steward (caretaker) of St. Michael's.

The Village

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There are various houses within this small area that are just fabulous to look at.

One row of eight attached houses, c.1855 on Elizabeth Terrace are the residence of staff workers of the Mount.

Memorials

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Chapel Rock

Located on the beach, a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary is where pilgrims would take respite to worship before ascending up to the Mount.

In the Movies

^[39]

1983 -- 'Never Say never Again' (james Bond)

1998-2002 - 'One Balloon Idents' (BBC)

2003 - 'Johnny English'

2012 - 'Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box'

Cornwall Online Parish Church

Helping bring the past alive in genealogy research:

^[40]

https://www.opc-cornwall.org/Par_new/l_m/michaels_mount_st.php

Some of Cornwall's Parish records that include St Michael's Mount Parish are available in the website shown above

The Online Parish Clerk (Genealogy) for St Michael's Mount is Al Kline. see website shown above for email address.

If you are trying to contact the local council then search the Cornwall County Council website at https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/people-and-communities/

Contact details for the local church can be found by searching https://www.achurchnearyou.com/

Genealogy

^[41]

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/St_Michael%27s_Mount,_Cornwall_Genealogy

Family Search has additional resources on St. Michael's Mount

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.1066.co.nz
2. ↑ https://military-history.fandom.com
3. ↑ Saint Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
4. ↑ Cornwall Guide; https://www.cornwalls.co.uk
5. ↑ Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia
6. ↑ National Trust; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-michaels-mount
7. ↑ Siculus, Diodorus, Bibliotheca Historica, published
8. ↑ Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org
9. ↑ Aridne Portal; https://portal.ariadne-infrastructure.eu
10. ↑ National Churches Trust; https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org
11. ↑ The valley Cornwall; <https://www.thevalleycornwall.co.uk
12. ↑ The Cornish Bird; https://cornishbirdblog.com
13. ↑ Britain Express; https://www.britainexpress.com
14. ↑ Cornwall Online; http://www.cornwall-online.co.uk
15. ↑ Seeing The past; https://www.seeingthepast.com
16. ↑ National Trust; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-michaels-mount
17. ↑ Historical Rag Bag; https://historicalragbag.com
18. ↑ https://military-history.fandom.com
19. ↑ Genuki; https://www.genuki.org.uk/
20. ↑ History of the name Ansell by John Evelyn Ansell, Dated 1929, Pages 142-144; https://www.seekingmyroots.com
21. ↑ The Cornish Bird; https://cornishbirdblog.com
22. ↑ National Trust; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-michaels-mount
23. ↑ Wikipedia; <https://en.wikipedia.org
24. ↑ St. Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
25. ↑ Britain Express; https://www.britainexpress.com
26. ↑ Past Perfection Online; https://chevychasehistory.pastperfectonline.com
27. ↑ National Trust; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/st-michaels-mount
28. ↑ Historical Rag Bag; https://historicalragbag.com
29. ↑ Britain Magazine; https://www.britain-magazine.com
30. ↑ BBC; https://www.bbc.co.uk
31. ↑ Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org
32. ↑ Historical Rag Bag; https://historicalragbag.com
33. ↑ St Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
34. ↑ St. Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
35. ↑ The valley Cornwall; https://www.thevalleycornwall.co.uk
36. ↑ St. Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
37. ↑ St. Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
38. ↑ St. Michael's Mount; https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk
39. ↑ Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org
40. ↑ https://www.opc-cornwall.org/Par_new/l_m/michaels_mount_st.php
41. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/St_Michael%27s_Mount,_Cornwall_Genealogy