Temple, Cornwall

Temple
Cornish: Tempel
Temple Church
Temple  Temple shown within Cornwall
OS grid reference	SX146733
Civil parish	Blisland
Unitary authority	Cornwall
Ceremonial county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BODMIN
Postcode district	PL30
Dialling code	01208
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	North Cornwall
List of places UK England Cornwall

Coordinates: 50°31′49″N 4°37′04″W / 50.5302°N 4.6178°W

Temple (Cornish: Tempel) is a small village in the parish of Blisland on Bodmin moor, Cornwall, UK. The village is bypassed by the A30 road.

History and antiquities

Temple derives its name from the hospice founded by 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 1934, the parish of Temple was incorporated into Blisland parish.^[1]

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).^[1] 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 was rebuilt (by Silvanus Trevail) in 1883.^[2] The church is dedicated to St Catherine.^[3]

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

Langdon (1896) recorded the existence of eight stone crosses in the parish, including two cross slabs, all in the churchyard. Several of these crosses were subsequently incorporated into a stone outbuilding on the south side of the church.^[4]

Gallery

• 

  East window showing the cross pattée of the Knights Templar

• 

  Detail of stained glass window in the church tower showing a mounted knight

• 

  Stone outbuilding incorporating early stone crosses

References

1. Bernardi, Dame Stella. "Temple Church Cornwall". Templar Sites in England. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
2. Cornish Church Guide (1925). [Parochial history, by Charles Henderson; Temple, p. 202]. Truro: Blackford
3. "Church of St Catherine". English Heritage - Pastscape. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
4. Temple Church Bodmin Moor, Church Welcome Leaflet

External links

Media related to Temple, Cornwall at Wikimedia Commons

• GENUKI entry for Temple
• The History of Temple Church (in PDF format)
• Temple Church (from Church Plans Online)
• About the Church