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St. Catherine's Church is located in the tiny hamlet of
Temple, on Bodmin Moor, and stands on the site of what was the earlier Templar
chapel. It formed part of the medieval Preceptory of Trebeigh and was a lonely,
remote church on desolate Bodmin Moor, far away from other Templar
Preceptories. It was not known to be particularily prosperous; it most likely
was a key training centre for Cornish knights.
In 1150 the Lordship of the manor of Trebeigh (Trebythe) was
granted to the Order by King Stephen. While it is known "that from 1259 the
Master was patron of the neighbouring parish church of St. Ive, it is not
certain whether the Templars were concerned with its building". (1) In 1185,
the Templars' estate here was described as 'one land on Fawimore', i.e., Fowey
or Bodmin Moor.
Local tradition has it that pilgrims travelling from Ireland
were in the habit of avoiding the hazards of sailing round Lands End, by going
up the Padstow estuary, probably as far as Wadebridge, and then overland to the
Fowey river. Padstow was an important port and Fowey probably the busiest
harbour on the South coast, from which many travellers from the West Country
would have embarked for Europe.
So, perhaps it was natural for the Templars to build their
church and refuge on the moor to accommodate travellers who passed over this
wild stretch of country on their way to the Holy Land.
It is not known exactly in what year the 12th c. church,
dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, was built. It stands today on the
site of the earlier Templar chapel; and after 1312, the Templars were no longer
on the property, as it was turned over to the Hospitallers.
Later, particularily in the 16th c., this church became
famous as a place where marriages could be performed without banns or license,
e.g., similar to Gretna Green today. Many runaway couples must have eloped
across the moor before an act was passed in 1753 declaring such marriages to be
illegal . After this point, the Temple church lost its congregation and fell
into serious disrepair; no services were held for nearly a century. The roof
finally caved in, killing a tramp who was sheltering inside.
The church remained under the care of vicars of the
neighbouring parishes- Warleggan, St. Neot and Helland- and then in 1850 the
Revd. Edward Steele of St. Neot held a service in the ruins, and started a fund
for its restoration. The new plans followed as closely as possible those of the
original Templar church that formerly stood there. The ancient tower arch was
kept and wherever possible, relics and other stones were used. (2)
The base of the old Norman font is preserved in the inner
doorway, and various stones bearing the engraved crosses of the Templars and
the Hospitallers can be discovered in the fabric of the building. The ancient
silver communion cup and plate, dated 1577, which had been removed to nearby
Blisland for safekeeping before 1764, were finally returned. Many other gifts
were made by local people to assist in the restoration of this important
church.
The new church was opened and consecrated on 30th May 1883
by the Bishop of Truro, Dr. Benson, who later became the Archbishop of
Canterbury. |
