ST. piran's old church. 143 



We give, for purpose of comparison, and because it is 

 desirable that it sliould be preserved, a reproduction of a sketch 

 of St. Gothian's oratory, in the parish of Gwitliian, made by 

 the Rev. E. Evans in the year 1861, and kindly supplied by the 

 late Eev. Canon Hockin of Phillack. Blight"^ gives a plan of 

 this building as also a sketch of the doorway. He does not 

 state whence he derived this sketch, and at the time he wrote the 

 walls were buried, but there is no reason to doubt its correctness. 

 The building measures, within, 48 ft. 11 in., of which the chancel 

 claims 17 ft. 1 in. and the nave 31 ft. 10 in. The width of the 

 chancel is uniformly 11 ft. 10 in.,-* of the nave at its eastern end 

 14 ft. 4 in., and at its western end 13 ft. 10 in. The doorway is 

 in the south wall about 9 feet west of the chancel. The general 

 arrangement of the building was much the same as at St. Piran's, 

 with a masonry altar at the east end, apparently a priest's doorway 

 just north of it, and stone benches along the north and south 

 walls of the chancel ; but the length is greater in proportion to 

 the width, and we have been told by those who saw it when 

 uncovered that the masonry of the chancel walls was far less rude 

 than that of the rest of the building, and was evidently an addition.-^ 

 The general impression was that the building, other than the 

 chancel, was older even than St. Piran's. At the time when the 

 sketch was made by Mr. Evans the building was in use as a cattle 

 shed, and unfortunately the farmer destroyed the altar, not 

 knowing its value. 



Note. — Since the above was written an interesting service has 

 been held (18 Aug., 1904) on the site of St. Piran's 

 Church, by the tine cross. About 1,500 persons were 

 present and heard the admirable address by the Bishop 

 of Truro. The festival, which was in celebration of the 

 centenary of the removal of the church to its present 

 inland position, was continued in the parish church on 

 the following Sunday, f Church Times, 26 Aug., 1904y. 



23. " Churches of West Cornwall," 2nd edition (Oxford, 1885). p. 137. 



24. Blight gives 12 ft. 2 in. as the width of the chancel. If the measurement was 

 made while the building was uncovered, his measurement is probably more correct 

 than that in the text as the few stones now showing may have been displaced. 



25. The regularity of the stone courses in the wall as shown by Mr. Evans is 

 clearly an error on his part ; but the general correctness of his sketch is confirmed 

 by Blight's plan. 



