THE BISHOPRIC OF CORNWALL. 183 



should have been taken for incorporating the County into the 

 province of Canterbury, and for appointing a Bishop in com- 

 munion with the Saxon Church. — ^And this appears to have been 

 done. 



The name of CoNAN is given by Leland as a Bishop of Corn- 

 wall in the time of King Athelstan, and he states that he was 

 appointed Bishop by that King, 5 Dec. 936.* The existence of 

 this Bishop is further attested by his name being affixed to nine 

 Charters of King Athelstan, t dating from 930 to 940, one of 

 which is the foundation deed of the Collegiate Church of S. 

 Buryan.:}: In these Charters his name is variously spelt, Conan," 

 Cunan, Cuman, and Caynan. His most usual signature is : — 



" ^ Ego Conan Episcopus consensi et subscripsi." 



Now although the title of Bishop Conan's See is nowhere added to 

 his signature, yet, as we believe no such name occurs as Bishop of 

 any other See at that period, we may reasonably conclude that this 

 was the Bishop of Cornwall mentioned by Leland. But we observe 

 his name affixed to Charters several years before the date which Le- 

 land gives. We infer from hence that he was Bishop of Cornwall 

 before King Athelstan's recognition of him in 936. If so, he must 

 have been a Bishop of the British Church in Cornwall, and there- 

 fore the last of that ancient line. It is very probable that it was 

 on his submission to the Primatial See of Canterbury after the 

 conquest of Cornwall by the Saxons, that Conan was recognised 

 by King Athelstan as a Bishop of the Church, and was formally 

 nominated by him to the Cqfnish See. His name would seem to 

 show that he was a Briton. Possibly S. Conandus, the patron 

 Saint of Roche Church, may have been the same jjerson ; and a 

 trace of his name may yet survive at S. Gonnet's in that Parish, 

 and at Langunnet in S. Veep. 



On the whole, we are of opinion that the Cornish See was not 



* Ex cliarta donat ^thelstani. Erexit in Ecclesiam S. Germani quendam 

 Conanum Episcopum anno D, 936, nonis Decembris. — Leland's Collectanea, 

 torn. I, 75. 



t Kemble, Cod. Dip., Nos. 352, A.D. 930; 353, A.D. 931 ; 1102, A.D. 931 ; 

 1103, A.D. 931 ; 1107, A.D. 932 ; 364, A.D. 934 ; 367, A.D. 935 ; 1143, A.D. 

 936 (?) 375 and 1119, A.D. 939. 



I Kemble, Cod. Dip., No, 1143. 



