England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ruan Minor St Rumon

The Parish

The parish of Ruan Minor, sitting close to the end of Lizard Point, is one of the most southerly in the land it lies roughly 10 miles southeast of the market town of Helston. Ruan Minor sits around 2 miles east of the A3083 road which connects Helston through to the point of Lizard. The village sits inland from the coast on a low hilltop as a compact village built largely around 3 intersecting lanes, The parish's coastal presence is represented by the attractive port of Cadgwith Cove, much beloved by artists for its attractive harbour surrounded by dramatic cliffs. The economy at the time of this transcript was almost totally driven by pastoral farming and by the pilchard fishing business from Cadgwith, the latter being the more important as the land was of poor quality with an estimated 30% being described in early gazetteers as "waste". Today it is tourism that drives the village's economy, the curious geology of Lizard Point driving a small business in gem stones, hiking the coastal way of the South West Coastal National Trail and boat-trips for fishing as well as the general scenic delights of the area drive tourism numbers for the summer season. Ruan Minor is drained by a small brook which makes its way to the sea at Cadgwith. Ruan Minor is sited at sea level at Cadgwith with the parish church in Ruan Minor at 60 metres, the spine of the Lizard promontory is never significantly high topping out at 89 metres on the A3083. Ruan Minor parish covered a tiny acreage of just 618 acres and supported a population of close to 300 parishioners. Ruan Minor is not mentioned separately in Domesday Book being combined with Ruan Major and reported on that project page.

The Church

St Rumon's church sits on the eastern edge of the village cheek-by-jowl with the village's school on Treworder Lane. Whilst there is documentary evidence of the presence of a church here as early as 1277, of that 13th century version nothing remians today due to rebuilding in the 14th & 15th century and to Victorian excessive restoration. Early 14th century details from the Decorated period have survived in the nave and particularly the northern aisle and arcades. Later rebuilding in the 15th century adds some confusion to the dating of the aisle as Perpendicular styled windows and a blocked northern doorway date from that era. The church's main feature from the 15th century. however, is the attractive and slightly over-size western tower which dominates the otherwise low-slung building. Built from great blocks of local serpentine it is now attractively creeper-clad the colour contrast between the greenish tones of the stone and the reds of the creepers is striking. Two phases of restoration are documented by Pevsner, the first of 1854 targeted a thorough re-roof, re-seat and re-flooring exercise, the second of 1879 was the more impactful rebuilding the chancel such that it was extended and heightened to a level above that of the nave. The village school dictates the availability of parking close by as starting and leaving times make for a crowded situation, otherwise parking may be sought in the village and the church approached on foot. Treworder Lane is a dead-end with the church's lychgate sitting tight to the fence of the school grounds. The eastern end of the church has close-set trees removing some of the favoured southern aspects but all other angles are available to the photographer.