Paul, Cornwall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paul Parish
PenzanzePenwith
Shown within UK and Penwith
OS Grid Reference: SW462269
Lat/Lon: 50°05′N, 5°32′W
Population: 234 (2001 Census)[1]
Dwellings:
Settlements
Major Settlement: Paul
Settlement Type: Village
Population:
Dwellings:
Secondary Settlements: Mousehole, Kerris
Administration
Ward: St Buryan
District: Penwith
County: Cornwall
Region: South West England
Post Office and Telephone
Post town: Truro
Postcode: TR19 6xx
Dialling Code: 01736

Paul is a village and civil parish in the Penwith district of Cornwall. The village itself falls within the current boundaries of the civic parish of Penzance, however there is a separate Paul parish council which is responsible for the surrounding area.

[edit] Local Government

The majority of the village of Paul falls in the Penzance South ward of the Penwith District Council and the Penzance town council. For purposes of elections to Cornwall County Council, Paul falls within the 3 member single Penzance Electoral division.

[edit] History

Much of the history of Paul is tied with its parish church. The church itself is said to have been founded in 490 (or slightly later) by Paul Aurelian, a Welsh saint known in Brittany as Saint Pol de Léon. He was founder of the cathedral at Saint-Pol-de-Léon, the city named after him. Paul village and its church have a long association with Mousehole and has served as this communities parish church since its inception. Paul was one of the communities along with Mousehole, Newlyn and Penzance to be destroyed in the Spanish raid of 1595 [1].

Paul church
Paul church

Within the village there is a memorial to Dolly Pentreath, reputedly and disputedly the last native speaker of Cornish. This memorial was placed there by Louis Lucien Bonaparte, a relative of Napoleon Bonaparte in the 19th Century.

[edit] Traditions

Like many Cornish communities Paul has its own community celebration or feast day. Paul feast is held on the Sunday nearest 10th October every year. A number of community celebration take place during the week prior to the feast, the village is decorated and a civic service takes place on the Sunday of the feast itself lead by the Mayor of Penzance and the Chairman of Penwith District Council. There is speculation that the feast may be an example of the celtic practice of celebration of Samhain or Allantide.


 
Civil Parishes of Penwith District
Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom | Flag of England England | Cornwall
Gwinear-Gwithian | Hayle | Ludgvan | Madron | Marazion | Morvah | Paul | Penzance | Perranuthnoe | Sancreed | Sennen | St Buryan | St Erth | St Hilary | St Ives | St Just | St Levan | St Michael's Mount | Towednack | Zennor