Ruan Lanihorne is in the hundred of Powder, and is bounded to the west
by Philly, to the north by the river Fale, to the east by St. Cuby, to
the south by Verian.
In anno 1291, 20 Edward I. this church was valued at cvi_s._ vii_d._
having never been appropriated. As for the adjunct of Lan-y-horne, or
rather Hoarn, that is, the church of iron, I believe it took it from
the castle near it, as being in those times a place of great note and
strength with this castle, than as being the principal place in this
parish, and the seat of the patrons, I shall begin with the
description of it; which, though more properly Lanyhorne Castle, was
commonly called Ruan castle: it stood by the south of the church at no
great distance from it, the rectory house being between them, in a
pleasant situation enough, on the edge of a creek, into which a small
rivulet empties itself; and the river Fale, which is here of a
considerable breadth, when the tide is in, and surrounded formerly
with woods, which are now mostly destroyed. Leland gives account of
the state of it in his time: “from Tregony to passe doune by the body
of the haven of Falamuth, to the mouth of Lanyhorne creeke or hille,
on the south-est side of the haven, is a 2. miles. This creeke goith
up half a mile from the principale streame of the haven. At the bed of
this creeke standith the castelle of Lanyhorne, sumtyme a castel of 8.
tourres, now decaying for lak of coverture; it longgid as principal
house to the Archedecons. These landes descendid by heires general to
the best Corbetes of Shropshir, and to Vaulx of Northamptonshir. Vaulx
part syns bought by Tregyon of Cornewaul.” By this one may guess what
a stately castle this formerly was; for in my time was only one tower
of the castle standing, which was so large, that if the others were
equal to it, the whole building must be of a prodigious magnitude; but
I fancy this was the body of the whole, for there is not room enough
about it for so great a pile: so that I believe the eight towers
mentioned by Leland were only turrets and appendages to this principal
part. I wish I had taken a draught of it in season (as I often
intended); for this too was pulled down in or about the year 1718, by
Mr. Grant, who having obtained leave from the lord to do it, erected
several houses with the materials, and turned it into a little town,
to which ships of about 80 or 100 tons come up, and supply the
neighbourhood with coals, timber, &c. as the barges do with sand. But
since the writing of this, I am informed that six of the eight towers
were standing within these thirty years, of which that which I have
mentioned, was the biggest and loftiest, as being at least fifty feet
in height. This belongs to the manor of Elerchy, of which I have given
a full account in St. Verian, in which the place which gives name to
it is seated, though the castle was no doubt the chief seat of its
lords. Thomas Le Archideakene was one of those that had £20 of land or
rent or more, 25th Edward I. He was knight in parliament for this
county, 33 Edward I. and the 6th, 7th, and 8th, of Edward II.; Sheriff
of the county in the 7th of the same king; summoned to the House of
Lords, 13th Edward II. This church is a rectory, value in the King’s
Book at £12.; patronage in Lord Hobart, as heir to Sir J. Maynard; the
incumbent, Mr. Canon Grant, who succeeded in 17―― Mr. John Dell, as he
did his father Henry.