St. Michael, Landrake

Below is a short history, a more indepth version is in development.

The earliest reference to a church at Landrake was in 1018 when King Canute granted land to Bishop Burwold for his life and then to pass to the holy Germanies. This marked the connection with the priory at St Germans, whose monks were responsible for taking services in Landrake.

The earliest reference to a church at Landrake was in 1018 when King Canute granted land to Bishop Burwold for his life and then to pass to the holy Germanies. This marked the connection with the priory at St Germans, whose monks were responsible for taking services in Landrake.

For centuries it has shared a priest with the neighbouring parish of St Erney.

The Exeter edition of the Doomsday Book of 1086 states that there was a wood and wattle church of Saxon origin at Landrake. The present stone church building was (presumably) started some years after this and it was consecrated in 1269. The South doorway and the main aisle up to the Sanctuary are Norman. The font is dated from about 1100. The tower was started in the late 14^th century and took 50 years to complete, perhaps due to the Black Death which hit the village at about that time. Sometime in the 15^th century complete rebuilding of the church began and the church was enlarged.

The South porch was added in the 16^th century.  

The church is Grade 1 listed, due, we are told, to the type of construction of its roof.

Judging by the dates on the capping stones, the walls around the churchyard were built in around 1880. There is a parish room just to the North East of the church building and it is thought this was built was built at the same time as the churchyard walls. During the course of renovations in the 19^th century, the parish alms houses and also 2 of the bells in the tower were sold. There is only one bell now.

Sir Robert Geffery, the ‘Dick Whittington’ of Landrake, was a local boy, baptised in 1613, who went to London, eventually becoming an eminent East India Merchant, a member of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, and, in 1686, Lord Mayor of London. When he died in 1703 he remembered the village in his will and to this day the village has links with the Company of Ironmongers. Half the governing body of the village school are from the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers.