St Mawgan

St Mawgan in Pydar (Lanherne) is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village of St Mawgan is situated four miles northeast of Newquay.

The nearby airforce base, RAF St. Mawgan, takes its name from the village and is next to Newquay Cornwall Airport.

The River Menalhyl runs through St Mawgan village and the valley is known as The Vale of Lanherne. It was the subject of a poem by poet Henry Sewell Stokes.

History and geography
The Arundells have been the chief landowners here since the 13th century: in 1794 Lanherne House (mainly built in the 16th and 17th centuries) became a convent for emigré nuns from Belgium. Many memorials of the Arundells may be found in the church and more in the church of St Columb Major. There are in the village two pubs, The Falcon Inn and The Airways: also at St Mawgan is a bonsai tree nursery and a Japanese Garden attraction, plus a small craft shop.

Parish church
St Mawgan also has a 13th century parish church, dedicated to St Mauganus and St Nicholas. The church was originally a cruciform building of the 13th century but was enlarged by a south aisle and the upper part of the tower in the 15th. The unusual rood screen and bench ends are noteworthy and there are many monumental brasses to members of the Arundell family; these include George Arundell, 1573, Mary Arundell, 1578, Cyssel and Jane Arundell, ca. 1580, Edward Arundell (?), 1586, (St Mauganus was a Welshman and is also honoured at Mawgan in Meneage in Kerrier and in Wales and Brittany.)

Nanskeval
Nanskeval House is on the parish boundaries of St Mawgan in Pydar and St Columb Major: in 1277 it was spelt Nanscuvel. Nanskeval House was once the home of Liberal MP Edward Brydges Willyams and is still part of the Carnanton estate which is still owned by descendants of the same family. Nans means 'valley' in Old Cornish, and Kivell is thought to derive from the Cornish equivalent of the Welsh word ceffyl, meaning a horse. The surname Nankivell and its variants are thought to derive from this place.

Education and recreation
It has one small primary school: St Mawgan-in-Pydar Primary School. There are two local cricket teams which play Sunday friendlies, the Vale of Lanherne C.C. and St Mawgan C.C.

Notable residents

 * Arundells of Lanherne
 * Gerry Cawley, wrestling champion