Church of St Germanus (Rame)
IMG_1872
Taken at village of Rame Head, Cornwall, England, GBR.
Rame, meaning “the high protruding cliff” or “ram’s head,” gives its name to the hamlet and parish. In AD 981, Earl Ordulf—uncle to King Ethelred and founder of Tavistock Abbey—granted Rame to the Abbey. By the 11th century, the estate supported a knight in royal service. The manor later passed through the Dawney, Durnford, and Edgcumbe families. A beacon was maintained at Rame by 1486 to aid navigation and report notable ship arrivals, such as the Newfoundland fleet in 1543.
The parish church, dedicated to St Germanus—believed to have landed nearby in the 5th century to oppose the Pelagian heresy—was consecrated by Bishop Walter de Bronescombe in 1259. Likely replacing an earlier Norman structure, evidenced by a re-set carved tympanum, it retains 13th-century elements such as the chancel, north wall, and an unbuttressed west tower with a rare broach spire. The transepts were probably added by 1320 and, around 1500, the south transept was replaced with a south aisle and arcade to accommodate parish processions.
Constructed of slatestone rubble with granite dressings and a 19th-century slate roof, the church includes a nave and chancel in one, south aisle and chapel, north transept, vestry, and porch. Notable features include 15th-century wagon roofs, a rood stair, trefoil-headed piscinas, a 14th-century octagonal font, and carved late medieval pews. Fittings also include a 17th-century alms box, funerary monuments, and stained glass from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The church was restored in 1845, 1848, and 1886, though it remains without electricity and is lit by candles.
Cawsand, once part of Rame parish, saw the construction of St Andrew’s Church in 1878 to provide easier access to worship. Since the unification of Rame and Maker parishes in 1943, St Andrew’s has served as the principal village church.
Historic England. ‘Church of St Germanus’. Historic England, 23 January 1968. historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/131005....
A Church near you. ‘Rame (St Germanus)’. Accessed 20 July 2025. www.achurchnearyou.com/church/2557/about-us/.
Cornwall Historic Churches Trust. ‘Rame, St Germanus’. Accessed 20 July 2025. www.chct.info/histories/rame-st-germanus/.
Church of St Germanus (Rame)
IMG_1872
Taken at village of Rame Head, Cornwall, England, GBR.
Rame, meaning “the high protruding cliff” or “ram’s head,” gives its name to the hamlet and parish. In AD 981, Earl Ordulf—uncle to King Ethelred and founder of Tavistock Abbey—granted Rame to the Abbey. By the 11th century, the estate supported a knight in royal service. The manor later passed through the Dawney, Durnford, and Edgcumbe families. A beacon was maintained at Rame by 1486 to aid navigation and report notable ship arrivals, such as the Newfoundland fleet in 1543.
The parish church, dedicated to St Germanus—believed to have landed nearby in the 5th century to oppose the Pelagian heresy—was consecrated by Bishop Walter de Bronescombe in 1259. Likely replacing an earlier Norman structure, evidenced by a re-set carved tympanum, it retains 13th-century elements such as the chancel, north wall, and an unbuttressed west tower with a rare broach spire. The transepts were probably added by 1320 and, around 1500, the south transept was replaced with a south aisle and arcade to accommodate parish processions.
Constructed of slatestone rubble with granite dressings and a 19th-century slate roof, the church includes a nave and chancel in one, south aisle and chapel, north transept, vestry, and porch. Notable features include 15th-century wagon roofs, a rood stair, trefoil-headed piscinas, a 14th-century octagonal font, and carved late medieval pews. Fittings also include a 17th-century alms box, funerary monuments, and stained glass from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The church was restored in 1845, 1848, and 1886, though it remains without electricity and is lit by candles.
Cawsand, once part of Rame parish, saw the construction of St Andrew’s Church in 1878 to provide easier access to worship. Since the unification of Rame and Maker parishes in 1943, St Andrew’s has served as the principal village church.
Historic England. ‘Church of St Germanus’. Historic England, 23 January 1968. historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/131005....
A Church near you. ‘Rame (St Germanus)’. Accessed 20 July 2025. www.achurchnearyou.com/church/2557/about-us/.
Cornwall Historic Churches Trust. ‘Rame, St Germanus’. Accessed 20 July 2025. www.chct.info/histories/rame-st-germanus/.