The parish church dedicated to St Crida is a mile south of Grampound in the lovely hamlet of Creed. It stands on a gentle slope overlooking the quiet, sunlit valley of the Fal.
Some say it was founded by St Crida as a place of worship for her Celtic-Christian nuns. Some fragments remain from the 12th century but the foundations are probably even earlier. The nave dates from he 13th-14th century, the south aisle from the 14th-15th century. The north transept was possibly a chapel and contains a very rare 13th century pillar piscina, one of only three in Cornwall, and built into the North Wall of the transept next to the stairs to the rood screen, lost in the restoration of 1903-4, but with two beautiful Flemish style carved panels remaining, making a desk for the priest.
The south aisle was built in the 14-15th century with an altar dedicated to Jesus at the east end, and now containing a 16th century altar tomb with inscriptions in slate on its top — much of the roof had to be replaced but original sections remain in the transept and south aisle. The box pews and the old ringing gallery on the west end were removed in the restoration of 1903-4. The south porch was added in the 16th century and is of an earlier period, possibly brought from a ruined church elsewhere. Made of granite and Pentewan stone the arched roof contains grotesque masks and the crosses of St Andrew and St George.
The bells (2 treble of 1380-1420 – reputedly the oldest in Cornwall, the tenor of 1633) were restored and re-hung in 1998 retaining most of the 17th century framework and a new and beautiful ringing gallery was installed by local craftsmen.
The windows were reviewed in 2001. They contain fragments of some of the most important stonework and glass in the county.
In 1793, the rector, William Gregory, an amateur mineralogist, discovered titanium and a bowl of this metal was given to the church in his memory; it is always used in baptisms. The north door has a trap hatch, opened at the time of baptism to allow evil spirits to pass to their lair in the north.
The Grampound parish bier is kept in the west end of the church, originally used to push the coffins from the village for burial at Creed. It took three teams of men to arrive there, with resting places at the roadside marked with a cross and a granite bowl for water.
The church is in regular use and can be visited. The current rector, the Reverand Andrew Wade, lives at the Sanctuary, Probus, Tel 01726 882746.
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