Lezant

Lezant is an agricultural civil parish in east Cornwall, situated between Launceston and Callington. Its eastern boundary is formed by the River Tamar, separating Cornwall from Devon. The area is quiet and rural, with scattered hamlets including Trebullett, Trekenner, Treburley, Rezare, and Higher Larrick. The landscape is a mix of farmland, woodland, and river valleys, and the parish retains a traditional character shaped by centuries of agricultural use. Historically part of the Bishop of Exeter's peculiar manor, Lezant has a sense of layered history. History: What is now Lezant was formerly part of an estate forming the Bishop's Peculiar of Landwithen, having been given by King Egbert of Wessex to the Bishop of Sherborne in 830 AD. The parochial history begins with the Norman era, with hints of that period's work found in the church. The parish church is dedicated to St. Briochus or St. Michael, with some argument about the true patron. Bishop Grandisson re-dedicated the high altar in 1336, but the bulk of what is seen today dates from the 15th century, with the handsome 3-stage tower of granite ashlar dating from 1480. The church contains monuments of the Manatons of Trecarrell and the Herles of Landew. Trecarrell Manor, a scheduled ancient monument, features a 16th-century Great Hall built by Sir Henry Trecarrell, which was intended to be part of a large mansion but was never completed. King Charles I spent the night at Trecarrell in 1644. The parish was historically agricultural, with the economy based on farming and some lead mining near Landew. A notable feature is Greystone Bridge, an arched stone bridge built in 1439 that crosses the Tamar. Today, Lezant remains a rural parish with a strong sense of its ecclesiastical and manorial past.