History 1200’s

Finds from the Neolithic period at sites like Tremough show that this area was always a sought after place to live with woods, rivers, arable and pasture land.

Enclosed settlement sites, including Round Ring in the field of Behelland, to the north-west of Penryn creek and Tremough date to the Iron-Age or Romano-British periods. They predate the town of Penryn by a thousand years or more.

Documentary records begin with the Domesday Book.

January 1, 1066

The Bishop of Exeter

The Bishop of Exeter is already the major landowner here.
His manor of Treliever lies a mile north-west of Penryn.

January 1, 1066
January 1, 1086

Treliever manor

Treliever manor comprises large parts of the later parishes of St Gluvias, Budock and Mabe. Its 30 estates and four smallholdings, include Tremough, probably a pig farm. Four slaves farm Treliever with two plough teams (16 oxen), two cows, 30 sheep and 5 horses.

January 1, 1086
January 1, 1208

St Budock

First reference to the parish of St Budock.

January 1, 1208
January 1, 1216

Bishop Simon de Apulia

Town of Penryn said to have been founded by Bishop Simon de Apulia the Italian Bishop of Exeter and Lord of the Manor of Treliever.

January 1, 1216
January 1, 1236

The end of the point

The bishop’s town of Penryn is created out of Treliever manor park as a rival to Truro by Bishop William Brewer. 
Probably starting as a foreign trading settlement a little earlier than this, Penryn means the end of the point.
This refers to its ridge-top site between two creeks that feed into the Penryn River.​

January 1, 1236
January 1, 1259

The Feast of St Thomas the Martyr

Penryn gets a Monday market and three day fair at the feast of St Thomas the martyr (7 July, later known as Blood Fair). This is Penryn’s first charter and Bishop Walter Bronescombe has to get the permission of King
Henry III.

January 1, 1259
January 1, 1265

Glasney

The great collegiate church of Glasney is founded by Bishop Bronescombe as Exeter diocese’s western outpost in Cornwall. 
Penryn becomes a Cornish language centre and the bishop has a summer residence near the college.

January 1, 1265
January 1, 1267

Church of Budock

Church of Budock and Chapel of Behelland (St Gluvias) are gifted to Glasney College as part of its endowment.Glasney lies in Budock parish with the rest of Penryn being in St Gluvias.

January 1, 1267
January 1, 1291

St Gluvias

St Gluvias is first recorded when the parish church pays a Papal tax.
Nothing is known of this male saint except that he was a martyr and unique to Penryn.

January 1, 1291