Mawnan Smith

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Mawnan Smith
Cornwall

Mawnan Smith in winter
Location
Grid reference: SW777287
Location: 50°6’60"N, 5°6’39"W
Data
Post town: Falmouth
Postcode: TR11
Dialling code: 01326
Local Government
Council: Cornwall
Parliamentary
constituency:
Falmouth and Camborne

Mawnan Smith is a village in the civil parish of Mawnan in southern Cornwall. It is approximately three miles south of Falmouth. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 1,539.

The parish church of St Mawnan and St Stephen is in Mawnan village (also known as Mawnan Church). A second church, St Michael's, was built in the village of Mawnan Smith in 1876 and there was also a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in the village.

Name

The village name may derive from the fact that it once had four working smithies serving the many farms in the parish.[1] By the early 20th century only one remained in business. It was operated by blacksmith Billy James followed by his son Dryden and closed when the latter died in 1994. The Mawnan Anvil Trust[2] has since restored the smithy as a working forge with a resident Artist Blacksmith[3] and the site now also includes a Silversmith,[4] Sign Writer[5] and Carpenter.[6]

Modern legends

In the 1970s the Lancastrian hoaxer and self-proclaimed crypto-biologist, Tony "Doc" Shiels, reported that a resident seen a large creature in Mawnan Smith, which was dubbed 'the Owlman'. A couple of other sighting were reported by visitors (who had apparently heard of Shiels's original report).

The smithy, restored and open to the public

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Mawnan Smith)

References