Mylor church lies in a hollow, a favourite situation for churches in Cornwall. Although now chiefly in the Perpendicular style, some portions of a former Norman church, which must have been a building of considerable richness and beauty, remain, including three Norman doorways, all of unusual design. The hood-moulding of that on the north side represents a snake, with its head to the west. The south doorway, illustrated here, has, it will be observed, some curiously Flamboyant tracery added to the round arch, with an odd variety of Perpendicular panelling at the sides. The identical pattern, peculiar to Cornwall, is found in a similar position on the south porch at Lelant, near St. Ives.

SOUTH PORCH AND CROSS, MYLOR CHURCH.

A monument in the church recalls a dramatic and terrible shipwreck that happened scarce two miles away, off Trefusis Point, in Falmouth Harbour. The epitaph briefly refers to it as under:

"To the memory of the warriors, women, and children who, on their return to England from the coast of Spain, unhappily perished in the wreck of the Queen transport, on Trefusis Point, January 14th, 1814."

Three hundred lives were lost on that occasion, and one hundred and thirty-six of the drowned were buried here.

To Mylor belongs the distinction of possessing the tallest cross in Cornwall. Exactly what it is like you may see from the illustration. It does not actually look the tallest, because some seven feet of its length are embedded in the ground. It measures in all 17 feet 6 inches. No one until 1870 knew it to be a cross at all, for beyond the memory of man it had fulfilled the useful office of buttress to the south wall of the church, with its head covered up. In that year, during the restoration then in progress, its nature was disclosed. It was, however, a matter of considerable difficulty to raise so large a block of granite again upright, and help was obtained from H.M.S. Ganges, then lying in Falmouth Harbour.

The pastime of curious epitaph-hunting, which helps to occupy the time of many explorers in the country, may be indulged in at Mylor with certain prospect of reward. Here is a taste of their quality:

"In
memory of mr.
Joseph Crapp, ship
wright. who died ye 26th of
Novbr 1770. Aged 43 years
Alass Frend Joseph
His End war Allmost Sudden
As thou the mandate came
Express from heaven.
his Foot it Slip And he did fall
help, help, he cried, and that was all."