The northern part of this parish consists of felspathic hornblend rocks, belonging to the porphyritic series, which nearly touches the granite of Constantine and Budock. The southern part of Mawnan is situated on the calcareous series, and some of its rocks are very interesting, particularly those in the cliffs near the church and Rosemullion Head.
MADDERN.
HALS.
St. Mad-darne, or Mad-ran, a Vicarage, is situate in the hundred of Penwith, and hath upon the north Sennor or Zeynar, west Sancret, east Gulval, south Paul and the Mount’s Bay.
At the time of the Norman Conquest this district was taxed in the Domesday Book, under the jurisdiction of Alverton, of which more under. In the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, into the value of Cornish Benefices, 1294, Ecclesia de Sancti Maddarne is rated £5. 6s. 8d. in decanatu de Penwith; prior Hospitalis Johannis percepit in eadem £6. 13s. 4d. The meaning of which is this: Henry de la Pomeraye, tempore Richard I. (or his ancestors) built or endowed this church, and gave it to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, for the health and salvation of his own soul, that of his Lord the King, and the souls of his father, mother, brothers, sisters, progenitors and successors, as it is set down in that charter. See Dugdale’s Monasticon Anglicanum, vol. ii. page 792. In Wolsey’s Inquisition, 1521, it is valued to first fruits £21. 5s. 10d. by the name of Madran as aforesaid, without the appellation or pronoun Saint. The patronage formerly in the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem at Sythney, subject to St John’s Hospital of Jerusalem at London, after their dissolution in the Crown, now in Flemen; the incumbent Bellot, and the parish rated to the 4s. per pound land-tax, 1696, temp. William III. £163. 14s. Penzance town £139. 11s. 6d. in all £303. 5s. 6d.
Who the supposed tutelar guardian of this church, St. Maddarne, was, is past my ability of finding out, either in
the legends or martyrologies, therefore refer him to the scrutiny of the inhabitants; only by the way let it be remembered that Galfridus Monmouthensis tells us in his Chronicle that one Madan was a British king in these parts before Julius Cæsar landed in Britain, and probably that he lived or died here, in memory of whom this parish is called Madran, now Maddarne. Here also is Maddarne Well of water, greatly famous for its healing virtues, of which thus writes Bishop Hall of Exeter, in his book called the Great Mystery of Godliness, p. 169, where, speaking of what good offices angels do God’s servants.
“Of which kind was that noe less then miraculous cure, which at St. Maddarn’s Well in Cornwall was wrought upon a poore criple; wherof, besides the attestation of many hundreds of the neighbours, I tooke a strict and impartial examination in my last triennial Visitation there. This man for sixteen years was forced to walke upon his hands, by reason of the sinews of his leggs were soe contracted that he cold not goe or walk on his feet, who upon monition in a dreame, to wash in that well, which accordingly he did, was suddainly restored to the use of his limbs, and I sawe him both able to walk and gett his owne maintenance. I found here was neither art or collusion, the cure done, the author our invisible God, &c.”