Summary

Rectangular late-C18 chest tomb of granite slabs, of Matthew Vivian (1718-1770) and his wife Jane (died 1784) and daughter.

Description

Rectangular late-C18 chest tomb of Matthew Vivian (1718-1770) and his wife Jane (died 1784) and daughter. The tomb is constructed of granite slabs with roll mouldings to the corners and ovolo mouldings to the edges of the top.

The arms of the Vivian family are carved on top of the tomb, below which is a carved inscription which reads: UNDERNEATH IS DEPOSITED / THE BODY OF / MATTHEW VIVIAN ESQ / LATE OF PENELEWEY / IN THIS PARISH / WHO DIED ON THE 15th DAY / OF OCTOBER AD 1770 / AGED 52 YEARS / ALSO THE BODIES OF / JANE HIS WIDOW / AND JANE THEIR DAUGHTER.

The chest tomb is located about 25m to the east of the tower of the former Church of St Kea, on a high bank overlooking the rest of the churchyard.

History

A church at Old Kea was established in the C13 although a monastery is known to have been sited here in the early C11. Serving its large parish, the Church of St Kea was built in the C15, although permission was given by King Henry VIII in 1532 for the church to be demolished and rebuilt. A new church was eventually built at Killiow in 1802, by which time the church at Old Kea had deteriorated and was demolished except for its west tower. The new church was itself replaced by the Church of All Hallows in Kea in 1894-1897. A new mission chapel was built at Old Kea in 1858 (listed Grade II). Burials ceased at Old Kea in 1802.

The churchyard to the Church of St Kea may be the site of an early-medieval enclosed cemetery or ‘lann’, possibly defined by the bank of the churchyard. The churchyard contains several C18 headstones and chest tombs (one listed at Grade II), including a chest tomb to Matthew Vivian.

Matthew Vivian was born in Camborne in 1718, the first son of Robert Vivian (1690-1744) and Alice Whiteford (d1740). This branch of the Vivian family was well-established in Camborne and in the C19 became the Vivians of Tregavethan after reclaiming the estate there. Matthew married Jane Bennetts in Camborne in 1746, and their first child Jane was born the same year; they had four further children. Matthew and his family lived as long-term tenants at Penelewey Barton (listed Grade II*); at the time of Matthew’s death the house was owned by William Lemon MP of Carclew. Matthew Vivian died on 15 October 1770 and Jane died in 1784; their daughter Jane’s date of death is unknown. They were some of the last people to be buried in the churchyard.

Reasons for Listing

The late-C18 chest tomb of Matthew Vivian and his wife and daughter is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* the chest tomb is a simple yet elegant structure, with high quality fine inscriptions and a depiction of the Vivian family crest;
* the construction of the tomb in local granite adds to its regional distinctiveness;
* the tomb survives in good condition and is complete.

Historic interest:
* for its connection to the prominent and historic Vivian family of Cornwall;
* as a connection to and reminder of the now ruinous Church of St Kea as a rural place of worship.

Group value:
* with the Grade II* ruinous Church of St Kea, the Grade II C19 mission church which replaced it, and the cross and chest tomb in the churchyard which are also listed at Grade II.

Recommended Books

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)