Later came the Normans to settle in a hostile country. Anyone coming from the coast, who has seen the tower of Week St. Mary persistently pushing itself into view, can imagine a Norman Baron finding hereabouts a good place on which to build his castle. This is what certainly happened. The field adjoining the Churchyard on the west is still known as “Castle Ditch,” and in it is a large mound, which marks the site of an old building, and which from its shape tells us that it was a Norman Castle. Under the shelter of this castle we may suppose was built the Church of “Our Lady of Week” on the same site as the present Church.

WEEK ST. MARY, or ST. MARY-WEEK, in the hundred of Stratton and deanery of Trigg-Major, lies feven miles fouth of Stratton; about 10 north-north-weft from Launcefton, which is the poft-office town; and 10 weft from Holfworthy in Devonfhire. The principal villages in this parifh, exclufively of the church-town, are, Bakefdown, Lower-Ex, Kitfham, and Week-Orchard. The church-town is in all ancient records called the Borough of Week St. Mary, and the occupiers of certain fields are ftill called burgage-holders. The cuftom of electing a mayor is ftill kept up; but his office is merely nominal: he has no power. There are fairs at Week St. Mary, September 8, and December 10, chiefly for bullocks and fheep.

The manor of Week St. Mary belonged at an early period to the Blanchminfters, from whom it paffed to the Colefhills. Ralph de Blanchminfter, who died in the year 1348, was feifed of the manor and borough, with the advowfon of Week St. Mary, to which were appendant, as members of the faid manor, Swannacot, and other tenements. Sir William Bonville was poffeffed of Wyke St. Mary in 1461. In procefs of time, the manerial rights were transferred from Week St. Mary to Swannacot; for we find that in 1620 Sir Warwick Hele held the manor of Swannacot, and Week St. Mary Burgh, as parcel of the fame; yet Henry Compton, Efq. then claimed the fee of Week St.  Mary. The manor of Swannacot, including Week St. Mary, is now the property of the Right Honourable Lord de Dunftanville, by inheritance from the Heles.

There was formerly a caftle at Week St. Mary, of which a field adjoining the churchyard, called Caftle-hill, exhibiting the traces of extenfive buildings, is fuppofed to have been the fite.

The manor of Eaft-Orchard-Marrais or Marries, in this parifh, and Marham Church, belonged to the ancient family of Marrais, whofe heirefs married an anceftor of the Rolles. The late Dennis Rolle fold this manor, with other confiderable eftates, to the late Sir John Call, Bart., and it is now the property of Sir W. P. Call, Bart. The barton-houfe, formerly the feat of the Marrais family, for whom there is an ancient memoria1 in the church, is now a farm-houfe, belonging to Mr. Richard Burden Bray: his father purchafed the barton of the late Mr. Rolle. The manors of Pigfden and Nethercot extend into this parifh.

The advowfon of Week St. Mary, which belonged formerly, as before-mentioned, to the Blanchminfters, appears to have paffed, with the manor of Stratton, to Lord Carteret: it now belongs to the mafter and fellows of Sidney-Suffex college in Cambridge, in confequence of an exchange with Lord Carteret for that of Wilhamfted in Bedfordfhire: the latter adjoins the parifh of Hawnes near Bedford, in which is his lordfhip’s feat. There was formerly a chapel at Gofcote, in this parifh, dedicated to St. Lawrence.

A chantry and grammar-fchool were founded, in the reign of Henry VIII, at Week St.  Mary, by Dame Thomafine Percival, a native of this parifh, “with fair lodgings for the fchoolmafters, fchollers, and officers, and twenty pound of yeerely revennue for fupporting the incident charges.” Her ftory, as told by Carew, from whom the above is quoted, is, that her maiden name was Bonaventure, but whether by defcent or event he knew not; that “whiles in her girlifh age fhe kept fheepe on St. Mary-Wike moore, it chanced that a London marchant paffing by, faw her, heeded her, liked her, begged her of her poore parents, and carried her to his home. In proceffe of time, her miftres was fummond by death to appeare in the other world; and her good thewes, no leffe than her feemely perfonage, fo much contented her mafter, that he advanced her from a fervant to a wife, and left her a wealthy widow. Her fecond marriage befell with one Henry Gall; her third and laft, with Sir John Percival, lord maior of London, whom fhe alfo overlived. And to fhew that vertue as well bare a part in the defert as fortune in the meanes of her preferment, fhe employed the whole refidue of her life and laft widdowhood, to works no leffe bountifull then charitable, - namely, repayring of high-wales, building of bridges, endowing of maydens, relieving of prifoners, feeding and apparelling the poor,” &c. Dame Thomafine Percival’s will, which bears date 1512, throws light upon fome parts of her hiftory; it fhews that her family name was Bonaventer; for fhe leaves 2ol. to her brother, John Bonaventer: her firft hufband’s name was Thomas Bumfby. She makes her coufin, John Dinham, who married her fifter’s daughter, refiduary legatee, and commits to his difcretion the chantry and grammar-fchool, which fhe had founded in her life-time; to the vicar of Liskeard fhe leaves a little gilt goblet, with a blue flower in the bottom, to the intent that he fhould pray for her foul; and towards the building of the tower at St. Stephen’s, Launcefton, 20 marks.

Carew obferves, that in Thomafine Bonaventer’s grammar-fchool, divers of the beft gentlemen’s fons of Devon and Cornwall had been “vertuoufly trained up in both kinds of divine and humane learning, under one Cholwell, an honeft and religious teacher; which caufed the neighbours fo much the rather and the more to rewe, that a petty fmacke onely of popery opened a gap to the oppreffion of the whole, by the ftatute made in Edw. the 6 raigne, touching the fuppreffion of chaunteries.” Many of our celebrated foundation-fchools would have fhared the fame fate, had they not been protected by well-wifhers to their eftablifhment, who pointed out the obvious practicability of correcting the fuperftitious ufages with which they were connected; a practiability which thofe who coveted their revenues would very gladly have overlooked.