Roche Rock
One of the most spectacular is Roche Rock, a massive outcrop of granite, rising from a landscape ruined by clay mining, on which is perched the remains of a fifteenth-century chapel. Roche Rock is solitary outcrop of black granite rises sharply from the surrounding moor-land, its jagged outline able to elicit gasps of awestruck wonder from many a traveller who passes it on the roads below.
There used to be a tradition that the crag of Roche Rock had once been covered by earth, but during Noah’s flood the layer of soil over it had been washed away, leaving behind this saw-toothed chunk of splintered rock, which by the Middle Ages had gained a fearsome reputation as a convenient resting place for passing witches and malevolent demons.
Perhaps that is why a succession of holy men, came to the rock when Christianity was first brought to Cornwall, and lived as hermits in a small oratory that had been built between its two peaks? Their prayers served to vanquish whatever evil forces were loose amidst the fearsome pinnacles and the local people could feel safe from demonic interference and influences on their daily lives.
Cornwall Multi-Entry Multi-Directional Visitors Guide © Simon Newbound
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