History
*
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Church History
* Anglican. The original parish church was located in OS Grid Square SW8644 and was dedicated to St Coanus. It was built around 1370, and comprised a chancel, nave and south aisle. The name Merther is believed to have been derived from 'martyr' but is generally used to mean a church in honour of a martyr. In this case it was St. Coan, a local saint, who had a well and chapel near the church. The church is in a very remote situation on the east side of the Tresillian river about two miles from Tresillian. Historically the church was a chapelry to the nearby village of Probus, but from the time of Henry VIII onwards there were often disputes about the rights of jurisdiction over the church. At one time it was held by a curate of Probus together with the nearby church at Cornelly. The parish was constituted a 'vicarage' in 1866. A 'bearded effigy', once in this church, is now at Tresillian (the building which replaced it). In the 20th century the church declined with the population. The main centre of population is now at Tresillian. The church was last used for regular worship in the mid-20th century, and is now an ivy-covered ruin.
A separate church was built at Tresillian about 1878 to meet the demands of the population; this was rebuilt in its present style in 1904. The campanile is a well-known feature on the A390 road at the St. Austell end of Tresillian village. With the demise of Merther church, the church at Tresillian is now the de facto parish church.
The parish is now part of the Lamorran with Merther, Tresillian and St. Michael Penkivel Team Ministry.
