Kerris

Coordinates: 50°05′23″N 5°34′33″W / 50.08982°N 5.5759°W / 50.08982; -5.5759

Kerris (Cornish: Kerys) is a settlement in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at 50°05′22″N 5°34′33″W / 50.0894°N 5.5757°W / 50.0894; -5.5757. It is three miles (5 km) southwest of Penzance in the civil parish of Paul. Kerris means "fort-place" in the Cornish language. Kerris has been a settlement for about two thousand years. Its oldest building, a former manor house, dates back to medieval times and there are two working farms in the settlement.

Antiquities

Several prehistoric relics can be found around Kerris including the Roundago (possibly an Iron Age hill fort) and the Kerris Standing Stone or menhir Several fields away is the Tresvannack Stone which stands around 3.5m tall with a further 1.2m below ground. In 1840 a pair of urns were found under a slab of granite at the base of the stone. The urns are now kept at Penlee Museum, Penzance. Kerris cross was damaged during the English Civil War and repaired by a local blacksmith in the 19th century with iron pins holding the granite head in position. In September 2011 the corroded pins were replaced by stainless steel pins. Medieval crosses, in situ, indicate the route to the parish church.