Tallanus

Article summary

Tallanus is thought to have been a Cornish saint. It is claimed that he was a hermit in the 5th century and lived at Talland between Polperro and Looe. The parish church of Talland, which is believed to be a 5th-century foundation, is consecrated to him – the only one in Britain. One explanation of the word 'Talland' is that it is a derivation of the Saint's name. However, the name Tallanus first appears in documents in the 15th century and there is some evidence to suggest that he was an invention of that period. The first recorded reference to the church now dedicated to Saint Tallanus (the Latinised version of tallan) is in 1205 "the church at Tallan". Tal and Lan are Cornish. Tal = "brow of the hill" and Lan = "holy place" (or church). Together they perfectly describe the church that the Augustine monks of Launceston established at Tallan (between 1086–1205), and as with other Cornish churches all that seems to have happened is that "saint" has been put in front of a Cornish place name so as to tie that parish to a saint. There is no recorded reference to a Tallanus prior to 1452 and certainly no evidence that Tallanus was a saint.

Key claims

1. date of establishment: 1086 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of establishment is "1086". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371654525