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Keverne

cornish saint

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 5, 2026
Entity authorityQ117272432
Source-derived summary

Saint Achevran or Achovran (fl. before 10th c.), often called Akeveranus and in modern times Keverne or Kerrian, was a Cornish saint, noted since at least 1086 and probably before the 10th century. Little is known about Achevran's life or sanctification, but his name is found in multiple instances throughout the last millennium in Devon and Cornwall, most prominently the village of St Keverne on The Lizard and the St Kerrian Church in Exeter.

The name Achobran appears in a 10th-century list of Cornish saints, the Vatican codex Reginensis Latinus 191, and it is probable that this is the same person. Originally an independent figure, Achevran was equated with the Irish saint Ciarán of Saigir by 1266, and later both became equated with Saint Piran. During the Reformation, the popular and more correct spelling, Keverne, came back into use again.

A legend tells that St. Just of Penwith, after visiting St. Keverne, absconded with his chalice. His host threw three rocks at the thief as he was going westwards.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Keverne” is cornish saint. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Keverne, cornish and saint, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1086, 1266—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Keverne, cornish and saint is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “cornish saint” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q117272432. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1086 and 1266.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Keverne”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Keverne primary sources, Keverne archive and Keverne research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Keverne”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Keverne” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.