A LETTER written in the 18th century, and referring to Laneast Church, has been discovered, and is on display for anyone wishing to view it.

An avid stamp collector and fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, who wishes to remain anonymous, came across the letter pertaining to Laneast Church and has since donated a copy to the Boscastle Community Centre Archive.

The ‘Laneast letter’, dated December 19, 1776, was found in an envelope bought for the sole purpose of collecting the stamp.

On further inspection it was found that a Mr Henry Rundle wrote the letter — suspected to be the same Henry Rundle who was granted permission to knock down the old Rectory at Laneast.

Dave Ferret from the Boscastle Community Centre Archive has conducted research into Henry Rundle and his connection with Laneast Church.

He said: “There are a few interesting passages in the book by John Maclean titled, ‘The Parochial and Family History of the Parishes of Forrabury and Minster, In The County of Cornwall (1873)’ that I have used whilst researching the letter.

“I think the letter will be of real interest to the people of the area and hope they will come along and see it.”

A passage from the letter reads: “ . . . I made application to the Auditor at Launceston some years ago, for the yearly sum of twenty shillings, payable (as I had heard) to the Incumbent of Laneast, but without any success; neither could I get any information, that any sum whatsoever had been paid . . .”

If anyone has more information about the letter and can give an insight, they are welcome to do so.

Anyone wanting to find out more or wishing to view the complete letter can visit the Boscastle Community Centre Archive. The archive houses documents from many periods and the oldest document available to view by the public is the last will and testament of Sir John Cotton, of Boscastle, dated 1701 — along with various other donated items.