St. Dennis, Cornwall and its Connection with a Beheaded Saint

An old story today from an 1865 book, originally written by a Robert Hunt. The story tells of St. Dennis and the links to the Cornish church of the same name. I have previously mentioned St. Dennis church in my post St. Denys, King Arthur and St. Dennis Church

"The patron saint of the parish church of St. Dennis, Cornwall was born in the city of Athens, in the reign of Tiberius. His name and fame have full record in the History of Saints of the Church of Rome. 

How his name was connected with this remote parish is not clearly made out. 

We learn, however, that the good man was beheaded at Montmartre and that he walked after his execution, with his head under his arm, to the place in Paris which still bears his name. 

At the very time the decapitation took place in Paris, blood fell on the stones of the courtyard of St. Dennis in Cornwall. Previously, to the breaking out of the plague in London, the stains of the blood of St. Dennis were seen again; and during our wars with the Dutch. The defeat of the English fleet was foretold by the rain of gore in this remote sequestered place.

William Hals the Cornish historian, with much gravity, informs us that he had seen some of the stones with blood upon them.  Whenever the phenomenon occurs again we may expect some sad calamity to be near."

Other Old Traditional Stories:

Who or What Are Cornish Knockers?

Old Cornish Ghost Story From 1800's

Bodmin Jail and a Hanging Watched by 25,000 People