I live near the village of Zennor in Cornwall which is famous for its mermaid myth.
Legend tells that many years ago the village church was attended by a beautiful & richly dressed woman. The locals noticed her beauty & her lovely singing voice but nobody knew where she can from. Many of the villagers wondered about her identity. One Sunday a handsome young man named Mathew Trewella followed her after the church service. He followed her across the fields & down to the cliffs. And was never seen again.
Time passed & many years later a ship was laying anchor in a cove near the village and a beautiful mermaid called to the captain to kindly move his anchor as it had landed in the doorway of her house & she was anxious to get to her children & husband Mathew.
The captain later told of his meeting with the mermaid & the villagers finally learned the fate of Mathew Trewella. To mark the event an image of a mermaid was carved in to the end of a church pew that can still be seen today.