Otterham
OTTERHAM, in the hundred of Lesnewth, and in the deanery of Trigg-Minor,
lies 13 miles west-north-west from Launceston, and six miles north-east from
Camelford, which is the post-office town. The manor of Otterham appears to
have belonged, in the reign of Edward III., to the Champernownes (fn. 1) : in 1457 it
was settled upon Thomas Bonville, and Lena his wife, for life, with remainder to
Philip Copleston, and Anne his wife, and the heirs of the said Anne, remainder to
John Wybbery, Esq., in fee (fn. 2) . John Saltern, yeoman, died seised of the manor and
advowson in 1639: we find that the patronage of the rectory continued in the
same family in 1736: the manor is now vested in George Welch Owen, Esq.
Mr. William Chilcott, of Tiverton, is patron of the rectory.
The barton of Small-hill, some time the property and residence of the family of
French, is now a farm, belonging to Charles Chichester, Esq.
Padstow
PADSTOW, in the hundred and deanery of Pyder, is an ancient market-town,
situated at the mouth of the Alan or Camel, on the north coast, 14 miles from
Bodmin, and 243 from London. The name of Padstow is said to have been a
corruption of Petrockstow. Leland says, that it was anciently called Adelstowe,
from Athelstan, and in the Cornish language, Lodenek. In Pope Nicholas's
Valor it is written Aldestowe, which, as the termination is evidently Saxon, is
more likely to be a corruption of Ealde-stowe: it does not appear that
Athelstan had ever any connexion with Padstow. St. Petrock is said to have
landed at this place, and the church is dedicated to him: the monastery
of St. Petrock, which was destroyed by the Danes in 981, and afterwards
established at Bodmin, is, by Mr. Whitaker, with much reason supposed to have
been at Padstow, where Mr. Prideaux Brune's house now stands; its name of
Place, and its connexion with the priory of Bodmin and the rectory, well justify
the conjecture. Hals speaks of a nunnery at Credis, in this parish, which was a
cell to the monastery of St. Bennet in Lanivet: there are now no remains of
buildings, but the supposed site belongs to the poor of Lanivet.
The town of Padstow has a market on Saturdays, by prescription, for butcher'smeat and other provisions: we find no record relating to it. There are two fairs,
(April 18, and September 21,) now little more than holiday-fairs; but within these
fifty years well supplied with cattle, cloth, hats, &c. &c. Leland, speaking of
this town, says, — "There use many Britons with smaul shippes to resorte to
Padestowe, with commodities of their countrey, and to by fische: the towne of
Padestow is ful of Irisch men: there is a large exporte of corne." Carew,
speaking of Padstow, says, — "It hath lately purchased a corporation, and reapeth
greatest thrift by traffiking with Ireland, for which it commodiously lieth." We
have not been able to learn any thing about the charter of corporation alluded to
by Carew, and are assured that the town has no such charter. The principal
import-trade of Padstow is for iron, chiefly from Cardiff; coals from Wales;
timber from Norway; and groceries and bale goods from Bristol: considerable
quantities of corn are still exported; the other principal exports are malt and
block-tin. The Dummer-bank, a dangerous quick-sand, lies off the parish of
Padstow.
The town and parish of Padstow contained, in 1801, 201 houses, and 1,332
inhabitants; in 1811, 220 houses, and 1,498 inhabitants: the principal villages
in the parish are, Crugmeer, Treviscar, and Trevone.
The manor of Padstow belonged to the priory of Bodmin, under whom
it had been held on lease by the Prideaux family, some time before the Reformation: in 1544 it was granted to John Pope, a trustee, probably, for the Prideaux
family, who have ever since possessed it, the present owner being the Rev. Charles
Prideaux Brune, who took the latter name on succeeding to considerable property in Dorsetshire (fn. 3) . Place-house, the seat of Mr. Brune, which overlooks the
town and haven, was built about the year 1600; Carew, whose survey was printed
in 1602, calls it a new and stately house: in the court before the house is a
hedge of myrtles, and another of tamarisks.
The manor of Padstow-Penkevil, so called, it is probable, from having belonged
formerly to the Penkevils, was at a later period in the family of Robartes, Earl of
Radnor, and is now the property of the Rev. Charles Prideaux Brune.
Hals speaks of the manor of Tregerryn in Padstow, as having been purchased
by John Nanfan, in the reign of Henry VI.: it is not now known as a manor:
the barton is the property of Thomas Rawlings, Esq., by purchase from the
Molesworths, who inherited it from the Morice family. Mr. Rawlings has lately
built a handsome house for his own residence, on the south of Padstow town,
commanding a fine view of the harbour.
The barton of Trenear or Trenarran was for some time the seat of the Peters,
afterwards of Treator, which last is now the property and residence of Mr. Charles
Peter: the elder branch removed to Harlyn in St. Merryn.
In the parish-church of Padstow are monuments of the Prideaux family: that
of Sir Nicholas Prideaux, Knt., who was Carew's contemporary, and died in
1627, commemorates also Sir William Morice, who married a daughter of
Humphrey Prideaux; "he was knighted," says his epitaph, "by King Charles II.,
on his landing at Dover, and afterwards made secretary of state and a privy
counsellor, in consequence of his great services in bringing about the Restoration,
by his influence with General Monk. He died at Werrington, in 1676, aged 75."
The learned Dr. Humphrey Prideaux, Dean of Norwich, was a great grandson of Sir
Nicholas above-mentioned, and was born at Padstow in 1648. Dr. Prideaux,
who was educated at Liskeard school, besides his well-known work on the connexion between the Old and New Testament, published "The true Nature of
Imposture fully displayed in the Life of Mahomet."
There is a memorial in Padstow church for Lawrence Merther, vicar of Padstow,
who died in 1421.
There are several ancient chapels in this parish; that of St. Saviour (fn. 4) , of which
the east wall remains, stood on the brink of the precipice which overlooks the
town: near Place-house, at the top of Padstow town, was St. Sampson's chapel;
at Trethyllic, near Place grounds, was a chapel with a cemetery; between
St. Saviour's and Stepper-point was another chapel, the name of which is not
known; and about a mile and a half from the town, that of St. Cadock, which
had a tower, the pinnacles of which were used in re-building that of LittlePetherick church. (fn. 5)
The great tithes of Padstow, which were appropriated to the priory of Bodmin,
are now vested in William Hole, Esq.: Mr. Prideaux Brune is patron of the
vicarage: the tithe-fish of the whole parish, together with the oblations and
emoluments of the chapels of St. Sampson and St. Cadock were leased, in the
year 1537, by the prior and convent of Bodmin, to Humphrey Prideaux, Esq.,
of Thuborough in Devon.
One of the schools founded by the trustees of the Rev. St. John Elliot's charitable
donations (1760), and endowed with 5l. per annum each, was established at
Padstow: two Sunday-schools and several day-schools have been established by
voluntary subscription and private benevolence, by which several excellent institutions for relieving the poor, and encouraging the industrious, are supported: one
of these is conducted by a society of young ladies.
St. Paul
ST. PAUL, commonly called Paul, in the deanery and west division of the
hundred of Penwith, lies on the western point of Mount's-bay: the church stands
on high ground, being about a mile and three-quarters (three miles by the road)
south-south-west from Penzance, which is the post-office town. The principal
villages in this parish are Mousehole and Newlyn, both upon the sea-coast and
numerously inhabited by fishermen. The pilchard and mackarel fisheries are
carried on at these places to a great extent: fish of every kind which frequent
this coast, are sent in abundance from Mousehole and Newlyn to Penzance, and
most of the Cornish towns: the London market, in the early part of the season,
is chiefly supplied from Newlyn and Mousehole with mackarel, which is sent by
way of Portsmouth.
Mousehole, otherwise called Port-Enys, was formerly a market-town: the charter
for a market on Tuesdays, with a fair for three days at the festival of St. Barnabas,
was granted to Henry de Tyes, in 1292 (fn. 6) : the market was confirmed in 1313 to
Alice de Lisle, with a fair for seven days, at the festival of St. Bartholomew (fn. 7) : it
is said that there has been no market at Mousehole since this place, and the
neighbouring village of Newlyn, were burnt by the Spaniards in 1595, as beforementioned (fn. 8) . A new quay was constructed at Mousehole in or about the year
1392 (fn. 9) ; it was formerly a port of considerable trade: the manor of Mousehole,
which passed with Alwarton (fn. 10) , belongs to the heirs of George Veale, Esq., and to
James Hals, Esq., of St. Ives.
The manor of Freemarshall, in this parish, some time belonging to the family
of Hitchens of Treungle, is now the property of Mr. George John, of Penzance,
by purchase from Edward Langford, Esq.
The barton of Trewarveneth came to the Godolphin family by the marriage
of Sir David Godolphin with the daughter of John Cowling, of this place: this
branch of the Godolphins became extinct by the death of Colonel William
Godolphin, in 1689: Trewarveneth is now a farm-house, the property of
John Legge. It is probable that the barton of Kerris had formerly manerial
rights; for it appears that the manor of Keres, in Cornwall, and we find no other
place of the name, was granted to John Duke of Norfolk, in 1483: this barton,
on which are now several farm-houses, was some time a seat of the Chivertons,
and afterwards successively of the families of Hext, Pearce, and Blewett.
The manors of Kymyell or Kimiel and Butsava belong to Sir John St. Aubyn,
Bart., whose ancestors possessed them for many generations. Kimiel-Wartha was the
seat of the Kimiel family, whose heiress married St. Aubyn: it is now a farmhouse.
Kimiel-Crease or Greaze, and Kimiel-Drea, now farm-houses, were both seats of
the Keigwins: Jenkin Keigwin, of this family, was killed by the Spaniards in
1595: the entry of his burial is the first which occurs in the present parish
register; the earlier registers having been destroyed when the invaders set fire
to St. Paul's church (fn. 11) . Treungle, now a farm-house, was the seat of Arthur
Hitchens, Esq.: Captain Cluterburg, some time governor of the castle at the
Scilly islands, built a house at Treungle, now belonging to the Badcocks, descended in the female line from the Keigwins.
In the parish-church of St. Paul, said to have been dedicated to St. Paulinus,
Bishop of Rochester, is the following curious notice of its having been burnt by
the Spaniards as before-mentioned: "The Spunger burnt this church in the year
1598 (fn. 12) ." There is a monument in this church for William Godolphin, Esq., of
Trewarveneth, the last of the family. The great tithes of this parish, which were
appropriated to the abbey of Hayles in Gloucestershire, are now vested in William
Carlyon, Esq., and Mrs. Elizabeth Veale: the vicarage is in the gift of the crown.
There were formerly chapels of ease at Mousehole and Newlyn: Mousehole
chapel, which had been a sea-mark, was destroyed by the encroachments of the
ocean before the year 1414, when Bishop Stafford wrote a circular letter,
exhorting the inhabitants of his diocese to contribute towards its rebuilding: it
is probable that it was then rebuilt, and again destroyed when the town was burnt
by the Spaniards. Two other chapels are said to have been in or near the
town: unquestionably there was a chapel dedicated to St. Clement, on a little
island opposite Mousehole, which still bears that name: Leland mentions this
chapel as existing in 1540.
Captain Stephen Hitchens, of the Royal navy, who acquired a considerable
fortune by cruising on the Jamaica station, and died at Jamaica in 1709,
bequeathed the sum of 600l. for the purpose of building and endowing an almshouse for six poor men, and the same number of women: the lands then purchased, after defraying the expence of building, now produce nearly 70l. per
annum: the management of this charity is vested in 14 trustees.
Pelynt or Plynt
PELYNT or PLYNT, in the hundred and deanery of West, lies about two miles
nearly north from Polperro; about three nearly west-north-west from Looe; and
about eight south-south-west from Liskeard, which is the principal post-office town
of the neighbourhood; but there is a bye-post to Polperro.
The manor of Pelyn, which at the time of taking the Domesday survey was
held under the Earl of Cornwall by Algar, was given, in the year 1248, by the
executors of Giles de Cancellis or Chanceaux, together with the advowson of
the church, to the abbot and convent of Neweham in Devonshire, who, in 1356,
had a grant of a fair in this manor for three days at the festival of the Nativity of
St. John the Baptist (fn. 13) ; this is still held as a cattle-fair on Midsummer-day. The
manor is now the property of Frederick William Buller, Esq., colonel in the
Coldstream regiment of guards, whose family possessed it considerably more than
a century: it is probable that they inherited it from the Trethurses.
The manor of Tregarrick, which belonged to the Winslades, was forfeited by
the attainder of John Winslade, Esq., who suffered death for being one of the
ringleaders of the Cornish rebellion, in 1549: it was granted by King Edward IV.
to Sir Reginald Mohun, and purchased of him, in the succeeding reign, by John
Trelawny, Esq., and Mrs. Margaret Buller: this manor, which was long held in
moieties by the families of Trelawny and Buller, is now the sole property of the
Rev. Sir Harry Trelawny, Bart. Tregarrick was the chief seat in Cornwall of
the Winslades, whose family were hereditary Esquires of the White Spur (fn. 14) .
Carew says, that "Wideslade's (fn. 15) sonne (that is, son of John Winslade abovementioned) led a walking life, with his harpe, to gentlemen's houses, wherethrough, and by his other active qualities, he was entitled Sir Tristram; neither
wanted he, as some say, a belle I found, the more aptly to resemble his patterne."
Tregarrick was the first seat of the Bullers, when they came into Cornwall, in
consequence of marrying the heiress of Trethurfe: the old mansion, which has
long been occupied as a farm-house, has lately been repaired by Sir Harry
Trelawny.
The manor of Trelawne or Trelawny belonged, at an early period, to the
Bodrugans: Sir Henry de Bodrugan gave it, as a marriage-portion, with his
daughter, to Henry Champernowne. The heiress of this branch of Champernowne, married Polglass; and the heiress of Polglass, Herle. Sir John Herle
the younger, who died without issue, settled the reversion of Trelawny on Sir
William, afterwards Lord Bonville, the last of an ancient Devonshire family: it
was a remarkable circumstance attending this family, that the havoc of civil war
annihilated three generations within the space of two months. At the battle of
Wakefield, Lord Bonville witnessed the death of his son Sir William Bonville,
and of his grandson William Lord Harington, who enjoyed that title as having
married the heiress of Lord Harington, of Harington; this was on the last day
of December 1460; in the month of February following, the aged grandfather
was taken prisoner at the second battle of St. Albans; and, although his life had
been promised, he was beheaded by order of the Queen, who bore resentment
against him, as having been one of those who had the custody of the King's
person after the battle of Northampton. Elizabeth Lady Harington, upon the
accession of Edward IV., had a large dower assigned her out of Lord Bonville's
estates in Cornwall: her only daughter, by Bonville, brought Trelawny and
other estates to Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, on the attainder of whose
grandson, Henry, Duke of Suffolk, they were seized by the crown. It has been
already stated, that Trelawny in Alternon was the original seat of the Trelawny
family, and that they afterwards resided at Pool in Menheniot. In the year 1600,
Sir Jonathan Trelawny, one of the representatives of the county (fn. 16) , (father of
Sir John, who was created a baronet in 1628,) purchased Trelawny of the Crown,
and made it his residence: it has ever since been the chief seat of the family,
and is now the property and residence of the Rev. Sir Harry Trelawny, Bart.
Lord Bonville built a castellated mansion at Trelawny, a part of which, with
two towers, remains on the eastern side of the present house. Sir Jonathan
Trelawny nearly rebuilt the house soon after his purchase of the estate: it was
again nearly rebuilt by Edward Trelawny, Esq., Governor of Jamaica, after a
fire which happened about the middle of the last century. There are several
family-portraits at Trelawny-house, among which are two of Sir Jonathan
Trelawny, Bart., Bishop of Winchester, one of the prelates who were committed
to the Tower for their steady defence of the Protestant religion, in the reign of
James II.; one of them is by Sir Godfrey Kneller. The gateway at Trelawny
was some time the residence of General Trelawny, brother of the Bishop, a
distinguished officer in the reigns of Charles II. and King William. A chapel
was built at Trelawny, by Bishop Trelawny, on the site of one of more ancient
date.
The manor of Muchlarnic was purchased in 1674, by Sir Jonathan Trelawny,
of the Achyms, and is now the property of the Rev. Sir H. Trelawny, Bart.
who is also proprietor of Trenake, formerly the seat of the Achyms, now a farmhouse.
The manor of Hall, and the church of Pelynt, belonged to the abbot and
convent of Newenham (fn. 17) . The barton and wood of Hall are now the property
(by inheritance from the Trethurfes) of James Buller, Esq. M.P., who is impropriator of Pelynt, and patron of the vicarage.
In the parish-church, said to have been the burial-place of St. Juncus (fn. 18) , are
several monuments of the Trelawny family (fn. 19) ; William Achym, Esq. 1589; and
the Bullers of Tregarrick (fn. 20) . In the north aisle was formerly a monumental
effigies, said to have been that of Otes or Otho de Bodrugan, some time lord of
Trelawny: an agreement, bearing date 1680, shews that the north aisle was
formerly appropriated to the manor of Trelawny; an exchange was made with
the parish in that year.
Perran-Arwothall
PERRAN-ARWOTHALL, in the deanery and in the east division of the hundred
of Kirrier. The chief population of this parish is at the village of Perran-well,
situated on the turnpike road leading from Truro to Penryn, five miles south-west
from Truro, and four from Penryn, which is the post-office town. Part of
Perran-Wharf, or Perran-Cove, is in this parish. There is an arsenic manufactory
in this parish.
The manor of Perran-Arwothall, which includes two-thirds of the parish,
belonged to the ancient family of Fitz-William, whose heiress brought it to the
Mohuns: Sir Reginald Mohun, in the reign of James I., sold it to Samuel Pendarves, Esq., of Roscrow; it is now, by inheritance from the Pendarves family, the
property of the Right Honourable Lord De Dunstanville. The ancient family of
Daungers had a house and estate in this parish, which passed by marriage to the
Bonithons; probably this was the manor of Bessow, Bizza, or Bissoe, now the
property of Peter Hill, Esq. Greenwith common, in this parish, is in thirds
between Lord Falmouth, Lord De Dunstanville, and Mr. Hill: five-sixths of the
parish belong to Lord De Dunstanville. Perran-Arwothall is a daughter-church
to Stithians, and included in the same presentation. Lord Falmouth is impropriator and patron.
Perran-Uthnoe
PERRAN-UTHNOE, in the deanery and in the east division of the hundred of
Penwith, lies a mile and a quarter south-east from Marazion, which is the postoffice town, and about four miles and a half nearly east from Penzance. The
principal village in this parish is Gold-Sithney, at which a large fair is held on the
fifth of August for cattle, coarse clothes, hardware, &c. There is a tradition
that this fair was originally held at Sithney near Helston, and that some persons
ran off with the glove, by the suspension of which to a pole, the fair was by its
charter held, and carried it off to this village, where it is said the glove was hung
out for many years at the time of the fair: as some confirmation of the tradition
of its removal, it should be mentioned that the lord of the manor, as proprietor of
the fair, used to pay an acknowledgment of one shilling per annum to the churchwardens of Sithney. The custom of holding out a glove still prevails at the
great fair at Chester.
The manor of Perran-Uthnoe belonged, at an early period, to the Whalesborowes, from whom it passed by marriage to the ancestor of Sir John Trevelyan,
Bart., the present proprietor, who is patron of the rectory, and possesses, also, the
manor of Gold-Sithney, which belonged to the priory of St. Michael's Mount.
Most of the farms in this parish have been sold, by Sir John Trevelyan, to their
several occupiers. In this parish, by the sea-side, is a mansion called Acton Castle,
built by John Stackhouse, Esq., and now the property and residence of Buckley
Praed, Esq.
There was formerly a chapel at Gold-Sithney, dedicated to St. James. (fn. 21)
Perran-Zabuloe
PERRAN-ZABULOE, or St. Piran in the Sands, lies in the hundred and deanery
of Pyder, about a mile and a half from St. Agnes; about five from Truro, which
is the post-office town; and about six from Redruth. The principal villages in
this parish are, Callestock, Lambourn, Lundrawna alias Hendravenna, Millingy,
Penwartha, and Rose. A fair is held some years at Millingy, and others at a place
called Penhallow, in this parish, on Easter Tuesday, now little more than a holidayfair. The tolls are taken by the church-wardens, or those to whom they are let by
them at a small annual rent. At Perran-Porth, where a considerable stream, which
runs through Millingy, falls into the sea, is a fine sandy beach, frequented as a
bathing-place by the neighbouring gentry, who procure lodgings in the cottages on
the beach. The western part of this parish is very populous, being inhabited by
miners, who live in detached cottages, which are thickly sprinkled over the barren
commons.
The manor or honor of St. Piran (fn. 22) , now destroyed by the sands, belonged to a
college of canons, by whom it was held free of all taxes in the reign of Edward
the Confessor, as appears by the survey of Domesday: it is said to have been, at a
latter period, the property and seat of the family of St. Piran, from whom it passed
by successive female-heirs to the Kendalls and Vincents (fn. 23) . The lords of this manor
claimed free warren, and had tin-works, which became of little value, in consequence of the changeableness of the sands. The toll-tin of this estate, reserved by
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the Vincents, belongs to the Marquis of Buckingham, who possesses the estates of
that family: the Dean and Chapter of Exeter have a farm, with a large tract of
land, chiefly covered with sand, which might probably once have been the site
of the ancient manor of St. Piran.
The manor of Tywarnhaile, being a moiety of the ancient manor of that name,
was granted, in 1337, to Edward the Black Prince, and by him soon afterwards
given to Sir Walter de Woodland, usher of his chamber, who died without issue (fn. 24) :
this manor was afterwards annexed to the duchy of Cornwall, and so continued
till the year 1798, when it was purchased, under the powers of the land-tax
redemption act, by John Thomas, Esq., of Chiverton, except the mines and
wrecks of the sea, which were reserved to the duchy: the tenants of this manor
were of four forts, as stated in a record of 1337, viz. freeholders, who paid a
certain rent and fealty and suit at the lord's court; free conventioners, who held
for seven years in free conventionary; native conventioners, who held also for
seven years; and natives, who held in villenage, the younger son inheriting:
Tywarnhaile barton is occupied as a farm.
In an ancient deed, without date (fn. 25) , Henry Le Tyes is called lord of a moiety of
the manor of Tywarnhaile; this formed the manor of Tywarnhaile-Tyes, which
descended to the Rutland family: Henry Earl of Rutland, in the year 1561, sold
the manor, with the toll-tin, to Pascall Kerne and Richard John; not long afterwards, three-fourths of the manor became the property of the Carews; the
remaining fourth, of the Carters of St. Columb, whose heirs still possess two-thirds
of this fourth (fn. 26) , the other third having been sold to Mr. Prout of St. Agnes; the
other three-fourths were vested in the late Mr. Donnithorne, whose ancestor
purchased of the Carews.
The manor of Lambourn, held under Tywarnhaile, belonged to the Lambourns
as early as the reign of Henry III.: Amara, daughter and heiress of William
Lambourn, in the reign of Henry V., married Sir John Arundell of Lanherne,
who gave it to his third son Sir Renfrey: Elizabeth, his daughter (and eventually
heiress, her brother having left an only son, who died without issue), married
Thomas Whittington, and after his death Edward Stradling; having a son by the
former, and a daughter by the latter, she divided her large inheritance between
them: the daughter married Sir John Danvers, Knt. The grandson of Whittington left six daughters, one of whom married into the St. Aubyn family. Sir John
St. Aubyn, Bart. now possesses the whole of the manor, and one-fifth and onesixtieth part of the lands belonging to it: other parts, which had been sold by the
coheiresses of Whittington, or their representatives, came, after a while, to the
Scawens, and were purchased of that family by Mr. William Hodge, who resides
in a farm-house on this estate: his purchased lands and Sir John St. Aubyn's
inheritance constitute one moiety of this manor; the other moiety, in which was
the manor-house, and a chapel dedicated to St. Edmund, was divided into lots,
and after some intermediate alienations, the whole (with the exception of certain
lands sold by the family of Oats to an ancestor of the present proprietor, Francis
Gregor, Esq. of Trewarthenick) became vested in the Tonkins, and are now
enjoyed by their representatives. (fn. 27)
The manor of Penwartha belonged to the ancient family of Pentire, whose
heiress brought it to the Roscarrocks: it was purchased of the latter, in the reign
of Charles I., by Sir Francis Vyvyan, and is now the property of his descendant,
the Rev. Sir Carew Vyvyan, Bart.: this manor is held by a chief rent under the
manor of Tywarnhaile. The barton of Lambourn-Wigan or Lambriggan is held
under Tywarnhaile-Tyes: two-thirds of this estate passed with Penwartha to the
Vyvyans, and are now the property of Sir Carew Vyvyan; the other third was
divided into moieties, one having been successively in the families of Trevithick,
Hayme, and Beauchamp is now the property of Francis Gregor, Esq.; the other
belonged to the Carters, and having since been successively in the families of
Tregea and Tonkin, is now the property of Francis Enys, Esq.: on this part of
the estate is a house, now occupied by a farmer, which was built by John Tregea,
and was some time the residence of Thomas Tonkin, Esq., before he removed to
Trevaunance.
The manor of Fenton-Gimps or Venton-Gimps belonged to an ancient family
of that name, long ago extinct: Tonkin says, that the heiress married into the
family of Penrose. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth this estate was in moieties
between the Carters of St. Columb and the Penwarnes of Mawgan: in 1595,
Carter bought Penwarne's moiety; his grandson, in 1650, sold the whole to
John Cleather, who resided in the manor-house, and laid out extensive gardens,
&c. In 1691, Samuel Cleather, his grandson, sold the manor of Fenton-Gimps
to Hugh Tonkin, Esq.: it has since passed in the same manor as the Trevaunance
estate in St. Agnes (fn. 28) . The manor-house was destroyed by fire some years ago; a
farm-house has been built on the site.
The manor of Trevallance and Penkaranowe belonged, in the reign of
Henry VIII., to the family of Trevallance, whose heiress married Carlyon alias
Rosewarne: Trevallance was sold, in 1622, to the Rev. Richard Colmer, vicar
of St. Perran, by whose heirs it was conveyed, in 1655, to the ancestor of
Mr. John Andrew: the heiress of Andrew brought it to the family of the present
proprietor, John Thomas, Esq., of Chiverton. Penkaranowe, which was parcel of
this manor, passed with the heiress of Carlyon to Reginald Haweis; and by sale,
from Haweis, in 1673, to William Tregea: in 1694 it was purchased of John
Worth, (to whom it had been conveyed by Tregea the preceding year,) by
Mr. John Thomas of Glamorganshire, ancestor of John Thomas, Esq. abovementioned, in whose family, in consequence of the match with Andrew, the two
parts of this estate became again united.
The barton of Chiverton was sold, in 1703, by Lord Longueville and others
(as trustees for Richard Arundell, Esq.), to John Rosogan, Esq., whose ancestor
had a lease of it in the reign of Queen Elizabeth: in 1724 it was purchased of
the Rosogans by Mr. John Andrew of Trevellance, maternal great-grandfather
of John Thomas, Esq., vice-warden of the Stannaries, the present proprietor,
who, about the year 1718, built a capital mansion for his own residence, and
embellished the place with extensive plantations. Mr. Thomas is proprietor also
of the manor of Bosvellock, which he purchased, in 1779, of the Angoves: the
Angoves purchased of George Hunt, Esq., who inherited it from the family of
Robartes, Earl of Radnor.
The manor of Treworthan has been long in the Boscawen family, and is now
the property of Lord Viscount Falmouth. The manor or reputed manor of
Halwyn, now the property of the Rev. Robert Hoblyn, was inherited from
the Carters, who purchased of Mr. John Kearne, in the year 1578. Penhale,
which has been some time also in the Hoblyn family, is now occupied as a farm,
by a younger brother of the Rev. Robert Hoblyn: there is belonging to this
estate a valuable and extensive rabbit-warren, of which there are two or three
adjoining on the sands, containing several hundred acres of land. Reenwartha,
some time a seat of the family of Haweis, is now a farm-house, the property and
residence of Mrs. Jenkins: it is near Perran-Porth, and affords the accommodation of lodgings to families who occasionally resort to the coast for sea-air and
bathing.
This parish is said to have been the residence and burial-place of St. Piran, the
patron of the tinners, of whom the legend, as given by Hals, is, that "he swam
over from Ireland on a mill-stone, and lived 200 years after his emigration:"
but this differs from Capgrave's account, who says nothing of the mill-stone; his
story is, that "after having lived to the age of 200 years and upwards, and
finding his health declining, he determined to end his days in Cornwall." The
two preceding parishes take their name from the same saint. "This parish,"
as Carew observes, "but too well brooketh his surname in Sabulo, for the
light sand carried up by the north wind from the sea-shore, daily continueth his
covering and marring the land adjoynant, so as the distresse of this deluge drave
the inhabitants to remoove their church: howbeit when it meeteth with any
crossing brooke, the same (by a secret antipathy) restraineth and barreth his
farder incroching that way." It was, probably, in consequence of this notion,
that the inhabitants, thinking such situation secure, removed their church only
about 300 yards, it being on the opposite side of a brook: in the old church was
the shrine of St. Piran, in which his relics were carefully preserved: there was a
great resort of pilgrims to make oblations at this shrine, as appears by a deed in
the registry of the see of Exeter, bearing date 1485. The brook above-mentioned,
having been dried up by the adits made from time to time for the purpose of
working the mines, the new church lost all the protection it could have derived
from it; and Borlase, in a MS. account of an excursion in 1755, speaks of it "as
being then in no little danger, the sands being spread all around it:" it stood
among the sand-hills, with only a solitary cottage near it, half buried in sand, and
the porch frequently so blocked up, that it was difficult to obtain entrance; it
was determined, therefore, about ten years ago, to build a new church near the
village of Lambourn, and the centre of the parish: thither the pillars and the
font, which appear to have belonged to the original church, were removed, and
the new church was consecrated by Dr. Fisher, then Bishop of Exeter, in 1805.
When we visited Perran-Zabuloe in that year, the former church, which had been
unroosed, was nearly filled with sand. The great tithes of this parish are held on
lease by Francis Enys, Esq., under the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, who are
patrons of the vicarage. Near Tywarnhaile-house is a small island, on which was
an ancient chapel, called Chapel-Engarder; the ruins of it remained in 1733.
There were chapels also at Callestock-Veor; Callestock-Rual; near Bethaw-hall;
at Lambourn, dedicated to St. Edmund; near Perran-Porth; and Chapel-Widdan,
near St. Piran's Well: the tradition is, that most of these were oratories, in which
St. Piran celebrated divine service. St. Piran's Well is on a tenement called Caer
or Carn-kief, near Lambourn, which belonged to the Dean and Chapter of Exeter;
it has been lately purchased by John Thomas, Esq., under the powers of the landtax redemption act: this well, which is enclosed by an ancient stone-building, was
formerly much resorted to as a cure for the rickets. About a mile and a half
from Lambourn, on the downs, is St. Piran's Round, one of the ancient amphitheatres already spoken of. There are several ancient earth-works in this parish,
which also have been elsewhere more particularly mentioned.
Little-Petherick
LITTLE-PETHERICK, formerly called Nassington (fn. 29) , in the hundred and deanery
of Pyder, lies about two miles south of Padstow, which is the post-office town,
and five north from St. Columb.
The only village, besides the church-town, is Tregonnon.
The manors of Ide and of Padstow-Penkevil extend into this parish.
Sir A. O. Molesworth, Bart. is patron of the rectory: near the church are the
remains of a chapel, supposed to have been that of St. Ide. There was formerly
a chapel at Treviban in this parish.
South-Petherwin
SOUTH-PETHERWIN, in the north division of the hundred of East, and in the
deanery of Trigg-Major, lies about two miles south-west from Launceston, which
is the post-office town. Except the church-town, there are only three small
villages in the parish, called Trecroogo, Tregaller, and Trethevy. There are two
holiday-fairs at South-Petherwin; the second Tuesday in May, and the second
Tuesday in October. The manor of South-Petherwin belongs to the Bishop of
Exeter. Tremeal, formerly a seat of the Vyvyans, is now a farm-house, the
property of Samuel Archer, Esq., by purchase from Vyel Vyvyan, Esq., of Trelowarren. Tregoddick, formerly the seat of a family of that name, is now a farmhouse, belonging to Robert Fanshaw, Esq., commissioner of the dock-yard at
Plymouth, who bought it a few years ago of the Tremaynes. The bartons of
Trevozah and Landlake became the property of Jonas Morgan, Esq., by marriage
with the heiress of Couch (fn. 30) , in whose family they had been many years: the
farm-house in the former barton has been occasionally occupied by Mr. Morgan.
Botaden, the seat of the Bligh family, which became extinct in 1740, after passing
through several hands, is now a farm-house, the property of the coheiresses of
the late Mr. Essery. Tresmarrow, formerly a seat of the Pypers, passed by a
female heir to the Vyvyans; it is now a farm-house, the property (by a late purchase)
of Mr. Down. Treburesy, formerly belonging to the family of Gedy, whose
heiress brought it to Sir John Eliot, was bequeathed by the late John Eliot, Esq.,
of Trebursey, to the Honourable William Eliot, M.P., who has built a new house
on the estate for his own residence.
In the parish-church are memorials of the families of Manaton of Trecarrell,
Walton of Tremeal, and Couch and Morgan of Trevozah. The great tithes,
formerly appropriated to the priory of St. Germans, are now vested in the
University of Oxford, who are patrons of the vicarage.
Phillack
PHILLACK, in the deanery and in the east division of the hundred of Penwith,
lies about four miles and a half east-south-east from St. Ives; but at high water the
travelling distance is increased to nine miles: it is nine miles north-east from Penzance, the same distance west-south-west from Redruth, and nearly 10 miles north-west
from Helston: a daily bye-post comes from Marazion to Hayle copper-house, in this
parish, where a weekly market on Saturdays has been established, and a markethouse built. The principal villages in this parish, besides the church-town, are,
Angallack, where is a tin smelting-house, being the first of the kind that was
established; Guilford; Loggan; Venton-Loggan; Hayle copper-house, abovementioned, where the smelting and refining copper, and other manufactories are
carried on upon a very extensive scale; and the port of Hayle, where there is a
considerable trade with Wales, for timber, coals, iron, and lime-stone, and with
Bristol, for earthenware, groceries, &c.: it is one of the chief places of export
for the copper-ore of the western mines.
Cayle-Castle, Castle-Cayle or Kayel, spoken of by Leland, with a moat and
a keep, belongs to the heirs of John Curnow, Esq.; there is a farm-house
within the moat: we find no intimation of the ancient proprietors of this
castle: another castle is spoken of by Leland, as almost at the mouth of the
Hayle, called Rivier or Theodore's Castle; the site of which has been buried by
the sands. The Riviere estate belongs to the Cornish Copper Company, who are
possessed also of Trevassack, and part of Ventonleage. Treglisson is the property
of Mr. Richard Nicholls.
The manor of Conarton extends over the greater part of this parish (fn. 31) : the
barton of Bodrigy belonged successively to the family of Cotwyne (fn. 32) , of Sir John
Godolphin, and of the families of Pendarves and Williams: it is now vested in
Meffrs. Parminter and Millet, and the Rev. William Hockin, as heirs of the late
John Curnow, Esq., by whom it was purchased not many years ago: the house
is occupied by the families of Parminter and Millet.
The Rev. William Hockin, the present incumbent, is patron of the rectory: it
is united to Gwithian, of which Phillack is the mother-church. The injury done
to the lands in this parish and Gwithian, by the sands, has been already spoken
of; the smoke of the smelting-houses in the neighbourhood of the Hayle river
has been almost equally ruinous, and has destroyed all traces of vegetation on two
of the best estates in the parish. In this parish is Wheal-Alfred, one of the richest
mines now worked in the county. (fn. 33)
Pillaton
PILLATON, in the deanery and in the middle division of the hundred of East,
lies about four miles nearly south from Callington, which is the post-office town,
and about six north-west from Saltash. The only village in this parish, besides
the church-town, is Penter's Cross. There is a fair at Pillaton on Whit-Tuesday.
The manor of Pillaton was at an early period in the family of Inkpen (fn. 34) . In
1620, the manors of Pillaton and Hardenfast belonged to Thomas Moone, who
had purchased them of Dame Dorothy Dillington, heiress of John Charles, Esq. (fn. 35) :
this estate was afterwards in the Corytons; and having passed with Newton in
St. Mellion, is now the property of Weston Helyar, Esq. The manor of LeighDurant, which belonged to the Dawneys, and passed with the heiress of that
family to the Courtenays, having escheated to the crown by the attainder of the
Marquis of Exeter, was annexed, with other manors, to the duchy of Cornwall,
in lieu of the honor of Wallingford.
Pentillie-Castle was the seat of Sir James Tillie, who died about the year 1712,
and directed by his will, that his body should be deposited, placed in a chair, sitting,
in the lower apartment of a small building erected for that purpose, on an eminence
overlooking the Tamar, which he called Mount Ararat (fn. 36) : Sir James Tillie left
Pentilly to his sister's son, James Woolley, who took the name of Tillie. The
daughter and only child of his grandson brought this estate to the late John
Coryton, Esq., whose son, John Tillie Coryton, Esq., is the present proprietor.
Mr. Coryton has lately pulled down the greater part of the old mansion, which,
although it had nothing of the castellated character, was called Pentillie-Castle,
and has erected for his own residence a Gothic mansion, from the designs of
Mr. Wilkins, jun. Mr. Helyar is patron of the rectory of Pillaton.
St. Pinnock
ST. PINNOCK, in the hundred and deanery of West, lies about four miles nearly
west-south-west from Liskeard, which is the post-office town, and about eight eastnorth-east from Lostwithiel. The only village in this parish is Trevillis: the
manor of that name belongs to the Honourable Mrs. Agar, as representative of
the Robartes family: it had been at an early period (fn. 37) in the Willington family: in
1620 it was in moieties between the families of Mohun and Robartes. The manor
of Penvrane belonged to the ancient family of Silvester, afterwards called Penvrane, before the year 1426; from them it is supposed to have passed in marriage,
towards the latter part of the following century, to the Colyns: Elizabeth,
daughter of John Colyn, brought it as a marriage-portion to the Treffry family:
it has ever since passed with the Place estate, and is now the property of
J. T. Austen, Esq. The barton was sold a few years ago, by Mr. Austen, to
Mr. Raby.
There are two Bodranes in this parish, one of which belonged to an ancient
family of that name, afterwards to the Hoblyns: one of these estates belongs to
the heirs of the late Thomas Grylls, Esq., of Helston; the other to Mr. Bate.
Tregow, formerly belonging to the Robartes family, afterwards to Sir James
Laroche, Bart., is now the property of Mr. Samuel Rundle. The advowson of
the rectory of this parish is in thirds; one of these is vested in Mr. Austen, as
lord of the manor of Penvrane, to which the whole was formerly annexed;
another to J. T. Coryton, Esq.; and a third to the Rev. Joseph Pomery of
Bodmin, by purchase from Bate.
Poughill
POUGHILL, in the hundred of Stratton, and in the deanery of Trigg-Major,
lies one mile north-west from Stratton. The manor was given by Hubert de
Burgh, Earl of Kent, to the abbey of Clive in Somersetshire: it was sold by King
James I. to George Salter and John Williams: Dr. Borlase says, that it belonged
in his time to Mr. John Stanbury of Broomhill: it is now the property of Thomas
Trood, Esq., who purchased it of the late John Cunyngham Saunders, Esq.,
an eminent surgeon in London, well known by his institution of a hospital for
diseases of the eye, and his improvements in that department of surgery. This
manor consists only of a royalty, which extends over the parish, there being
neither lands nor rent belonging to it.
William of Worcester, in his Itinerary of Cornwall, written in the reign of
Edward IV., relates that, in the year 1437, Nicholas Radford, counsel for the
Lord Bonville against Thomas Earl of Devon, was slain in his own house at Poughill,
by Thomas, eldest son of the said Earl, who afterwards succeeded to the title.
Flexbury, in this parish, the residence of Mr. Ralph Cole, belongs to the
Rev. Charles Dayman. Maer is the property and residence of Richard Martyn
Braddon, Esq.; Broomhill, the property and late residence of Thomas Trood, Esq.
Reeds has been lately built by John Vikry Jose, Esq., for his own residence.
The well-known battle of Stratton was fought in this parish, near the town of
Stratton, on a hill called, from its having been the position of the Earl of Stamford, the parliamentary general, Stamford's Hill (fn. 38) : in the year 1713, a monument
was erected on this spot, with the following inscription,—"In this place the army
of the rebels under the command of the Earl of Stamford received a signal overthrow by the valour of Sir Beville Granville and the Cornish army, on Tuesday
the 6th of May 1643, by George Lord Lansdowne, comptroller of the household,
and one of the principal secretaries of state." This monument was taken down
before the memory of any one now living: the tablet containing the inscription
was removed to Stratton, and fixed on the front of the market-house; when some
alterations were made in that building, it was again removed, and placed in the
front of the Tree inn, where it still remains.
The great tithes of Poughill, which were appropriated to the priory of Launceston, have been sold in severalties; those of Flexbury, Hollabury, Coumbe,
and Coumbe-parks, belong to George Boughton Kingdon, Esq. The vicarage is
in the gift of the crown.
Poundstock
POUNDSTOCK, in the hundred of Lesnewth and in the deanery of Trigg-Major,
lies 13 miles north-west from Launceston, and six south-south-west from Stratton,
which is the post-office town. The only village in this parish is Tregoll. There
is a fair at Poundstock on the Monday before Ascension-day. Poundstock was
held under the manor of Launcels, as appears by the Exeter Domesday.
The manor of West-Widemouth, in this parish, which had been granted by
Reginald Earl of Cornwall to William Botterell or Bottreaux, in or about the
reign of Henry II., passed, by successive female heirs, to the families of Hungerford and Hastings: it was purchased of one of the Earls of Huntingdon by the
Grenville family, and having passed with the Kilkhampton estate, is now the property of Lord Carteret.
The manor of Woolston, which had long been in the Grenville family, and was
one of their seats in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, upon a division of the property
of that family between the coheiresses, fell to the share of Lord Gower, and was
sold, about the year 1770, to the Rev. James Cotton, of whose representatives it was
purchased, about the year 1794, by the Right Honourable Lord de Dunstanville,
who is the present proprietor: the old mansion on this estate has been pulled
down, and a farm-house built on the site. Lord de Dunstanville has also the
manor of Penlean, which was inherited by his ancestors from the Heles, about the
year 1674. An estate (probably the manor of Woolston) was given by Hubert
de Burgh, Earl of Kent, to the abbey of Clive in Somersetshire. The manor of
Penhallam, partly in this parish (fn. 39) , has lately been sold, piece-meal, by the Rev.
Charles Dayman.
Trebarfoot, the seat of an ancient family of that name, passed, by a female heir,
to the Burgoynes: it was purchased, in 1804, of Mrs. Venning, heiress of the
Burgoyne family, by the Rev. Charles Dayman, vicar of Poundstock. Penfowne,
the seat of a family of that name, having been previously mortgaged, was sold in
1759, under a decree of Chancery, to Mr. Prideaux of Dartmouth, of whom it was
purchased by the Rev. Charles Dayman: both these estates have since been conveyed by him to his nephew, John Dayman, Esq., of Padstow. Calmady, which
was the original seat of the family of that name, is now a farm-house, the property
of their representative, Calmady Pollexfen Hamlyn, Esq., who resides at LeaWood in Devonshire.
In the parish-church are memorials of the family of Trebarfoot, which became
extinct in the year 1630.
The great tithes of Poundstock, which were appropriated to the college of
Slapton in Devonshire, are now vested in G. F. Collins Browne, Esq.: after the
Reformation they became the property of the Arundell family, of whom they
were purchased, about the year 1780, by George Browne, Esq., grandfather of
the present proprietor: John Dayman, Esq. is patron of the vicarage.
Probus
PROBUS, in the deanery and in the west division of the hundred of Powder,
lies about two miles and a half nearly west from Grampound; three north-west
from Tregony; and five east-north-east from Truro, which is the post-office town.
A market on Mondays, long since disused, was granted, in the year 1320, to the
treasurer of the cathedral of Exeter (fn. 40) , to whom this church was appropriated; and
two fairs, each for three days; one at the festival of the Nativity of St. John the
Baptist, the other at that of St. George the Martyr. There are now four fairs, all
belonging to Sir Christopher Hawkins, Bart.; two of them are vested in him in
right of his manor of Lanprobus, the ancient possession of the college of Probus,
and afterwards to the church of Exeter; one of the others was purchased of the
Rev. Robert Hoblyn; they had both belonged to the family of Williams, and
one of them is said to have been granted, soon after the Restoration, in approbation
of the loyalty of this parish during the civil war. They are all large fairs for
horses and cattle; and held April 5, April 23, July 5, and September 17.
The manor of Trelowthas was parcel of the possessions of the Bodrugans, and
was granted with other estates, after the attainder of Sir Henry Bodrugan, to the
ancestor of the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe, who is the present proprietor. The
manor of Tredenham was the property and original seat of the Tredenhams, who
removed thence to Kellis in Cornely, and afterwards to Tregonan in St.Ewe:
this manor was purchased of the Tredenham family, (which became extinct
about the year 1708,) by Henry Hawkins, D.D., ancestor of Sir Christopher
Hawkins, Bart. Sir Christopher's seat is at Trewithan, in this parish, which
barton was purchased, early in the last century, of Courtenay Williams, Esq., by
Philip Hawkins, Esq. There is a view of Trewithan-house in Borlase's Natural
History of Cornwall.
The manor of Trewithgy, or Treworgy, was part of the possessions of the
ancient family of Wolvedon, or Wulvedon of Wulvedon alias Golden, in this
parish; the last male heir of which died in the year 1512, as appears by his
epitaph in Probus church: their large estates passed by a female-heir to the Tregians
or Tregyans, who built a magnificent mansion at Golden: this mansion, of
which the ruins still remain, was unfinished when Leland visited this county, in
the reign of Henry VIII.: that author speaks of it as "richly begon, and amply,
but not ended." Francis Tregian, of Golden, being then 28 years of age, having
been accused, in the year 1577, of recusancy, and harbouring Cuthbert Mayne,
a Romish priest, was found guilty; adjudged to have incurred a præmunire; his
goods and estates seized, and himself imprisoned during the Queen's pleasure;
after having lain some time, and been subjected to great hardships in Launceston
gaol, his lady procured his removal to the King's Bench; he was afterwards
removed to the Fleet, where, in 1593, he had been confined 13 years, his lady
having lived with him during the whole time of his imprisonment: she then had
18 children, 11 of whom had been born in the Fleet, and most of them then
living. Norden, whose survey must have been written about the year 1602, as he
had evidently seen Carew's work then printed, says, "for his and his wife's
recusancie, and for some former observed offence committed, the land of Tregian
was suspended, and himself near 20 years imprisoned; but he is now at libertie,
and liveth with sufficient glorie nere London; havinge noe use of his lande, which
was in the handes of the late Lorde Hunsdon, Lorde Chamberlaine to Her late
Majestie. This gentleman's reliefe is thowght to grow by the bounty of suche
as affecte his parte." In July 1606, we are told that Mr. Francis Tregian, then
an ancient gentleman, arrived at Douay on his way to Spain. Tregian's estates,
consisting of several manors and other lands, then estimated at nearly 500l. per
annum, were given by Queen Elizabeth to Sir George Cary, afterwards Lord
Hunsdon; whose widow, in the year 1607, sold the whole (except a small part
which had been previously disposed of by her husband) to Francis Tregian the
younger. Most of these estates, including the manor of Treworgy, and the
barton of Golden, were alienated, either by this Francis, or by his younger
brother Charles, (who survived, and was in possession of some of the estates in
1620,) to John Vincent (fn. 41) . Charles Tregian was in Cardinal Allen's family, and
published a work entitled, "Planctus de Morte Cardinalis Alani." Ezekiel
Grosse, who became possessed of most of the Tregian property, purchased the
barton of Golden of Vincent, and made it his residence; his only daughter and heir
married the ancestor of J. F. Buller, Esq., the present proprietor of these estates.
Golden has been long occupied as a farm-house: the dilapidated part consists
principally of a gateway and chapel, opposite to which is what is called the chaplain's apartment; and within is a small room, with stone seats: they show a dungeon
under an old tower, in which Cuthbert Mayne is said to have been confined.
Treworgy-house was successively the seat, as lessees, of the family of Williams,
Harris, and Bone: it is now a farm-house of Mr. Buller's. Williams, the
wealthy and charitable farmer, spoken of by Carew, was probably Williams of
Treworgy; that writer speaks of him as "grandfather to sixtie persons now living,
and able lately to ride twelve myles in a morning, for being witness to the
christening of a child, to whom hee was great-great-grandfather." This Williams was ancestor of the Williams's of Carvean, Treworgy, and Trehane, in this
parish, and Truthan (in St. Erme), several times sheriffs of the county (fn. 42) . Trehane
belonged, at an early period, to a family of that name, afterwards to the Scawens:
the latter sold it to John Williams, Esq., of Carvean, who built a new house on
this barton, now the seat of William Stackhouse, Esq., whose father, Dr. Stackhouse, (brother of the Rev. Thomas Stackhouse, author of the History of the
Bible, and the Body of Divinity,) acquired it by marriage with a coheiress of the
Williams' family. Carvean is now a farm-house of Mr. Buller's. There was
another family of Williams of Treverne, in the parish of Probus (fn. 43) , whose ancestor,
five generations before 1620, married the heiress of Treverne: this family was a
younger branch of that of Williams of Herringston, in Dorsetshire; the arms are
different from those of Williams of Treworgy. (fn. 44)
The manor of Trenowth belonged to the ancient family of that name, which
became extinct in the reign of Henry VIII.; the coheiresses married Boscawen,
Borlase, and Herle: this barton was inherited by the Herles (fn. 45) , and was some time
their seat: it is now a farm-house, the property of the Rev. George Moore, of
Garlineck: the manor has been sold in lots. The manor of Hellan was purchased
of the Wollocombe family in 1753, by John Roberts, and is now the property
of his nephew Matthew Roberts, Esq., of Lamellan, in this parish. Trethower,
some time a leasehold seat of the family of Huddy, is now a farm-house, belonging
to J. T. P. B. Trevanion, Esq., as parcel of his manor of Cornely, otherwise
Grogoth.
In the parish-church, which has a very handsome tower, built in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth (within our remembrance, says Carew), is the monument of
Thomas Hawkins, Esq., and the memorial of Wolvedon, before-mentioned. The
church of Probus, and the rectorial estate, called in the survey of Domesday,
Lanprobus, belonged to a college of canons at this place: this college consisted anciently of a dean, and five prebendaries: the dean had the patronage of
the prebends: in 1268, Henry de Bollegh, Dean of Probus, conveyed the
patronage to the Bishop of Exeter, and his successors for ever; probably he was
the last dean. The prebendaries continued till the Reformation, when the college
was dissolved, and pensions were assigned them: previously to this, they had each
certain glebes, and portions of tithes, which were assigned by Bishop Stapleton in
1312. The church of Probus, with the right of nominating the prebendaries
and the vicar, had before that time been granted by the Bishop to the treasurer of
the church of Exeter, and his successors: in this grant no mention is made of a
dean (fn. 46) . The lands belonging to the prebendaries, constituting the manor of
Lanprobus, were granted by King Edward VI., in 1549, to Sir Thomas Pomeroy,
and are now the property of Sir Christopher Hawkins, Bart. The great tithes
are now appropriated to the Dean and Chapter of Exeter: the Bishop is patron
of the vicarage. The site of the college is supposed to have been near the churchyard, between the school-house and the parish road: the school-house is supposed
to have been a chapel. There were chapels also at Golden, Hellan, Trelowthas,
and Treworgy, and a small chapel or oratory in Trenowth wood, dedicated to
the Holy Trinity, and St. Mary. The Exeter registers speak also of a chapel of
St. George. (fn. 47)
A grammar-school at Probus was founded by Mr. John Williams of Treworgy,
in 1688, and endowed with a salary of 10l. per annum: this school was formerly
one of the principal seminaries in Cornwall (fn. 48) : but in consequence of the smallness
of the salary, it has not, of late, been kept up as a grammar-school; but only
for reading, writing, arithmetic, &c. There is another reading-school, endowed
with the interest of 100l. by Mrs. Hawkins.