Stoke Climsland is situate in the hundred of East, and hath upon the
north Lezant, west Southill, east Calstock and the Tamar River, south
Killington.
This parish and church take their name from the manor of Stow
Climsland in this parish aforesaid, and by that name it was taxed in
the Domesday Book 1087. It was first given by Orgar Duke of Devon, or
Elphrida his lady, to Tavistock Abbey in Devon, which he had founded.
(Dugdale’s Monasticon Anglicanum, page 360.) Afterwards it became the
possession of the Kings of England or Earls of Cornwall, and was by
King Edward III. incorporated into the Duchy of Cornwall 1336. (See
the charter under Lestwithiel.) And to remove an action at law out of
the Court Leet of this Duchy or Stannary Manor, or any other in Devon,
as I have elsewhere noted under Helleston, the writ must be thus
directed:――
Gardiano Stannarum Devon et Cornubiæ, Capitali Senescallo Ducatus sui
Cornubiæ, aut suo Deputat. ibidem. Et precipue sibi aut suo Deputat.
Senescallo infra manerium de Stow Climsland parcell. Ducatus Cornub.
pred. infra Com. Cornub. &c.
Of Hengiston Downs, King Egbright’s victory, and tin works in this
parish, I have spoken under Killington. And of this manor of
Climsland, and the park of Cari Bollock in this parish are mention
made in the Duke’s Charter aforesaid. Now the modern name
Cary-Bollock, I take to be only a corruption of Carow-Bollogk, female
deer of a stag, probably kept here in the Duke’s park, when brought
out of the forest of Dartmoor.
It appears from the ancient Survey of the Duchy of Cornwall in the
Exchequer, tempore Edward III. (and Blount’s Tenures, from thence also
extracted page 107), that the old tenure of this Duchy Manor of
Climsland or Clemsland, was villanage.
The manor of Rillaton in this parish, was invested with the
jurisdiction of a Court Leet, and is annexed to the Duchy of Stoke
Climsland, with all its privileges, as I am imformed. To remove an
action at law from which, the writ must be thus directed: Senescallo
Decanorum, Præposit. et liberis tenent. Manerii sui de Rillaton,
parcell. Ducatus sui Cornub. in Com. Cornub. salutem.
In the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester 1294,
Ecclesia de Stoke, in decanatu de Est, was rated at cvi_s._ viii_d._
In Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, Stoke Climsland Church was valued at
£40, the patronage in the Dukes and Earls of Cornwall that endowed it;
the incumbent ; and the parish rated to the four shillings per
pound Land Tax, for one year 1696, £424. 14_s._