St. Tudy, alias St. Tidy or Tudy, is situate in the hundred of Trigg,
and hath upon the north Michaelstow, east Brewar, south St. Mabyn,
west St. Kew. For those names, they are all synonymous, and signify
St. Udye, or St. Udith, (or the Holy Udith,) referring to the name of
St. Udith, the tutelar guardian and patroness of this church, and by
the name of Mama Tedy or Tidy,[13] i. e. Mother Udith, it was taxed in
the Domesday Book 1087, which plainly shows here was an endowed
rectory church dedicated to her before that time. In the Inquisition
of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, into the value of Cornish
Benefices, Ecclesia de St. Tudy, in decanatu de Minor Trigshire, was
valued 1294 for its revenues, c_s._ In Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, £31;
the patronage in ――――; the incumbent Trelawny. This parish was rated
to the four shillings per pound Land Tax for one year, by the name of
St. Udy, £144.
The history of St. Udith is as followeth: she was the natural daughter
of King Edgar, by the lady Wolfchild, who was afterwards made Lady
Abbess or mother of the maids of the Nunnery of Wilton in Wiltshire,
wherein she demeaned herself so well as to her conduct, piety, and
purity, that, as Capgrave tells us, she obtained the reputation of a
saint, though the author of Polychronicon, Liber 6, chapter 9, tells
us, that Bishop Ethel wold sharply reproved her, for deviating from
her rule, and being too curious in her attire; to whom she replied
that God regarded the heart more than garments, and that sin might be
covered as well with rags as robes; to which the Bishop answered,
that, though our corrupt mortal bodies were covered with silk, silver,
and gold, it could neither procure a minute’s life or health for us,
nor hide our sins from God’s sight, but were rather an argument of our
pride and vanity, than sincerity or humility.
After the brother of St. Udith, Edward the Martyr, was slain, St.
Dunstan had a mind to make her Queen of England to defeat Etheldred
the lawful heir, but her piety or policy would not permit her to
accept the proffer: she died Anno Dom. 984, and was buried in the
church of Denis of her own building at Wilton. She is commonly called
Udith the younger, to distinguish her from St. Udith her aunt.
Hengar was formerly the seat of the Billings, alias Trelanders, whose
daughter and heir was married to John Trelawny of Coldrinick, esq. by
whom she had no issue; after his decease she was married to Dr. Lower,
Physician in Ordinary to King Charles the Second, by whom he had three
daughters, one married to Edward Morice of Werrington, esq. (by whom
she had no issue); after his decease she was married to the honourable
Major-General Charles Trelawny, governor of the Royal Citadel of
Plymouth, now in possession of this place. Another daughter was
married to Captain Mitchell; the third to ―――― Lower of St. Winnow.
Pen-vos, alias Pen-vose. It is now the dwelling of Humphrey Nicoll,
esq. Commissioner for the Peace, that married ―――― Cudworth.
In this parish as I take it, or St. Kew, is still to be seen the ruins
of a once famous and treble intrenchment of our ancestors the
Britains, called Dameliock Castle, and taxed by the name of Dimelihoc,
in the Domesday Book 1087, wherein Gothlois, (i. e. purple back or
spear,) Earl of Cornwall immured or fortified himself against Uter
Pendragon’s soldiers: in which place he was by them slain about the
fifth century, as our annalists tell us (see Dundagell).
Damelyock, alias Daimelack, as a monosyllable in British, Scotch, and
Irish, signifies the hazard, skirmish, or battle house or place. The
lands about this fort and castle, since its first erection, have been
enclosed and cultivated, so that now it is comparatively defaced, but
not so much as to obscure this treble ditch, camp, or intrenchment,
from the sight of spectators or observators, or to obliterate its
ancient name aforesaid; but query, whether this Dameliock Castle be
not in St. Kew and St. Teath?
Those Billings, alias Trelawders, mentioned on the other side, were
gentlemen of blood and arms of three or four descents, and at Hengar,
alias Hanger or St. Mabyn, married with the daughters of Blewet of
Colon (who gave for their arms, Gules, a chevron between three eagles
displayed Vert), Babb of Tingraze in Devon, Hockyn of Helland, and
Helston in Cornwall, and gave for their own arms, in a field Or, on a
bend Sable three stag’s or buck’s heads couped at the neck Or, attired
and armed of the Field. The which Billing, heir of St. Mabin, was
married to Hamley of Treblethick 1630.
Note further, that Tredinick of St. Breock gave the same arms as
Billing or Trelawder of Hengar, only differenced with the colour of
the stag’s or buck’s heads, viz. in a field Or, on a bend Sable, three
buck’s heads attired or armed Argent.