Withiel is situate in the hundred of Pider, and hath upon the north
St. Breock, east Lannyvet, south Roach, west St. Wenn. As for those
names, they are synonymous in Cornish, and signify in that phrase, a
place of trees, which heretofore it was; and is so called, for that
this church is situate upon the manor of Withell Goose, i. e. Tree
Wood, or a place heretofore consisting in its voke lands of a wood of
trees (neither is it altogether destitute of wood and trees to this
day, though within the memory of man, much of them have been cut down
for buildings and charcoal there, and all the parish over).
At the time of the Norman Conquest, this district was rated in the
Domesday Book by the name of Ber-neves (still the voke lands of a
manor in this parish, of which, see more under), as also Trenant or
Trenance. In the inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester
into the value of Cornish Benefices, Ecclesia de Withell, in decanatu
de Pider, was rated at £4. In Wolsey’s Inquisition, 1621, £10. The
patronage was formerly in the Prior of Bodman, who endowed it out of
his manor of Withell Goos aforesaid; which lands and patronage, when
that Priory was dissolved, fell to the Crown, from whence it passed to
Glanvill of Killivor; from Glanvill to Vivian of Truan; from Vivian of
Truan, by marriage of his daughter, to Vivian of Trelowarren, now in
possession thereof; the incumbent ―――― Wood; and the parish rated to
the four shillings per pound Land Tax 1696, for one year, tempore
William III. £18. 4_s._ 2_d._
Thomas Vivian, Prior of St. Pedyr at Bodmyn, Bishop of Megara, a city
of Achaia in Greece, on the borders of Attica, built the rectory house
in this place, as appears from his paternal coat armour, and that of
the arms of Megara bishoprick, lately extant in the glass windows
thereof, tempore Henry VII. and VIII.
Bor, Ber, or Bur-nevas or Nefas, is still the voke lands of an ancient
dismembered manor, taxed as aforesaid, otherwise Buro-neves.
Tre-nance in this parish, i. e. the valley town, or town in the
valley, was also rated in the Domesday Book 1087, as then the voke
lands of a manor, which place gave name and original to an old family
of gentlemen surnamed de Trenance, one of which family married
Littleton’s heir, and afterwards removed to Lanhydrock, whereof they
were lords, tempore James I. when Littleton Trenance, esq. sold that
barton to the Lord Robartes, as a younger branch of this family,
living at Black Haye in this parish, sold Trenance to Mapowder; and
Mapowder sold it to Bone; Bone gave it to Harris of St. Stephen’s; and
Harris sold it to Hawkins, now in possession of part thereof. The
other moiety of this little barton of Trenance, is in possession of
the Arundells of Lanherne.
John Trenance of Black Haye, gent. had issue by ―――― ―――― only three
daughters, married to Elford of Roach or St. Dennis, Buckingham of
Probus, and Randolph of this parish; the which Mr. Elford is now in
possession thereof [who sold it to Pomery his son-in-law, who leased
it to Mr. Trewerne, Rector of Withell.[23]]
The arms of Trenance, out of a supposed allusion to their name, after
the Latin, is taken as a corruption of Tre-ensis, i. e. three swords;
whereas, Trenance is the name of a local place, and signifies as
aforesaid, and Try-clothes, Try-glodes, is three swords.
Bryn, i. e. a hill or lofty place, tempore Edward IV. was the lands of
Beare of Killygarth, by whose daughter and heir it came in marriage,
together with his other lands, to Peter Bevill, a younger branch of
Gwarnack house; whose son, Sir William Bevill, dying without issue
male, his brother, Philip Bevill, became his heir; who had issue only
one daughter named Elizabeth, which was married to Sir Bernard
Grenville of Stowe, knight, in whose issue by her, the name, blood,
and estate of this Bevill is terminated. The which Sir Bernard, and
his lady big with child, for health and diversion residing at Bryn
aforesaid, the said lady happened to fall into childbirth, and there
was well delivered of her first-born son, who afterwards was baptised
at the font by the name of Bevill; which afterwards proved to be that
famous and renowned though unfortunate hero, Sir Bevill Grenville,
knight, slain at Lansdowne in Somerset, on the part and behalf of King
Charles I. against the parliament army.
Bryn is still the lands of Grenville, and by lease in possession of
Robins, who as I have heard, hath since purchased the fee thereof from
Grenville’s heirs.