Lanwhitton, vulgo Lawhitton, is in the hundred of East; and hath to
the west South Pederwin, to the north Launceston, to the east the
river Tamar, to the south Lezant.
As for the name, I take Whitton to be the same as Whidden, white or
fair; so as to signify the white or fair church, from the beauty of
its first building. It is a rectory valued in the King’s books at
19_l._ 6_s._ 8_d._ The Bishop of Exeter is the patron.
All this parish doth in a manner entirely belong to the Bishop of
Exeter’s great manor of Lanwhitton.
I shall begin therewith: Mr. Camden tells you that this was one of the
three manors given by Edward the elder about the year 905 to the
Bishop of Kirton, from whom, on the union of the sees, it came to the
Bishop of Exeter, in whose hands it hath ever since continued.
By an extract from the Register of John de Grandison, Bishop of
Exeter, from 1327 to 1369, it appears that at an Assizes held at
Launceston, before John de Berwick, Walter de Burveton, Henry
Spigurnel, John Ralph, and Henry de Stainton, Justices Itinerant,
Thomas Bishop of Exeter was summoned to answer to our Lord the King by
what authority he held the different royalties in the manors of
Lanwhitton, St. Germans, and Poulton, and certain other privileges in
Tregear and Penryn, with a free market, fairs, &c.; and free warren
over all lands belonging to the see throughout Cornwall. And the said
Bishop, by his attorney, comes into court and saith, That as to the
free market and fairs, and free warren, that the Lord Henry, father to
our Lord the King that now is, did grant to one William, lately Bishop
of Exeter, his predecessor, the said liberties to him and his
successors for ever; and produced the said King’s charter for the
same. And in respect to the liberties, he saith, that himself and his
predecessors have held them from time of which there is no memory,
without interruption, and therefore claims their continuance.
The jurors agree that the said Bishop and his predecessors had the
said liberties, &c. in his manor of Penryn; but as for the manor of
Tregear, that he and his predecessors had the same liberties from his
and their villains, and not from their free tenants, a tempore quo non
extat memoria, sine intermissione.
The Bishops of Exeter have been accustomed to farm out their manor on
lives to several gentlemen. The present farmers are――Francis Manaton,
Esq., William Clowberry, Esq., and Edward Bennet, of Hexworthy, Esq.
I now come to treat of the remarkable places of the said manor; and
first of the barton Hexworthy.
Hexworthy――the field of reeds, corrupted, by pronunciation, from hesk
or hesken, a reed or bulrush, and the Saxon worthing, a field. This
place has been for three or four descents the seat of the family of
Bennet. The present possessor, Edward Bennet, Esq., has been twice
married; first, to a daughter of Sir Walter Moyle, of Bake; and,
secondly, to a daughter of ―――― Coffin, Esq., of Portledge, in
Devonshire. The arms of Bennet are Gu. a Bezant between three
demi-lions Arg.
Bullsworthy, id est, the Bull’s-field (qu.? Ed.) This was lately the
seat, by copy of court roll under the farmers of this manor, of John
Coren, Esq., who in the reign of Queen Anne was in the Commission of
the Peace, and Deputy-Surveyor of the Duchy of Cornwall, who dying
without issue, left his estate to his widow; and on her decease it
fell to the three gentlemen above-named, lessees of the manor. Mr.
Coren derived himself from the Corens of St. Stephen’s, in Branwell,
and gave for his arms, Arg. a millrind between two martlets in fess
Sab. He left a part of his estate to a younger brother, now (November
1735) a captain of foot.