Mr. Willis, in his Rot. Parliamentaria, vol. ii. p. 27, gives this
account of it: “This borough was, in like manner as spoken of in
Launceston, held in the time of the Conqueror by Robert Earl of Morton
and Cornwall; and afterwards, as that did, belonged to Richard,
brother to King Henry the Third, created Earl of Cornwall in the 15th
year of his reign, who made this place a free borough, and granted to
the burgesses all those liberties and free customs which he, by his
charter, had before granted to his burgesses of Launceston and
Helston. This charter is dated the 5th of June, anno 1240, in the 24th
year of the reign of his brother King Henry the Third, about ten years
after the date of Launceston charter, as I guess. To this Richard
succeeded Edmund Earl of Cornwall, his son, who in the 3d year of the
reign of Edward I. granted this whole burgh, with the rent of the
same, &c. and toll of the market and fairs, and all fines, mulcts, and
perquisites thereof belonging to him and his heirs, in fee farm, at
the rent of £18 sterling; upon which conditions the said borough being
leased to the townsmen, has remained in their hands ever since, and
the corporation at present enjoy the profits of the fairs and markets,
&c. which yield them about £200 per annum. The royalty of this borough
has been in like manner as that at Launceston, vested in the Duchy
ever since Edward the Third’s time; and the Dukes of Cornwall, as
tenants of the Crown, have received the said fee-farm rent till the
reign of the late King William, who alienated the same, and gave it to
the present Lord Somers, to whom the corporation pay the abovesaid
chief rent of £18.”
Leland, Itinerary, vol. iii. lob. 19, saith, “The towne knowlegith
freedom and privileges by the gift of Richard, King of Romanes and
Earl of Cornewaul.” Perhaps by him this place was antiently
incorporated; but the present charter doth not say when or by whom,
for thus runs the last Visitation: “The towne and burrough of
Liskeret, alias Liskerd, was antiently incorporated by the name of
Mayor and Burgesses of Liskeret, alias Liskerd, and re-incorporated
the 6th day of July, in the 29th year of Queen Elizabeth, by the same
name of Mayor and Burgesses, and by that name to have perpetual
succession; and enabled in law to purchase lands, tenements, and
liberties, and likewise to assign the same, and by the same name to
plead and be impleaded; and that the borough and corporation should
consist of 9 Burgesses, which shall be called the Common Councell of
the said burrough, whereof one for the time being shall be yearly
chosen for Mayor, to have power to chuse a Steward and Recorder. That
the Mayor and Burgesses shall have a common seal for their affairs;
and that the Mayor and Recorder shall be Justices of the Peace within
the said burrough (of which new corporation, granted by Queen
Elizabeth, John Hunkin was the first Mayor), with diverse other
privileges and immunities, as by their charter doth appear. And at
this present visitation, the 12th day of October, 1620, was Edward
Chapman, Mayor, Sᵗ William Wrey, Knight, Recorder, John Hunkin, Gent.
High Steward, Thomas Jane, John Vosper, Martin Sampson, John Pott,
Jeffrie Clarke, John Taperell, and William Grege, Chief Burgesses, and
Walter Nicholls, Town Clark, of the said town and burrough.”
Mr. Willis goes on: “As for the right of election of Members of
Parliament, ’tis vested in these nine capital burgesses and fifteen
assistants, with others who are free of the borough, as many of the
neighbouring gentlemen are; so that the whole number of electors is
near about 100, who are all sworn freemen. The town of Leskeard is
very large and populous, and contains (as I am informed) about 500
houses. It has a very considerable market, and perhaps the greatest in
this county. It was in Leland’s time the best except Bodmin, which it
much exceeds now, [this is a great mistake,] as the town does in
buildings. This being in all respects one of, if not the biggest and
best built in Cornwall [I take Falmouth to exceed by much every way,
and so doth Truro too in building, if not bigness]; ’tis situate
partly on rocky hills, and partly in a bottom. On the eastern ascent
of the hill stands the church (of which more by and by). On the north
side of the town stood the castle, of which Leland speaks thus: ‘There
was a castle on an hill in the town side, by north from St. Martin. It
is now all in ruin; fragments and pieces of waulles yet stand. The
site of it is magnificent, and looketh over all the town. This castle
was the Earles of Cornwall.’”
Mr. Willis continues: “In this town is an admirable conduit of water
(this Leland too mentions), which plentifully supplies the streets
about the market-place, which lies in a bottom about the middle of the
borough; and from thence branch several other streets, divers of which
lie on steep ascents. The town is near four furlongs over every way,
and in some parts the houses stand scattered, though the streets are
generally broad. This is one of the towns for coinage of tin (but
there are hardly ―――― blocks of tin coined here in a whole year, the
works in its neighbourhood being rather neglected than worn out); and
was remarkable, anno 1642, for the defeat of the Parliament army by
Sir Ralph Hopton, a memorial of which was put up in the church. The
market, in Leland’s time mentioned to be observed on the Monday, is
now kept on Saturday. The town hall stands on stone pillars, and is a
good building. At the top is a clock-turret, having four dials. It was
erected about the year 1707, by Mr. Dolben, one of the Members for
this town, at near £200 expense. There has been given also to this
corporation very handsome presents of plate, with two large silver
maces well gilt, as are several of their silver cups, round one of
which, in most constant use, is this engraved:
‘Qui fallit poculum, fallit in omnibus.’”