The ancient name of this parish, Minster, and the more recent one
Manac-an, conspire to point it out as the locality of some religious
establishment, since Manack is the Cornish word identical with Monk,
and evidently from the same root, while an is the article, but
although adjectives in all the Celtic dialects are placed after the
substantive, yet the article regularly precedes it, and this inversion
throws some doubt on the meaning of the compound word, more especially
as not the slightest trace exists of any monastic institution within
this parish in any authentic record, nor does tradition point out a
spot where the foundation of a building can be perceived.
There is not any thing worth remarking about the church; it is
pleasantly situated, and surrounded by a neat church town. The
vicarage house is good; it was honoured by the residence, during some
years, of our distinguished poet, historian, and divine, the Rev.
Richard Polwhele, till he resigned it for Newlyn, a better living,
most properly bestowed on him by Dr. Carey, then Bishop of Exeter.
The only other village of consequence in this parish is Helford, where
is a passage across the river, of greater breadth than any other in
Cornwall, and various branches of trade are conducted at this place.
Kestell was formerly the seat of a family giving or deriving their
name from this place; their arms, Or, three castles Gules, may still
be seen over the entrance to the house. The property now belongs to
Lemon of Carclew.
Halvose was for many years the summer residence of Mr. Thomas Hawkins,
of Helston; it belongs at present to the family of Grylls.
This parish measures 1371 statute acres.
Annual value of the Real Property, as £. _s._ _d._
returned to Parliament in 1815 2711 0 0
Poor Rate in 1831 213 7 0
Population, { in 1801, | in 1811, | in 1821, | in 1831,
{ 498 | 506 | 591 | 654
giving an increase of 31 per cent. in 30 years.
The parish feast is kept on the nearest Sunday to the 14th of
October.
The Rev. Richard Polwhele was collated to the rectory of Manaccan by
Bishop Buller in 1794.