Men-hyn-yet, Men-hin-iet vicarage, is situate in the hundred of East,
and hath upon the north Linkinhorne, east Quethiock, south St.
Germans, west Leskeard. For the modern name of this parish, it is
taken from the manor of Men-hin-iet within the same; which is
compounded or conjugated of Cornish and Saxon, and signifies old or
ancient stone gate; for the terminative particle yet, jet, in Saxon
signifies a gate (as porth in British). This manor is one of the
franchises of Cornwall, privileged with the jurisdiction and freedom
of a court leet, for plea of debt or damage between party and party,
within the precincts thereof, by the Kings of England or Earls of
Cornwall; and hath its steward and bailiff to attend the public
services thereof, as the hundred of East hath.
At the time of the Norman Conquest this district was taxed under the
jurisdiction of Trehavock, now Trehawke, of which more under. In the
Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, into the value
of Cornish benefices, 1294, Ecclesia de Manyhynyet, (id est, English
Saxon, and Cornish, many ancient or old gate,) in decanatu de Est, is
rated £8. In Wolsey’s Inquisition, 1521, £21. 15_s._ 4_d._ The
patronage in Exeter College, in Oxford; none but Fellows admittable to
the cure; the incumbent Snell; and the parish rated to the 4_s._ per
pound Land Tax, 1696, temp. William III. £332. 6_s._ by the name of
Men-hyn-iet, as aforesaid.
Men is the common contraction of meyn, mein, main, a stone; and hyn,
him, the corruption of hen, heyn, hain, old, ancient. See Floyd upon
Lapis.
This manor of Men-hyn-yet, as I remember, was formerly the lands of
one Carmenow, a soldier or military man; by whose daughter and heir it
came first in marriage to Trelawny, in Edward the Fourth’s days.
Within the precincts of which lordship is situate the house and barton
of Poole, so called after the English from the natural circumstances
of the place; where, by reason of the level or evenness of the town
place, in winter season many lakes and pools of water stand. Of which
place thus speaks Mr. Carew, in his Survey of Cornwall: “Poole, for
its lowe and moyst seate, is not unaptly named, houseth Sir Jonathan
Trelawny, far beneath his worth and callinge. He marryed Sir Henry
Killigrew’s daughter, his father the coheir of Reskimer, his
grandfather Lamellyn’s inheritrix. His arms are Argent, a chevron
Sable, between three oak leaves Vert.”
There is a public fair held yearly in this church town, on June 11.
Ten-creek, Den-creek, in this parish, was formerly the lands and
possessions of Richard Earl of Cornwall, King of the Romans, second
son of King John; who probably at some time lived at it (as also at
his castle of Leskeard), for in the old dilapidated houses of this
once famous fabric, I saw the ruins of a moorstone oven, about
fourteen foot diameter, in testimony of the hospitality once kept
here. And moreover, in the front of the castlewise moorstone gate, or
portal, I beheld his arms cut in stone; viz. within a bordure
bezantée, a lion rampant crowned, whose arms in colours I think ought
to be thus blazoned: ill port ung lyon rampant de Gowles, en Argent,
bordure de Sable, talentée.
Here groweth a sort of tree, bearing a strange sort of leaves and
fruit, or berries, not seen in any other part of Cornwall, and
therefore without name given it by me or others.
Tre-havock, in this parish, Cornish Saxon, id est, the hawk town, was
taxed in the Domesday Book, 1087, as the voke lands of a parish or
manor which now is suitably called after the Cornish English
Tre-hauke; for that it seems heretofore it was a place notable for
keeping, mewing, or breeding hawks (or for that those lands were held
by the tenure of paying hawks to its lord); from which place was
denominated an old family of gentlemen surnamed de Tre-hauke, who gave
for their arms, in a field Sable, a chevron between three hawks. It is
now in the possession of Peter Keckwich, Esq. descended from the
Keckwiches of Catch-French, as they were from the Keckwiches of Essex;
who give for their arms, Argent, two lions in bend passant Sable,
cottised Gules.
Cur-tuth-oll, lands as I am informed heretofore pertaining to the nuns
or nunnery of Clares, at Leskeard, according to the name thereof;
after whose dissolution, 32 Henry VIII. it came to Becket, who gave
for his arms, in a field Sable, a fess between three boar’s heads
couped, and six cross-crosslets fitchee Or; in memory of the
Archbishop.
From Becket this place came by sale to Harris; from Harris to Hamlyn;
from Hamlyn to Cole, now in possession thereof, who was steward to
Francis Roberts, Esq. and got riches in the service of the Earl of
Radnor.
Tre-wint, in this parish, id est, the spring or well town, is the
dwelling of Thomas Kelly, Gent.
Dr. John Moorman, Vicar of this church, was the first minister in
Cornwall that said or taught the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments,
and the Creed in the English tongue. (See Feock and Creed.) He also
catechised the children therein; which I judge was in the latter end
of King Henry the Eighth’s, or the beginning of King Edward the
Sixth’s reign, 1549; for then by proclamation were called in all books
of the Latin service for churches; and the Bishops commanded in their
several dioceses that forthwith should be warned, all prebendaries of
their cathedral churches, all parsons, vicars, curates, and the
churchwardens of every parish within their dioceses, to bring in and
deliver up particularly.
In this parish was formerly extant a hospital for lepers, that had
competent lands and revenues.