Mena-guise-y vicarage is situated in the hundred of Powder, and hath
upon the north St. Mewan, east St. Austell, south the British Channel,
west Gurran. For the modern name it may be interpreted either the hill
custom; otherwise, Mena-gusseg, after the Welsh, is the hill and waves
or surges of the sea.
I know Mr. Carew, in his Survey of Cornwall, (contrary to this
etymology) tells us that this church is called Menaguisey from its two
tutelar guardian Saints, Meny and Isey; query who they are or were,
for in the Agonal, or Legend, I can find no such Saints; besides, in
the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, into the
value of benefices in Cornwall, 1294, Ecclesia de la Mor-ike, in
decanatu de Powdre, (which must be this church) that is to say the
church of the sea cove, lake, or creek place, is valued at 40_s._ In
Wolsey’s Inquisition, 1521, it is called Menage-zey church, with the
appellation of Saint, and rated £6. The patronage formerly in
Bodrigan, now Edgecumb; the incumbent Mitchell; the rectory I take it
in Edgecumb; and the parish rated to the 4_s._ per pound Land Tax,
1696, £151. 13_s._
In the Domesday Book, 1087, this district or parish was taxed either
under the jurisdiction of Pentewan, or Goran, now on the east and west
side thereof.
Penwarne in this parish heretofore, if not now, the voke lands of some
manor, (as I take it still it is,) gave name and original to an old
family of gentlemen, surnamed de Penwarne; whose daughter and heir,
together with herself, carried those lands to Cosowarth, by whose
heiress it passed to Otwell Hill, Esq. that married Denham, descended
from the Hills of Lancashire; who gave for his arms, Gules, a chevron
between three garbs Ermine; from whose heir it passed, by sale or
descent, to John Carew, merchant, that married Hellman, who by her had
issue only five daughters: 1. married to Lewis Tremayne, of Halligan,
Esq.; 2. Candia, to Hugh Trevanion, of Treligan, Esq.; 3. Grace, the
youngest daughter, was married to Robert Hoblyn, of Nanswiddon, Esq.;
4. to his second brother Richard Hoblyn, of Antron, Esq.
barrister-at-law; 5. to Edward Hoblyn, of Bodmin, attorney-at-law.
The which gentlemen, in order to raise their marriage fortunes, sold
those lands to Arthur Fortescue, of Filleigh, in Devon, Esq. lineally
descended from Sir John Fortescue, Knight, Lord Chief Justice and Lord
High Chancellor of England, temp. Henry VI. 1442.
Tre-levan, or Tre-lauan, was formerly the lands of Trewoolla, of
Trewoolla, in Gorran; it is now the dwelling of Henry Vincent, Esq.
barrister-at-law, and member of parliament for the borough of Truro.