St. Probus is situate in the hundred of Powder, and is bounded to the
west by St. Erme, St. Clement’s, St. Michael Penkivell and Merther, to
the north by Ladock and St. Stephen’s, to the east by St. Stephen’s
also and Creed, to the south by St. Cuby and Cornelly.
In the year 1291, the 20th of Edward the First, the rectory of this
parish was valued at £12, being then appropriated to the college
there; the vicarage, i_l._ vi_s._ viii_d._; and the prebends,
£. _s._ _d._
Porcio Mag’ri Thome de Ainton (or Bucton) 2 0 0
Porcio Joh’is de Bristol 2 10 0
Porcio Gilb’ti de Frendon 1 0 0
Porcio Mag’ri de Hendre 2 0 0
In Wolsey’s valuation, the vicarage of this parish with Cornelly, and
under the denomination of Probus Groguth, are valued at £13. 6_s._
8_d._ The patronage in the Bishop of Exeter. The sheaf held partly by
impropriation, and partly by lease from the Bishop of Exeter, by
Philip Hawkins, esq. The incumbent is Mr. Reynolds.
That part of the parish which joins with St. Clement’s is held from
the great Duchy manor of Moresk.
The barton of Trehane, which signifies the Old Town, gave name to an
ancient family who flourished a long time in this place, and gave for
their arms, Argent, three bars Sable, charged with nine martlets of
the First.
―― Scawen, gent. sold this barton in the early part of the 17th
century, to John Williams of Carvean, esq. only brother to William
Williams of Trewithgy, esq. Mr. Williams built a large brick house
here, but died very soon after that he got into it, leaving three
daughters by his wife, the only daughter and heir of John Courtenay of
Tregelles, gent. who died a few days before him in childbed; for grief
of which, it is said, he broke his heart: he left three daughters,
Mary, Ann, and Catherine, all very young, and up to this time all
unmarried (about 1730). But that his estate might not be divided, he
gave it solely to his eldest daughter Mary, who now possesses it, with
a considerable estate of the duchy adjoining. The arms are the same
with Williams of Trevorva.
Not far from Trehane is Carvean, or the Little Town, which was the
seat in lease (it belonging to the manor of Gowlden) to the above
mentioned John Williams, esq. on whose death it fell into the lord’s
hand, who granted a new lease of it to William Hobbs, gent.
Joining with Carvean, there being nothing between them but a road, is
Trewother, which was for several generations the seat in lease of the
family of Huddy, the freehold being in the Trevanions of Carhays.
I next come to the manor of Trelowthes, which I take to be the same
which is called by Mr. Carew Trelowith, which means the town place of
trees.
Next is the manor of Trewithgy, alias Trenowith, alias Treworgy; but
as I take the first to be the right name, I give its interpretation,
which doth signify a town of trees by the river.
Francis Tregian, pronounced Trudgean, forfeited this with his other
estates.
Trevorva, which may mean Trevor and va, for da, the dwelling on the
good road, but called so, I suppose, by the rule of contraries, the
road being one of the deepest and worst in the whole country; but
which according to the old proverb is