Redruth is situated in the hundred of Penwith, and is bounded to the
east and north by Illogan, to the east by St. Agnes, to the south by
Gwenap and Stithians. This town and parish takes its name from ryd, a
ford, and ruth, red, the red ford, from its being a ford over a river
so coloured by the tin works round it. [Ryd (C.) is a ford, as
ryd-helik is the Willow-ford; and rydh, rud (C.) is red, as pedn-rydh
is red-headed. W.]
It is a rectory, valued in the King’s Book at £19. 11_s._ but by the
Bishop’s Book, £20. The patronage in John Pendarves Basset, esq. in
right of his manor of Tehidy, which extendeth itself all over this
parish; the incumbent Mr. Hugh Ley. (dead in 1734, now Mr. John
Collins.) All the lands in this parish are within the royalty, and
held from the manor of Tehidy. I shall begin with