Roach is situate in the hundred of Powdre, and hath upon the north St.
Wenn and Withell, east Luxsillian, South St. Austell, West St. Dennis.
For the name, in old Gaulish British it signifies a rock of stone, not
unsuitable to the natural circumstances of this place; where, on a
level piece of ground, stands the loftiest single ragged rock this
county can shew, at least thirty foot high, and by it several other
rocks of less magnitude.
In the Domesday Book, 20 William I. 1087, this district was partly
taxed under the jurisdiction of Tre-roach, that is the rock town, now
Tre-garrek, or Trecarrek, (i. e. the rock town, also in Cornish,) the
voke lands of the still notable manor or lordship here so called; from
whence may be inferred, that before the Norman Conquest here was an
endowed rectory church, called Roch (i. e. Rock), and the village
adjoining, still Roach Town, and Roach Church Town.
Moreover, in the inquisition of the bishops of Lincoln and Winchester,
into the value of Cornish Benefices, 1294, Ecclesia de Rupe, in
decanatu de Powdre, i. e. after the Latin, the church of the Rock, or
the Rock church, was valued £6. 6_s._ 8_d._
In Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, the rectory of Roach was valued in £20.
The patronage in coparcenary between Arundell of Lanherne and Heart
alternately, (by a title derived from the heirs of De Rupes, or
Roaches, who endowed it). The incumbent Treweeke. This parish was
rated to the four shillings per pound Land Tax for one year, 1696,
£147. 13_s._ 6_d._
Moreover, in this parish, whereof I treat, upon the top of the stony
rock before mentioned, is still extant the moorstone walls, durnes,
and windows (the roof long since dilapidated or demolished by time),
an ancient chapel for divine service; though now, by reason the old
stone stairs ascending thereto are pulled down by the tenants of the
manor aforesaid, and converted to common uses, the access thereto is
very difficult and dangerous. The wall consists of about twenty feet
in length, ten feet in height, and about twelve in breadth; one part
of it is cut by art out of the natural rock, about thirty feet high
from the ground; the other part built of lime and stone, so strong and
curious, that neither time, wind, nor weather can yet disfigure it. In
its garret over, as appears by the beam holes, there was formerly a
lodge or planchin (both which as aforesaid, long since, with the roof,
are fallen to the ground). In this chapel wall is towards the east a
large moorstone window where the altar stood, with a moorstone door or
durns on the south for entrance, and another such door leading to the
west, through which you are brought out into a little garden plot and
tye-pit on the Rock, that overlooks the country many miles round. Who
built this chapel, whether the De Rupes, lords thereof, or others, it
is not recorded, nor at what time. But most certain it is, that from
this stone rock, the chapel, church, and parish have the denomination
Roach.
Mr. Carew in his Survey of Cornwall, p. 139, (p. 324 Lord
Dunstanville’s edit.) tells us, that near this rock there is another,
which having a pit in it, containeth water, which ebbs and flows as
the sea doth. I was thereupon very curious to inspect this matter, and
found it was only a hole artificially cut in a stone about twelve
inches deep and six broad; wherein, after rayne, a pool of water
stands; which, afterwards with fair weather vanisheth away and is
dried up; and then again on the falling of rain water is replenished
accordingly; which, with dry weather, abates as aforesaid (for upon
those occasions I have seen it to have water in its pit, and again to
be without it), which doubtless gave occasion to the feigned report
that it ebbs and flows as the sea: of all which premisses thus speaks
Mr. Carew further out of the Cornish Wonder-Gatherer:
You neighbour-scorners, holy, proud,
Goe people Roache’s cell,
Far from the world and neer to the Heavens;
There, hermitts, may you dwell.
Is’t true the Springe in Rock hereby
Doth tidewise ebb and flowe;
Or have we fooles with lyars met?
Fame says its, be it soe.
The last tradition of this hermitage chapel is, that when it was kept
in repair, a person diseased with a grievous leprosy, was either
placed or fixed himself therein, where he lived till the time of his
death, to avoid infecting others; who was daily attended with meat,
drink, washing, and lodging, by his daughter, named Gunett or Gundred;
and the well hereby from whence she fetched water for his use is to
this day shown, and called by the name of St. Gunett’s well, for St.
Gundred’s well.
Tre-Roach, alias Tregarreck, i. e. the Rock town as aforesaid, before
the Norman Conquest was in the possession of an old British family,
from thence denominated Treroach, afterwards surnamed De Rupe or De
Rupes after the Latin; and again, after the Gaulish French De Roach,
i. e. of the rock: of which family Ralph de Rupe held in Cornwall by
tenure of knight service three knight’s fees of land, tempore Richard
I. 1189.――Mr. Carew’s Survey of Cornwall, p. 49. That is to say, for a
man to bear arms in defence of his country was the tenure thereof:
viz. at his own proper cost and charges.
Tremoderet en Hell, in this parish, i. e. Aunt’s Hall Town, a place
heretofore notable for its hall, was the vokelands of a considerable
manor in Roach, taxed in the Domesday Book 1087 (near which is yet to
be seen the ruins of Sacra-fons, or Holywell, free chapel or burying
place); which formerly was the lands of Bodrigan, who forfeited it by
attainder of treason on the part of Richard III. against King Henry
VII. who settled it by an entail gift upon his privy councillor Sir
Richard Edgcumb, knight, whose posterity are now in full possession
thereof.
Hens, alias Hains Burrow, i. e. old ancient graves or tumuli, situate
upon the confines of this parish and St. Austell, being the highest
mountain or pyramid or promontory of land in Cornwall, upon the top of
which unparalleled great tumulus or burying place was the Cornish Avoh
Bicken, becken, or beacon; that is to say, the signal, the bakininge
watchhouse, or proclamation house; wherein, in times of war, one
person was lodged to discover the approach of enemies’ fleets of ships
on the sea coasts of Cornwall, and from this place he overlooked part
of the Irish sea, Atlantic ocean, and British channel; who,
accordingly on the discovery of enemies, was to set fire to his little
hut of combustible materials wherein he slept and resided, to give
notice, alarm the people, and to make signal, beconinge, or
proclamation, to all other bickens to do the like. For heretofore
every other parish in Cornwall, upon the highest lands of their said
parish, had one of those bickens, beckeners, or beacons, for the same
end and purposes. Now those words bicken, becken, beacon, in British,
are synonymous, and signify to becken, cry out, to publish, to make
known, or to proclaim any matter or thing. (See also Floyd on the word
Proclamation.) Of this Hainsburrow Bicken. Mr. Carew, in his Survey of
Cornwall, out of the Cornish Wonder-Gatherer, supplies me with those
rhymes:--
Haynes-burrow’s wide prospect at once
Both feeds and glutts your eye;
With Cornwall’s whole extent, as it
In length and breadth doth lye.
Note further, that at coll-freth, i. e. strong neck or promontory of
land, is the ruins of an old decayed Christian or Druidan chapel,
under the walls of which is a well of pure, rapid, and chrystalline
water, not far from Pen-ta-vale Fenton aforesaid.
Note also, that haine in French is hatred, strife, contention.
In the side of this mountain or promontory of land, under a rush bush
in the Downes, is the original fountain of water called in British
Pen-ta-vale Fenton; that is to say, the head, sacred, or consecrated
vale, or valley well, or spring of water; from whence in Ptolemy, the
Greek Geographer, Anno Dom. 140, we have Valubia and Cornwalia; as
from it also we have the old name of Grampound Burrough, coyt-vala;
that is, the vale wood, or wood on the river vale, part of which wood
is still extant. Also the name of the priory of St. Mary de Vale,
formerly in St. Anthony parish in Powdre; as also the name of the
famous harbour of Fal or Vale Mouth, known heretofore to Phœnicians,
Greeks, and Romans, under the names of ικτα, Ikta, cove, or
harbourgood, and, οςτει, Ostei; οςτειονες, Osteiones; that is, the
mouth or entrance into the promontory of Cornvaile, or the Vale river.
In this parish, at ――――, liveth Mr. John Keen, a surgeon, who hath
by his skill and care in his profession got himself considerable
reputation and riches thereby,