St. Sennen is situate in the hundred of Penwith, and hath upon the
north St. Just, south St. Levan, east Buryan, west the Land’s End and
the Atlantic Ocean. As for the name, if it be compounded of Sen-nan,
it signifies the holy valley; but most likely the name is derived from
the tutelar guardian and patron of this church.
At the time of the Norman Conquest this district was taxed under the
jurisdiction of Buryan, on which it is still dependant in spirituals
as a daughter church. And if this church were extant, and endowed at
the time of the first inquisition into the value of Cornish Benefices
1294, it then was rated also under Buryan. Lastly, this parish was
rated to the four shillings per pound Land Tax 1696, at £57. 12_s._
0_d._ by the name of Sennan.
Upon view of this church 1700, the sexton shewed me the headless
bodies of some images of human shape cut in alabaster, that were not
long before found hid in the walls of the same, all curiously wrought,
which also had been painted with gold, vermillion, and blue bice, on
several parts of their garments. He also shewed me an inscription on
the foot of the font stone, which he told me several Bishops of Exeter
and their priests, in their triennial visitations at Buryan and this
church, had viewed and inspected, but could not read it; whereupon, in
like manner, I observed on the font-stone the said inscription in a
barbarous strange character or letters, of which I could see but part,
by reason a new pew or seat was built on a part of it; however, I
interpreted that which I saw to consist of these letters, Anno Dom.
mille CCCCXX or XL, in the year of our Lord 1420 or 1440. Let the
curious remove the seat and explain the rest; probably this church was
then erected.
At Pen-ros in this parish, i. e. the head of the valley, near some
high promontory of lands, is the dwelling of Henry Jones, esq. some
time Commissioner for the Peace and Taxes, who married Tonkyn of
Newlyn.
Trevear in this parish, i. e. the great or greater town, is the
dwelling of John Ellis, gent. Attorney at Law, who married ――――
Davies, and giveth for his arms in a field Argent, three eels Proper,
after the English, out of a supposed allusion to the name Ellis;
whereas, ellis, elles, in British, is a son-in-law by the wife; and
els, ells, a son-in-law by the husband. And as gealvy is an eel fish
in Scotch and Irish, so malsay is an eel in Welsh British. See Floyd,
page 218; and sleane is a conger fish in Cornish; and lilly, silli, is
an ele or eele, in that language. See Floyd on Anguilla.
This parish affords very little wheat corn, by reason it is a naked
country exposed to the wind and sharp air of the sea in winter season,
which washes or frets the same out of the ground at that time, unless
it stands in the valleys or close places between the hills against the
south or east; nevertheless it is abundantly supplied with barley
corn, the soil producing, generally, with little husbandry or
cultivation, twenty Cornish bushels in most acres; that is to say,
about sixty Winchesters.
In this parish is situate the most remote north-west promontory or
head-land of the Island of Great Britain, where it is not above an
arrow’s flight breadth (at the end thereof), the lands naturally or
gradually declining from St. Just, and Chapel Carne Braye, four miles
distant, to this place, and the sea at least eighty fathom under those
places; where, as it were in a low valley, it meets the waves of the
Atlantic Sea, or West Ocean, and parts some of the Irish Sea and
British Channel asunder by its horned promontory of land; which shows
that opinion and tradition of the lands extending further west of old
towards Scilly, to be a vulgar error and a fable; for if it had
stretched more westerly than it doth in this lower valley, and no
higher pitch or degree, the flux and reflux of the sea or tides would
inevitably overflow it. Or had there been any considerable parcel of
ground there broke off from the insular continent of Britain, (as
tradition saith the country of Lioness was,) by some inundation,
earthquake, or accidental concussion, it must have been much higher
land than the contiguous country of the Land’s End is. Otherwise it
could not exist there as aforesaid; but it is not likely there was
ever any such land, since no fracture or disjointing of the earth
appears on the confines or summit thereof.
Though at low water there is to be seen far off towards Scilly,
(probably so called from the abundance of eel or conger fishes taken
there, called sillys or lillis,) for a mile or more a dangerous strag
of ragged rocks, amongst which the Atlantic Sea, and the waves of St.
George’s and the British Channel meeting, make a dreadful bellowing
and rumbling noise at half ebb and half flood: which let seamen take
notice of, to avoid them.
Of old there was one of those rocks more notable than the rest, which,
tradition saith, was ninety feet above the flux and reflux of the sea,
with an iron spire at the top thereof, which was overturned or thrown
down by a violent storm 1647, and the rock broken in three pieces.
This iron spire, as the additions to Camden’s Britannia inform us, was
thought to have been erected there by the Romans, or set up as a
trophy there by King Athelstan when he first conquered the Scilly
Islands (and was in those parts); but it is not very probable such a
piece of iron in this salt sea and air, without being consumed by
rust, could endure so long a time. However it is or was, certain I am
it commonly was called in Cornish, An Marogeth Arvowed, i. e. the
armed knight; for what reason I know not, except erected by or in
memory of some armed knight; as also carne-an peul, id est, the spile,
spire, pole, or javelin rock. Again, remember silly, lilly, is in
Cornish and Armoric language a conger fish or fishes, from whence
Silly Islands is probably denominated, as elsewhere noted.
This place is called by the Welsh Bards Pen-ryn-Pen-wid, that is to
say, Penwith Hill Head Tree, or the hill of the Head Tree, or Penwith
Cantred. By the Cornish Britains, Pedn-an-lase, i. e. the Green Head
or Promontory, and by others, Antyer Deweth, the Land’s End.