The head of the valley [or rather, the Hill of the Heath,] which hath
given a name and dwelling to a very ancient family, seated there (it
is said) before the Conquest.
It is pleasantly seated on the side of the Looe Pool, which for the
most part belongs to it, of which Mr. Carew (fol. 152) thus, “Under it
(Heilston) runneth the river Lo, whose passage into the sea is
thwarted by a sandy bank, which forceth the same to quurt back a great
way, and so to make a pool of some miles in compass. It breedeth a
peculiar kind of bastard trout, in bigness and goodness exceeding such
as live in the fresh water, but coming short of those who frequent the
salt. The fore-remembered bank serveth as a bridge to deliver
wayfarers, with a compendious passage, to the other side; howbeit
sometimes with more haste than good speed, for now and then it is so
pressed on the inside with the increasing river’s weight, and a
portion of the outer sand so washed down by the waves, that at a
sudden out breaketh the upper part of the Poole and away goeth a great
deal of the sand, water, and fish, which instant, if it take any
passenger tardy, shrewdly endangereth him to flit for company, and
some have so miscarried.
“To this Pool adjoineth Mr. Penrose his house, whose kind
entertainment hath given me and many others experience of
these matters. He married the daughter of Rashleigh. He
beareth, Argent, three bends Sable, charged with nine roses
of the Field.” But before I leave the Loo Pool, I must
observe that the name of the river is taken from the Pool,
for such are called Loghs or Los in our ancient tongue.
Neither is the bar which forms it of sand; but Leland gives
this account of it (Itin. vol. VIII. fol. 3), “Lo-Poole is a
two miles in length, and betwixt it and the mayn se is but a
barre of sande; and ons in three or four years, what by the
wait of the fresch water and rage of the se, it brekith out,
and then the fresch and salt water meting makith a wonderful
noise; but soon after the mouth is barred again with sande.
At other tymes the superfluitie of the water of Lo-Poole
drenith out through the sandy barre unto the se. If this
barre might be alway kept open, it would be a goodly haven up
to Heilston. The commune fische of this Poole is trout and
ele.”
The present lord of this manor is Edward Penrose, Esq. who is yet
unmarried. He succeeded Robert Corker, Esq. on his death, A.D. 1731,
as receiver of the duchy of Cornwall, and is in the Commission of the
Peace and Lieutenancy. His father, Edward Penrose, Esq. was a very
worthy good-natured gentleman, and was likewise a Justice of the
Peace. He married ――――, the daughter of James Praed, of Trevetho, Esq.
by whom he had also one daughter ――――, married to James Keigwyn, of
Mousehole, Esq. and since dead without issue. His grandfather Richard
Penrose, Esq. was Sheriff of Cornwall 17 Henry VIII.