In Henry the Eighth’s reign, Leland described St. Austell as a poor
village, nor is it mentioned as a place of any consequence either by
Carew or Norden. It first rose into consequence from its vicinity to
Polgooth and other considerable mines: it is now a considerable
thoroughfare; the great road from Plymouth to the Land’s End was
brought through it about the year 1760. The export of china clay, the
decomposed or never consolidated felspar, to all the great
manufactories of earthenware throughout England, affords employment to
industry and to capital, in a manner more steady, and therefore more
permanently beneficial, than can ever be produced by the working of
mines.
To facilitate their commerce, and generally to improve the whole
district, a harbour was constructed at Seaforth about forty years ago
by Mr. Charles Rashleigh; a gentleman who will long be remembered, as
uniting strong abilities with energy of mind, and liberality as well
of practice as of sentiment. His name is perpetuated in the port and
in the buildings surrounding it, which have received by public
acclamation the appropriate distinction of Charlestown. [The spot was
formerly called Porthmear, and was too inconsiderable to be mentioned
in Martyn’s map. In 1790 it contained only nine inhabitants. In
consequence of the commodious harbour, the docks, and shipwrights’
yards, and the pilchard fishery established by Mr. Rashleigh, it has
gradually increased to be a large village. _Lysons._]
More recent inventions have suggested an iron railway from St. Austell
along the descending vale to a new harbour at Puntner, The works are
just now completed (1832), and they promise to add still greater
facilities to commerce than those at Charlestown.
The other principal villages in this parish are Carvath, Corbean,
Pentewan or Pentuan, Porthpean, Rescorla, Tregonissy, Tregorick,
Trenarren, and Trethergy.
The church and town of St. Austell are well worthy of notice. The
church is much decorated on its exterior surface of freestone by
figures and scrolls worked on the stone; and over the south porch is
an ancient inscription, KYCH INRI, never explained (engraved in
Lysons, p. ccxxxii). The tower, although not so lofty as that at
Probus, is perhaps more elegant in its form and proportion. The inside
of the church presents a light and pleasing appearance, in consequence
of the large space occupied by the windows.
The font is in the form of a bowl, carved with rude monsters, standing
on a round column, and supported by four small pillars, which have
monks’ heads for their capitals. It is engraved in Lysons, p.
ccxxxiii.
An almshouse, with six apartments for poor persons, was erected in
1809.
In the Archæologia, vol. ix. pl. viii. and vol. xi. pl. vii. are
engravings of a silver cup, several rings, and other pieces of
jewellery, of very early workmanship, which were found, together with
a coin of Burgred king of Mercia (expelled from his dominions in 874),
in a stream-work in this parish, in the year 1774. They were deposited
in a silver cup, which has since been used for the sacramental wine at
the church; and therefore had probably been originally collected at
some earlier period.
St. Austell measures 10,018 statute acres.
The annual value of the Real Property, as £. _s._ _d._
returned to Parliament in 1815 4,628 0 0
The Poor Rate in 1831 2,890 6 0
Population, { in 1801, | in 1811, | in 1821, | in 1831,
{ 3788 | 3686 | 6175 | 8758.
Increase on an hundred in thirty years, 131.2, or above 131 per cent.
Present incumbent, the Rev. T. S. Smyth, presented in 1815 by the King.