St. Blazey is situate in the hundred of Powdre, and hath upon the east
Tywardreth and the Parc; south, the British Channel; north, Luxulion;
west, St. Austell. At the time of the Norman Conquest this district
was rated either under Tywardreth, Towington, Trenance, or Treverbyn.
In the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, 1294,
before mentioned, Ecclesia de Fanum, appropriata Dom’ni de Tywardreth,
in Decanatu de Powdre, this parish was taxed to the Pope’s first
fruits, or annats, iiii_l._ vicar ejusdem nihil propter paupertatem.
In Wolsey’s Inquisition, and Valor Beneficiorum, it goes as a daughter
church in presentation and consolidation with St. Austell. The
patronage in the King, the incumbent Hugoe, the sheaf or rectory in
Mr. May; and the parish rated to the 4_s._ in the pound tax, 1696,
£92. 3_s._
Quæry, whether the word fanum be not, by the scribe, a corruption of
Foy-town? In the inquisition aforesaid, however, let it be remembered
that, Ecclesia de Fanum must be interpreted as the church or temple,
consecrated to divine service, appropriated to the house of
Tywardreth, as both those churches of Fowey and St. Blazey are. As for
the tutelar guardian from whom the same and the parish is denominated,
Blaze, he was born in Sebaste, a city of Cappadocia in Asia, whereof
he was bishop, and governed his church so well, that the priests of
the idols (then worshipped comparatively all the world over,) took
distaste at him for his preachments against idolatry; and exhibited a
complaint against him to Agricolaus, the emperor Dioclesian’s
president in those parts, by whom he was examined as to this and other
parts of Christian religion; which he would not retract; wherefore he
was by him committed to prison, scourged with the utmost severity that
could be invented, and afterwards, by a special order, under the hand
of Agricolaus, beheaded by the common hangman, 15th Feb. anno Dom.
298, temp. Dioclesiani. The church celebrateth the festival of this
famous saint, bishop, and martyr, February 3. The Council of Lyons,
ann. Dom. 1244, under the Emperor Frederick and Pope Innocent the
Fourth, amongst other things instituted certain new festivals for
canonizing of saints; after which time, in the Inquisition but now
mentioned, we shall find most of the names of our Cornish churches
distinguished by the prefixed title of saint, viz. such person as the
same when first consecrated was dedicated to (who before that time had
been canonized by the church of Rome); though, as I hinted before,
there is but one church or person named in Domesday Roll to whom is
given the appellation of saint, about two hundred years before. In
this church town of St. Blazey there is a public fair kept on the
festival day of this saint, February 3, and the festivals of most
other Cornish saints, to whose guardianship churches are dedicated,
are solemnly kept yearly in other places.
Ro-sillian, in this parish, formerly the lands of Kellyow, is now the
dwelling of Henry Scobell, Gent. brother to Mr. Scobell of St.
Austell, before mentioned, who giveth the same arms as that family
doth.
In this parish also, not long since, lived Hugh Williams, Gent.
attorney-at-law, youngest son of Richard Williams, of Trewithan in
Probus, that married Robins and Frowick, and gave the same arms as
that family doth; who at length, upon some discontent, with a rope or
halter privately hanged or strangled himself to death in his own house
(as was reported), though the coroner’s inquest found it a chance
only, tempore William III. Upon news of this fact of Mr. Williams, the
uncharitable country people, whom he had persecuted with lawsuits,
wished that all the rest of his brethren of the inferior practice of
the law, would make up of the same expedient to hasten out of this
life to Paradise as he did, for the ease and public good of the
inhabitants of this county.
In this parish liveth Cur-lyon, Gent. that married Hawkins, and giveth
for his arms, in a field ――――, a bezant between two castles. Now,
though the name be local, from a place in Keye parish so called, yet
if I were admitted to judge or conjecture, I would say this family of
Cur-Lyon, by its name and arms, were the descendants of Richard
Curlyon, alias King Richard I. of whom our chronologers say, that a
priest of France told him he had three daughters, Pride, Covetousness,
and Lechery; which three daughters the King replied he would thus
dispose of: 1, Pride to the Templars and Hospitalers; 2, Covetousness
to the Monks of the Cistertian order; and, 3, Lechery to the clergy in
general.