Cardinham is situate in the hundred of West, and hath upon the north
Blisland, Temple, and part of Altarnun; south, Bradock and Warleggan;
west, Bodmin. For the name, it is compounded of those particles,
car-din-ham, id est, the rock-man’s-home or habitation; also
car-dyn-an, i. e. the rock man, or a man that dwells upon, or has his
residence amongst rocks, or in a rocky country, with which sort of
inanimate creatures the north part of this parish aboundeth. It takes
its denomination from the manor and barton of old Cardinham; as from
thence did its lord and owner Robert de Cardinan, temp. Richard I.,
the same gentleman mentioned in Mr. Carew’s “Survey of Cornwall,” that
by the tenure of knight-service held in those parts seventy-one
knight’s fees; which undoubtedly then was the greatest estate
pertaining to any private man in this province. He was not only the
founder and endower of the Alien Priory of St. Andrew at Tywardreth,
(of which more in that place,) but also of this rectory church. By the
Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester into the value of
benefices in Cornwall, as aforesaid, 1294, Ecclesia de Cardinan in
Decanatu de Westwellshire, was rated 6_l._ 8_s._ 4_d._ In Wolsey’s
Inquisition, 1521, and Valor Beneficiorum, 24_l._ 17_s._ 6_d._, by the
name of the Rectory of Cardenham, synonymous with Cardinham. The
patronage in the Lord Dynham’s heir, Arundell, and others; the
incumbent, Waddon; this parish was taxed to the 4_s._ per pound Land
Tax, 1696, temp. William III., 161_l._ 8_s._
And here it must be observed, that there was no such parish or church
extant at the time of the Norman conquest as Cardinham; for in the
Domesday Rate, 1087, 20 William I., this division passed then under
the districts of Cabulian, Dovenot, and Glin, (see the Domesday
Catalogue); but after the building and endowing of this church, Glin
was converted into Cardinham parish, and Cabulian into Warliggon;
under which name and title they have hitherto passed, as members
thereof. I find it much controverted amongst antiquaries and
historians, whether the Dynhams, that afterwards became possessed of
this manor and barton, were the descendants of this Robert de
Cardinan, or not; some averring one thing and some another; but
certain I am they were possessed thereof as his heirs and assigns; but
whether denominated from thence, or the local places of Dynham in St.
Menvor, or Dinham-bridge in St. Kew, I know not. Nevertheless,
contrary to both those conjectures, Mr. Camden tells us that those
Dinhams were a French tribe that came into England with William the
Conqueror; particularly one Oliver de Dinant, one of whose sons, viz.
Galfrid de Dinham, temp. Henry II. was a great augmenter of the Abbey
of Hartland; and changed the secular priests founded there by Githa,
wife of Earl Godwin, into Black Canons Augustine. See Monasticon
Anglicanum, in Devon.
One Oliver de Dinant, or Dinham, was by writ of summons called to
Parliament as a Baron, 24 Edward I. who had issue Josce, who had issue
John, who had issue John, who had issue John, who had issue John; who
were all knighted; which last John had issue, by Sir Richard Arche’s
heir, John Dinham, of Old Cardenham, Esq., sheriff of Devon, 39 Henry
VI., 1460, who then resided at his barton of Nutwell, in Woodberry
parish, eight miles from Exeter, who at that time made use of his
authority in promoting the safety of the Duke of York’s friends, viz.
the Earls of March, Salisbury, and Warwick, and others, then attainted
of treason by Act of Parliament, who, in order to the preservation of
their lives, fled into Devonshire, where they were concealed by the
said John Dinham at Nutwell aforesaid, till he had opportunities from
Exmouth to convey them to Guernsey, from whence they were transported
to Calais, which place they secured for the Duke of York. But as soon
as King Henry and the Parliament understood thereof, immediately the
Duke of Somerset was dispatched with a commission to be governor of
that place; who no sooner approached the harbour of Calais with his
ships, but those fugitive lords ordered the train of artillery at
Rysbank (there) immediately to be fired upon the Duke of Somerset and
his companions, as they were coming on shore, which so obstructed
their design that they were forced, with some damage and loss, to
return to their ships, weigh anchor, spread sails, and bear off for
the English coast, and dropped anchor safely at Sandwich in Kent; from
whence King Henry and Queen Margaret had some notice from the Duke of
Somerset of the affront offered his Majesty and him at Calais,
whereupon the King ordered his navy royal, as soon as possible, to be
in readiness to attend and assist him, in order to reduce Calais to
his obedience.
But, alas! maugre those contrivance, the said John Dynham, before the
King’s navy could be provided and got together, out of affection to
the Duke of York, the Earl of March and his confederates, like a
daring, valiant, courageous, and invincible hero, as he was, with a
small company of armed men, boarded the Earl of Somerset’s ships in
the harbour of Sandwich, and therein took the Lord Rivers, designed
for his admiral against Calais, and by a strong hand carried him and
all his ships thither; and then, with the same ships, conveyed the
Earl of March and his friends from Calais to the Duke of York his
father, then fled into Ireland.
After the restoration of the House of York to the crown, in the person
of Edward IV. we find this John Dynham was knighted. In the 6th Edward
IV. he was by writ summoned to Parliament as a Baron thereof, by the
name of John Dinham, Baron Dinham, of Cardinham. In the 9th Edward IV.
he obtained a grant of the custody of the forest of Dartmoor, the
manor and borough of Lidford, and the manor of South Teign in Devon,
during his life, under the yearly rent of 100 marks, and 6_s._ 8_d._;
and soon after he got a grant of the office of steward of the honours,
castles, manors, and boroughs of Plympton, Oakhampton, Tiverton,
Sampford Courtney, and some others, and was made Knight of the Garter;
and in the first year of Henry VII., 1485, he was by letters patent
created Baron Dinham, of Cardinham; afterwards he was made Lord High
Treasurer of England, which office he held fifteen years, and died 17
Henry VII. aged seventy-two years. He left issue Charles Dinham, Esq.
his son and heir, sheriff of Devon, 16 Edward IV., 1476, that married
Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Lord Fitzwalter, who died without
issue; by reason whereof his four sisters became his heirs, and were
married, Jane, to Baron Zouch, of Totness; Joan, to Lord Arundell, of
Lanherne, knight; Margaret, to Nicholas Baron Carew, of Molesford, in
Berkshire; and Elizabeth, to Foulk Bourchier, of Tavistock, Lord
Fitzwarren. The arms of Dinham were, in a field Gules, three fusils in
fess Argent, within a border Ermine; but Nicholas Upton, in his
manuscript of heraldry, 1440, written before the invention of
printing, tells us, Monsieur Oliver de Dinham port de Goules un fess
engrelle de Ermine, un bordure endentee Argent.
The Lady Elizabeth Dinham, widow of the Lord Fitzwarren aforesaid,
after his death, was married to Thomas Shapcott, of Elton, in
Huntingdonshire, Esq., where, at her own proper cost and charge, she
erected a private chapel to the honour of Almighty God, of that
curious and costly workmanship, both in walls, roof, and window, that
it is worthy the admiration of all beholders, and parallel to, if not
superior, to any other church or chapel of its bigness in England. See
Camden in Huntingdonshire.
Nicholas Baron Carew aforesaid, together with his lady, were buried in
Westminster Abbey, amongst the kings and queens of England, as appears
from a grey marble tomb-stone, with a brass inscription round it,
containing, as I remember, these words.
Orate pro animabus Nicolai Baronis quondam de Carew, et Dominæ
Margaretæ uxoris ejus, filiae Johannis Domini Dinham, Militis; qui
quidem Nicholaus obiit sexto die mensis Decembris, anno Dom. 1470; et
predicta Domina Margareta obiit die mensis Decembris, anno 1471. Of
this famous family Mr. Carew, in his “Survey of Cornwall,” hath only
these words: “formerly at Cardinham lived the Lord Dinham.”
Glin, Glynn, in this parish, is a name taken and given from the
ancient natural circumstances of the place, where lakes, pools, and
rivers of water abound, and groves of trees, or copps, flourish and
grow; derived from the Japhetical Greek λιμνη, [limnee] lacus; under
which name, and devyock, or deynock district, part of the now parish
of Cardinham, was taxed 20 William I., 1087. From which place was
denominated an ancient family of gentlemen surnamed De Glynn, who for
many generations flourished there in worshipful degree, till about the
time of Henry VII., when the sole daughter and heir of this family was
married to Carmynow of Resprin, or Polmaugan, whose heir being married
to Courtney, brought this barton of Glynn into that family; by some of
whose posterity it was sold to a younger branch of this family of
Glynn, who thereby was restated therein, and so became possessed
thereof; from whom was lineally descended Nicholas Glynn, Esq. Member
of Parliament for Bodmin, temp. Charles II., who married one of the
coheirs of Dennis, of Orleigh, in Devon, as did Sir Thomas Hamson,
Knt., of Buckinghamshire, the other; who had issue Denny Glynn, Esq.
that married two wives, Foow of Tiverton, and Hoblyn of Bodman; who
had issue William Glynn, Esq., that married Prideaux of Padstow, and
giveth for his arms, in a field Argent, a chevron between three
salmon-spears Sable; alluding to their custom, privilege, or right of
hunting or fishing for salmons in the Fowey river, passing through
this barton or lordship of Glynn towards the sea. Mr. Carew, in his
Survey of Cornwall, tells us this place is called Glynford, by reason
of a bridge or pass over the Fowey River there; for ford in British
signifies a street, road, pass, or highway over waters; but the
authority of Domesday Roll aforesaid, which calls it Glin, plainly
shows that this latter appellation, ford, was added to this word Glynn
after the bridge aforesaid was erected, and not otherwise to be
applied. Nicholas Glynn, of Glyn-ford, Esq. was sheriff of Cornwall 18
James I.
Devynock, as aforesaid, was another district now in this parish, taxed
in Domesday Roll, now in possession of ―――― Hann, Gent.