St. Clement’s is situate in the hundred of Powder, and hath upon the
north St. Herme and St. Allen; on the west Kenwyn; east the creek of
Trevilian River; south and west Truro River, or arm of the sea.
In Domesday Roll, 20 Wm. I. A.D. 1087, it was taxed under the Great
Earl of Cornwall’s manor (now Duchy) of Mor-is or Mor-es, id est, the
manor or parish of the sea, or a manor situated on the sea, according
to the natural circumstances of the place. And I doubt not that before
the Norman Conquest this church or chapel was extant; since, at the
time of the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester
(1294), it was valued to the first fruits vi_l._, vicar ejusdem
xiii_s._ iiii_d._, by no other name than Ecclesia de Mores, which was
endowed or founded undoubtedly by the Lords of the Manor of Mores,
that is the Earl of Cornwall, whose successors, the Dukes, still
possess the lands, and are patrons of the church. In Wolsey’s
Inquisition 1525, and Valor Beneficiorum, this church is called
Clemens, and valued to first fruits £9.
In this church town is the well-known place of Conor, Condura, id est,
the King or Prince’s Water (viz. Cornwall), whose royalty is still
over the same, and whose lands cover comparatively the whole parish;
from which place in all probability was denominated Cundor or Condor,
in Latin Condorus, i. e. Condura, Earl of Cornwall at the time of the
Norman Conquest, who perhaps lived, or was born here. And moreover,
the inhabitants of this church town and its neighbourhood will tell
you, by tradition from age to age, that here once dwelt a great lord
and lady called Condura.
This Condurus, as our historians tell us, in 1016 submitted to the
Conqueror’s jurisdiction, paid homage for his earldom, and made an
oath of his fealty to him; but this report doth not look like a true
one, for most certain it is, in the 3rd year of the Conqueror’s reign,
he was deprived of his earldom, the same being given to the
Conqueror’s half-brother, Robert Earl of Morton in Normandy, whose son
William for a long time succeeded him in that dignity after his death.
Is it not, therefore, more probable that this Earl Condurus
confederated with his countrymen at Exeter, in that insurrection of
the people against the Conqueror in the 3rd year of his reign, and for
that reason was deprived of his earldom? Be it as it was, certain it
is he married and had issue Cad-dock (id est, bear or carry-war), his
son and heir, whom some authors call Condor the Second, who is by them
taken for and celebrated as Earl of Cornwall.
But what part of the lands or estate thereof he enjoyed (whilst Robert
and William, Earls of Morton aforesaid, his contemporaries, for thirty
years were alive, and doubtless possessed thereof, as well as his
title and dignity) hath not yet appeared to me. His chief dwelling and
place of residence was at Jutsworth, near Saltash and Trematon, where
he married and had issue one only daughter named Agnes, as some say,
others Beatrix, who was married to Reginald Fitz-Harry, base son of
King Henry I., by his concubine Anne Corbett, in whose right he was
made Earl of Cornwall, after William Earl of Cornwall aforesaid had
forfeited the same, by attainder of treason against the Conqueror and
his sons, and was deprived thereof.
This Earl Caddock, or Condor the 2nd, departed this life 1120, and
lies buried in the chancel of St. Stephen’s Church, by Saltash, and
gave for his arms, in a field Sable, 15 bezants palewise, 4, 4, 4, 2,
1. (See St. Stephen’s.)
Lambesso, Lambedo, Lambessa, in this parish, parcel of the Duchy manor
of Moris aforesaid, where heretofore was kept the prison, or place of
durance and correction, for the prisoners and offenders thereof; which
barton for several generations was the dwelling-place of the family
surnamed King, duchy tenants, till my kind friend Henry King, gent.
temp. Charles II., for want of issue, by his last will and testament
settled the same upon John Foote, gent. attorney-at-law, now in
possession thereof; who married Avery, daughter-in-law to Mr. King, by
his wife, the widow of Avery, and daughter of Lampeer, as I take it.
Query, whether Oliver King, Chaplain in ordinary to King Henry VII.,
Dean of Winchester, Register of the Noble Order of the Garter, and one
of the principal Secretaries of State to that King, created Bishop of
Exeter the 9th of February 1492, and from thence translated to Wells
1499, and died 1505, (since Isaac, in his Memorials of Exeter, saith
he was a Cornish man), were not of this family? who gave for his arms,
in a field Argent, on a chevron Sable, three escallops of the First.
Mr. Foote, as I said, married Avery, and was descended from the Footes
of Tregony; and giveth for his arms, Vert, a chevron between three
pigeons or doves Argent. His son Henry Foote, attorney-at-law, married
Gregor of Cornelly, and is, at the writing hereof, in possession of
Lambesso.[31]
Pen-are, alias Pen-ar, in this parish, parcel of the Duchy manor of
Moris aforesaid, was heretofore the dwelling of my kind friend James
Lance, Esq. a Commissioner of the Peace and Surveyor of the Duchy of
Lancaster during the Interregnum, or usurpation of Cromwell. He
married ―――― Blackston of London.
This gentleman sold this barton to Hugh Boscawen, of Tregothnan, Esq.
who settled it in marriage with his daughter Bridget, on Hugh
Fortescue, of Filley, in Devon, Esq. now in possession thereof.
Since writing the above, Mr. Fortescue departed with those lands to
Grenvill Hals, of Truro, gent., who dying without issue, and his
unthrift elder brother, James Hals of Merthyr succeeding as his heir
to those lands, he hath sold the same to one Mr. Cregoe, for about
twelve hundred pounds.[32]
Tre-simple, in this parish, was the lands of I have forgot whom, who
sold it to Henry Vincent, gent. attorney-at-law, descended, as Mr.
Foote informed me, from the Vincents of St. Allen, who married Kendall
of Pelyn; his father, Lampen; and gave for his arms, in a field three
cinquefoils.
By Kendall he had issue Walter Vincent, Esq. barrister-at-law, who
married ―――― Nosworthy, and a daughter named Jane, married to Harris,
of Park; after by his second wife, daughter of Richard Lance, gent. he
had issue Peter Vincent, to whom he gave this Tresimple, who sold it
to his brother Walter Vincent aforesaid, and Shadrack Vincent; Edward
Vincent, killed by a fall from his horse 1700; and Mary, married to
Joseph Halsey, clerk, some time rector of St. Michael, Penkwell.
Park, in this parish (id est, a field, or a park for beasts), is the
dwelling of Covin, gent.
Pol-wheele, or Polwhele, in this parish (id est, the head or top), is
situate at the top of a hill; from whence was denominated an ancient
family of gentlemen surnamed Polwhele, who gave for their arms as
underneath: in a field Sable, a saltire engrailed Ermine; and from
that time discontinued the arms of Trewoolla (viz. three owls), the
Cornish motto of which Polwhele’s arms was, Karenza whelas Karenza, id
est, Love or affection seeks, searches, begets, or works love. The
present possessor, John Polwhele, esq. barrister-at-law, who married
Redinge, of Northamptonshire, his father Baskewill of Dorset, his
grandfather one of the daughters of Judge Glanvill in Devon, his
great-great-grandfather one of the coheirs of Ten-Creek of Treworgan,
which place afterwards he made his dwelling.
Lastly, let the reader observe, that if the true name of this church
be St. Clement’s, then its tutelar guardian and patron, to whom it was
dedicated, was St. Clement, Pope and martyr of Rome; whose name is
derived from Clemens, mild, meek, merciful, gracious. He was born in
the region of Calimontana in Italy; his father’s name Faustine. He was
contemporary with St. Paul, and was his coadjutor or assistant in
preaching the Gospel, as is testified by himself in his epistle to
Timothy, wherein he saith, “Help those persons that labour with me in
the Gospel, whose names are written in the Book of Life.” He appointed
that in the seven regions of Rome should be the notaries, to write the
deeds and martyrdoms of the Christians, and commanded that such as
were baptized and had learnt the principles of the Christian religion,
should receive the sacrament of confirmation, and as some write, he
made the Canon of the Apostles and the Apostolic Constitutions now
extant. Finally, for preaching the Gospel of Christ in derogation of
the Roman religion, he was by command of the Emperor Trajan, with a
rope about his neck, and an anchor fastened thereto, cast into the
main sea and drowned, uttering those last words, “Eternal Father,
receive my soul!” after he had been Pope of Rome nine years, two
months, and ten days, the 23rd of November Anno Dom. 102. He gave
orders twice in December, and ordered fifteen bishops, ten priests,
and twenty-one deacons, as Baronius saith.