Polwhele has descended from the gentleman who served the office of
sheriff in 1723, to his grandson, the Rev. Richard Polwhele, author of
a history of Cornwall, and so distinguished by his works in every
department of literature; by his early poetical effusions, when
“He lisp’d in numbers for the numbers came;”
by those of his maturer age; by sermons equally sound in learning and
in diction, and persuasive by their eloquence; that no Cornishman of
the present day can presume to place himself, I will not say in
competition, but in the same class of literary excellence with Mr.
Polwhele.
At Penhellick, about seventy years ago, the Rev. John Collins, rector
of Redruth, built a house for his own residence after removing to the
village; he is reported to have selected this spot in consequence of
several persons residing in it having attained great ages. On his
decease, the house and lands were sold to a Colonel Macarmicke,
originally a wine merchant at Truro, who much enlarged the house, and
endeavoured to affix some fanciful new name on the place. The property
has since passed through various hands, and the house has generally
been unoccupied.
This parish contains 3156 statute acres.
The annual value of Real Property, as £. _s._ _d._
returned to Parliament in 1815 7027 0 0
The Poor Rate in 1831 1100 3 0
Population, { in 1801, | in 1811, | in 1821, | in 1831,
{ 1342 | 1692 | 2306 | 2885;
giving an increase of 115 per cent. in 30 years.