Is situate in the hundred of Pedyr, and hath upon the north the Irish
sea and St. Mawgan; east, Little Colan; west, Crantock; south,
Newland. For the name see St. Columb Major. This church’s revenues
being wholly impropriated, or appropriated to the prior of Bodmin
before the Inquisitions of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester,
1294, or Wolsey’s afterwards, is not named therein; the prior by
ancient composition paying the vicar or curate here only six pounds
per annum; by which bargain he was a great gainer, at least 250_l._
per annum, and I take it the present patron and impropriator, Mr.
Buller, paya the curate not above 25_l._ per annum. This parish was
rated to the 4_s._ per pound Land Tax, 1696, 207_l._ 9_s._
This church, according to its bigness, is the finest, best-kept,
pewed, or seated, that I know of in Cornwall; the rood-loft, (yet
standing, though without a rood on it,) a most curious and costly
piece of workmanship, carved and painted with gold, silver, vermillion
and bice, is the masterpiece of art in those parts of that kind. The
pews or seats are uniform, all made of blackt oak; and to prove
their antiquity, there is yet extant an inscription on one of them,
containing these words: “These seats were built by the poor’s stock in
the year 1525.”
At Tre-loye in this parish (the flowing or abounding town) is still
extant a famous chapel, dedicated to St. Pedyr, perhaps of public use
before this church of St. Colomb was erected.
This district in Domesday Roll passed under the name and jurisdiction
of the great lordship and manor of Ryalton, heretofore pertaining to
the prior of Bodmin, which lands are held of the Bishop of Exeter’s
manor of Penryn, and pay yearly 10_l._ high rent to the same; from
whence I gather that formerly both pertained to the bishopric of
Cornwall, afterwards converted into Kirton and Exeter; and that
afterwards, by compact between the said bishop and prior of Bodmin, it
was dismembered from that bishopric, and restored to that priory, as
parcel of the ancient bishop of Bodmin’s revenues, of which that
priory consisted, and was endowed with at its first foundation by the
bequests of the ancient earls of Cornwall.
For the name of Rial-ton or Ryal-ton (if it consists of those
particles), it signifies the royal, kingly, or princely town, as
pertaining heretofore to the king of England or earls of Cornwall; and
suitable to this etymology it claimeth the jurisdiction and royalty
over the whole hundred of Pider. So that whosoever is now farmer
thereof, is by custom its head bailiff, as the prior of St. Pedyr at
Bodmin was; from whose font-name the same is still denominated Pider
(id est, Peter, as formerly said), the which farmer or bailiff is
steward of the Court Baron of the said hundred or decima, and also of
the Court Leet held within the jurisdiction or precincts of the manor
aforesaid, and his substitutes constantly attend the service of both.
To remove an action-at-law depending in the Court Leet of this manor,
the writ must thus be directed: Senescallo et Ballivo manerii nostri
de Rialton in comitatu de Cornubiæ salutem. To remove an action out of
hundred court, whereof as I said the farmer of this manor is lord, the
writ must be thus directed: “Senescallo et Ballivo hundredi et
libertatis de Peder, in comitatu Cornubiæ, salutem.”
When the priory of St. Peder at Bodmin was dissolved, 26 Henry VIII.
and those lands vested in the crown, one John Mundy, barrister-at-law,
(son of John Mundy, sheriff of London 6 Henry VIII. afterwards Sir
John Mundy, Knight, Lord Mayor of London 14 Henry VIII.) was sent down
from London to be seneschal or steward of this manor of Ryalton and
hundred of Pider. In which capacity he demeaned himself so well, temp.
Elizabeth, that when the set-off of the last prior for ninety-nine
years expired, and Mr. Mundy’s son succeeded in the same office as his
father, was in this place, at such time as James I. by statute
prohibited the granting of church lands at lease for longer than
twenty-one years under the old rent, Mr. Mundy took a lease thereof
from the Crown for that term, viz. of 60_l._ per annum, and his
posterity renewing or retaking the same as those leases expired,
thereby this estate, worth about 1000_l._ per annum, continued in this
family till some time after the restoration of Charles the Second,
when Sir Francis Godolphin, Knight, by favour of that King, took a
reversion or new set thereof, before Mr. Mundy’s expired, on condition
of doubling the rent from 60_l._ to 120_l._ per annum, so that Sir
William Godolphin, Bart. is now in possession thereof; and the Right
Hon. Sidney Lord Godolphin was created Baron Godolphin of Ryalton, 33
Charles II. whereby this family of Mundy are comparatively undone,
notwithstanding they were stout Cavaliers and opposers of Cromwell and
the Parliament army to their utmost power and strength. Well therefore
doth the royal Psalmist advise all men not to put their trust in
princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom is no help.
The arms of Mundy are, in a field, three lozenges, on a chief three
eagle’s legs erased.
The mansion-house at Ryalton wherein Mr. Mundy dwelt, was much
beautified and augmented by prior Thomas Vivian, to which belongs a
strong prison and dungeon for putting debtors in durance. Query,
whether this barton of Ryalton payeth tithes to the impropriator? All
priories, monasteries, religious houses, &c. above the yearly value of
200_l._ per annum, being exempted from it by the statute 31 Henry
VIII. chiefly because the same were given for and applied to
charitable uses and the maintenance of the poor; and verily, if the
name Ryalton be compounded of those syllables ry-all-ton, it signifies
give or bestow all town, or a town that gave or bestowed all its
revenues to the poor, and pious uses. And that the reader may know in
what manner poor men were sent to such religious houses to be fed and
maintained during life, as penitentiaries or otherwise, by their
superiors, or such as had power to visit the same, I will set down an
instance or example, out of Fox’s Acts and Monuments, page 53, temp.
Henry VIII. contained in a letter from John Langland, Bishop of
Lincoln, 1524, to the Abbot of Ensham, viz. “My loving brother, I
recommend me hearty unto you, and whereas I have according to law sent
this bearer T. R. to perpetual penance within your monastery of
Ensham, there to live as a penitent and not otherwise; I pray you
nevertheless, and according to the law command you, to receive him,
and see you order him there according to his injunctions, which he
will show you if you require the same. As for his lodging, he will
bring it with him, and his meat and drink he must have as you give of
your alms; and if he can so order himself by his labour within your
house in your business, whereby he may deserve meat and drink, so may
you order him as you see convenient to his deserts, so that he pass
not the precinct of your monastery. And thus, fare you heartily well.
From my place, &c.” This injunction of penance was, 1. To fast every
Friday during life, taking no other sustenance than bread and ale
after it; and every even of Corpus Christi’s day to fast during life,
and after fasting to take no other sustenance than bread and water
that day, unless prevented by sickness; also in part to say our lady’s
Psalter every Sunday during life; he is marked in the cheek, as other
penetentiaries, with the letter P. (See Egleshayle and Penuans in
Creed.)
At Towan in this parish, is that well-known place called Newquay, a
pretty safe road and anchorage place for such ships as trade in St.
George’s Channel, and also a convenient place for a fishing trade,
were the inhabitants disposed to adventure therein.
At Hendra, also Hendre, in this parish, synonymous words, old, ancient
town, is the dwelling of John Tonkyn, Gent. that married Keen of
Roach; his father the heir of Cock, by whom he had this place; his
grandfather Tregian, originally descended from the Tonkyns of St.
Agnes.
Trevedick, also Trevithick, words of one signification, id est, rustic
or farmers’ town, is the dwelling of Nicholas Polamonter, Gent. (so
called from Polla-monter in Newland.)