Is situate in the hundred of Pider, and hath upon the north St.
George’s Channel, or the Irish Sea; west Peransabulo; east Crantock.
This new name of Cuthbert is Saxon, and compounded of Cuth-bert, id
est, knowledge, skill, wisdom, or understanding, clear or bright, and
refers to St. Cuthbert, the tutelar guardian and patron of this
church; for in Domesday Roll, 20 Will. I. 1087, this district was
taxed under the name of Chynowen, now Chynoweth. In the Inquisition of
the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, 1294, into the revenues of
Cornish benefices, Ecclesia Sancti Cuthberti in Decanatu de Pider, is
valued iiii_l._ xvii_s._ viii_d._ Vicar ibidem, x_s._ In Wolsey’s
Inquisition, 1521, and Valor Beneficiorum, is rated 8_l._ 6_s._ 8_d._
The patronage formerly in the prior of Bodman, who endowed it; now
Prideaux. The incumbent Bradford; the rectory or sheafe in Prideaux;
and the parish rated to the 4_s._ per pound Land Tax 1696, 99_l._
9_s._ 6_d._
The history of St. Cuthbert.――He was born in Cumberland, of British
Saxon parents, about the year 600; and had his Christian education as
a monk in Bangor Monastery, in Ireland; from whence he removed to the
abbey of Landisfarne, opposite to Northumberland and North Durham,
where, after he had remained some years, he was chosen or made a
bishop of that diocese. I remember to have seen in this church,
painted against the wall, about thirty years past, the portraiture of
a bishop, attired in his episcopal robes, with mitre or crown on his
head, a crosier or shepherd’s crook or staff in his hand, and an
inscription in ancient character near it, viz. St. Cuthbertun. Which
picture, I am told, is since covered over with lime by the
churchwardens.
Now, it happened after the death of St. Cuthbert, that the island of
Landisfarne was extremely troubled with the piratical thievish Danes,
who wasted the same, without regard of secular or religious persons
and places. Whereupon the Bishop of St. Ethelwin, with his monks,
privately escaped into Northumberland, and left their houses and
estates a prey to their enemies, anno Dom. 800, carrying with them as
their chief treasure the enshrined relics or skeleton of St. Cuthbert,
with which, during the lives of twelve titular bishops of Landisfarne,
they wandered up and down Northumberland for the space of ninety
years, without any fixed place of abode or settlement, till Aldwyn,
titular bishop of that island, obtained leave of King Alfred, ann.
Dom. 890, to pitch and settle his episcopal church at Durham, where he
and his monks laid the foundation thereof; which, after it was by them
finished, was consecrated and dedicated to the honour of Almighty God
in the name of St. Cuthbert, where they again erected his shrine or
relics; thereby transferring or translating the bishopric of
Landisfarne to that place, and no more styling themselves bishops
thereof, but of Durham.
But this fabrick of Bishop Adelwyn, though a stately church, was
pulled down by William Carilepho, the 29th bishop (13 Will. I. 1080),
who in the place thereof laid the foundation of that cathedral church
now extant there; though he did not live to see it finished; but Ralph
Flambard, his successor, Lord Treasurer of England, went on with the
work, and brought it to that perfection it now showeth; though some
additions indeed were made by Nicholas de Farnham, and Thomas
Welscomb, prior thereof, 1242.
King Alfred, and Guthrun the Dane, his deputy-governor of
Northumberland, gave much lands to this church between the rivers Tees
and Tyne, which King Alfred confirmed by his charter.
In William the Conqueror’s days it was reputed a county palatine or
principality, and did engrave upon its seal an armed chevalier,
holding a naked sword in one hand, and in the other the arms of the
bishopric, viz. Azure, a plain cross between four lions rampant Or.
But the immunities of this church of Durham were shortened by the
statute 27 Henry VIII., and the lordly absolute power of this
bishopric conferred upon the king. Afterwards, temp. Edw. VI. the
lands and whole title of the bishopric of Durham was by act of
parliament conferred upon that king, which act was repealed 1 Queen
Mary, when the dissolved bishopric and the royalties of it were in a
measure revived and restored as it now stands.
* * * * *
In this parish is that famous and well-known spring of water called
Holy-well (so named the inhabitants say, for that the virtues of this
water was first discovered on Allhallows-day). The same stands in a
dark cavern of the sea-cliff rocks, beneath full sea-mark on
spring-tides; from the top of which cavern falls down or distils
continually drops of water, from the white, blue, red, and green veins
of those rocks. And accordingly, in the place where those drops of
water fall, it swells to a lump of considerable bigness, and there
petrifies to the hardness of ice, glass, or freestone, of the several
colours aforesaid, according to the nature of those veins in the rock
from whence it proceeds, and is of a hard brittle nature, apt to break
like glass.
The virtues of this water are very great. It is incredible what
numbers in summer season frequent this place and waters from counties
far distant.
Chynowen, now Chynoweth, id est, New-house, was the voke-lands of a
considerable manor, under which jurisdiction this parish was taxed, 20
Will. I. 1087, from which place was denominated an old British family
of gentlemen, now in possession thereof, surnamed De Chynoweth; which
(were not comparisons odious) I would, for antiquity, rank with or
before the tribe of any other family extant in this province; though I
do not understand their estate, or post in the public service of their
country, was ever above the degree of a juryman of the parish of
Chynoweth (now Cuthbert), or that of a hundred constable; for, if
tradition may be credited, some of this blood were possessed of those
very lands before the Norman Conquest, and then at length, after the
manner of the French, writ de Chynoweth.
The present possesser, John Chynoweth, Gent. giveth for his arms,
Sable, on a fess Or, three eagles’ heads erased Gules.
Carynas, or Carrynas, id est, dead carrions, in this parish, it seems,
was so denominated from the lodging of such dead bodies of bullocks,
horses, or sheep, as died of age, poverty, or sickness, and were
either on trees, or in carrion pools, laid up here for hunters or
their dogs. It is the dwelling of John Davis, Gent. that married
Lannar, alias Vincent; his father Hoblyn, of Penhall; his grandfather.