the property of the Right Hon. Lord Grenville. It is a large plain
building, situated about three miles east of Lostwithiel, in a richly
wooded park well stocked with deer. The interior contains many handsome
suites of apartments, a good library, and among other works of art, a
fine bust of the late Earl of Chatham, on which the following panegyric
lines have been written:
“Here trophies faded, and revers’d her spear,
See England’s genius bend o’er CHATHAM’S bier,
Her sails no more in every clime unfurl’d
Proclaim her dictates to th’ admiring world.
No more shall accents nervous, bold and strong
Flow in full periods from his patriot tongue.
Yet shall th’ historic and poetic page,
Thy name, great Shade, devolve from Age to Age;
Thine and thy Country’s fate, congenial tell,
By thee she triumph’d, and by thee she fell.”—
On a commanding eminence, a short distance from the house, stands an
elegant-proportioned obelisk, 123 feet in height, with the following
inscription carved on the pedestal.
In gratitude and Affection
To the Memory of
Sir Richard Lyttleton,
And to perpetuate the Remembrance
which rendered him
The delight of his own age,
And worthy the Veneration of
Posterity.
1771.
The country between Lostwithiel and St. Austell is pleasing, and most
delightful views of the ocean occasionally present themselves.
On approaching the village of ST. BLAZEY, about half a mile to the
right, is _Prideaux Place_, at present the residence of David Howell,
Esq.; but what perhaps engrosses the particular attention of the
traveller, is a very fine bold promontory, nearly opposite the house,
and the lands about it are ornamented with young plantations. The
_Church_ is a small antient fabric, standing on an eminence close to the
mail road. From hence to St. Austell the distance is four miles.
Within one mile of that town, on the left, is PORTHMEAR or CHARLESTOWN,
now become of some considerable consequence, owing to the spirited and
laudable exertions of Mr. Charles Rashleigh. Since the year 1791, a
_Pier_ has been built, and the pilchard fishery carried on. Some
pilchard seans have been put on, and several buildings erected for that
purpose. Here from this place also, most of the _China clay_ brought
from St. Stephen’s is exported.
ST. AUSTELL is situated in a highly cultivated part of the county, on
the side of a hill. It is now become a very considerable and populous
market town, and with the parish, which is one of the largest extent,
contains no less than 6175 inhabitants. Although it has no claim to
antiquity, it is noticed only as a poor village in Leland’s times; but
the numerous _Mines_ in its vicinity,[8] have caused its present rapid
rise. The _Church_, which stands nearly in the centre of the town, is a
handsome fabric, ornamented with fanciful and grotesque sculpture.[9]
Over the principal entrance on the south side, are some curious cyphers,
the meaning of which has not been satisfactorily explained, by the most
intelligent antiquarians. The interior is commodious, and contains a few
good monuments. The _Font_ resembles that in Bodmin church.
The benefices of St. Austell and St. Blazey, are coupled together, and
are in the gift of the crown: it is now enjoyed by the Rev. Richard
Hennah. St. Blazey is famous for being the landing place of Bishop
Blaze, the patron of the woolcombing trade; whose effigy is in the
parish church, to whom it was dedicated, and from whom its name was
derived. In this parish also is held an annual festival, on the very
period which is observed for the commemoration of the great blaze by all
the woolcombers in the kingdom. In a field near the church is a stone
above seven feet high, and not above 18 inches square, whose inscription
is totally obliterated; but tradition says it was a sepulchral monument
of a West Saxon Chief. On it are several crosses engraven.
The market of St. Austell is held on Friday, the charter for which was
first bestowed by Oliver Cromwell, as a grateful reward for the heroic
exertions of one May, who had a seat near the town; and for his
particular gallantry displayed in a battle fought near Boconnoc, in
Cornwall. It is plentifully supplied with all sorts of provisions. A
large market, equal to a fair, is held annually on the day preceding
Good Friday. It has two fairs for bullocks, sheep, coarse woollen goods,
&c. The first is held on Whit Thursday, and the other on the 30th of
November. Since the year 1792, there have been two additional fairs, or
shows of cattle, held annually at this place; the one to be constantly
on the third Tuesday in July, and the other on the third Tuesday in
October. Both these last mentioned fairs are for horses, bullocks,
sheep, &c.
Although the manufactured commodities in St. Austell are not deserving
of mention, except it be in coarse woollens; yet its commerce in various
branches is very considerable, and its inhabitants numerous. They are in
general remarked for an industrious thriving people, deriving their
subsistence from trade.
Not far from the western parts of the town, are three very spacious
_Blowing Houses_. In two of them, cylinders are adopted instead of the
common-formed bellows, and this mode of operation is considered
preferable to the other.
There are _Quarries_ in this neighbourhood, which produce what is
commonly called china clay. Sometimes not less than 1000 tons per year
is shipped at Porthmear, and conveyed to Bristol, Liverpool, and Wales,
and from those places to Staffordshire; where it is manufactured into
porcelain.
Near this town, at a place called _Menacuddle_, is a waterfall, over
which is a small dilapidated arched _Chapel_, supposed formerly to have
been used as a place of retirement, for the sake of holy purification.
Although it is near the road, yet, being in a wood, is not easily seen.
It is a very pleasing subject for the pencil as a vignette, and has been
engraved on more than one occasion.
_Penrice_, which is only two miles south of St. Austell, is an antient
mansion, but has lately undergone a complete modernization by the
proprietor, Joseph Sawle Sawle, Esq.: it contains a few good family
portraits.
The ride from St. Austell to Mevagissey, a distance of six miles, is
very pleasing. The opening bay of the sea is a striking feature, and
bursts suddenly upon the traveller at a place called Portuan, within two
miles of Mevagissey.
As a fishing town, MEVAGISSEY ranks before any other in the county. It
has a spacious _Harbour_; and the town, having very narrow streets, is
chiefly built in a bottom; but has an imposing appearance when viewed
from the neighbouring heights, with the beautiful mansion and
plantations of Helegan forming the back ground.
The _Church_ is a small edifice, standing at the north-east entrance of
the town; but the tower has not been rebuilt, since it fell down a few
years back. The interior contains a handsome monument, with effigies of
the deceased, erected to the memory of Otwell Hill, Esq., and his wife,
who died in 1614, with the following curious inscription:
Stock Lancashire, birth London, Cornwall gave
To Otwell Hill inheritance and grave,
Frank, frugal, pleasant, sober, stout, and kind,
Of worde true, just in deede, men did him finde.
Two Raigns he served a justice of the Peace,
Belov’d he liv’d and godly did decease,
Mary his Wife, to overlive him lothe,
This Monument hath raised to them both.
Mevagissey contains near 400 houses, and according to the late census,
2450 inhabitants. About two miles from the town, is _Helegan_, the seat
of the Rev. Henry Hawkins Tremayne, a very elegant and substantial
residence, most beautifully situated and embellished with fine gardens
and shrubberies, and when perfectly finished, will be as handsome a
residence as any in the county. The present liberal proprietor possesses
great taste, and is daily improving the grounds, &c. The walk to the
_Battery_ close to the sea is really delightful, and the woody
plantations add greatly to the beauty of this residence.
_Caerhays_, the seat of John Bettesworth Trevanion, Esq. Lieutenant
Colonel in the Cornish Militia, is another beautiful mansion of a
castellated form, lately rebuilt at a very considerable expense from
designs of that eminent architect Nash.
About four miles from hence is TREGONY, a very antient Borough-town, and
in former times a place of some consequence. It formerly had two
_Churches_, a _Castle_, and _Priory_; but one of the former has long
since gone entirely to decay, and the one now remaining at the head of
the town, though very small, has a respectable and venerable appearance.
Scarcely a vestige remains of the Castle, which stood at the lower end
of the town. This is said to have been built by Henry de Pomeroy, on
behalf of John, Earl of Cornwall, at the time that King Richard I. was
in the Holy Land: it was standing, and was the seat of the Pomeroys, in
the reign of Edward VI.
In the year 1696,[10] Hugh Boscawen, Esq., founded an _Hospital_ for
decayed housekeepers, and endowed it with lands, now let at 30£. per
annum, but capable of being soon raised (at the expiration of the
present lease) to about three times that sum.
Tregony returned members to Parliament in the reign of Edward I., and
the right of election is vested in the principal housekeepers paying
scot and lot. According to the late census, the inhabitants amount to
1035, being an increase of only 112 since the year 1811. Tregony has a
market weekly, and five fairs annually.
On the north side of the town stood what is called Old Tregony, where
was a church dedicated to St. James, the walls of which were standing
when Tomkin made his collections about the year 1736: part of the tower
remained many years later. This church was a rectory, the advowson of
which belonged to the Abbey de Valle, in Normandy, and was given by that
convent, in the year 1267, to the prior and convent of Merton, in
Surrey, in exchange, together with the Priory of Tregony, a small cell
to that alien monastery. Mr. Whitaker says, that the site of the Priory
of Tregony was opposite the old mount of the castle, and speaks of a
doorway belonging to a stable, as having been the gateway of the Priory.
The rectory of St. James is held with the vicarage of St. Cuby.
There was also in the Borough of Tregony, a chapel of St. Anne, which
was a chapel-of-ease to the church of St. James.
_Trewarthenick_, about two miles from this place, the seat of the late
Francis Gregor, Esq., formerly M.P. for the county, is a pleasant and
comfortable residence, with a good library and a few portraits; one, of
Oliver Cromwell, is very fine.
RUAN LANYHORNE, a small village two miles south-west of Tregony, is
remarkable as having been for upwards of 30 years, the residence of the
Rev. John Whitaker, the learned author of the Ecclesiastical History of
the Cathredral of Cornwall, who died in the year 1808, aged 73 years.—A
few days after his decease, the following lines appeared in the Cornwall
Gazette, and are supposed to have been written by the late Fortescue
Hitchins, Esq. author of the poem called “_Tears of Cornubia_,” founded
on the melancholy loss of the St. George, in which Admiral Reynolds and
many Officers perished.
“Ah Whitaker, Cornubia’s proudest boast,
Thou brightest gem that ever genius lost
From her Tiara—must we then deplore
Thy last farewell, to time’s immortal shore,
Must we oppressed with unavailing grief,
Seek, (where thou sought’st) but vainly seek relief,
From fair philosophy; alas! too true,
Oh wisdom’s pride, oh virtue’s child! adieu!
Not even age that checks fond fancy’s flight,
And whelms the genius in Lethean night,
Could to thy powers one envious barrier raise,
Or blast the laurel of thy well-earned praise;
But like a cloudless morn, thy period passed,
Bright with superior virtues to the last.
When way-worn travellers, at day’s decline,
See yon grand orb with matchless lustre shine,
Urged by a sudden impulse of delight,
Heedless they wander of approaching night:
Till deeper shades o’erspread their devious way,
And every pleasure vanishes with day.
Then, Whitaker, true votaries of woe!
Robb’d of thy lustre, whither shall we go,
Go where we list—prophetic is the strain,
We ne’er shall look upon thy like again.”
From Tregony to Grampound the distance is about two miles, within half a
mile of which, on the left, is the parish church called _Creed_, a neat
embattled structure, pleasantly surrounded by foliage. Here, till very
lately, as rector, lived the Rev. William Gregor, one whom fame will
ever eulogize as a being of a superior order; he is well known as a very
scientific gentleman, and was the intimate friend of Mr. Whitaker. In
this parish is a capital modern-built house, with beautiful gardens and
fish ponds, the residence of the Rev. George Moore.
GRAMPOUND is remarkable as having been, till lately, one of the
Borough-towns of the county.[11] It principally consists of one street,
the houses having a decayed and mean appearance. Nearly in the centre
stand a very antient _Chapel_, and _Market-house_: the former, now fast
mouldering to decay, has a small septangular cross in front of it.
Grampound contains, according to the late returns, 668 inhabitants,
being an increase of only 67 during the last 20 years.
Crossing an antient bridge over the Fal at the bottom of the town, from
which its name is derived, the distance to Probus is two miles and a
half, and within one mile of that village, on the left, is _Trewitham_,
the seat of Sir Christopher Hawkins, Bart., M.P. It is a spacious
mansion, commanding a number of diversified prospects; the interior is
embellished with a few good paintings and portraits, and also contains a
very valuable selection of books. Much praise is due to its owner, for
his unwearied endeavours to promote the mining interests of the county.
He is a scientific gentleman, and has written a small interesting
Treatise on Tin, &c.
The _Church_ of Probus has often been noticed for the simplicity of its
architecture, the tower of which rises majestically to the height of 108
feet, which, contrasted with the low humble thatched cottages
surrounding it, has a very picturesque appearance. Each angle of the
tower is supported by a double buttress, diminishing in size as they
approach the top, which is embellished with embrasures, and 40 pinnacles
in eight clustres. The plinth, cornices, and upper story, are decorated
with a variety of sculpture, consisting of small figures, foliage,
fleurdelis, animals, and other objects. On the north and south sides are
three Gothic niches.[12] The interior contains a large marble monument
to the memory of Thomas Hawkins Esq., of Trewitham, on which is a female
figure reclining on an urn. The accompanying view of the church was
engraved from a drawing by the Rev. George A. Moore, of Garlennich, near
Grampound.
At a distance of two miles north from Probus, in the parish of Ladock,
in one of the most picturesque vales in the county, stands PESSICK,
which, though a very small village, possesses great beauties.
_Tregothnan_, the seat of the Earl of Falmouth, is indeed a beautiful
mansion lately erected at a very considerable expense, from the designs
of W. Wilkins, Esq., and, in point of beauty, is surpassed by none in
the county. The situation of the house is really delightful, and may be
considered as one of the most enchanting spots in the kingdom. It is
built on a gentle eminence commanding a great variety of extensive
prospects, which are enlivened by the winding courses of the river Fal.
In the construction of this mansion, the architect has made a very
choice selection of the most perfect examples extant. Its irregularity
of form, and variety of ornament, closely resemble the style of the
buildings erected during the reign of Henry VII. The great staircase is
42 feet in height, and occupies the large central tower, around which
are placed the drawingroom, (54 feet long by 28 feet wide,) book room,
dining room, billiard room, &c. A wide terrace with a parapet extends
round the south-western part of the building; the _Park_ is embellished
with some very fine timber, and a very pleasant ride has been formed
along the banks of the river, extending some miles.
The _Church_ of St. Michael Penkervil, which almost adjoins the park, is
an antient fabric, and contains a handsome monument by Rysbrach, to the
memory of the late Admiral Boscawen.
From Tregothnan, after passing Nopus Passage, the distance to Truro is
two miles.
The town of TRURO, which is generally and not improperly denominated the
metropolis of the county, is pleasingly seated in a valley, at the
conflux of the rivers St. Allen and Kenwyn, which (united with a branch
of the river Fal) become navigable for vessels of 100 tons. This town
appears to have been a place of some consequence even prior to the
Conquest, and, according to _Leland_, once possessed a _Castle_, and
enjoyed many privileges. Truro has returned members to Parliament since
the reign of Edward I.: the right of election, however, like most other
Boroughs in this county, is confided to the privileged few: the Mayor
and others of the Corporation, to the number of 18 or 20, are the only
voters.
The alterations and improvements made of late years at Truro, have
certainly given the town a very respectable and handsome appearance; the
streets being also well paved and lighted, this town is rendered more
comfortable than any other in the county. The Rev. Mr. Warner, in his
Tour through this county, published in the year 1809, says, “here all
the modes of polished life are visible in genteel houses, elegant
hospitality, fashionable apparel, and cautious manners;” which
observation, although not incorrect, may be attributed to the success of
the inhabitants in mining transactions.[13]
The _Church_ is a very beautiful Gothic fabric. It consists of three
aisles, with a modern tower at the west end, surmounted by a lofty
spire. On the north side the chancel is a monument, with a long
inscription to the memory of the courageous _Owen Phippen_, who died in
March, 1636:
Melcombe in Dorset was his place of birth,
Aged 54: and here lies earth on Earth.
There are several other memorials in this church, but none particularly
deserving of notice. Besides the church, there are no less than seven
other places of worship, for the different denominations of Christians.
Near the town, on a commanding healthy spot, stands the _County
Infirmary_, opened in the year 1799, under the patronage of his present
Majesty, but maintained entirely by voluntary subscriptions and
contributions. Truro has also a neat _Assembly Room_, convertible into a
Theatre; besides a _County Library_, established in the year 1792. A
Literary Society has lately been set on foot, and their _Museum_ is
already worth seeing. The Easter Quarter Sessions are also held in this
town; and the markets, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, are well supplied
with all kinds of provisions. The parish of St. Mary’s, with the
adjoining streets, contained, according to the late returns, 2712
inhabitants, or an increase of 230 since the year 1811.
The celebrated Samuel Foote, of dramatic celebrity, was a native of this
town.
The scenery in the immediate vicinity of Truro, is particularly
beautiful, and such as must delight every traveller; the town itself has
a very picturesque appearance, particularly so, when viewed from the
spot exhibited in the accompanying engraving.
The _Smelting house_ for _tin_, about a mile from Truro, on the Falmouth
road, is well deserving of notice, as it contains no less than 10
furnaces. Culm coal is used as the flax in the proportion of about
one-eighth to the ore, of which nearly 600 cwt. is smelted within six
hours, and yields about 350 cwt. of tin.[14]
About seven miles from Truro, is _Carclew_, the seat of Sir William
Lemon, Bart., M.P. and one of the most beautiful mansions in the county.
It is situated on an eminence in an extensive and rich wooded park,
rising from the valley through which the celebrated Carnon Stream Works
are conducted, and commands a number of delightful prospects. The house
is an elegant building of the Ionic order, composed of granite. The
portico in the centre, is connected with the wings, by colonnades. The
interior is not so spacious as many other residences in this county, but
contains some very handsome apartments, and the following paintings:
_Portrait of Pontius Pilate_, by Rembrant.
_Two Boys at Dinner, and a View in India_, by Murillo.
_Angels singing_, by Amioni.
_Landscape, with Water falling over a Rocky Precipice_, by Wheatly.
_A View in Italy_, by Stalbent.
_Landscape and Castle_, by Pynaker.
_Portrait of William Lemon, Esq. grand-father to the present Baronet._
_Portrait of Sir William and his Lady_, by Romney.
PENRYN is a large antient Borough and market town, pleasantly situated
about nine miles from Truro, at the head of a branch of Falmouth
Harbour. It was formerly embellished with a College, founded in the
thirteenth century, by Walter Stapeldon, Bishop of Exeter, for 12
prebends, which continued until the dissolution of religious edifices in
the reign of Henry VIII., when its annual revenues were valued at £205
10_s._ 6_d._ This building is said by _Leland_, to have covered a space
of _three acres_, and to have been surrounded by embattled walls; but
every vestige of it has long since been entirely obliterated. Penryn was
incorporated in the 18th year of the reign of James I. and is governed
by a Mayor, eight Aldermen, 12 Common Councilmen, a Recorder, and
inferior officers. The right of returning two members by the same
charter, is vested in the Mayor, Aldermen, and all the inhabitants
paying scot and lot.—There is a silver cup and cover belonging to the
corporation, given by Jane, Lady Killigrew, with this inscription, “From
maior to maior to the town of Permarin, when they received me that was
in great misery, J. K. (Jane Killigrew) 1633.” Hals says, that this lady
had gone on board two Dutch ships with a party of ruffians, and having
slain two Spanish merchants, their owners, robbed them of two barrels of
Spanish pieces of eight. The lady, he adds, was by means of great
interest pardoned; but her accomplices all executed. Hals’s stories are
not much to be depended upon; it is more certain that she was divorced
from her husband, and that in consequence she was protected by the
inhabitants of Penryn, who bore no good will to Sir John Killigrew, and
his rising town of Smithick. Jane, Lady Killigrew, was daughter of Sir
George Fermor, Knt. of Easton Neston, ancestor of the Earl of Pomfret:
she died in 1648.[15]
In the centre of the principal street, which is composed of many antient
and irregular built houses, stand the _Market House_ and _Town Hall_,
the appearance of which is not very pleasing.
_St. Gluvias_, or the _Parish Church_, is over a branch of the river,
the tower of which, with the surrounding scenery, appears highly
picturesque, and attracts the attention of every one passing. The
interior contains a variety of handsome memorials to the Pendarves
family, once of Roscow, in this parish, and the following lines are
inscribed on a monument to the memory of the Rev. John Penrose, who died
in 1776, aged 63, after being 35 years vicar of this parish.
_If social manners, if the gent’lest mind,
If zeal for God, and love for human kind,
If all the charities which life endear
May claim affection, or demand a tear,
Then Penrose o’er thy venerable urn,
Domestic love may weep and friendship mourn._
_The path of duty still, the path he trod,
He walked with safety, for he walked with God;
When lost the powers of precept and of prayer,
Yet still the Flock remained the Shepherd’s care,
Their wants still nobly watchful to supply,
He taught his last best lesson, how to die!_
_Eny’s House_, the seat of Francis Ens, Esq., near Penryn, which was
erected before the reign of Edward I., has been in his family from that
time, and is noticed by Camden for its fine gardens and shrubberies: it
is still a residence of great respectability.