be deemed authentic; but, according to historians, it is said to have
been in existence long prior to the conquest, which opinion is
materially strengthened, from this neighbourhood having been the scene
of many severe contests with the antient Britons and Saxons. After the
conquest, it was given to the Earl of Morteyne, to whom no less than 288
manors in this county were also granted by William the Conqueror.
The remains chiefly consist of a _Gateway_, a small _Tower_ at the
south-east angle, some decayed walls and the keep. The latter is 93 feet
in diameter, and the height of the parapet from the base of the conical
rocky mount on which the keep stands, is upwards of 100 feet. The ascent
to it is on the south side, but the steps are mostly wanting, and to get
its summit is now become even dangerous. It consists of three wards,
each surrounded by a circular wall; the outer one, or parapet wall, is
not more than three feet thick; the second wall is about six feet from
the former, near four times as thick, and considerably higher; but
between these two, a staircase leads to the top of the ramparts. The
inner wall is 10 feet thick, and 38 feet high, and the diameter of the
inclosed area is about 18 feet. This is said to have been divided into
two apartments, and the lower one, having no light, is supposed
originally to have been a dungeon, but the whole pile has become so
extremely ruinous, that it is impossible to state exactly how, and for
what purpose it was originally constructed. The doorways of the keep are
chiefly composed of round arches, and a curious Saxon doorway, now
forming the entrance to the White Hart Inn, is supposed to have belonged
formerly to the castle. Lysons, however, concludes that it came from the
antient priory at St. Thomas, above alluded to.
This fortress, like most others in the county, had in former reigns a
governor; but the mode in which buildings of this kind are in general
constructed, render them ill calculated as places of residence. It
appears that Launceston Castle was in ruins as early as the reign of
Edward III., although it was a post of much consequence during the civil
wars in after times. At the Restoration it was granted to Sir Hugh
Pyper, Knt. (who lies buried in the church here,) and was in the
possession of his grandson, till the year 1754. It now belongs to his
Grace, the Duke of Northumberland.
The _Church_ is a large handsome structure, composed of square blocks of
granite, each of which is enriched with carved ornaments. The porch on
the south side is particularly beautiful, and has a very striking
appearance from the street adjoining. At the eastern end, also highly
sculptured, is a curious figure of a Magdalene, in a recumbent posture.
The interior contains several monuments, but none meriting particular
observation. On the north side of the church is a very pleasant
promenade sheltered by an avenue of trees, which is enlivened by a very
extensive and beautiful prospect of the distant country.
Part of the old wall that surrounded the town and two _Gateways_ still
remain: the one on the eastern or Exeter road, has a very antient and
interesting appearance. The accompanying view which represents this
gateway, is taken from the road leading to Callington.
The houses in the town are in general well built, but the streets are
very narrow and badly paved. There are two _Charity-Schools_ maintained
by voluntary subscriptions, and a _Free School_ founded in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, and endowed with an income payable out of the revenues
of the Duchy of Cornwall.
The market at this town is well supplied with all kinds of provision,
and remarkably cheap. There are also no less than six fairs, held here
annually. The town suffers much inconvenience in the summer season, from
a scarcity of water.
The number of inhabitants, according to the late returns, amounted to
2163, and in 1811 to 1758, exclusive of the adjoining parishes of St.
Thomas and St. Stephen’s.
_Trebursy_, near this town, a handsome modern residence, erected some
distance from the site of the old house, is the property of the Hon. W.
Eliot, M.P. late Colonel of the Cornwall Militia.
From Launceston to Callington, the distance is about 12 miles, and the
country, as far as the first nine miles extend, is very beautiful and
romantic. About three miles from Callington, in the parish of Stoke
Clainsand, is _Whiteford House_, the seat of Sir William Pratt Call,
Bart. It is a handsome building, standing in a beautiful and luxuriant
valley, which, with the meandering water in front, has a very pleasant
aspect. The fish ponds and gardens here are extremely fine, and kept in
a high state of cultivation.
CALLINGTON is a market and Borough-town, situated in a flat and open
part of the county, distant 214 miles from London. The houses are
chiefly disposed in one broad street, and being very irregularly built,
have rather a poor appearance.
The _Church_ is an antient and spacious fabric, consisting of three
aisles, the centre one very lofty, and was built chiefly at the expense
of Nicholas de Asheton, one of his Majesty’s Justices of the Court of
King’s Bench, who died in the year 1645, and lies buried in the chancel,
where there is a handsome brass plate with effigies of himself and lady.
There is also a handsome alabaster tomb, to the memory of Lord
Willoughby de Broke, lord of the manor, who died in the year 1502. In
the church-yard is a very antient octagonal cross, surrounded with some
antient sculpture, but it has been most shamefully defaced.
This town is governed by a Portreve, who is chosen annually, at the
court leet of the lord of the manor. The elective franchises of the
inhabitants were lately determined by a committee of the House of
Commons, but the members are usually returned by the freeholders and
resident leaseholders.
Callington has a weekly market on Wednesday, and four fairs annually.
The prospects from the summit of Kitt Hill on Hengeston Downs, near
Callington, are very extensive; comprehending the windings of the Tamar,
the Hamoaze, Plymouth Sound, Mount Edgecumbe, and surrounding country.
About five miles from Callington, in the parish of Calstock, is
_Cotehele_ or _Cuttayle House_, one of the most antient and curious
constructed mansions in England. It is situated on a pleasing eminence
on the western bank of the Tamar; but being almost surrounded with wood,
the river can only be seen from some of the windows of the higher
apartments. There is no account when this mansion was erected; but from
the style of architecture, is supposed to have been built about the time
of Henry VII. It is a very irregular pile of building, inclosing a small
quadrangle, the approach to which is through a square gateway tower on
the south side. At the north angle, is a large square tower, which
contains the principal apartments.
This place from the beauty of its situation and other local
circumstances, has excited great curiosity, and parties of pleasure make
frequent water excursions to it in the summer: boats for such purposes
are to be hired at Plymouth or Saltash.
The entrance hall opening from the quadrangle, is embellished with a
collection of antient armour, and warlike instruments; and gives a true
picture of the feudal dignity of antient times. The several apartments
in the house are enriched with a great variety of curious old articles
of furniture, such as carved ebony chairs, cabinets, &c. There is
besides, some very fine tapestry, ornamented with the figures of Romulus
and Remus, &c., in good preservation. The chapel connected with the
dining room is small, and was originally ornamented with painted glass
windows. The altar cloth, composed of rich velvet embroidered, is
ornamented with the figures of the Twelve Apostles, and other
appropriate embellishments.
This mansion has belonged to the Edgecumbe family since the reign of
Edward III.; and here Sir Richard Edgecumbe, who was attached to the
House of Lancaster, concealed himself from the tyranny of Richard III.
In remembrance of his miraculous escape, he erected the small chapel
which stands on a rocky precipice, close to the river.
In the month of August, 1789, their late Majesties, with the Princess
Royal and the Princesses Augusta and Elizabeth, honoured this old
mansion with a visit, and breakfasted with the Earl and Countess of
Mount Edgecumbe.
_Calstock Church_ stands about half a mile from the village, on a
commanding eminence, and is a small antient fabric, containing several
memorials of the Edgecumbes.
About a mile from the church, is _Harewood House_, the seat of Salisbury
Trelawney, Esq. It is a handsome building, erected on one of the most
delightful spots of the banks of the Tamar. Mason in his poem of
Elfrida, has made Harewood the scene of the loves of Ethelwold, and of
the misfortunes consequent to his union with the fair daughter of Edgar.
The village of Calstock is situated close to the side of the river, and
here is a regular ferry to Beer Alston, in Devonshire.
About three miles from hence, is _Pentillie Castle_, the seat of John
Tillie Coryton, Esq. which was erected a few years ago, from designs by
Wilkins, on the site of an old family mansion. It is a very beautiful
Gothic structure, with a majestic portico on the south side, surmounted
with pinnacles, and being built on a bold eminence rising abruptly from
the river Tamar, it really possesses a commanding and dignified
appearance. The interior contains a number of spacious apartments
finished in a handsome and costly manner.
The approach to the house is embellished with a neat Gothic _Lodge_, on
the road leading to Saltash; and the grounds are enriched with a variety
of beautiful plantations. In the grounds is a _Tower_ or _Sepulchral
Building_, erected for Sir James Tillie, whose interment here has given
rise to a tale, that being of Atheistical principles, he had directed
himself to be placed after his death, in a chair therein, with bottles,
glasses, &c. to perpetuate his derision of a future existence. The fact
however, of his being buried in a coffin, was proved a few years ago;
and from his will, it is clear that he died in the “hope of a glorious
immortality.”
From hence to Saltash, the distance is six miles, and about a mile and a
half to the left, in the church of the village of Landulph, is the
following remarkable inscription:
Here lyeth the body of Theodore Paleologus
of Pesaro in Itale, descended from the imperyall
Lyne of the last Christian Emperors of Greece
Being the sonne of Camilio, the sonne of Prosper
the sonne of Theodoro, ye sonne of John,
the sonne of Thomas, the second brother to Constantine
Paleologus that rayned in Constantinople, until
Subdued by the Turks, who married with Mary the
daughter of William Balls of Hadley in
Suffolke Gent. and had issue five children, Theodore,
John, Ferdinando, Maria and Dorothy, and departed
this lyfe at Clifton the 21st of January 1636.
There is also a large tomb in the chancel, with a handsome marble slab
to the memory of Sir Nicholas Lower and his lady.
The _Parsonage House_ has been greatly improved, and commands a
beautiful prospect of the river and Saltash. It contains a good library,
and a few paintings by some of the antient masters. Much praise is due
to the present incumbent, the Rev. F. V. I. Arundell, for having raised
an embankment round the house, and for bringing the grounds into a high
state of cultivation, and for improving the plantations.
About two miles from hence, in the parish of BOTUS FLEMING, is
_Moditonham_, the seat of Charles Carpenter, Esq. a commodious modern
building, most delightfully situated, and commanding some extensive
views of the surrounding country.
In the _Church_, a small venerable pile, is a recumbent figure of a
crusader with a sword and target, which was accidentally discovered
about three years ago, on the removal of some old wainscot.
In the centre of a field, at the north side of the village, stands a
pyramidical monument, erected in memory of Dr. William Martin, of
Plymouth, who died in the year 1762.
The town of SALTASH principally consists of one long street rising
abruptly from the Tamar, to a considerable eminence, and the houses in
general have an antient appearance. It is a place, as Carew observes,
which, owing to the steep ascent on which it is situated, “every shower
washes clean.” It is also of great antiquity, and in the year 1393, the
assizes for the county are said to have been held here. During the civil
wars it was considered of much importance, being one of the principal
passes into the county. It was first garrisoned by the Parliament, and
surrendered without opposition to Sir Ralph Hopton, in the autumn of
1642. General Ruthen, finding it open after his defeat at Bradock-down,
in January, 1643, took possession, and hastily fortified it; but it was
soon afterwards taken by assault, by Lord Mohun and Sir Ralph Hopton: a
garrison was left in it in the month of May that year, but on the
approach of the Earl of Essex, it was given up the latter end of July,
1644. We are told that on this occasion Sir Edward Waldegrave gallantly
defended the pass, and, as it appears, with temporary success. After the
capitulation of Essex, Saltash was again taken possession of by Sir
Richard Grenville: in the month of October following, it was taken by a
detachment from the garrison at Plymouth: Sir Richard Grenville
afterwards recovered it by assault: and it was finally abandoned by the
King’s troops in the month of February, 1646.
Saltash is governed by a Mayor, six Aldermen, and an indefinite number
of burgesses; but they generally amount to about 30. It was made a free
borough in the reign of King John, or that of Henry III., by Reginald de
Valletort, who confirmed to the burgesses various privileges which they
had enjoyed under his ancestors: these privileges were confirmed by King
Richard II. In the year 1682, Charles II. granted this borough a renewed
charter of incorporation, under which the body-corporate was defined to
consist of a Mayor and six Aldermen, styled the council of the borough,
who had liberty to chose a Recorder: but the charter first mentioned, in
virtue of which the town is now governed, was procured in 1774. It has
returned members to Parliament since the reign of Edward VI. The right
of voting is confined to the freeholders of the borough, amounting to
about 70 persons. Some names of eminence appear in the list of its
representatives; as Sir Francis Cottington, Edward Hyde, afterwards Earl
of Clarendon, and Edmund Waller the poet.
The _Chapel_ is an antient structure, having Gothic windows and a
massive tower. It contains a handsome altar piece. In the north aisle
there is a superb monument to the memory of three brothers, named Drew,
officers in the navy, who were unfortunately drowned.
Saltash has a market weekly, and four fairs annually; and over the river
is a constant ferry; boats are to be had at a short notice, for Plymouth
Dock, or any place in its vicinity. The market mentioned as attached to
the castle of Trematon, when the survey of Domesday was taken, was
probably held at Saltash: it is spoken of in that survey as a new market
of the Earl’s, which had been prejudicial to the Abbot’s market at St.
Germain’s. The small weekly market for butcher’s meat is held on
Saturday: an old writer says, that the burgesses claimed another market
on Tuesday, but that it was not in his time held. The present fairs are
on the Tuesday before each quarter-day, (the remnant, probably, of the
Tuesday’s market,) February 2, and July 25: the two last are for horned
cattle and sheep. The tolls of the market and fairs belong to the
Corporation, who are entitled to the proceeds of the ferry over the
Tamar, the privilege of dredging for oysters, the farm and tolls of
oysters, and certain duties payable by masters of ships; which
altogether produced about £300 per annum in 1714.
Leland speaks of “Asche (Saltash) as a praty quick market town. The
tounesmen,” he says, “use boothe merchandise and fischery.” Norden says,
“the towne increaseth daylie in merchandise and wealth: there belonge
unto the towne some 8 ships besydes small boates. The haven is capable
of anie burden. The great carrack that Sir Frauncis Drake browghte home
so rich, arrived here, and was here disburdened, and after fatally
fyred.”
The remains of _Trematon Castle_ are situated on a commanding eminence
on the northern bank of the river Lynher, just below Saltash, but the
carriage road to it, a very pleasing ride, extends at least two miles
from the town. Proceeding in the latter direction, about half way, the
tower of _St. Stephen’s Church_ has a conspicuous appearance. It is
remarkable as containing a variety of antient memorials, but many of
them are much defaced. Carew relates, that in the church of St.
Stephen’s a leaden coffin was found about the middle of the sixteenth
century; but the grounds on which he supposes it to have been that of
_Orgarius, Duke of Cornwall_, are very weak; for it appears that all he
learned from his informant, who had been an eye-witness of the discovery
fourscore years before, was, that an inscription on the lead imported it
to contain the body of a Duke, whose heiress married a Prince. One of
the monuments in this church, is for _Master_ Hechins, as Carew calls
him, lessee of the great tithes in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The
church was given to Windsor College by Edward the Black Prince.
On approaching the _Castle_, its venerable _Keep_ arises majestically
amidst the surrounding foliage, and with the little bridge and cottages
in the valley, forms altogether a very picturesque subject. The entrance
is through a small arch on the north side, and a circular road, leading
to it, has been lately cut through the hill on which it stands. The site
of the area covers more than an acre of ground, and is enclosed by
embattled walls, six feet in thickness. The keep stands on the summit of
a conical mound at the north-west angle, embattled with walls 10 feet
thick and 30 high. The space enclosed is of an oval form, and was
formerly divided into apartments, but as there are no marks of windows,
they would appear to have been lighted from the top. The entrance to it
was through a circular arched doorway on the western side, from whence
an irregular path leads to a small sally-port; but the most perfect part
of the building is the principal gateway, composed of three strong
arches, with grooves for portcullises between them. These arches support
a square tower, embattled, containing an apartment, which has been
fitted up as a museum for natural curiosities. The walls are decorated
with some of the finest tapestry in England, the colours being as bright
as if it had only lately been finished.
Regarding the origin of this antient fortress, little is known, that may
be deemed authentic; but it is generally believed, like most other
buildings of a like nature, to have been originally erected prior to the
Conquest. Afterwards it was given to Robert, Earl of Moreteyne and
Cornwall, and in subsequent reigns was annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall.
During the civil wars of the eighteenth century, we find no account of
this castle’s having been occupied by either of the contending parties:
but Carew relates, that during the Cornish commotions in 1549, Sir
Richard Grenville held Trematon for a while against the rebels; but that
having been induced to quit it, for the purpose of holding a parly with
the beseigers, they intercepted his return, seized on the castle, sent
him a prisoner to Launceston gaol, and plundered and ill-treated his
lady and her attendants.—A few years ago it was leased to Benjamin
Tucker, Esq. Surveyor General of the Duchy of Cornwall, and who was for
many years Secretary to the gallant Admiral, Earl St. Vincent. This
gentleman has erected a very comfortable residence within the area, and
embellished it with a great variety of choice paintings and other works
of art. Among the most valuable is “La fameuse Aurore de Natier,” a
picture well known on the Continent, besides the Twelve Cæsars, by
Goltzius. There is also the celebrated organ which was made by Mr.
Moore, of Ipswich, for the Empress of Russia, at the price of _£_16,000,
and a most beautiful specimen of shell-work, which was formed in the
Brazils, and the construction of which is said to have occupied two nuns
the whole of their lives. The garden round the house, is laid out with
great taste, and embellished with a good hot-house. In one part of it,
on a marble slab, is a bust of Admiral St. Vincent, with the following
inscription from the eclogues of Virgil.
O Melibœe, Deus hæc nobis otia fecit
Namque erit ille mihi semper Deus, illius aram
Sæpe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus.
A short distance from the castle, near the ferry across Anthoney
Passage, are some small remains of an antient _Chapel_, called
Shillingham, which is richly over-grown with ivy.
The manor of _Ashe-torre_, or _Esses-torre_, the site of which is a rock
at the bottom of Saltash town, abutting on the water, has an extensive
jurisdiction, although it was itself held as seven fees under the honor
of Trematon. Carew speaks of this rock as “invested with the
jurisdiction of a manor, and that it claymed the suites of many
gentlemen as his freeholders in knights’ service.” This manor, which
extends its jurisdiction into several parishes in Cornwall and
Devonshire, belonged to the ancient family of Fleming of Devonshire,
Barons of Slane in Ireland: it was sold in the sixteenth century, by
Nicholas and Robert Dillon, sons and heirs of Anne, one of the sisters
and co-heiresses of Christopher Fleming, Baron of Slane, to Thomas
Wyvell, Esq. from whose family it passed, by a female heir, to the
ancestor of Francis Wills, Esq. of Saltash. The site of this manor is
thus described in old papers:—“All that messuage, dwellinghouse, palace,
&c. and waste ground in and nigh Ashe-torre Rock, with the remains of
houses, on which premises manor-courts were held, all unconnected with
any other person’s land, and forming a peninsula, situated at the bottom
of Fore street or road, in the borough of Saltash, on a rock, part of
which abutteth into the sea.”—A record of the year 1620 is said to have
claimed _Wadsworthy_ as parcel of the demesne of the manor of
Ashe-torre.
_Ince Castle_, the seat of Edward Smith, Esq. is an interesting
building, situated on the banks of the Lynher, and forms a conspicuous
object in this part of the county.
Returning to the high road at the distance of three miles, is LANDRAKE,
the _Church_ of which is remarkable for its high tower, which is visible
for many miles round. In the interior is a curious brass plate, dated
1509, with an effigy of Edward Courtenay, Esq., and a monument to the
memory of Nicholas Wylls, Gent., who died in the year 1607.
_Wootton_, an antient seat in this parish, has long since gone entirely
to decay.
Near Landrake is _Stockton_, the seat of Admiral de Courcy, a modern
mansion, commanding many interesting views. The interior contains a
number of war-like instruments, and a variety of natural curiosities.