but a handsome modern house, called the Priory, erected on its site, is
now the residence of Walter Raleigh Gilbert, Esq. This spot was first
selected for religious retirement as early as the sixth century, by St.
Guron and St. Petroc. It owed its origin to the circumstance of St.
Petroc, its founder, having taken up his abode in a valley, now occupied
by the town of Bodmin, but then the residence of St. Guron, a solitary
recluse, who having resigned his hermitage to St. Petroc, it was by him
enlarged for the residence of himself and three other devout men, who
accompanied him with the intention of leading a monastic life according
to the rules of St. Benedict. Here St. Petroc died before the middle of
the sixth century. His shrine was preserved in a small chapel, attached
to the east end of Bodmin church, as we learn from Leland and William of
Worcester. The hermitage which he had founded, continued to be inhabited
by monks of the Benedictine Order, till the reign of King Athelstan,
who, in 926, founded, on or near the same spot, a priory of
Benedictines: but this convent having been dissolved at an early period,
and its possessions fallen into the hands of secular canons, Robert,
Earl of Moreton and Cornwall seized them for his own use, and, after the
death of his son William, Earl of Moreton and Cornwall, they became
vested in the crown. Algar, to whom it is probable they had been
granted, with the King’s license, and that of William Warlewast, Bishop
of Exeter, re-founded the monastery, and replenished it with Austin
Canons, who continued till the general dissolution of religious houses,
when its revenues were valued at 270£. 0s. 11d. clear annual income. The
Prior had, among other privileges, a market and fair, gallows, pillory,
&c. as proved in a _quo warranto_, in the reign of King Edward I. The
site, with the demesnes, was granted to Thomas Sternhold, one of the
first English translators of the Psalms.—Various relics of antiquity
have been found at different times on this consecrated spot; among which
were some columns with ornamented mouldings and a mutilated effigy of a
skeleton, finely executed, which has been placed against a gateway in
the garden belonging to the Priory House.
The _Convent of Grey Friars_ is said to have been founded in the year
1239, under the patronage of Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, and principally
supported by the benefactions of Sir Hugh and Thomas Peverell, of
Egloshale, who were buried in the friary church. In the year 1565, it
was conveyed to the Corporation of Bodmin, to whom it still belongs.
Since the early part of last century, it has been fitted up as an Assize
Hall, 150 feet long and 60 in height; but the removal of its two
beautiful Gothic windows is to be lamented. The two ends are
appropriated for the Courts of Assize, and the intermediate space for
the business of the Corn Market, &c. Above is the Grand Jury Room, and a
large Ball Room, often used during the races in August.
The only remains of the _Chapel_ of _Bery_, is a ruinous tower, standing
on a hill north of the town.
Some ruins of _St. Leonard’s_ and _St. Nicholas’ Chapels_ were standing
when Dr. Borlase published his work on the Antiquities of the County;
but they have long since been entirely removed.
The _Church_, which is the largest in the county, and stands at the
north-east end of the town, on rising ground, was rebuilt in 1472, as
appears by the inscription on the cornice of the south chancel, viz.
Ano dni Mo CCCCo LXXo II doma fem fecit.
It is a handsome edifice, consisting of a lofty nave and side aisles,
separated by clustered columns and pointed arches. The capitals of the
pillars, which are of very fine moorstone, are ornamented with roses.
The _Tower_ stands on the north side, and has a venerable appearance.
Over the porch on the south side, there are three handsome niches. The
whole building (particularly the interior) has, within the last seven
years, undergone a thorough repair. It contains a fine altar-tomb,
erected in memory of Prior Vivian, Suffragan Bishop of Megara, in
Greece, who died in the year 1533, and on which is the effigy of the
deceased in his pontifical robes, with a mitre and crozier, his hands
clasped on his breast, and two angels supporting shields charged with
the Vivian and Priory arms.
The _Font_ is the most interesting piece of antiquity in the church, and
of large dimensions. It is supported by a pedestal in the middle, and
four pillars on the outside, with angel’s heads for capitals; and the
basin in the centre is highly ornamented in the Saxon style, with
grotesque animals, foliage, &c. A handsome painted window, by Lowe, of
London, representing the Resurrection of our Saviour, will be put up in
the course of a short time. It is the gift of Lord de Dunstanville, who
is the patron of the vicarage.
A very particular account of the expense of rebuilding the church, is
preserved among the town records. The whole cost, exclusive of
_presents_ of timber, amounted only to 194£. 3s. 6½d. The timber for
St. John’s aisle cost 20£. 13s. 4d. Sir John Arundell gave several
timber-trees for the building. The lead for roofing, came to 16£. 2s.
3½d. The rate of wages at this time appears to have been, for a
labourer, four-pence by the day; for a mason, hewing stones,
five-pence; for making the pillars, &c. sixpence; for a plasterer,
five-pence half-penny. The following is a specimen of some of the
charges:—“Forty-nine journeys (days work) for the windows above the
Vyse, 24s. 6d.; fourteen journeys on the gabell window, 7s.” There was
formerly a spire on the tower, said to have been built by Prior
Vivian, and esteemed, as Tonkin tell us, the loftiest and finest in
the West of England. It was destroyed by lightning in 1699.—Jasper
Wood, 37 years vicar of Bodmin, who died in 1716, a man, it may be
supposed, of deranged intellects, fancied himself bewitched, and that
he was delivered from the witches’ power by his guardian-angel. Tonkin
says there was a printed account of this man, and various traditions
relating to him are still current in the town.
The Corporation consists of a Mayor, 11 Aldermen, 24 Common Councilmen,
and a Town Clerk. This town was regularly incorporated by charter of
Elizabeth, which was lost, by lapse, previously to the year 1798, when a
similar charter was granted by his late Majesty.
The right of electing two representatives in Parliament is vested solely
in the 37 members of the Corporation.
Among the antient corporation accounts, are the following curious items,
relating to the election of members of Parliament, and the payment of
their wages, in the reign of Henry VII.
“19, 20 Hen. VII, paide to Richard Watts and John Smyth, burgesses of
the Parliament for the towne, 13s. 4d.
“Paide for the endentes for the burgesses of the parliament, 20d.
“Paide and yeven in malmesey to the under-sheryff, 4d.
“Paide for the makyng a payr of endentes and an obligation, 12d.
“It. Paide and yeven onto Thomas Trote in rewarde, 20d.
“It. Paide to Sir Richard Downa, the wich was promysed by the maier and
the worshipfull in a reward towardes his wagys, 13s. 4d.
The town principally consists of one long street, running nearly a mile
from east to west; the houses in general, are low, decayed, and
irregular; but much improvement has been made within the last 20 years.
Some centuries ago, Bodmin appears to have been of much greater extent,
and more populous, than at present: it was probably largest, and
contained the greatest number of inhabitants, about the fourteenth
century. It is now smaller than either Helston, Liskeard, Megavissey,
and Penryn; and considerably smaller than St. Austell, Truro, Redruth,
Penzance, or Falmouth; yet in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it appears
to have still taken precedence of all the other Cornish towns.
The _Grammar School_, said to have been founded by Queen Elizabeth, and
endowed with 5£. per annum, (which the Corporation have increased to
100£. per annum) was held in an old chapel, in the church-yard, until
the last year, when a new school-room was opened in a more commodious
situation.
The population, according to the late returns, amounts to 2902, but the
whole parish contains 3278, being 802 more than the number returned in
1811.[47]
The market on Saturday is much frequented, and well supplied with
provisions; but some judicious regulations are necessary, (particularly
to remedy the want of a market house,) which would render it more
generally useful and commodious. There are also three fairs held here
annually, chiefly for cattle.
There was a market at Bodmin when the survey of Domesday was taken, the
profits of which, belonging to the Prior, were then valued at 35s. per
annum: the tolls were afterwards let at a fee-farm rent to the
burgesses, in whom the market and fairs are now vested. Leland speaks of
the market at Bodmin as being like a fair for the confluence of people;
and Hals compares it, in point of supply of all kinds of provisions &c.,
to those of Exeter and Tavistock. The fairs, which are great marts for
cattle and horses, are on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul,
Saturday after Midlent Sunday, Saturday before Palm Sunday, Wednesday
before Whitsuntide, and on the feast of St. Nicholas the Bishop
(December 6.) Leather-shoes are made in great quantities at this town,
and exposed to sale in standings at the markets and fairs.
Bodmin is said to have been one of the coinage towns which had the
privilege of stamping tin; but it appears that it had been lost before
the year 1347, when the burgesses petitioned parliament, complaining,
that although by royal charter they were authorised to deal in all kinds
of merchandise, tin as well as other, in the county of Cornwall, they
had of late been hindered by the Prince and his men from buying or
coining tin: they were unsuccessful in their application, the answer of
Parliament being, that the Prince might order the tin to be sold where
he pleased.
The Summer Assizes for the county have been held in this town, with few
exceptions, since the year 1716, and the Michaelmas Quarter Sessions are
also held here.
The races usually commence the week following the assizes, and are held
about a mile and a half from the town, on the left of the road leading
to Launceston. The course is considered one of the finest in England.
_The County Gaol_ was erected in the year 1780, from the designs of Sir
John Cull, on the principles recommended by the great philanthropist,
the late John Howard, Esq. It stands in a healthy situation, on the side
of a hill, to the north of the town.
Within the last three years a very handsome and commodious _Lunatic
Asylum_ has been erected at the western end of the town, and is fitted
up in a very comfortable manner, for persons afflicted with that
dreadful malady.
The earliest historical event, of any importance, connected with this
place, is, that it became the head-quarters of Thomas Flanmauck and
Michael Joseph, the ringleaders of the rebellion of 1496, both of whom
indeed appear to have been inhabitants of this parish.—Perkin Warbeck,
after his landing in Cornwall, in the year 1498, assembled at Bodmin a
force of 3000 men, with which he advanced to attack Exeter.—In 1550, the
Cornish rebels, under the command of Humphry Arundell, encamped at
Castle-Hynock, near this town, and marched thence to the siege of
Exeter. After the suppression of this rebellion, which soon followed,
Sir Anthony Kingston, the Provost-marshal, came, with the King’s
commission, to punish some of the chief offenders; and, it is said, he
hanged the mayor at his own door, after partaking of the hospitalities
of his table.—Bodmin does not appear to have had any garrison during the
Civil War, though it was occasionally occupied by both parties. General
Fairfax finally took possession of it for the Parliament in 1646, a few
days before the capitulation with Sir Ralph Hopton, near Truro.
At St. Lawrence, about a mile north-west of Bodmin, are some remains of
the _Hospital for Lepers_, founded by Queen Elizabeth, in the year 1582,
but which was abolished a few years since owing to certain abuses, and
the lands belonging to it, worth about £140. per annum, appropriated to
the Infirmary at Truro. The remains chiefly consist of three fine
arches, springing from clustered columns, with ornamented capitals, and
some ruinous walls, now fast mouldering into decay. On one part of the
old buildings, is the following inscription:
Richarde Carter of Saynt Columbe Marchant by his laste wylle &
Testament in ano Dom 1582 did geve ten pounde for the allurance
of twentie shillinges. yerelye to be payed unto us the poer
Lepers of the Hospytall & to oure successors for ever which ten
pounde by the consent of his Executor we have imployed towardes
the makyng of thys howse in ano. 1586. whose charitable & rare
example in oure tyme God grantete main to follow hereaftre
The seal of this hospital is a curious relic of antiquity, containing
the figure of St. Lawrence, under a Gothic canopy, and another figure
below it, in the attitude of prayer, with this inscription:—“_S. Sci
Lawrencie Bodmons de peupo_.”
ST. LAWRENCE is merely a hamlet to Bodmin, but is remarkable as having
two very large fairs for cattle annually.
At LANHWIT, the adjoining village, about three miles from Bodmin, are
some remains of an antient _Monastery_, called St. Bennet’s, which,
although greatly defaced some years ago, by the removal of the
cloisters, still displays a fine tower, richly mantled with ivy. The
other parts have been fitted up at the expense of the proprietor, the
Rev. F. V. I. Arundell, as a family residence. The remains are seated in
a narrow valley, almost surrounded by wood, with a rapid stream in the
front, which adds greatly to the beauty of this romantic spot.
_Tremere_, an ancient seat of the Courtenays, in this parish, is now a
farm-house.
A ride from hence to the _Roach Rocks_, will be highly gratifying to the
curious traveller, or an admirer of natural curiosities. They consist of
three immense piles of craggy ponderous stones, rising to a considerable
height, and at a distance resembling an antient castle. On the summit of
the pile, in the centre, stand the remains of a small building, which
formerly contained two apartments, and is supposed to have been erected
for religious purposes.
These rocks, says Dr. Maton, “consist of a white sparry quartz, mixed
with schoerl, which appears in innumerable needle-like crystals. Two or
three varieties of this substance are observable; in one the schoerl
being more sparingly interspersed, and in another more abundantly.” A
pile of rocks starting abruptly out of a wide green surface, and
covering some space with enormous fragments, on which there are only a
few vestiges of incipient vegetation, form a singular scene, exhibiting
a kind of wild sublimity, peculiar to itself. The accompanying view was
taken from the south side, and the chapel on the summit is a very
beautiful and picturesque feature in the picture.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
OF THE
MINES IN CORNWALL,
WITH AN
=_Excursion to the Scilly Islands._=
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
OF
THE MINES, &c.
-------
In a former part of this work, we gave a list of the principal Tin and
Copper Mines in this county; but as we apprehended the limits of it
would not allow a particular description of them, we have since, at the
suggestion of some of our subscribers, curtailed the historical and
topographical notices, with the view to enable us to present our readers
with some little particulars as to the situation and nature of the most
valuable mines now working. In passing through the county according to
the plan of our several Excursions, there are not any mines deserving of
particular attention, until the traveller arrives at St. Austell; here
it is necessary that he should make some stay, as the vicinity of the
town possesses many attractions, and the numerous works now in progress
will amply gratify his curiosity.
The most considerable _Tin Mine_ in the county is _Polgooth_, which is
situated about two miles south-west of St. Austell; and even in
Borlase’s time, is said to have yielded to its proprietors a profit of
£20,000 annually for some years. Owing, however, to some unfortunate
disputes, the operations have been suspended for nearly 20 years, but
have lately been resumed with increased vigour. From the extensive
nature of the works carried on in this mine, the whole surface of the
country in its vicinity, has been completely disfigured, and presents a
very gloomy aspect. The quantity of ore which has been raised from this
mine, during the progress of its workings, is far beyond calculation:
the immense piles of earth, which have been excavated and thrown up,
have quite a mountainous appearance: roads have been formed in several
directions leading to the places or shafts, where the miners are at
work; and the dreariness of the scene is only enlivened by the humble
cottages, which have been erected for their residence. The number of
shafts which have been sunk in this mine, amount to near 50, and the
greater part of them are mostly working; but since the introduction of
steam engines, the operations have been considerably increased, as the
water is now raised to the level of the adits, and which before had in
some cases overflowed certain parts of the mine.
The introduction of steam engines for drawing off the water from the
mines in Cornwall, is one of the most valuable discoveries imaginable;
and the greatest advantages have attended these powerful machines, while
on the other hand few accidents have been occasioned by their
adoption.[48]
In Dr. Maton’s Observations on the Western Counties, is the following
description of a _Steam Engine_; but since that time, their powers of
acting have been considerably augmented; and on some occasions they are
now made on a very large scale, with _cylinders_ even 90 inches in
diameter.
“The Steam Engine is one of the most curious, and perhaps most useful
machines that owe their origin to the discoveries of philosophy; without
it many of the mines in Cornwall must long ago have ceased to have been
worked; and among other purposes to which it has elsewhere been most
advantageously applied, should be mentioned, the supplying of towns with
water, the grinding of corn, the turning of the wheels of machines in
woollen manufactories, and the blowing of bellows to fuse ores and
metals; we have to boast of this grand machine, being invented, as well
as perfected, in our own country: Captain Savery is said to have first
discovered the method of raising water by the pressure of air, in
consequence of the condensation of steam; or at least he was the first
person that put any method of this sort into practice: he obtained a
patent, in the year 1698, for a machine contrived in the following
manner; the air was expelled from a vessel by steam, and the steam
condensed by the admission of cold water, which causing a vacuum, the
pressure of the atmosphere forced the water to ascend into the steam
vessel through a pipe 24 or 26 feet high: by dense steam brought from
the boiler, the water in the steam vessel was elevated to the requisite
height. This construction, however, did not answer, because very strong
vessels were wanted to resist the expansive violence of the steam; an
enormous quantity of which was, besides, condensed by coming in contact
with the cold water in the steam vessel. The danger of bursting the
vessels was avoided soon afterwards by the invention of Messrs. Newcomen
and Cawley, of Dartmouth. These gentlemen employed for the steam vessel
a hollow cylinder, shut at the bottom and open at the top, and furnished
with a piston sliding easily up and down in it, but made tight by oakum
or hemp, and covered with water: the piston was suspended by chains from
one end of a beam moveable on an axis in the middle of its length; to
the other end of this beam hung the pump rods. Some imperfections still
remained; but the most important were at length wholly removed by the
discoveries of Mr. Watt, and the construction made use of by that
gentleman and Mr. Bolton, of Soho, near Birmingham; who obtained a
patent for 25 years, in addition to the term granted to Mr. Watt alone,
in the year 1768. One of these machines will work a pump of 18 inches in
diameter, and upwards of 100 fathoms in height, at the rate of 10 or 12
strokes, of seven feet long each, in one minute. It will raise to the
height of 80 feet, in that same space of time, a weight equal to 18,000
pounds; the combined action of 200 horses could not effect more. In
Newcomen’s engine this would have required a cylinder 10 feet in
diameter; but as, in the new engine, the steam acts, and a vacuum is
made, alternately above and below the piston, the power exerted is
double to what the same cylinder would otherwise produce; and is farther
augmented by an inequality in the length of the two ends of the lever.
It must be considered too, that one-third part only of the coals which
the old engine would have required, is used for the same portion of
work.” The expense of erecting the first steam engine in the Polgooth
Mine, amounted to nearly £20,000; and the quantity of coals consumed by
it, in the short space of 24 hours, is stated to amount to 144 bushels.
According to Borlase, the main vein of ore in this mine, was about six
feet thick, running from east to west, and dipping to the north, at the
rate of about six feet in a fathom; towards the east it divides into two
branches, and there is another that cuts the former nearly at a right
angle, and consequently runs north and south, but dipping to the east.
The _ore_ is disseminated in general through a matrix of _Caple_,[49]
accompanied with a _yellow cupreous pyrites_, and sometimes a
_ferrugineous ochre_; it is of the vitreous kind, but rarely found in
crystals, the colour for the most part being of a greyish brown.
_Crennis Copper Mine_, which is situated about two miles east of St.
Austell, is highly deserving of notice: here also steam engines have
been introduced with the most beneficial effects; but although the ore
found in this mine is extremely rich, it was not discovered till within
the last few years, but is stated in some instances to have yielded a
clear profit to its proprietors of £84,000 in one year.
The several _Tin Stream Works_ also in the neighbourhood of St. Austell,
are particularly deserving of notice; the one on the left of the road
near Pentuan, has proved a considerable benefit to the adventurers
concerned in it. In Luxilian parish, through which the road leading from
St. Austell to Bodmin has been formed, there are several works of a
similar nature; but owing to the number of excavations which have been
made for the discovery of ore, it is desirable that strangers should
avoid travelling in this direction after dusk. The celebrated _Wood
Tin_, as it is called, is mostly found in the Stream Works, and which
although extremely valuable, appears far from prepossessing in the minds
of those persons who are unacquainted with mineralogy.
Small particles of gold are frequently found in the Stream Works, but
they are mostly incorporated with tin crystals in streaks.
The celebrated _Clay Works_ in the parish of St. Stephen’s are also well
deserving of attention; as they are now conducted upon a very extensive
scale. In a commercial point of view, the discovery of this clay, or
china stone, has been attended with the greatest advantages, besides
being the means of affording employment to many men, women, and
children. The value of this clay, or china stone, as it is generally
called, was accidentally discovered about 60 years ago; since which
time, immense quantities have been exported for the porcelain
manufactories in Staffordshire and Wales. It is a decomposed granite,
the felspar of which has lost its properties of fusibility; but, in the
manufacture of china and earthenware, it is of the greatest value. In
the manufacture of crucibles at Truro, it has been found of much value.
Notwithstanding, however, the great success which has attended the
progress of the china stone works, it is to be lamented, the wages
allowed to the several persons employed in them, are so trifling. Little
occurs to interest the traveller in regard to mines, after leaving St.
Austell, until his arrival at Truro.