12. Sir John Maynard, an eminent lawyer of later years; one of the
Commissioners of the Great Seal under King William III. All these three
were born at Tavistock.
13. Sir Peter King, the present Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.
And many others.
I shall take the north part of this county in my return from Cornwall; so
I must now lean to the south--that is to say, to the South Coast--for in
going on indeed we go south-west.
About twenty-two miles from Exeter we go to Totnes, on the River Dart.
This is a very good town, of some trade; but has more gentlemen in it
than tradesmen of note. They have a very fine stone bridge here over the
river, which, being within seven or eight miles of the sea, is very
large; and the tide flows ten or twelve feet at the bridge. Here we had
the diversion of seeing them catch fish with the assistance of a dog. The
case is this:--On the south side of the river, and on a slip, or narrow
cut or channel made on purpose for a mill, there stands a corn-mill; the
mill-tail, or floor for the water below the wheels, is wharfed up on
either side with stone above high-water mark, and for above twenty or
thirty feet in length below it on that part of the river towards the sea;
at the end of this wharfing is a grating of wood, the cross-bars of which
stand bearing inward, sharp at the end, and pointing inward towards one
another, as the wires of a mouse-trap.
When the tide flows up, the fish can with ease go in between the points
of these cross-bars, but the mill being shut down they can go no farther
upwards; and when the water ebbs again, they are left behind, not being
able to pass the points of the grating, as above, outwards; which, like a
mouse-trap, keeps them in, so that they are left at the bottom with about
a foot or a foot and a half of water. We were carried hither at low
water, where we saw about fifty or sixty small salmon, about seventeen to
twenty inches long, which the country people call salmon-peal; and to
catch these the person who went with us, who was our landlord at a great
inn next the bridge, put in a net on a hoop at the end of a pole, the
pole going cross the hoop (which we call in this country a shove-net).
The net being fixed at one end of the place, they put in a dog (who was
taught his trade beforehand) at the other end of the place, and he drives
all the fish into the net; so that, only holding the net still in its
place, the man took up two or three and thirty salmon-peal at the first
time.
Of these we took six for our dinner, for which they asked a shilling
(viz., twopence a-piece); and for such fish, not at all bigger, and not
so fresh, I have seen six-and-sixpence each given at a London
fish-market, whither they are sometimes brought from Chichester by land
carriage.
This excessive plenty of so good fish (and other provisions being
likewise very cheap in proportion) makes the town of Totnes a very good
place to live in; especially for such as have large families and but
small estates. And many such are said to come into those parts on
purpose for saving money, and to live in proportion to their income.
From hence we went still south about seven miles (all in view of this
river) to Dartmouth, a town of note, seated at the mouth of the River
Dart, and where it enters into the sea at a very narrow but safe
entrance. The opening into Dartmouth Harbour is not broad, but the
channel deep enough for the biggest ship in the Royal Navy. The sides of
the entrance are high-mounded with rocks, without which, just at the
first narrowing of the passage, stands a good strong fort without a
platform of guns, which commands the port.
The narrow entrance is not much above half a mile, when it opens and
makes a basin or harbour able to receive 500 sail of ships of any size,
and where they may ride with the greatest safety, even as in a mill-pond
or wet dock. I had the curiosity here, with the assistance of a merchant
of the town, to go out to the mouth of the haven in a boat to see the
entrance, and castle or fort that commands it; and coming back with the
tide of flood, I observed some small fish to skip and play upon the
surface of the water, upon which I asked my friend what fish they were.
Immediately one of the rowers or seamen starts up in the boat, and,
throwing his arms abroad as if he had been bewitched, cries out as loud
as he could bawl, "A school! a school!" The word was taken to the shore
as hastily as it would have been on land if he had cried "Fire!" And by
that time we reached the quays the town was all in a kind of an uproar.
The matter was that a great shoal--or, as they call it, a "school"--of
pilchards came swimming with the tide of flood, directly out of the sea
into the harbour. My friend whose boat we were in told me this was a
surprise which he would have been very glad of if he could but have had a
day or two's warning, for he might have taken 200 tons of them. And the
like was the case of other merchants in town; for, in short, nobody was
ready for them, except a small fishing-boat or two--one of which went out
into the middle of the harbour, and at two or three hauls took about
forty thousand of them. We sent our servant to the quay to buy some, who
for a halfpenny brought us seventeen, and, if he would have taken them,
might have had as many more for the same money. With these we went to
dinner; the cook at the inn broiled them for us, which is their way of
dressing them, with pepper and salt, which cost us about a farthing; so
that two of us and a servant dined--and at a tavern, too--for three
farthings, dressing and all. And this is the reason of telling the tale.
What drink--wine or beer--we had I do not remember; but, whatever it was,
that we paid for by itself. But for our food we really dined for three
farthings, and very well, too. Our friend treated us the next day with a
dish of large lobsters, and I being curious to know the value of such
things, and having freedom enough with him to inquire, I found that for
6d. or 8d. they bought as good lobsters there as would have cost in
London 3s. to 3s. 6d. each.
In observing the coming in of those pilchards, as above, we found that
out at sea, in the offing, beyond the mouth of the harbour, there was a
whole army of porpoises, which, as they told us, pursued the pilchards,
and, it is probable, drove them into the harbour, as above. The school,
it seems, drove up the river a great way, even as high as Totnes Bridge,
as we heard afterwards; so that the country people who had boats and nets
catched as many as they knew what to do with, and perhaps lived upon
pilchards for several days. But as to the merchants and trade, their
coming was so sudden that it was no advantage to them.
Round the west side of this basin or harbour, in a kind of a semicircle,
lies the town of Dartmouth, a very large and populous town, though but
meanly built, and standing on the side of a steep hill; yet the quay is
large, and the street before it spacious. Here are some very flourishing
merchants, who trade very prosperously, and to the most considerable
trading ports of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Plantations; but
especially they are great traders to Newfoundland, and from thence to
Spain and Italy, with fish; and they drive a good trade also in their own
fishery of pilchards, which is hereabouts carried on with the greatest
number of vessels of any port in the west, except Falmouth.
A little to the southward of this town, and to the east of the port, is
Tor Bay, of which I know nothing proper to my observation, more than that
it is a very good road for ships, though sometimes (especially with a
southerly or south-east wind) ships have been obliged to quit the bay and
put out to sea, or run into Dartmouth for shelter.
I suppose I need not mention that they had from the hilly part of this
town, and especially from the hills opposite to it, the noble prospect,
and at that time particularly delightful, of the Prince of Orange's fleet
when he came to that coast, and as they entered into Tor Bay to land--the
Prince and his army being in a fleet of about 600 sail of transport
ships, besides 50 sail of men-of-war of the line, all which, with a fair
wind and fine weather, came to an anchor there at once.
This town, as most of the towns of Devonshire are, is full of Dissenters,
and a very large meeting-house they have here. How they act here with
respect to the great dispute about the doctrine of the Trinity, which has
caused such a breach among those people at Exeter and other parts of the
county, I cannot give any account of. This town sends two members to
Parliament.
From hence we went to Plympton, a poor and thinly-inhabited town, though
blessed with the like privilege of sending members to the Parliament, of
which I have little more to say but that from thence the road lies to
Plymouth, distance about six miles.
Plymouth is indeed a town of consideration, and of great importance to
the public. The situation of it between two very large inlets of the
sea, and in the bottom of a large bay, which is very remarkable for the
advantage of navigation. The Sound or Bay is compassed on every side
with hills, and the shore generally steep and rocky, though the anchorage
is good, and it is pretty safe riding. In the entrance to this bay lies
a large and most dangerous rock, which at high-water is covered, but at
low-tide lies bare, where many a good ship has been lost, even in the
view of safety, and many a ship's crew drowned in the night, before help
could be had for them.
Upon this rock (which was called the Eddystone, from its situation) the
famous Mr. Winstanley undertook to build a lighthouse for the direction
of sailors, and with great art and expedition finished it; which
work--considering its height, the magnitude of its building, and the
little hold there was by which it was possible to fasten it to the
rock--stood to admiration, and bore out many a bitter storm.
Mr. Winstanley often visited, and frequently strengthened, the building
by new works, and was so confident of its firmness and stability that he
usually said he only desired to be in it when a storm should happen; for
many people had told him it would certainly fall if it came to blow a
little harder than ordinary.
But he happened at last to be in it once too often--namely, when that
dreadful tempest blew, November 27, 1703. This tempest began on the
Wednesday before, and blew with such violence, and shook the lighthouse
so much, that, as they told me there, Mr. Winstanley would fain have been
on shore, and made signals for help; but no boats durst go off to him;
and, to finish the tragedy, on the Friday, November 26, when the tempest
was so redoubled that it became a terror to the whole nation, the first
sight there seaward that the people of Plymouth were presented with in
the morning after the storm was the bare Eddystone, the lighthouse being
gone; in which Mr. Winstanley and all that were with him perished, and
were never seen or heard of since. But that which was a worse loss still
was that, a few days after, a merchant's ship called the _Winchelsea_,
homeward bound from Virginia, not knowing the Eddystone lighthouse was
down, for want of the light that should have been seen, run foul of the
rock itself, and was lost with all her lading and most of her men. But
there is now another light-house built on the same rock.
What other disasters happened at the same time in the Sound and in the
roads about Plymouth is not my business; they are also published in other
books, to which I refer.
One thing which I was a witness to on a former journey to this place, I
cannot omit. It was the next year after that great storm, and but a
little sooner in the year, being in August; I was at Plymouth, and
walking on the Hoo (which is a plain on the edge of the sea, looking to
the road), I observed the evening so serene, so calm, so bright, and the
sea so smooth, that a finer sight, I think, I never saw. There was very
little wind, but what was, seemed to be westerly; and about an hour
after, it blew a little breeze at south-west, with which wind there came
into the Sound that night and the next morning a fleet of fourteen sail
of ships from Barbadoes, richly laden for London. Having been long at
sea, most of the captains and passengers came on shore to refresh
themselves, as is usual after such tedious voyages; and the ships rode
all in the Sound on that side next to Catwater. As is customary upon
safe arriving to their native country, there was a general joy and
rejoicing both on board and on shore.
The next day the wind began to freshen, especially in the afternoon, and
the sea to be disturbed, and very hard it blew at night; but all was well
for that time. But the night after, it blew a dreadful storm (not much
inferior, for the time it lasted, to the storm mentioned above which blew
down the lighthouse on the Eddystone). About mid-night the noise,
indeed, was very dreadful, what with the rearing of the sea and of the
wind, intermixed with the firing of guns for help from the ships, the
cries of the seamen and people on shore, and (which was worse) the cries
of those which were driven on shore by the tempest and dashed in pieces.
In a word, all the fleet except three, or thereabouts, were dashed to
pieces against the rocks and sunk in the sea, most of the men being
drowned. Those three who were saved, received so much damage that their
lading was almost all spoiled. One ship in the dark of the night, the
men not knowing where they were, run into Catwater, and run on shore
there; by which she was, however, saved from shipwreck, and the lives of
her crew were saved also.
This was a melancholy morning indeed. Nothing was to be seen but wrecks
of the ships and a foaming, furious sea in that very place where they
rode all in joy and triumph but the evening before. The captains,
passengers, and officers who were, as I have said, gone on shore, between
the joy of saving their lives, and the affliction of having lost their
ships, their cargoes, and their friends, were objects indeed worth our
compassion and observation. And there was a great variety of the
passions to be observed in them--now lamenting their losses, their giving
thanks for their deliverance. Many of the passengers had lost their all,
and were, as they expressed themselves, "utterly undone." They were, I
say, now lamenting their losses with violent excesses of grief; then
giving thanks for their lives, and that they should be brought on shore,
as it were, on purpose to be saved from death; then again in tears for
such as were drowned. The various cases were indeed very affecting, and,
in many things, very instructing.
As I say, Plymouth lies in the bottom of this Sound, in the centre
between the two waters, so there lies against it, in the same position,
an island, which they call St. Nicholas, on which there is a castle which
commands the entrance into Hamoaze, and indeed that also into Catwater in
some degree. In this island the famous General Lambert, one of
Cromwell's great agents or officers in the rebellion, was imprisoned for
life, and lived many years there.
On the shore over against this island is the citadel of Plymouth, a small
but regular fortification, inaccessible by sea, but not exceeding strong
by land, except that they say the works are of a stone hard as marble,
and would not soon yield to the batteries of an enemy--but that is a
language our modern engineers now laugh at.
The town stands above this, upon the same rock, and lies sloping on the
side of it, towards the east--the inlet of the sea which is called
Catwater, and which is a harbour capable of receiving any number of ships
and of any size, washing the eastern shore of the town, where they have a
kind of natural mole or haven, with a quay and all other conveniences for
bringing in vessels for loading and unloading; nor is the trade carried
on here inconsiderable in itself, or the number of merchants small.
The other inlet of the sea, as I term it, is on the other side of the
town, and is called Hamoaze, being the mouth of the River Tamar, a
considerable river which parts the two counties of Devon and Cornwall.
Here (the war with France making it necessary that the ships of war
should have a retreat nearer hand than at Portsmouth) the late King
William ordered a wet dock--with yards, dry docks, launches, and
conveniences of all kinds for building and repairing of ships--to be
built; and with these followed necessarily the building of store-houses
and warehouses for the rigging, sails, naval and military stores, &c., of
such ships as may be appointed to be laid up there, as now several are;
with very handsome houses for the commissioners, clerks, and officers of
all kinds usual in the king's yards, to dwell in. It is, in short, now
become as complete an arsenal or yard for building and fitting men-of-war
as any the Government are masters of, and perhaps much more convenient
than some of them, though not so large.
The building of these things, with the addition of rope-walks and mast-
yards, &c., as it brought abundance of trades-people and workmen to the
place, so they began by little and little to build houses on the lands
adjacent, till at length there appeared a very handsome street, spacious
and large, and as well inhabited; and so many houses are since added that
it is become a considerable town, and must of consequence in time draw
abundance of people from Plymouth itself.
However, the town of Plymouth is, and will always be, a very considerable
town, while that excellent harbour makes it such a general port for the
receiving all the fleets of merchants' ships from the southward (as from
Spain, Italy, the West Indies, &c.), who generally make it the first port
to put in at for refreshment, or safety from either weather or enemies.
The town is populous and wealthy, having, as above, several considerable
merchants and abundance of wealthy shopkeepers, whose trade depends upon
supplying the sea-faring people that upon so many occasions put into that
port. As for gentlemen--I mean, those that are such by family and birth
and way of living--it cannot be expected to find many such in a town
merely depending on trade, shipping, and sea-faring business; yet I found
here some men of value (persons of liberal education, general knowledge,
and excellent behaviour), whose society obliges me to say that a
gentleman might find very agreeable company in Plymouth.
From Plymouth we pass the Tamar over a ferry to Saltash--a little, poor,
shattered town, the first we set foot on in the county of Cornwall. The
Tamar here is very wide, and the ferry-boats bad; so that I thought
myself well escaped when I got safe on shore in Cornwall.
Saltash seems to be the ruins of a larger place; and we saw many houses,
as it were, falling down, and I doubt not but the mice and rats have
abandoned many more, as they say they will when they are likely to fall.
Yet this town is governed by a mayor and aldermen, has many privileges,
sends members to Parliament, takes toll of all vessels that pass the
river, and have the sole oyster-fishing in the whole river, which is
considerable. Mr. Carew, author of the "Survey of Cornwall," tells us a
strange story of a dog in this town, of whom it was observed that if they
gave him any large bone or piece of meat, he immediately went out of
doors with it, and after having disappeared for some time would return
again; upon which, after some time, they watched him, when, to their
great surprise, they found that the poor charitable creature carried what
he so got to an old decrepit mastiff, which lay in a nest that he had
made among the brakes a little way out of the town, and was blind, so
that he could not help himself; and there this creature fed him. He adds
also that on Sundays or holidays, when he found they made good cheer in
the house where he lived, he would go out and bring this old blind dog to
the door, and feed him there till he had enough, and then go with him
back to his habitation in the country again, and see him safe in. If
this story is true, it is very remarkable indeed; and I thought it worth
telling, because the author was a person who, they say, might be
credited.
This town has a kind of jurisdiction upon the River Tamar down to the
mouth of the port, so that they claim anchorage of all small ships that
enter the river; their coroner sits upon all dead bodies that are found
drowned in the river and the like, but they make not much profit of them.
There is a good market here, and that is the best thing to be said of the
town; it is also very much increased since the number of the inhabitants
are increased at the new town, as I mentioned as near the dock at the
mouth of Hamoaze, for those people choose rather to go to Saltash to
market by water than to walk to Plymouth by land for their provisions.
Because, first, as they go in the town boat, the same boat brings home
what they buy, so that it is much less trouble; second, because
provisions are bought much cheaper at Saltash than at Plymouth. This, I
say, is like to be a very great advantage to the town of Saltash, and may
in time put a new face of wealth upon the place.
They talk of some merchants beginning to trade here, and they have some
ships that use the Newfoundland fishery; but I could not hear of anything
considerable they do in it. There is no other considerable town up the
Tamar till we come to Launceston, the county town, which I shall take in
my return; so I turned west, keeping the south shore of the county to the
Land's End.
From Saltash I went to Liskeard, about seven miles. This is a
considerable town, well built; has people of fashion in it, and a very
great market; it also sends two members to Parliament, and is one of the
five towns called Stannary Towns--that is to say, where the blocks of tin
are brought to the coinage; of which, by itself, this coinage of tin is
an article very much to the advantage of the towns where it is settled,
though the money paid goes another way.
This town of Liskeard was once eminent, had a good castle, and a large
house, where the ancient Dukes of Cornwall kept their court in those
days; also it enjoyed several privileges, especially by the favour of the
Black Prince, who as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall resided here.
And in return they say this town and the country round it raised a great
body of stout young fellows, who entered into his service and followed
his fortunes in his wars in France, as also in Spain. But these
buildings are so decayed that there are now scarce any of the ruins of
the castle or of the prince's court remaining.
The only public edifices they have now to show are the guild or town
hall, on which there is a turret with a fine clock; a very good free
school, well provided; a very fine conduit in the market-place; an
ancient large church; and, which is something rare for the county of
Cornwall, a large, new-built meeting-house for the Dissenters, which I
name because they assured me there was but three more, and those very
inconsiderable, in all the county of Cornwall; whereas in Devonshire,
which is the next county, there are reckoned about seventy, some of which
are exceeding large and fine.
This town is also remarkable for a very great trade in all manufactures
of leather, such as boots, shoes, gloves, purses, breaches, &c.; and some
spinning of late years is set up here, encouraged by the woollen
manufacturers of Devonshire.
Between these two towns of Saltash and Liskeard is St. Germans, now a
village, decayed, and without any market, but the largest parish in the
whole county--in the bounds of which is contained, as they report,
seventeen villages, and the town of Saltash among them; for Saltash has
no parish church, it seems, of itself, but as a chapel-of-ease to St.
Germans. In the neighbourhood of these towns are many pleasant seats of
the Cornish gentry, who are indeed very numerous, though their estates
may not be so large as is usual in England; yet neither are they
despicable in that part; and in particular this may be said of them--that
as they generally live cheap, and are more at home than in other
counties, so they live more like gentlemen, and keep more within bounds
of their estates than the English generally do, take them all together.
Add to this that they are the most sociable, generous, and to one another
the kindest, neighbours that are to be found; and as they generally live,
as we may say, together (for they are almost always at one another's
houses), so they generally intermarry among themselves, the gentlemen
seldom going out of the county for a wife, or the ladies for a husband;
from whence they say that proverb upon them was raised, viz., "That all
the Cornish gentlemen are cousins."
On the hills north of Liskeard, and in the way between Liskeard and
Launceston, there are many tin-mines. And, as they told us, some of the
richest veins of that metal are found there that are in the whole
county--the metal, when cast at the blowing houses into blocks, being, as
above, carried to Liskeard to be coined.
From Liskeard, in our course west, we are necessarily carried to the sea-
coast, because of the River Fowey or Fowath, which empties itself into
the sea at a very large mouth. And hereby this river rising in the
middle of the breadth of the county and running south, and the River
Camel rising not far from it and running north, with a like large
channel, the land from Bodmin to the western part of the county is almost
made an island and in a manner cut off from the eastern part--the
peninsula, or neck of land between, being not above twelve miles over.
On this south side we came to Foy or Fowey, an ancient town, and formerly
very large--nay, not large only, but powerful and potent; for the Foyens,
as they were then called, were able to fit out large fleets, not only for
merchants' ships, but even of men-of-war; and with these not only fought
with, but several times vanquished and routed, the squadron of the Cinque
Ports men, who in those days were thought very powerful.
Mr. Camden observes that the town of Foy quarters some part of the arms
of every one of those Cinque Ports with their own, intimating that they
had at several times trampled over them all. Certain it is they did
often beat them, and took their ships, and brought them as good prizes
into their haven of Foy; and carried it so high that they fitted out
their fleets against the French, and took several of their men-of-war
when they were at war with England, and enriched their town by the spoil
of their enemies.
Edward IV. favoured them much; and because the French threatened them to
come up their river with a powerful navy to burn their town, he caused
two forts to be built at the public charge for security of the town and
river, which forts--at least, some show of them--remain there still. But
the same King Edward was some time after so disgusted at the townsmen for
officiously falling upon the French, after a truce was made and
proclaimed, that he effectually disarmed them, took away their whole
fleet, ships, tackle, apparel, and furniture; and since that time we do
not read of any of their naval exploits, nor that they ever recovered or
attempted to recover their strength at sea. However, Foy at this time is
a very fair town; it lies extended on the east side of the river for
above a mile, the buildings fair. And there are a great many flourishing
merchants in it, who have a great share in the fishing trade, especially
for pilchards, of which they take a great quantity hereabouts. In this
town is also a coinage for the tin, of which a great quantity is dug up
in the country north and west of the town.
The River Fowey, which is very broad and deep here, was formerly
navigable by ships of good burthen as high as Lostwithiel--an ancient and
once a flourishing but now a decayed town; and as to trade and
navigation, quite destitute; which is occasioned by the river being
filled up with sands, which, some say, the tides drive up in stormy
weather from the sea; others say it is by sands washed from the
lead-mines in the hills; the last of which, by the way, I take to be a
mistake, the sand from the hills being not of quantity sufficient to fill
up the channel of a navigable river, and, if it had, might easily have
been stopped by the townspeople from falling into the river. But that
the sea has choked up the river with sand is not only probable, but true;
and there are other rivers which suffer in the like manner in this same
country.
This town of Lostwithiel retains, however, several advantages which
support its figure--as, first, that it is one of the Coinage Towns, as I
call them; or Stannary Towns, as others call them; (2) the common gaol
for the whole Stannary is here, as are also the County Courts for the
whole county of Cornwall.
There is a mock cavalcade kept up at this town, which is very remarkable.
The particulars, as they are related by Mr. Carew in his "Survey of
Cornwall," take as follows:--
"Upon Little Easter Sunday the freeholders of this town and manor, by
themselves or their deputies, did there assemble; amongst whom one (as it
fell to his lot by turn), bravely apparelled, gallantly mounted, with a
crown on his head, a sceptre in his hand, and a sword borne before him,
and dutifully attended by all the rest (also on horseback), rode through
the principal street to the church. The curate in his best beseen
solemnly received him at the churchyard stile, and conducted him to hear
divine service. After which he repaired, with the same pomp, to a house
provided for that purpose, made a feast to his attendants, kept the
table's-end himself, and was served with kneeling assay and all other
rights due to the estate of a prince; with which dinner the ceremony
ended, and every man returned home again. The pedigree of this usage is
derived from so many descents of ages that the cause and author outreach
the remembrance. Howbeit, these circumstances afford a conjecture that
it should betoken royalties appertaining to the honour of Cornwall."
Behind Foy and nearer to the coast, at the mouth of a small river which
some call Lowe, though without any authority, there stand two towns
opposite to one another bearing the name of the River Looe--that is to
say, distinguished by the addition of East Looe and West Looe. These are
both good trading towns, and especially fishing towns; and, which is very
particular, are (like Weymouth and Melcombe, in Dorsetshire) separated
only by the creek or river, and yet each of them sends members to
Parliament. These towns are joined together by a very beautiful and
stately stone bridge having fifteen arches.
East Looe was the ancienter corporation of the two, and for some ages ago
the greater and more considerable town; but now they tell us West Looe is
the richest, and has the most ships belonging to it. Were they put
together, they would make a very handsome seaport town. They have a
great fishing trade here, as well for supply of the country as for
merchandise, and the towns are not despisable. But as to sending four
members to the British Parliament (which is as many as the City of London
chooses), that, I confess, seems a little scandalous; but to whom, is
none of my business to inquire.
Passing from hence, and ferrying over Foy River or the River Foweth (call
it as you please), we come into a large country without many towns in it
of note, but very well furnished with gentlemen's seats, and a little
higher up with tin-works.
The sea making several deep bays here, they who travel by land are
obliged to go higher into the country to pass above the water, especially
at Trewardreth Bay, which lies very broad, above ten miles within the
country, which passing at Trewardreth (a town of no great note, though
the bay takes its name from it), the next inlet of the sea is the famous
firth or inlet called Falmouth Haven. It is certainly, next to Milford
Haven in South Wales, the fairest and best road for shipping that is in
the whole isle of Britain, whether be considered the depth of water for
above twenty miles within land; the safety of riding, sheltered from all
kind of winds or storms; the good anchorage; and the many creeks, all
navigable, where ships may run in and be safe; so that the like is
nowhere to be found.
There are six or seven very considerable places upon this haven and the
rivers from it--viz., Grampound, Tregony, Truro, Penryn, Falmouth, St.
Maws, and Pendennis. The three first of these send members to
Parliament. The town of Falmouth, as big as all the three, and richer
than ten of them, sends none; which imports no more than this--that
Falmouth itself is not of so great antiquity as to its rising as those
other towns are; and yet the whole haven takes its name from Falmouth,
too, unless, as some think, the town took its name from the haven, which,
however, they give no authority to suggest.
St. Maws and Pendennis are two fortifications placed at the points or
entrance of this haven, opposite to one another, though not with a
communication or view; they are very strong--the first principally by
sea, having a good platform of guns pointing athwart the Channel, and
planted on a level with the water. But Pendennis Castle is strong by
land as well as by water, is regularly fortified, has good out-works, and
generally a strong garrison. St. Maws, otherwise called St. Mary's, has
a town annexed to the castle, and is a borough sending members to the
Parliament. Pendennis is a mere fortress, though there are some
habitations in it, too, and some at a small distance near the seaside,
but not of any great consideration.
The town of Falmouth is by much the richest and best trading town in this
county, though not so ancient as its neighbour town of Truro; and indeed
is in some things obliged to acknowledge the seigniority--namely, that in
the corporation of Truro the person whom they choose to be their Mayor of
Truro is also Mayor of Falmouth of course. How the jurisdiction is
managed is an account too long for this place. The Truro-men also
receive several duties collected in Falmouth, particularly wharfage for
the merchandises landed or shipped off; but let these advantages be what
they will, the town of Falmouth has gotten the trade--at least, the best
part of it--from the other, which is chiefly owing to the situation. For
that Falmouth lying upon the sea, but within the entrance, ships of the
greatest burthen come up to the very quays, and the whole Royal Navy
might ride safely in the road; whereas the town of Truro lying far
within, and at the mouth of two fresh rivers, is not navigable for
vessels of above 150 tons or thereabouts.
Some have suggested that the original of Falmouth was the having so large
a quay, and so good a depth of water at it. The merchants of Truro
formerly used it for the place of lading and unlading their ships, as the
merchants of Exeter did at Topsham; and this is the more probable in
that, as above, the wharfage of those landing-places is still the
property of the corporation of Truro.
But let this be as it will, the trade is now in a manner wholly gone to
Falmouth, the trade at Truro being now chiefly (if not only) for the
shipping off of block tin and copper ore, the latter being lately found
in large quantities in some of the mountains between Truro and St.
Michael's, and which is much improved since the several mills are erected
at Bristol and other parts for the manufactures of battery ware, as it is
called (brass), or which is made out of English copper, most of it dug
in these parts--the ore itself ago being found very rich and good.
Falmouth is well built, has abundance of shipping belonging to it, is
full of rich merchants, and has a flourishing and increasing trade. I
say "increasing," because by the late setting up the English packets
between this port and Lisbon, there is a new commerce between Portugal
and this town carried on to a very great value.
It is true, part of this trade was founded in a clandestine commerce
carried on by the said packets at Lisbon, where, being the king's ships,
and claiming the privilege of not being searched or visited by the Custom
House officers, they found means to carry off great quantities of British
manufactures, which they sold on board to the Portuguese merchants, and
they conveyed them on shore, as it is supposed, without paying custom.
But the Government there getting intelligence of it, and complaint being
made in England also, where it was found to be very prejudicial to the
fair merchant, that trade has been effectually stopped. But the Falmouth
merchants, having by this means gotten a taste of the Portuguese trade,
have maintained it ever since in ships of their own. These packets bring
over such vast quantities of gold in specie, either in _moidores_ (which
is the Portugal coin) or in bars of gold, that I am very credibly
informed the carrier from Falmouth brought by land from thence to London
at one time, in the month of January, 1722, or near it, eighty thousand
_moidores_ in gold, which came from Lisbon in the packet-boats for
account of the merchants at London, and that it was attended with a guard
of twelve horsemen well armed, for which the said carrier had half per
cent. for his hazard.
This is a specimen of the Portugal trade, and how considerable it is in
itself, as well as how advantageous to England; but as that is not to the
present case, I proceed. The Custom House for all the towns in this
port, and the head collector, is established at this town, where the
duties (including the other ports) is very considerable. Here is also a
very great fishing for pilchards; and the merchants for Falmouth have the
chief stroke in that gainful trade.
Truro is, however, a very considerable town, too. It stands up the water
north and by east from Falmouth, in the utmost extended branch of the
Avon, in the middle between the conflux of two rivers, which, though not
of any long course, have a very good appearance for a port, and make it
large wharf between them in the front of the town. And the water here
makes a good port for small ships, though it be at the influx, but not
for ships of burthen. This is the particular town where the Lord-Warden
of the Stannaries always holds his famous Parliament of miners, and for
stamping of tin. The town is well built, but shows that it has been much
fuller, both of houses and inhabitants, than it is now; nor will it
probably ever rise while the town of Falmouth stands where it does, and
while the trade is settled in it as it is. There are at least three
churches in it, but no Dissenters' meeting-house that I could hear of.
Tregony is upon the same water north-east from Falmouth--distance about
fifteen miles from it--but is a town of very little trade; nor, indeed,
have any of the towns, so far within the shore, notwithstanding the
benefit of the water, any considerable trade but what is carried on under
the merchants of Falmouth or Truro. The chief thing that is to be said
of this town is that it sends members to Parliament, as does also
Grampound, a market-town; and Burro', about four miles farther up the
water. This place, indeed, has a claim to antiquity, and is an appendix
to the Duchy of Cornwall, of which it holds at a fee farm rent and pays
to the Prince of Wales as duke 10 pounds 11s. 1d. per annum. It has no
parish church, but only a chapel-of-ease to an adjacent parish.
Penryn is up the same branch of the Avon as Falmouth, but stands four
miles higher towards the west; yet ships come to it of as great a size as
can come to Truro itself. It is a very pleasant, agreeable town, and for
that reason has many merchants in it, who would perhaps otherwise live at
Falmouth. The chief commerce of these towns, as to their sea-affairs, is
the pilchards and Newfoundland fishing, which is very profitable to them
all. It had formerly a conventual church, with a chantry and a religious
house (a cell to Kirton); but they are all demolished, and scarce the
ruins of them distinguishable enough to know one part from another.
Quitting Falmouth Haven from Penryn West, we came to Helston, about seven
miles, and stands upon the little River Cober, which, however, admits the
sea so into its bosom as to make a tolerable good harbour for ships a
little below the town. It is the fifth town allowed for the coining tin,
and several of the ships called tin-ships are laden here.
This town is large and populous, and has four spacious streets, a
handsome church, and a good trade. This town also sends members to
Parliament. Beyond this is a market-town, though of no resort for trade,
called Market Jew. It lies, indeed, on the seaside, but has no harbour
or safe road for shipping.
At Helford is a small but good harbour between Falmouth and this port,
where many times the tin-ships go in to load for London; also here are a
good number of fishing vessels for the pilchard trade, and abundance of
skilful fishermen. It was from this town that in the great storm which
happened November 27, 1703, a ship laden with tin was blown out to sea
and driven to the Isle of Wight in seven hours, having on board only one
man and two boys. The story is as follows:--
"The beginning of the storm there lay a ship laden with tin in Helford
Haven, about two leagues and a half west of Falmouth. The tin was taken
on board at a place called Guague Wharf, five or six miles up the river,
and the vessel was come down to Helford in order to pursue her voyage to
London.
"About eight o'clock in the evening the commander, whose name was Anthony
Jenkins, went on board with his mate to see that everything was safe, and
to give orders, but went both on shore again, leaving only a man and two
boys on board, not apprehending any danger, they being in safe harbour.
However, he ordered them that if it should blow hard they should carry
out the small bower anchor, and so to moor the ship by two anchors, and
then giving what other orders he thought to be needful, he went ashore,
as above.
"About nine o'clock, the wind beginning to blow harder, they carried out
the anchor, according to the master's order; but the wind increasing
about ten, the ship began to drive, so they carried out their best bower,
which, having a good new cable, brought the ship up. The storm still
increasing, they let go the kedge anchor; so that they then rode by four
anchors ahead, which were all they had.
"But between eleven and twelve o'clock the wind came about west and by
south, and blew in so violent and terrible a manner that, though they
rode under the lee of a high shore, yet the ship was driven from all her
anchors, and about midnight drove quite out of the harbour (the opening
of the harbour lying due east and west) into the open sea, the men having
neither anchor or cable or boat to help themselves.
"In this dreadful condition (they driving, I say, out of the harbour)
their first and chief care was to go clear of the rocks which lie on
either side the harbour's mouth, and which they performed pretty well.
Then, seeing no remedy, they consulted what to do next. They could carry
no sail at first--no, not a knot; nor do anything but run away afore it.
The only thing they had to think on was to keep her out at sea as far as
they could, for fear of a point of land called the Dead Man's Head, which
lies to the eastward of Falmouth Haven; and then, if they could escape
the land, thought to run in for Plymouth next morning, so, if possible,
to save their lives.
"In this frighted condition they drove away at a prodigious rate, having
sometimes the bonnet of their foresail a little out, but the yard lowered
almost to the deck--sometimes the ship almost under water, and sometimes
above, keeping still in the offing, for fear of the land, till they might
see daylight. But when the day broke they found they were to think no
more of Plymouth, for they were far enough beyond it; and the first land
they made was Peverel Point, being the southernmost land of the Isle of
Purbeck, in Dorsetshire, and a little to the westward of the Isle of
Wight; so that now they were in a terrible consternation, and driving
still at a prodigious rate. By seven o'clock they found themselves
broadside of the Isle of Wight.
"Here they consulted again what to do to save their lives. One of the
boys was for running her into the Downs; but the man objected that,
having no anchor or cable nor boat to go on shore with, and the storm
blowing off shore in the Downs, they should be inevitably blown off and
lost upon the unfortunate Goodwin--which, it seems, the man had been on
once before and narrowly escaped.
"Now came the last consultation for their lives. The other of the boys
said he had been in a certain creek in the Isle of Wight, where, between
the rocks, he knew there was room to run the ship in, and at least to
save their lives, and that he saw the place just that moment; so he
desired the man to let him have the helm, and he would do his best and
venture it. The man gave him the helm, and he stood directly in among
the rocks, the people standing on the shore thinking they were mad, and
that they would in a few minutes be dashed in a thousand pieces.
"But when they came nearer, and the people found they steered as if they
knew the place, they made signals to them to direct them as well as they
could, and the young bold fellow run her into a small cove, where she
stuck fast, as it were, between the rocks on both sides, there being but
just room enough for the breadth of the ship. The ship indeed, giving
two or three knocks, staved and sunk, but the man and the two youths
jumped ashore and were safe; and the lading, being tin, was afterwards
secured.
"N.B.--The merchants very well rewarded the three sailors, especially the
lad that ran her into that place."
Penzance is the farthest town of any note west, being 254 miles from
London, and within about ten miles of the promontory called the Land's
End; so that this promontory is from London 264 miles, or thereabouts.
This town of Penzance is a place of good business, well built and
populous, has a good trade, and a great many ships belonging to it,
notwithstanding it is so remote. Here are also a great many good
families of gentlemen, though in this utmost angle of the nation; and,
which is yet more strange, the veins of lead, tin, and copper ore are
said to be seen even to the utmost extent of land at low-water mark, and
in the very sea--so rich, so valuable, a treasure is contained in these
parts of Great Britain, though they are supposed to be so poor, because
so very remote from London, which is the centre of our wealth.
Between this town and St. Burien, a town midway between it and the Land's
End, stands a circle of great stones, not unlike those at Stonehenge, in
Wiltshire, with one bigger than the rest in the middle. They stand about
twelve feet asunder, but have no inscription; neither does tradition
offer to leave any part of their history upon record, as whether it was a
trophy or a monument of burial, or an altar for worship, or what else; so
that all that can be learned of them is that here they are. The parish
where they stand is called Boscawone, from whence the ancient and
honourable family of Boscawen derive their names.
Near Penzance, but open to the sea, is that gulf they call Mount's Bay;
named so from a high hill standing in the water, which they call St.
Michael's Mount: the seamen call it only the Cornish Mount. It has been
fortified, though the situation of it makes it so difficult of access
that, like the Bass in Scotland, there needs no fortification; like the
Bass, too, it was once made a prison for prisoners of State, but now it
is wholly neglected. There is a very good road here for shipping, which
makes the town of Penzance be a place of good resort.
A little up in the county towards the north-west is Godolchan, which
though a hill, rather than a town, gives name to the noble and ancient
family of Godolphin; and nearer on the northern coast is Royalton, which
since the late Sydney Godolphin, Esq., a younger brother of the family,
was created Earl of Godolphin, gave title of Lord to his eldest son, who
was called Lord Royalton during the life of his father. This place also
is infinitely rich in tin-mines.
I am now at my journey's end. As to the islands of Scilly, which lie
beyond the Land's End, I shall say something of them presently. I must
now return _sur mes pas_, as the French call it; though not literally so,
for I shall not come back the same way I went. But as I have coasted the
south shore to the Land's End, I shall come back by the north coast, and
my observations in my return will furnish very well materials for another
letter.