Near the Alverton entrance to Fox’s gardens is an old thatched cottage
[19] which ought to have been regarded with much interest, as it was
the home of Pellew (Admiral Lord Exmouth) during his boyish days. Here
he lived with his aged grandmother, Madam Woodhouse, until he left to
commence his career of usefulness and glory that added much to the
renown of the British nation. I have heard many anecdotes of the hero’s
boyish days from an old lady of the West Country (the daughter of a
gentleman farmer of Sennen) who, when a girl in her teens, was sent to
Penzance to reside with her uncle and aunt, that she might attend a
better school than was to be found in the West Country.
At that time boys and girls often went to the same school until they
were much older than it would be considered decorous for them to remain
together in these thin-skinned, fastidious times.
Young Pellew went to the same school as the girl from the Land’s End,
who, being two or three years older than the boy, called for him at his
grandmother’s house; but the country girl always had a hard task to get
him to school, and often, in spite of all she could do, and threats of
the old lady’s cane, young Pellew would take off to the Quay, whither
the girl had to follow, as, if she was known to have let him escape,
she would get a sound thrashing from her own aunt, who was a great
friend of the boy’s grandmother and paid the same attention to the boy
Edward Pellew as to her own children. As soon as the boy reached the
pier he would spring into the first boat he found afloat, cast off the
painter, and away to sea, without staying to notice if there were oars
in the boat or not.
His companion and guardian in petticoats would remain on the Battery
rocks, or pier, with her knitting or needle-work, that she might signal
to Pellew when it was time for him to come in, to return home to
dinner.
Often the fishermen and sailors at the Quay, who all loved the daring
boy and kept a watch over him, would go out in another boat and help
him to come ashore in time to save his bacon. Sometimes one or both of
the old ladies would find out the truants, come to the Quay after them,
and beat them both home to Alverton lane, where Pellew would take
refuge with old Mr. Boase, who always took the boy’s part, as well as
that of his niece (the west country girl) in spite of all the old
ladies and the schoolmaster might say.
To make amends for the beatings the Sennen girl got for letting Edward
Pellew escape from school (which she liked to do very well herself now
and then) and for doing his sums for him (whilst he occupied himself in
making boats and ship’s gearing under the desk), he would often drive
her uncle’s cows from the Weeths (the ground that is now Mr. Bolitho’s
lawn) down to Alverton to water, or bring them home to their yard in
Alverton lane—the site of which was near where our worthy Mayor’s (Mr.
Francis Boase) garden now stands—to be milked of an evening.
As he was soon taught to be a famous boxer by his friends the sailors
of the Quay, who would always have him with them if they could, he
wanted to put his science in practice by thrashing any boy double his
size, if they happened to offend his protectress, who, when fourscore
years of age, has often shown me a lot of trifles Pellew sent home to
his grandmother for his old school-mate; among other things a variety
of perforated foreign coins, such as sailors like to suspend from their
watch chains, a pair of ladies’ silver shoe-buckles, &c.
When Pellew went to sea the old lady, his grandmother, used often to
say, “If I could but live to see my Teddy made a captain I would die
contented.” The old lady lived long enough to see him knighted, and I
think made an Admiral, before she died.
How Sir Edward Pellew would have none, or few, but Cornish men for his
crew; how the Mount’s Bay and St. Just men would volunteer for him,
when the press gang (who wanted men, and the devil a man could they get
for other ships but his) were beaten out of Mousehole by the women, led
on by Ann St. Doyd (Ann’s right name was Pentreath), armed with a
red-hot poker, is well known. As every incident of his life, after he
went to sea, became matter of history, we cannot claim any more of it
as belonging exclusively to Penzance.