oh tinde Ong SOs Os O- Ge 9S -tyrtig athe es- Fae > irene ra
er eee ie
*
FB Se hao tel ae
1 peatidnpieoadn bad
Ret cat Ree
etna at pee $e a
bo Bod at = mS Se
acme ad bebad-Geonae . on
bat cA hatinte Oe » 4 ‘ Ee ee
fo Deebalnis san : a eo bre.
eer’
eee ee ee
senate tobe!
Ae 2 5 Ae Om Me
*
2 eth aite Beton
trang ine ote ann fe? <ign
Oe
meee
1 ‘
mh Gabo bls
i
Uae |
ut
iste
Ata ie
whiny
Ka)
yl
oN
1)
JOUR WAL.
OF THE
r
{oval {stitution of {jornwall
VOLUME XIV.
fr 26
¥
g
1899-1900. |
YHA NS
——_
TRURO:
PRINTED BY LAKE AND LAKE, Lrtp., PRINCES STREET,
Tgol.
BC hee
The Council of the Royal Institution of Cornwall desire
that it should be distinctly understood that the Institution as a
body is not responsible for any statements or opinions expressed
in the Journal; the Authors of the several communications being
alone answerable for the same.
List of Presidents.
Rr. Hon. Viscount Exmouts, G.C.B., &c.
Str Cartes Lemon, Barr., M.A., F.R.S.,
MRE ys. se ees Se
W. Manset Tweepy, Esq. i of
Cuarites BarHam, M.D.
Srr E. Smirxe, Kt., M.A., Vice- “Afterelen
Aveustus Surry, F.G.S., MP. :
Str EK. Surrxs, Kt., M.A., V.W.
J. JopE Rogers, M.A., M.P.
W. Jory Henwoop, F.R.S.
Rr. Hon. Lorp Sr. Levan
James Jaco, M.D., F.R.S.
JONATHAN RasHuLEIcH, Hsq. So
W. Coretanp Boruasz, M.A., F.S.A.
Lorp BisHor or Truro (Archb. Benson, D.D.)
Rr. Hon. Hart or Mount Epccumes,
Lord-Lieut. ..
A. Prenparves Vivian, M.P.
Rev. W. Iaco, B.A.
JoHN TREMAYNE, M.P.
Epwin Dounxty, F.R.S., F.R.A. S.
Sir Jonn Mactean, Kt, HAS eAC Res cAe
Joun Davies Enys, F. G. S. :
Rr. Hon. Leonarp H. Courrney, MP.
Rey. 8. Bartnc-Goutp, M.A.
J. C. Witutams, Esa.
Senoood Medalists :—Rev. W. Laco, B.A.
Je El Cormmnycake Gas:
TuurRsran C, pees Ee
Rupert VALLENTIN
1818-30.
1830-57.
1857-59.
1859-61.
1861-63.
1863-65.
1865-67.
1867-69.
1869-71.
1871-73.
1873-75.
1875-77.
1877-79.
1879-81.
1881-83.
1888-85.
1885-87.
1887-89.
1889-91.
1891-93.
1898-95.
1895-97.
1897-99.
1899-01.
1890.
1893.
1896.
1899.
111
iv
CONTENTS (Seriatim.)
List of Officers :
List of Proprietors, AMonbers) fn Nesecries
Spring Meeting (1899)
Address by Rev. S. Baring- Gould, Breniiedt (1899)
Annual Excursion (1899)
Seventh Annual Joint Meeting of Comma Sifts Societies
Annual Meeting (1899) 500 200
Gifts to Museum and Library
Presentation of Henwood Medal
Balance Sheet 56
Meteorological Tables ( (1899) ;
Cornubiana, Part III, by Rev. S. RUNDLE
Part II of Catalogue of Saints connected with Conner, nal Teer
of Churches and Chapels dedicated to chen D-G., by Rev. S.
BarinG-GouLD
Notes on the Church of St. Tories -in- Rann, by. TARE C. PETER
Some Botanical Records, by F. H. Davey ._..
Notes on the Fauna of Falmouth for the years 1898- 9, i Rorenr |
VALLENTIN
Notes on the Parliamentary Aiton, of Truro, ‘Part 2, A. D. 1469-
1660, by P. JENNINGS ... ae
Notes on St. Michael’s Mount, by THURSTAN C. PETER ae
Obituary—Epwin Dunkin, F.R:S. wee
Letter from J. D, Enys, F.G.S., ve Portrait of me Porlace
Spring Meeting (1900) om ue veh
Address by J. C. WILLIAMs, Prestidlens (1900) 000
Part III of Catalogue of Saints as ae H- one by Rev. S.
BaRING-GOULD Me a pe
Annual Meeting (1900)
Gifts to Museum and Library
The Harlyn Explorations
Balance Sheet ee
Meteorological Tables ( (1900)
Notes on the Fauna and Flora of the Falkland Telandst a Rupert
VALLENTIN }
The Romans in Cornw all, by tho late R. N. Worm E.G. 8.
Additions to the Flora of Cornwall, by F. H. Davny
The Stone Circles of Cornwall and Scotland, a Compaen: ee
A. L. Lewis, F.C.A. 6 i 6c
Cornish Chairs, by Rev. 8S. RUNDLE
Notes on the Churches of St. Mylor and Mabe, be THURSTAN C. 1
PETER a
On the Occurrence of ‘Sait TBs, ae small ‘Sion Implements j
in Cornwall, by Francis BRENT, F.S.A. Su
Macro-lepidoptera observed at Godolphin, by A. J. Spiller
Addenda and Corrigenda
Index
JONIDIBXS OQ) WOlG, 2OOV-
—
Abbotsham, 268, 264.
Accounts, Balance Sheets of, 63, 333.
Adamnan, 39.
Agnes, St., Fossil found at, 62.
Alabaster Sculpture at St. Michael's
Mount, 245 ; at Mabe, 410.
Alba, Finbar’s Church at, 143, 156.
Allen, St., 118.
Alluvial Deposits in Red River Valley, 51.
Altarnun, 40, 90.
Anomalocera Patersonii
Docks, 197.
Aplysia punctata in Cornwall, 206.
Appropriations of Churches, 176.
Antony in Roseland, 160.
Archpresbytery, Nature of, 45; at St.
Michael’s Mount, 236.
Arthur, King, 110.
Arundell’s Rebellion, 239.
Augustine’s Mission, 86, 88, 131.
Baring-Gould, Rev. S., on Organization,
Political, Social, and Hecclesiastical of
Celts, 11.
Baring-Gould, Rev S., on Cornish Dedi-
cations, part 2, D-G., 85; part 3, H-
Ke, 260.
Barr, St., 142.
Bell, St. Ernoc’s 121.
Bishops in Celtic Monasteries, 16.
Bishopric, Cornish, 17.
Black Plague, 177.
Boconnoc House, Chair formerly at, 388.
Bodmin, 40, 48, 85, 169.
Bonithon family at Carclew, 406.
Borlase, Dr., Portrait of, frontispiece,
251
in Falmouth
Boscawen Family at Truro, 220.
Botanical Notes, 191, 339, 370.
Bradock, 294.
Brassica cheiranthus in Cornwall, 191.
Breage, 40, 165.
Brefi, Synod of, 95.
Brendan, St., 115.
Brent, F., on Flint Implements, 417.
Breward, ‘St. , 141, 298.
Bridget, ’St.. 16, 116.
Buckfast, 40.
Burials, Ancient, at Harlyn, 319.
Buryan, St., 37, 40, 108, 260.
Buryan, St., Misereres, 385.
Callington, 90.
Camborne, 51, 102, 267, 278, 294.
Canonisation of Saints, 42, 43.
Carclew, Chapel at, 406.
Carminow Family, 211. sqq.
Carnivorous Plants in Cornwall, 193.
Celts, Political and Social Organization,
11
» Heclesiastical do., 13, 43.
», Hducation amongst, 17, 33, 36, 37,
40, 92.
» their contracts, 20.
,, their Bards, 20.
», their customs compared with those
inhabitants of Canaan, 24; and of
India, 26, 28, 30.
», levying distress amongst, 25.
,, their Women Warriors, 39.
Celtic Saints—See Baring Gould and
Saints,
Ceratium fuscus in Cornwall, 200.
Chairs, Cornish, 384.
» Natural, 384.
» Giant’s, 384.
» Church, 385.
» Historic, 388.
> saints, 389.
Chair, St. Mawnan’s, 384.
», at Lizard. 384.
,, Giant’s, St. Marys, Isles of Scilly,
384.
Trencrom Hill, St. Ives,
385.
Godolphin Hill, 385.
Church Town Hill, Zennor,
385.
9 99
” ”
a9 a3
: St. Buryan Misereres, 385.
», st. Germans Ks 386
» St. Gorran = 386.
», in Lanlivery Church, 387.
;, in Ladock Church, 387.
» tormerly at Boconnoe House, 388.
Clowance, 388.
by) 29
a Penrose, 388.
» at Holy Vale, St. Marys, Isles of
Scilly, 389.
>> + Hnys, 389.
»> 35 Lrelissick, 389.
vil INDEX.
Chair at Cothele, 389.
St. Germo’s, 389.
St. Mawes, 391.
St. Michael’s Mount, 391.
at Trenwheal, 392.
Chittlehampton, 268.
Church Chairs, 385
Church Plate of St. Keverne, 77; of
Mylor, 400; of Mabe, 415
Circles, Stone, of Cornwall a Scotland,
378.
Cleer, St.,
Clowance, Chair formerly at, 388.
Coit at St. Hilary, 69, 80.
Colleges in South Wales, 92.
Consecr: ation of Church by Trish, 144.
Cornelly, St., 73.
Cornish Mass, 164.
Cornish Names varied by Saxon influ-
ence, 170.
Cornubiana, 69.
Cornwall compared with other Countries,
26, 28, 30, 71.
Corrigiola littoralis,
from Cornwall, 193.
Corrodies, 233.
Cothele, Chair at, 389.
Council, List of, 1.
Cow restored to life, 149.
Orantock, 260.
Cross at St. Michael’s Mount, 246.
Cross Shaft St. Just, 187; at Gulval, 130
Grosses to mark bounds of Sanctuary, 14
Crowan, Hangman’s Barrow in, 80.
Curator, 316.
Cury, St., 73, 174.
Cyngar,’ St. 103.
Daniell Family, 215. sqq.
Davey, F. H., Botanical Papers by, 191,
370.
Davidstow, 263.
Deakin, A. N., on Education, 52.
Deaneries of Cornwall, tribal, 12.
Dharna process of India associated with
Celtic process, 26.
Dingerein, 44, 159
Dinsul, 222.
Dinurrin, 160.
Diptychs, 42.
Dominick, St., 125.
Domnonia, 157.
Dozmare Pool, 48, 58.
Druidic Customs, Survival of, 14, 19, 20,
26, 30, 34, 43; and Baring-Gould’s
Presidential Address passim.
Dungerth’s Monument, 50, 58.
Dunkin, Edwin, deceased, 5, 247, 253.
Barthwork at Castle Tremear ne, 70.
Editors of Journal, 318.
Edueation, Modern, 52.
EHegloshayle, 98, 264.
disappearance of
Elephant Seal, 353.
Endellion, 106.
Enoder, St., 112.
Hnys, J. D., 251.
Enys, Chair at, 389.
Ervan, St., 265.
Euny, St. 130
Euphorbia Peplis, rarity of, in Cornwall,
9
Eval, St., 109, 135, 275.
Excursions, Annual, 48, 57, 318.
Falklands, Flora and Fauna of, 339.
Falmouth, 275; Fauna of. 196.
‘Pasting against” persons, 23, 26,28, 273,
283. This the origin of Celtic Saints’
asceticism, 28.
Female Virtue, Irish laws for its preser-
vation, 142.
Fibichia umbellata in Cornwall, 194.
Findchua, St., gives up his place in
heaven, 18.
Flint Flakes, &c., in Cornwall, 417
Flora. Additions to Cornish, 370.
Folk-lore, 72, 80, 102, 107, 128, 149, 170,
221.
Folk Rhymes, 83.
Foreshore, Dispute concerning, 402.
Fossil found at St. Agnes, 62.
Fowey, 142, 143.
Gardening, J. C. Williams on, 255.
Geraint, Saints and others of this name,
103, 133, 157.
Geraniums, Cornwall rich in, 193.
Germans, St., Misereres, 386.
Germoe, 165.
Germo’s, St., Chair, 389.
Gerrans, 157.
Giant’s Chairs, 384.
Giant’s Coit, St. Hilary, 69, 80.
Gifts to Museum and Library, 56, 60,
254, 316, 322, 324.
ellie College, St. Just appropriated to,
Glass, Medizeval, at St. Neots, 49.
Godolphin, Carved Stone at Wheal
Gilbert, 71.
Godolphin Hill, Giant’s Chair at, 385.
Goodern Castle, 302, 303.
Gorran, St., Misereres, 386.
Great Work Mine, 78.
Gregg, Mr. R. A., 316.
Guerrier, St., 49.
Gulval, Inscribed Cross Shaft at, 130.
Gwen of the Three Breasts, 291.
Gwendron, see Wendron.
Gwinear, 149.
Halwyn in St. Hval, 109.
Hangman’s Barrow, 80.
Hardy, Prior of St. Michael’s Mount,
anes for aiding King’s Hnemies,
——
INDEX.
Harlys Bay, Ancient Burial Site, 319,
320.
Hartland, 40.
Hayle, St. Elwyn, 108.
Heard, E. G., 55, 253
Heaven, Findchua gives away his own
place in, 18; promised by Saints, 27,
31.
Helen’s, St., Chapel in St. Just, 189.
Helland, 263, 264.
Helston, Earthwork at, 70.
Henwood Medal, 59, 61, 255.
Hermes, St., 119, 122.
Hilary. St., 69, 119.
Historie Chairs, 388.
Holywells, 50, 94, 9%, 104, 105, 106, 107,
109, 110, 120, 121, 150, 156, 157, 167,
169, 267, 275, 281, 303, 305, 309, 311,
312.
Hundreds of Cornwall, tribal, 12.
Hypericum, Species of, in Cornwall, 194.
Iago, W., on Harlyn Explorations, 325.
Iago, ee ila 322.
Ide, St.
Tllogan, De, 108, 277.
Tl- wishing, 25.
Indian and Celtic asceticism compared,
28, 30.
Issey, St., 40, 167, 275. 277, 282, 289.
Ives, St., 180, 149, 265.
7" Giant’s Chair on Trencrom
Hill, 385.
Jacobstow, 291, 293.
Jennings, Peter, on Parliamentary His-
tory of Truro, 210.
John’s Day, St., 72.
Juliot’s, St., 295.
Just, St., 76, 174.
,, im Penwith, 52, 130, 178, 260,
297, 298.
» in Roseland, 175, 297.
Kenan, St., 302.
Kenwyn, 304.
Kestell Karveth (P Woodbury), 302, 303.
Keverne, St., and his Chalice, 76.
Parish of, 40).
Kewe, ‘Sian 104.
Kilkhampton, 291.
Killigrews, 212.
King’s Clerks, 44.
Ladock, 307, 310.
5 Chair in Church, 387.
Lafrouda. Manor of, 179.
Lamphill, 141.
Landege (Kea), 303.
Landewednack, 260.
Landrake, 105, 281.
Landulph, 106, 108.
Laneast, 301.
Laneff, Chapel of, 131.
Lan-Erghe in St. Allen, 118.
Lanherne, 168.
Lanhydroc, 276.
Lanlivery, Chair in Church, 387.
Lanivet, 104, 279, 282.
Lansallos, 98, 276.
Lanteglos by Pamneliord: 301.
Lasrean, St.,
Laud, St. (Mabe); 407.
Lawhitton, Al.
Lawn, see ‘Sanctuary.
Leeks, Miraculous, 99.
Leggo, a metal-worker at St. Just-in-
Penwith, 189.
Lelant, 126, 180.
Lewannick, 293.
Lewis, A. L., on Stone Circles of Corn-
wall and Scotland, 378.
Lezant, 98.
Library, Gifts to, 56, 60.
Linaria, Species of, in Cornwall, 192.
Liskeard. 48, 57, 105.
Little Petherick, 283, 289.
Lizard Chair, 384.
Lian (or Lawn), see Sanctuary.
Looe, East, 312.
Ludgvan, 40.
Lugid, St., Rule of, 87.
Lundy, 264.
Luther Picture, 259.
Macro-lepidoptera at Godolphin, 420, and
see Addenda.
Macrorhinus elephantinus, 353.
Maker, 295.
Malo, St. ., his Pastoral Staff, 75.
Maori tale image, 324.
Marazion, 119, 123, 224, 269.
Marine animals, instance of dispersal,
206.
Mary’s, St., Isles of Scilly, Chair at Holy
Vale, 389.
Mawes’, St., Chair, 391.
Mawean, St., 27, 35, 37, 40.
Mawnan’s, St., Chair, 384.
Meetings, Spring, 9, 253; Annual, 54,
314; Joint, of Cornish "Societies, 51,
58, 319.
Members, List of, 1.
Menaderva, 102.
Menevia, Pilgrimages to, 98.
Mentha pulegium, var. erecta at Ponsa-
nooth, 195.
Merthyr, different meanings of word,
129.
Merthyr-Uny, 129,
Meteorological Observations, 55, 64, 334,
335.
Michaelstow, 289.
Michael, St., Dedications to, 222.
Michael’ 8, St. , Mount, Notes on, 221, 312
5 a Curiosities at, 242
Chair, 391.
Vill
Mills, Old, near Helston, 70, 71.
‘© Mill-proo,”’ Traditions of, 73.
Monachism, pre-Christian, 30.
Monynna (Morwenna) St., 145.
Mullyon, 75.
Mural Paintings in Cornish
185, 321, 400.
Museum, ‘Admissions, 56, 316, and see
Churches,
Gifts
Mylor and Mabe oe Notes on, 394
Myosotis in Cornwall, 1
Natural Chairs, 384.
Nautilograpsus minutus in Cornwall, 208
Neot’s, St., 48, 58, 170.
Nitella hyalina in Penrose Creek, 195.
Non, St., 90, 91.
Norman Work at St. Just, 186, at Mylor,
396.
Northill, 127.
Obituary Notices, 54, 247, 253, 315, 322.
Officers, Hlection of, 59, 321.
Oil on the Waters, 161.
Ollamh, or Minister of Education, 37.
Otterham. 101.
“* Overlooking,” Origin of, 25.
Oyster Spat in Falmouth Harbour and
Truro River, Fall of, 206.
Padstow, 40, 164.
Paracombe, 263, 264.
Paschal computation amongst Celts, 86,
131.
Pascoe, Samuel, deceased, 253, 315.
Patrick, St., 11, 29, 113, 163, 164.
Paul equated with Pol de Leon, 76.
Pelagianism, 95, 96.
Pelynt, 296.
Pendeen Church, 189.
Penrose, Geo. (Curator) 316, 335.
Penrose, Chair formerly at, 388.
Penzance Cross, 62.
Peter, Thurstan C., 178, 221, 394.
Perranuthnoe, 294.
Phillack, St., 135; relic of, 75.
Philleigh, 131, 186, 141, 160, 275.
Pilgrimages, 98.
Pillar piscine at Mylor and Bodmin, 399.
Pillaton, 108.
Pinguicula grandiflora
Cornwall by Ralf, 195.
Plankton, Variations of the, opp., 208.
Pol, St., de Leon, 76.
Portents of Death, &c., 73, 81.
President, Election of, 59, 62.
Prices in 16th Century, 183.
Priories, Alien, 232, 237.
Proprietors, List of, 2.
Queen, Congratulations to, 10.
Quethiock, 269, 275.
Rainfall, see Meteorological Observations.
Rame Church, 164
Ranunculi frequent in Cornwall, 192.
introduced to
INDEX.
Red-river Valley Alluvial Deposits, 51.
Redruth, 126, 130,
Relics of Saints, 75, 88, 98.
Report, 81st, 54; 82nd, 315.
Restronguet, Chapel at, 406.
Robartes Family, 217.
Roche, 168.
Romans in Cornwall, 365.
Rous (or Rolle) Family, 217.
Rowan Tree to drive away Witches, 102.
Ruan Major, 260.
Rundle, Rev. S., 69, 384.
Saints’ Chairs, 389.
Saints of Cornwall and Church Dedi-
cation, see Table of Contents—How
recruited, 15, Head appointed by
Secular Chief, 15; Office Hereditary,
15, 16; Personal Nature of Gifts to,
15: Crude Religious Ideas, 18, 29;
their Stories tampered with, 20, 47;
Cursing by, 18, 20, 117, 124, 128, 150,
154, 168, 169; Fasting against, 28,
26, 28; Clans place themselves under,
25; Motive of their Ascetivism and
Self-torture, 25 to 32; Differences with
Augustine and his Missioners, 86, 87 ;
Drinking, 18, 32; Hospitality and its
limits, 32, 33; Marriages of, 36; Mor-
ality of, 36; their Restlessness, 40;
Connotation of word “Saint,” 42;
Relics of, 74. See too Celts, Druids,
Holywells, Relics, &c.
Saints, Irish, on Continent, 41.
Samhain. Festival of, 113.
Sancreed, 102, 126, 130.
Sanctuary amongst Celts, 13, 14, 22, 110,
157.
Saviock in Kea, 141.
Scilly, 260, an7.
Selus Stone, St. Just, 187.
Senchus Mor, 11.
Senan, St., 158.
Sennen, 40, 277.
Serpent’s Egg, 73.
Sheviock, 141.
Sithney, 108, 153; Figure found at, 324.
Smith, Lady Protheroe, deceased, 254,
315.
Solomon (Selyf), 97, 103, 158 ; Palace near
Callington, 90.
Southill, 293.
Spiller, A. J., on Macro-lepidoptera, 420.
Spiranthes autumnalis at Penryn, 195.
Stephens, F. J., on Alluvial Deposits, 51.
Stones, Sculptured, near Helston, 70, 71.
Stratton, 119.
“* Street,’’ Meaning of, 366.
Stythians, 102, 278.
Tara, Fall of, 22, 27.
Tazza at Mabe, 415.
Teath, St., 283, 289.
INDEX.
Technical Schools, 57.
Teilo, St., 159 ; Canonry at Truro, 109.
Temperature of Sea, Surface, 196.
Tewdrig, 126, 185, 149.
Thomas, W., Paper by, 53.
Tin Moulds, 70, 71.
Tintagel, 101, 296.
Tithe Accounts of St. Just, 181.
Tonsure, Irish, 86.
Torney (Tighernach), 127, 130, 142.
Towednack, 172.
Tregona in St. Eval, 135,
Trelissick, Chair at, 389.
Tremaine, 293.
Tremearne Castle, 70.
Trenwheal, Chair at, 392.
Tresmere, 293.
Trethevy, 98.
Trevena Village, 101.
Trifoliums, Cornwall rich in, 192.
Truro’s Parliamentary History, 210.
Ty Gwyn, Monastery, &c., 92,93.
Uny, St., see Huny.
Vallentin, Rupert, takes Henwood Medal,
09, 61, 255 ; Notes on Fauna of Fal-
mouth, 196; and on Fauna and Flora
of Falklands, 339.
1x
Veep, St., 40.
Verbascums in Cornwall, 193.
Wages in 16th century, 183.
Wells, see Holy Wells.
Welsh Laws of Howell Dda, 11.
Wendron, 37, 40, 100, 180, 265, 319.
Whitesoule, 182.
-Whitlands (Carmarthen) Monastery at,
2
92.
Williams, J. C., 59, 62, 255.
Wind, see Meteorological Observations.
Winnow, St , 40. 172, 275.
Winwaloe Settlements, 172.
Women Soldiers, 39.
Woodbury, 302, 303.
Worth, late R. N., on Romans in Corn-
wall, 365.
Wymer, St , 126, 145.
Wythiel, 130, 134.
Zennor, 37, 295.
,, Giant’s Chair on Church Town
Hill, 385.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Portrait of Rev. Wm. Borlase, LL.D. ane ... Hrontispiece.
Giant’s Coit, St. Hilary, and other objects as ... facepage 69
St. Just-in-Penwith Church, from S.E. hes a ye 173
Do. Do. _ looking N.E. os — al
Do. Do. from West End eS an |
Cross Shaft, St. Just-in-Penwith Church oo
Inscribed Stone do. do. ae hat ae ae a
Ruins of S. Helen’s Chapel, St. Just... ru | a
Distemper Painting of St. George and the Dragon on N. Wall a \ Nae
Church, St. Justi in-Penwith lke
St. Just-in-Penwith Church, West end of South Aisle =
North Wall of Chancel, St. oitece in-Penwith =
St. Just-in-Penwith Church, looking N.W.
Altar and Reredos, St. Just-in-Penwith Church 200 200, J
8. Michael’s Mount Church, from S.W. ean ... face page 221
Do. Do. (1nterior) 236
Alabaster over Altar (N. side) St. Michael’s Monn: Church =
Do. (S. side) Do. do. sos | ae
Do. (Central) Do. do. a a
Cross, North Decor Do. do. i aes
Tomb, &c., in North Court a sat ; +
Elephant Seal (Macrorhinus elephantinus) oye < Rice page 354
bo
Do do. do 2
Do do. do KO
fe) on)
Stone Circles in Scotland as act ee 200 Be 380
Do. - ves ss ae 00 382
Chair in Ladock Ghnnen 200 200 ee ... facepage 386
Chair formerly in Lanlivery Church ... oe ve 387
St. Germoe’s Chair Be 560 face page 388
St. Buryan Miserere Stalls nl Ghats ‘at Theme formed from 0 399
Trunk of Tree
St. Mylor Church—from the South
Do. from the West 2
Do. North Doorway a
Do. West Doorway = SS
3
§
a
|
Do. South Porch fi 006 200 Sah |
Do. Pillar Piscina, &e. see O60 306)
Alabaster Fragments, Mabe Church )
Do. do. do. \
Do. do. do. i
Mabe Church from 8. K. y
following
p. 410
> JOURNAL
OF THE
VOLUME XIV.
Part 1.—1900.
TRURO:
PRINTED BY LAKE AND LAKE, Lrp., PRINCES STREET.
1900.
rT {oval Jnstitution of {formal
Contents.
Portrait of the Rev. Wm. Borlase, L.L.D. ie Frontispiece.
List of Officers, Proprietors, Life and Subscribing
Members i Ae Ae att ie
Spring Meeting (1899)
President’s Address (The Celtic Saints) . .
Annual Excursion (1899). .
Seventh Annual Meeting of the Cornish Scientific
Societies
Annual Meeting (1899)
Balance Sheet
Meteorological Tables ;
Cornubiana, Part III, by Rev. 8. Rundle, M.A.
Cornish Dedications of Saints, Part II, by the Rev. S.
Baring-Gould, M.A.
Notes on the Church of 8S. Just-in-Penwith (Masta,
by Thurstan C. Peter
Some Botanical Records, by Fred. Hamilton Dae
Notes on the Fauna of Falmouth, with Table, ue Be
Vallentin
Notes on the Palate History of ae Part II,
by P. Jennings oe
Notes on S. Michael’s Mount (usted bya Thurstan
C. Peter Wt
- Obituary Notice (Rawin D Dunkin, F.R.S8.)
Letter from J. D. Enys, F.G.S., peepecns Portrait of
the Rev. Wm. Borlase, LL.D.
Page
173
191
196
210
221
247
251
Re ag he WA Wek eh Gl ee ee Re
THE REV. WILLIAM BORLASE, A.M., LL.D.,
b. 1605 d 1772.
FROM A PAINTING BY ALLAN RAMSAY AT CASTLE HORNECK
JOURNAL
OF THE
{oval {stitution af {fornwall
VOLUME XIV.
Part 1.—1900.
ee
TRURO:
PRINTED BY LAKE AND LAKE, Lrp., PRINCES STREEY.
1g00.
The Council of the Royal Institution of Cornwall desire
that it should be distinctly understood that the Institution as a
body is not responsible for any statements or opinions expressed
in the Journal; the Authors of the several communications being
alone answerable for the same.
Roval Institution of Gormwall.
FOUNDED 1818.
Patron.
THE QUEEN.
Vice=Patron.
H.R.H. THE PRINcE oF WALES, DUKE oF CoRNWALL, K.G., &c.
Trustees.
LorpD RoBARTES.
Sir C. B. Graves-Sawte, Bart.
Mr. F. G. Enys.
Con. TREMAYNE.
Council for the Year 1899-1900.
President.
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAMS, Esq.
Vicc=Presidents
Rev. Canon Moor, M.A., F.R.G.S.| THe RigHt Hon. Leonarp H.
Rev.W. Jaco, B.A., L.Src.8.A., Lon. Courtney, M.P.
Mr. Joan Davirs Enys, F.G.S. Rev. S. Barine-Goup, M.A.
Treasurer.
Mr. A. P. Nix, Truro.
Secretaries.
Mason Parkyn, F.G.8., Truro.
Rev. W. Iago, B.A., Bodmin.
Otber Members of Council,
VEN. ARCHDEACON CORNISH. CHANCELLOR PAut, M.A.
Mr. Howarp Fox, F.G.S. Mr. Taurstan C. PETER
Mr. HAMILTON JAMES. Rev. S. RunpDiE, M A.
Mr. F. W. Micue 1, C.E. Rev. D. G. WHITLEY.
Mr. J. Osporne, F.G.S. |
Corresponding Secretary for Last Cornwall.
Rev, W. 1Ago, B.A., Bodmin.
Joint Editors of the Journal.
Mr. THURSTAN C. PETER.
Masor Parkyn, F.G.S.
Librarian and Curator of Museum.
Mr. Grorce Penrose, Royal Institution, Truro.
2 MEMBERS.
Proprietors :
(The following or their qualified Representatives).
Viscount Falmouth.
Lord Churston.
Lord Clinton.
Viscount Clifden.
Sir T. D. Acland, Bart., M.P.
Sir Charles Lemon, Bart., F.R.S.
Sir John Lubbock, Bart., F.R.S.
Sir C. B. Graves-Sawle, Bart.
Sir R. R. Vyvyan, Bart., F.R:S.
Sir William Williams, Bart.
Sir S. T. Spry.
Baynard, William:
Boase, G. C.
Bullerw|aerle
Carlyon, E. T.
Carpenter, John
ChileottaaG:
Clyma, W. J.
Edwards, Miss
Enys, J. S., F.G.S.
Fox, Charles
Fox, R. W., F.R.S.
Gregor, F. G.
Hartley, W. H. Hi.
lelangnes, |fo Jal, TI Rat
lawkims. ©. bie ae.
Hendy, James
Hogg, John, M.D.
Hogg, Mrs.
Tago, Rev. W., B.A.
Jenkins, Rev. D.
Leverton, Mrs. H. S.
Leverton-Spry, E. J.
Michell, Edward
Michell, W.
Michell, Col.
Milford, J. J.
Nankivell, J. J.
Nankivell, J. T.
Paddon, W. H.
Parkyn, Major, F.G.S.
Potts, Miss
Rogers, Francis
Rogers, Rev. H. St. Aubyn
Rogers, Rev. R. Bassett, B.A.
Rogers, Capt., R.A.
Rogers, Rev. W., M.A.
Rogers, Reginald
Spry, Mrs.
Stokes, H. S.
Tweedy, Robert
Tweedy, E. B.
Tweedy, W
Tweedy, R. M.
Tweedy, Charles
Tweedy, Miss
Tweedy, Miss C.
Vivian, John Ennis
Wightman, Col.
Williams, R. H., M.R.C.S.
Williams, B.
Willyams, H.
Willyams, A. C.
Kite Members :
Collins, J. R.
Foster, C. Le Neve, D. Sc., F. R. Ss,
Fox, Robert
Glencross, Reginald M. ar
Parkyn, ee F.G.S., Hon. See.
Vivian, H. H. P
Bodmin.
Llandudno.
Falmouth.
The Castle, Dublin.
Truro.
Tregavethan, Truro,
eR oe a
MEMBERS.
Subscribing Alembers :
H.R.H. Tue Prince or Waxes, DUKE OF CoRNWALL, K.G., £20
SUBSCRIBERS OF
Falmouth, Gen. The Right Hon.
Viscount
Clifden, The Right Hon. Viscount
Tremayne, John
Williams, John Charles
SUBSCRIBERS
Baily Wail. CC...
Baring-Gould, Revs 5S: MM. sy
Barrett, Henry .
Barrett, John ..
Basset, Arthur F.
Beauchaump, E. Beauchaump ..
Blenkinsop, B.
BolithonCols) ~ ... :
Bonython, Sir J. Langdon |
Bray, G. S. ; :
Bryant, James
Burnard, Robert
Cardew, Cornelius E.
Chilcott, G. H. ...
Chown, F., M.B.
Clark, Professor J.
OF
Clymay Wye”
Collett-Thomas, J.
Collins, Digby ...
Cowlard, C. L. ;
Cornwali, Ven. “Archdeacon of,
J. R. Cornish, M.A.
Cozens, Hy Aw /2).
Daubuz, J. Claude
De Castro, eeearull ae
Dickinson, W. Howship ...
Dixon, eres Mtg
Dobell, R. en
Donaldson, “Ree, Canon. M AL
Dorrien- Sint alt HANS
Dorrington, T. L.
TWO GUINEAS.
Tregothnan, Truro.
Lanhydrock, Bodmin.
Heligan, St. Austell.
Caerhays Castle, St. Austell.
ONE GUINEA.
Lynwood, Paul, Penzance.
Lew Trenchard, N. Devon,
Robartes Terrace, Truro.
71, Lemon Street, Truro.
Tehidy, Camborne.
Trevince, Scorrier.
Kenley, Surrey.
Penalverne, Penzance.
Adelaide, South Australia.
Redruth.
6, Parkvedras Terrace, Truro.
3, Hillsborough, Plymouth.
Insein; Lower Burmah.
Truro.
Townshend, Hayle.
Central Technical Schools,
Truro.
10, St. Nicholas Street, Truro.
Trewince, Gerrans, Porthscatho
Newton Ferrers, Callington.
Launceston.
The Vicarage, Kenwyn.
19, King Street, Truro.
Killiow, Truro.
Mining School, Redruth.
Trebrea Lodge, Tintagel, N.
Cornwall. —
Poltisco, Truro.
Parkvedras Terrace, Truro.
Lanhydrock Terrace, Truro.
Tresco Abbey, Isles of Scilly.
Colchester Villas, Truro.
4 MEMBERS.
Durning-Lawrence, Sir Edwin,
Bart., M.P....
Enys, F. @, we
Enys, John D., eS.
Enys, Miss
Erskine, Rev. W. Reid, M. A. x
Flint, Rew S. R., M.A.
Fortescue, ile Bevill ite
Foster, Lewis C.
Foster R., M.A. a
Fox, slorend) F.G.S.
Freeman, W. iG
Furniss, Mrs. Jews 23:5
Gardiner, Rev. Sub- Derm
Gilbert, C. Davies
Gilbert, John
Gill, W. N..
Glubb, A. de Casita ..
Creacnoa Sawle, Sir C. Be Bart. 3
Hammond, William ... :
Harvey, Rev. Canon, M.A.
Harvey, Robert.. 20
Harvey, J. Boyd
Heard, Miss
Heard, G. C.
JshieRes, Il, Ifo
Hicks, Geo.
Hill, R. M. i
Hodgkin, Thos....
Iago, Rev. W., B.A. ...
Jago, Mrs. ...
James, Hamilton
Jenkins, T. Dennis ...
Jenkin, Arthur P.
Jennings, P.
earn, Ws Wo cop
Kendall Wein
King, F., M.R.C.S.
King, T., M.A. ;
Lake & ualke. Litd., Messrs.
Layland-Barratt, Francis, MAE
Leverton-Spry, E. J. .
Witeraleyy, Dye Jel Is sec
13, Carlton House Terrace,
London, S.W.
Enys, Penryn.
Enys, Penryn.
Enys, Penryn.
Treleigh, Redruth.
Nansawsan, Ladock.
Boconnoc, Lostwithiel,
Trevillis, Liskeard.
Lanwithan, Lostwithiel.
Falmouth.
Penryn.
Lemon House, Truro.
The Rectory, Truro.
Trelissick, Truro.
8, Manley Terrace, Liskeard.
Comprigney, Truro.
Liskeard.
Penrice, St. Austell.
Stuart House, Liskeard.
The Sanctuary, Probus.
1, Palace Gate, London, W.
Tondi, Bridgend, Glamorgan.
Boscawen Street, Truro.
Truro.
Truro Vean, Truro.
Pentowan, Newquay.
Barn Park, Bodmin.
Barmoor Castle, Beal, North-
umberland.
5, Western Terrace, Bodmin.
Robartes Terrace, Truro.
Lemon Street, Truro.
Blackwater, Scorrier, R.S.O.
Trewirgie, Redruth.
St. Day, Scorrier.
Keam’s Canon, Arizona, U.S.A.
7, Harrison Terrace, Truro.
75, Lemon Street, Truro.
Falmouth.
Princes Street, Truro.
68, Cadogan Square, London,
S.W.
St. Keverne, Helston.
The Nook, Padstow.
MEMBERS. 5
Michell, F. W., C.E....
Moor, Rev. Canon,
M.R.A.S., F.R.G:S.
Moore, Rev. Canon, M.A.
Moore, J. Gwennap D.
Mount Edgcumbe,
Hon. the Earl of
Nalder, F. ..
Nix, Arthur Pavays
Norway, Nevell E., M.R.CS. .
Oates, W. J.
Osborne, iG. iB), Et ic 8.
Paull, Mrs..
Pearce, R., F.G.S., H.B.M. Vice-
Consul
Pease, Wm. RG
Pengelly, W. Geo.
Peter, Thurstan C.
Pinwill, Capt.
Prideanx-Brune, OF e
Quiller-Couch, A. T..
Rashleigh, Jonathan .. si
Rashleigh, Evelyn W.
Riley, Athelstan...
Rodd, Francis R. ..
Roe, Rev. R. J)-, M.A.
Rogers, Capt., R.A.
Rogers, Joseph ..._...
Rogers, Ralph Baron...
Rogers, C. Gilbert
RumdlesRev. Sve.
Saunders, Latimer H.
Shadwell, W. H. L. ...
Sitaneyebkle wile | 1s. *
Sharp, Edward, M. R. , So,
Smith, Sir G. J. .
Smithy Jie Jie:
Stephens, Rev. T. sy “M.A.
St. Germans,
the Earl of
St. Levan, The Rt. Hon. Lord...
M.A.,
The Right
The Right Hon.
Redruth.
St. Clements, Truro.
Treneglos, Kenwyn.
Trewithen, Grampound Road.
Mount Edgcumbe, Devonport.
Falmouth.
Mount Charles, Truro.
Newquay, Cornwall.
Parade, Truro.
5, Dean Terrace, Liskeard.
Bosvigo, Truro.
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Lostwithiel.
230, Lexington Avenue, Col-
umbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
Redruth.
Trehane, Probus.
Prideaux Place, Padstow.
The Haven, Fowey.
Menabilly, Par Station.
Kilmarth, Par Station.
St. Petroc Minor, St. Issey,
R.S.O.
Trebartha Hall, Launceston.
Lanteglos, Camelford.
Penrose, Helston.
Glanserth, Truro.
Hexworthy, Launceston.
Forest Department of India,
Darjuling.
Godolphin Vicarage, Helston.
Trevone House, Padstow.
Trewollack, St. Wenn.
Clifton Gardens, Truro.
18, Lemon Street, Truro.
Treliske, Truro.
Hillside Villa, Truro.
The Rectory, St. Erme.
Port Eliot, St. Germans.
St. Michael’s Mount, Marazion.
6 MEMBERS.
.
MangyeyGeorwes) ae
Tangye, Sir Richard ...
Taylor, Rev. Thos.
Tino MTAS, IStEMVARsc. ooo
Travers, Major J. A....
Tregoning, C. E.
Tremayne, Col. .
Trevail, Silvanus, TRL B. A.
Amrayoyo, (Co (WowWee, Wile, toe
Truro, the Lord Bishop of
Truro, the Chancellor of the Dio-
cese of, R. M. Paul, M.A.
Vallentin, Rupert oe
Vinter, H. W., M.A., EMeNS!
Vivian, Avatiheen Seadanaves, C. B.
Vyvyan, Rev. Sir a D., Bart.
Whitley, Rev. D. G.
Williams, M. H..
Williams, S.
Williams, Henry...
Williams, B. : }
Wright, Rev. H. Langston
Worlledge, Rev. Chancellor, M.A.
Worth, T.
Cornwall Works, Birmingham.
Glendorgal, Newquay.
St. Just-in-Penwith.
R.S.O.
Tolgarrick, Truro.
Dorney House, Weybridge,
Princes Street, Truro.
Carclew, Perran-ar-worthal.
80, Lemon Street, Truro.
Penleat, Altarnon, Launceston.
Trenython, Par Station.
Trevrea, Kenwyn.
Melville Road, Falmouth.
Truro College, Truro.
Bosahan, Helston.
Trelowarren, Helston.
Baldhu Vicarage, Chacewater.
Pencalenick, Truro.
Springfield, High Street, Whit-
worth Park, Manchester.
Colorado Smelting Co., Butte,
Montana, U.S.A.
3, Bedford Road, St. Ives.
Church Knowle Rectory, Corfe
Castle, Dorset.
4, Strangways Terrace, Truro.
Lemon Street, Truro.
Aubscrivers to Slustration Fund.
Gilbert, C. Davies
JelarRVay, INOW so0 on
Rashleigh, Jonathan ...
St. Levan, Lord...
Trelissick, Truro.
1, Palace Gate, London, W.
Menabilly, Par Station.
St. Michael’s Mount.
Corresponding DWember.
Dunkin, E. H. W.
7oy Elerme Elill} Sok.
MEMBERS.
Honorary Members,
Collins; |; Hi: F.G:S: te Ss LOACmESTheet mm AVenle,
London, E.C.
Dickinson, Joseph, F.G.S. .. South Bank, Pendleton,
Manchester.
Moissenet, Leon eee ehanmontan il autemeviannes
France.
Rowe, J. Brooking, F.L.S. .... Castle Barbican, Plympton.
Whitley, H. Michell, F.G.S. .... Trevella, Eastbourne.
Associutes.
Claikewihomasueea see eee |) Michell ill erraces Druro:
Colemiiomas Cabs. earee ls.) Victoria street, london.
eine a pete ern oeoe co ea) bntiroy Vieanherrace, diruno:
Woptmithomas: =) 9... <. ... levoran,
Mine CN ap Seuills kicmc. easy cae wae SO WanSea:
Beancemiewe G50 lee) oy eee | Denver Colorado, U.S.Ac
Thomas, Josiah .. eee elxezennas (Camborne:
Williams, R. H., F. ce S ee OUddraa Ste AUStells
The Honorary Secretaries will be obliged if the Members will notify errors 07
necessary alterations in this list.
The MUSEUM is open to Members and their families every day
except Sundays, between the hours of Ten and Four o'clock during the
winter, and between Ten and Five o’clock in the summer.
The Museum is open to the public, free of charge, on WEDNESDAYS,
from Eleven until Four. On other days, an admission fee of sixpence is
required.
A Subscription of One Guinea entitles the Subscriber to all the
publications issued by the Institution, to admission to the Museum, for
himself and family on every day in the week (except Sundays), and to the
Meetings of the Society ; and to ten transferable Tickets of admission to
the Museum whenever open.
Roval Institution of Cornwall.
SPRING MEETING, 1899.
eee
The Spring Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 23rd, 1899,
at the rooms of the Institution, Truro. The President, the Rev.
S. Baring-Gould, in the chair. There were also present Arch-
deacon Cornish, Chancellor Worlledge, Canons A. P. Moor,
J. H. Moore, Flint, and Donaldson, the Revs. A. R. Tomlinson,
W. Iago, 8. Rundle, R, Leigh, H. Edwardes, and T. M. Comyns,
Sir E. D. Lawrence, Bart., M.P., Lady Protheroe Smith, the Hon.
Mrs. Davies Gilbert, Mesdames H. James, Leverton, Blenkinsop,
Cornish, T. C. Peter, Casey, and Paull, Misses James, Tomn,
Blenkinsop, Parkyn, Haughton, M. E. M. Peter, G. I. Peter,
Morison, and Donaldson, Messrs. W. Rose (Mayor of Truro),
J. D. Enys, F.G.S., 8S. Trevail, C. Davies Gilbert, Thurstan C.
Peter, R. M. Hill (Chief Constable of Cornwall), T. V. Hodgson
(Plymouth), J. Barrett, J. Bryant, J. Bryant, jun. A. G.
Leverton, S, Sara, W. Sara, T. Dennis Jenkins, A. Blenkinsop,
R. Dobell, B. Williams, Hamilton James, W. J. Clyma, Theo.
Hawken, P. Jennings, F. H. Davey, T. Worth, G. Penrose,
T. Clark, Capt. J. Eslick, Major Parkyn, Hon. Sec., and R. A.
Gregg, Curator. Letters of apology were received from the
Bishop of Truro, Rev. Sir Vyell D. Vyvyan, Bart., Mr. C. L.
Cowlard, Mr. A. L. Lewis (London), and Mr. F. Nalder.
The President delivered his annual address, on ‘‘ The Celtic
Saints,” after which Mr. F. H. Davey read a paper on ‘‘ Two
Forgotten Travellers,” followed by one by Mr. Thurstan C.
Peter, entitled ‘‘ Notes on St. Michael’s Mount.”
Rey. W. Iago (one of the Secretaries) made some interesting
remarks on the derivation of the name Liskeard, and Hock,
hogen, the feast of hocking, hocktide, xc. Mr. J. D. Enys gave
some particulars respecting the Urns recently found at
Gunwalloe.
10 SPRING MEETING.
It was resolved on the proposition of the Rev. W. Iago and
Mr. J. D. Enys, to forward the following telegram to the
Queen :—‘‘ To the Queen’s most excellent Majesty, Patron of
this Royal Institution of Cornwall.—The members, in general
meeting assembled, humbly offer their loyal and affectionate
congratulations on the eve of the 80th anniversary of her
birthday.—(Signed) Sazins Bartne-Gouxp, President.”
Thanks to the readers of papers and donors to the Library
and Museum were voted on the motion of Rev. 8S. Rundle,
seconded by Mr. Trevail, and the President was thanked, on the
proposal of Mr. Davies-Gilbert, seconded by Mr. R. M. Hill.
11
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
THE CELTIC SAINTS.
By the Rev. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A.
The organisation—political and social, and ecclesiastical,— of
the Celt seems to have been much the same everywhere.
Unhappily we have no texts relative to early Cornish history,
and if we would reconstruct the political, social, and ecclesiasti-
cal life of the Cornu-British before they were subdued by the
Saxons, and all native organizations destroyed by the Normans,
we must go to Irish, Welsh and Breton authorities. We cannot
do wrong in inferring that what was an existing condition of
affairs in Ireland, Wales, and Brittany existed also in ancient
Cornwall.
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION.
I must say a few words on the political constitution of the
Celtic peoples before we proceed to ecclesiastical organizations,
for these latter grew out of the former. Happily, we know this
fairly well from the Irish and Welsh laws. The Irish laws were
codified by the advice of St. Patrick when they were adjusted to
the new condition of the people under Christianity. The
alteration made in them was not great, and, indeed, the king
Laoghaire, under whom the Senchus Mér was drawn up, was
himself to the end a Pagan. The Senchus Mor remained in
force in parts of Ireland toa late period, in Clare to 1600.
We have the Welsh laws of Howell Dda, likewise a codifi-
cation with slight adjustment to altered conditions of pre-existing
laws transmitted orally ; but they have gone through alteration
and interpolation, especially in such parts as touched ecclesiasti-
cal matters, since the Norman conquest of Wales, and the
Latinisation of the native Church.
The population in Ireland, and it was the same in all Celtic
peoples, consisted of the Free and Unfree.
Tn the midst of the lawn was the /vs, circular, consisting of a
bank of earth and a moat, the former surmounted by a pallisade.
12 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
The aires or freemen, were divided into the flacths and the
boaires. The flaith in Welsh argwlydd, corresponded to the Anglo-
Saxon Hlafford, or Atheling.
The boaire possessed no land, only chattels, and rented land
of the flaiths.
Of kings in Ireland there were three classes. In Wales
two. Probably in Cornwall it was much the same, and it is
possible that the eight ancient Deaneries, or the seven Hundreds
roughly represented the tribes or clans, each under its head.
These deaneries were East and West Wyvelleshire, Trigg Major
and Minor, Pydar, Powder, Kerrier and Penwith. Wyvelleshire
probably represented the under kingdom of Gallewig, and Trigg
Major and Minor were possibly at one time an united princi-
pality, and may be the Trecor, in the ‘ Life of St. Samson,”
Tre-caerau. The ancient hundreds were differently named, and
their boundaries are now uncertain. There certainly was always
an over lord, or chief king.
In Ireland several twatha, cinels, or clans, were united under
a rig-mor or high king. And the Ard-rig, or chief monarch, was
elected out of the Kings of Ireland. Soin Wales, there were
several kingdoms, but the King of Gwynedd was head over all.
_ Each community had its rath. A king had his dun or caer,
and lis. But each tribe also had its dun or fortress. The Irish
laws draw a distinction between a ls and a dun, yet it is not
easy to determine in what the distinction existed.
The Irish twath was equivalent to a Welsh cantred.*
*In Wales fifty trefs (the Cornish tre) or farm holdings formed a commot,
and two commots made a cantred, or “‘ hundred.”’
In North Wales 24 trefs were occupied by freeholders.
16, _ ,, teogs (unfree men).
8.013; op as Terra Dominica.
A xp 5p » Royal domain.
50 Total
A similar arrangement prevailed in Ireland. A twath was equivalent to a
Welsh cantred. A tuath had over it a rig or king, and it was divided iuto thirty
batles.
In Brittany the plowef had several meanings, a cultivated district, and a
plebs or a tribe occupying it. Over it was tiern, the son origiually of one of the
Dumnonian kings. There also we find the compot=commot and the treb=tref 5
so that we may be sure that the organisation in Cornwall was not other than what
we find in Wales and in Armorica.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 13
ECCLESIASTICAL ORGANIZATION.
The ecclesiastical organisation was formed by side of the
political body, and was to some extent independent of it.
Every freeman had the right of sanctuary, and the extent
of his sanctuary constituted hislawn. The limit was determined
by the cast of his spear from his door. The lowest grade of
noble had sanctuary to the extent of three casts. Each order
above doubled that below, till the king was reached, whose lawn
extended to the distance of sixty-four throws.
Then, also, as soon as a saint, 7.¢. an ecclesiastic, was given a
habitation, he at once obtained right of sanctuary, and his
sanctuary was determined by law to extend a thousand paces
from his cell in all directions. Later on, a Bishop was allowed a
lawn or sanctuary of two thousand paces.
The lawn enabled the noble to surround himself with a body
of men entitled sencleithes attached to his person, and comprised
of foreigners who had commended themselves to him for
protection, and of refugees, mostly homicides, for whom he
compounded; whereupon they and their descendants became
his men.
The Zan or lawn in precisely the same manner served to
recruit the clan of the saint.
Now this privilege of the great nobles tended to materially
alter the political and social condition. Instead of the chiefs
being elected heads of their tribes as of old, they were able in
time, by means of their sencleithes or retainers, to bear down
opposition and extinguish rival claimants.
Precisely the same process went on among the German races,
till it reached definite form in feudalism and the disappearance
of the freeholder.
When Christian missionaries obtained grants of land and
rights of sanctuary, the numbers of their retainers began to
increase and their lands to extend. Their retainers formed
assemblages of habitations round the monastery, outside its
earthen wall, and this was the beginning of the cathedral or
monastic city, precisely as the gathering of military retainers
about the fort of the chief of the clan formed the beginning of
the burgh.
14 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
The sanctuary was called in Irish mazghin, in Breton minchz ;
in Cornwall it retains the Latin name corrupted into sentry. The
bounds were indicated by crosses.
The retainer was either free or unfree. The free man was
granted his se/b, the equivalent to the Danish toft—a bit of land
taken out of the common. It was given to him by the chief, lay
or ecclesiastical, and for it he rendered service or made a pay-
ment in cattle. The unfree retainer was a bothach, and lived in
a both, or cott.
No noble /fiaith), or saint (naomh), could retain a fugitive for
an indefinite period. He was bound to pay theervc, or fine, due
for the offence committed, or surrender the refugee at the
expiration of a certain number of days. But not to pay was
considered such a confession of weakness, or exhibition of
niggardliness, that no protector dared to risk it. He strained
every nerve to raise the number of maid-servants, cows, or
sheep, that would compensate for the wrong done.f
There is a curious story in the Liber Llandavensis of a man
named Ligessauc, who had killed three of King Arthur’s men
and fled for sanctuary to St. Cadoc. The saint had to compound
for him with nine cows of a peculiar breed. After that
Ligessauc became a vassal of the saint, he and his descendants
for ever.
But this was not the only way in which an ecclesiastical tribe
was recruited.
It is supposed by Professor Rhys that in remote Pagan times
in Ireland it had been customary among the natives to sacrifice
to the gods the first male child and firstborn of all domestic ani-
mals. We find this among the Canaanitish peoples of Palestine,
and the non-Aryan Firbolgs belonged to the same stock. Butin
time this sacrifice assumed another form, and the first child and
firstborn of every beast were surrendered to the Druid. No
sooner was the Christian ecclesiastical tribe constituted, and
+St. Findchua was granted the hitherto unheard-of privilege of his right of
sanctuary extending over one year, a month, and aday. ‘* Book of Lismore,” p.
237. St. Cadoe obtained right of sanctuary for seven years, seven months, and
seven days. ‘‘ Cambro-British SS,” p. 49.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 15
Celtic Christianity built up on the ruins of Druidism, than, as
though according to time-honoured custom, the surrender of
the first-born to the ecclesiastical tribe became usual, and was
recognised as a legal institution.
This does not mean that a son given up to the saint became
of necessity a monk, but that he passed into vassalage to the
saint, instead of being subject to the secular chief.
In certain cases an even more liberal grant was made to the
Church, as in Leinster where, as the ‘‘Colloquy of the Ancients”’
informs us, ‘‘The province of Leinster dedicated to the saint
(Patrick) a third of their children, and a third of thoir wealth.”’*
The land given up for ecclesiastical purposes was a gift to
a saint personally. It was not a conveyance to a community or
corporation. The successor of the saint was his comarb, his
vicegerent, or steward. But the saint himself was the owner,
whether he were in heaven or on earth.
The appointment to the abbacy, that is to say to the head-
ship of the ecclesiastical tribe, rested with the chief of the
secular tribe, or his successor, from whom had come originally
the grant of land. In default of anyone being eligible from
that family then, and then only, did the appointment pass to the
fine minach or monastic family.
This is laid down in the Brehon laws, ‘‘ Any fit person in
the tribe of the patron saint was eligible, even if only a psalm
singer.” If no such person was found there, then one of the
occupants of the monastery might be chosen, and if there were
no one there suitable, then any stranger might be elected.
Consequently, jurisdiction was a tribal and family preroga-
tive entirely independent of ecclesiastical status. In Ireland, in
* “ Silva Gudelica,’’ London, 1892, ii, 218.
+Corus Besena. ‘* Ancient Laws of Ireland” (Rolls Series, iii, 73.) See
also ‘‘Tripartite Life” ii, 339. Feth Fio gave his land to Drum Lias ‘‘ That the
race of Feth Fio should inherit it, if any of them, of the class, should be good,
devout, and conscientious. If there were not, then it should be seen if there
were found one of the monastic community. If not, then any one of Patrick’s
community.”
16 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
Wales, in Scotland, probably also in Dumnonia, ecclesiastical
offices were hereditary.’’t
From this it follows necessarily that jurisdiction in the tribe
belonged to the chief, whether cleric or layman, manor woman.
In a Celtic monastery there were usually several Bishops;
none of these ruled, unless by chance one combined the
headship of the tribe along with his episcopal orders. In such
a case as that of St. Bridget, it appeared so puzzling in later
{I quote from the introduction to ‘‘ The Ancient Laws of Ireland’’ (Rolls
Series), Vol. IV, ccxxv, a series of significant instances. In the monastery
of Lusk, between 731 and 927, the second and third abbots were brothers, and
sons of the first abbot. The fourth abbot and the prior were brothers, and the
son of the second abbot was steward. The fifth abbot was son of the third.
The eighth abhot son of the sixth. The eighth abbot had two sons, one
became Bishop of Duleek, and the other tenth abbot cf Lusk. In the
monastery of Gleann Uissean, between 874 and 1016, the first abbot was
succeeded by his two sons in succession. The third abbot had two sons, who
also inherited the abbacy in turn. The seventh abbot was son of the fourth,
and the eighth grandson of the second. Swuibhne, Bishop of Armagh, was
succeeded by his three sons, one after the other. His grandson, by his third son,
was also Bishop and anchorite of Lann Laire. The son of this episcopal anchorite
was abbot of Lann Laire, and this abbot was also succeeded by his son. But
perhaps the most instructive example is connected with Clonmacnois. Torbach,
abbot and primate of Armagh, in 812, was the son of one abbot of Lusk and
father of another, and from him descended a family that filled many offices in
Clonmacnois, and among them we find even anchorites married, and succeeded
by their sons. Hoghan, grandson of Bishop Torbach, was anchorite, and died in
845, and was succeeded in his anchorite’s cell by his son Luchairen in 863 ; and
in 893 his son Egertach was erenarch at Clonmacnois. He also had a son, a
Bishop, who, wonderful to relate, was not married; whereupon another son,
Dunhadhach, succeeded in 958 to the bishopric. This Bishop had a son Dunchadh,
who became head of the monastery and anchorite, and died in 1005. He was the
father of Joseph, the confessor of the abbey. Joseph had a wife, and a son
Conn, who became head of the Culdees or anchorites of Clonmacnois, and Conn
had a son who took the abbacy.
It must be borne in mind that in the Latin Church, prior to 1189, though
celibacy was required of monks, and was expected of the clergy as a matter of
discipline, yet marriage with them was not illegal. It was not till 1139, in the
second Lateral Council, that such marriages were declared null and void. But
this decree met everywhere in Hurope with violent opposition. Still, it shows
that there was ‘‘ something rotten in the state of ’’ the Irish Church when even
anchorites were fathers of families, and when succession to abbacies, cells, and
bishoprics became a matter of family property.
That the marriage of even abbots was allowed at a very early period would
appear from Gildas, the historian, the friend of St. David, and abbot of Rhuys,
having sons who are numbered among our Cornish saints.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 17
times to account for a woman having exercised jurisdiction over
a Bishop, that it was fabled that Bishop Mel who veiled her had
by mistake read over her the office of the consecration of a
Bishop.
We know that St. Columba at Iona, though only in priest’s
orders, yet retained Bishop Etchen subject to his command to
ordain clergy for his missions.
There were no territorial sees. There could not be where
the Celtic tribal organization existed.
It has puzzled writers to determine whether the original
Cornish see was at Bodmin, St. Germans, or at Dingerein. But
there was no cathedral city anywhere in the peninsula. There
were Bishops. We hear of them now and again, but they were
attached to the great monastic centres, the position of which,
with the exception of Buckfast, Hartland, Bodmin, St. Germans,
Petherwin, Perranzabuloe, Meneage, it is not easy to determine.
Among the Hy Many of Connaught, St. Bridget was the
patroness, the ecclesiastical head, and to her and her comarbs
or successors went a penny for every one of the tribe who
was baptized (O’Donovan,—“ Tribes and Customs of the Hy
Many,” Dubl., 1843, p. 79.)
This leads us to the reciprocal duties that bound together
the tribe of the land and the tribe of the saint.
The tribe of the land, as already said, was bound to give
the firstborn of every family, human or bestial, to the saint. It
also paid certain dues for sacraments, and it protected the rights
of the saint to his land, and defended his liberties.
On the other hand, the saint was required to provide for the
instruction of the children of the tribe; so that his monastery
was a great school. He was further bound to minister the
sacraments, and to sing a requiem over the dead of the tribe.
Furthermore, he was expected in time of war to precede the
forces of the clan and to curse its enemies. If the saint himself
was dead, then his comarb took his place bearing the cathair or
war palladium of the saint—a book of the psalms he had
written, a bell that he had cast, or his pastoral staff.
The Hy Many in the fifth century were becoming too popu-
lous for their district. Now, at that time the Firbolgs occupied
18 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
Connaught. Maine Mor and his people coveted their land;
accordingly, they called on St. Grellan to curse the Firbolgs.
He did so, and then the Hy Many defeated them and took
possession of Connaught. Attributing their success to his impre-
cations, they bade him impose on them dues for ever ; and this
he did. ‘A scruple out of every townland, the first-born of
every family, every firstling pig or firstling lamb, and the first-
ling foal. Let the Hy Many protect my Church and frequent it,
refuse not their tribute, and my blessing shall be on the race,
Tt shall never be subdued carrying my crozier—that shall be the
battle-standard of the race.”* I will give you avery remarkable
illustration from the life of St. Findchua of the manner in which
the saints were called on, as Balaam was by Balak, to curse the
enemies of the tribe to which they were attached.
He belonged to an early period, as he was baptized by St.
Ailbe of Emly, who was converted by St. Palladius before the
coming of St. Patrick. The Christianity of Findchua can have
been of a very rudimentary and crude description only. He
made a present to the son of the King of the Déisi of his place
in heaven. So he had, he supposed, to earn for himself another
place. To do this he had made for him seven iron sickles,
on which he hung for seven years.
The men of Meath were attacked by pirates from the sea,
coming yearly and committing great depredations, so Findchua
was sent for to curse them. When the saint heard that ambas-
sadors for this purpose were coming to him, he ordered for their
entertainment ‘‘ a vessel of ale sufficient to intoxicate fifty men,”’
and meat in proportion. Then he came down from his sickles
and went with the delegates to Tara. He found the men of
Meath in great distress because the pirates had landed and
were spreading over the country. ‘“Then,” we read, ‘‘the cleric’s
nature rose against them, so that sparks of blazing fire burst
forth from his teeth.”’
Led by the saint roaring his incantations, the Men of Meath
rushed against their assailants and exterminated them, “ slaying
their gillies, burning their ships, and making a cairn of their
heads.”
ce a eee
*Tribes and Customs of the Hy Many.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 19
In return for this service Findchua was granted a dun, with
the privileges that went with the possession of such a fortress,
also the King’s drinking horn, to be delivered to him every
seventh year.
When war broke out against Leinster, the aid of Findchua
was again invoked ; and we are expressly told that he was sent
for only because the Druid, whose proper function it was to
curse the enemy, was too old to do the job. The King of
Leinster was in his dun at Barrow; Findchua advised him to
march against the enemy, and he himself would lead the van.
Then a prophetic fury seized on him, ‘‘a wave of Godhead’? it
is termed, and he thundered forth a metrical incantation that
began—
“ Follow me, ye men of Leinster.”
Then ‘ wrath and fierceness’’ came on the saint. The
result was that victory declared for the arms of the men of
Leinster. The leader of the enemy, Cennselach, threw him-
self on the protection of Findchua, and surrendered to him “ his
clan, his race, and his posterity.”’ In return for his services,
the King of Leinster granted the saint a hundred of every kind
of cattle every seventh year.
We have, in the case of Findchua, not only an instance of
getting possession of a dun, but also of becoming the tutelary
saint over an entire tribe,—that occupying Wexford.
Again war broke out, this time between Ulster and Munster,
and the King of the latter sent to Findchua for assistance.
‘‘Then Findchua drove in his chariot with his staff in hand,
without waiting for any of the clerics, until he got to the dun,”
where the King was. Again he marched at the head of the
army, brandishing his crozier, and again victory was with those
who trusted in him. For his aid he was granted a cow from
every farm, and a milch-cow to the clerk who should carry the
crozier in battle, thenceforth, whenever it led to battle. The
King of Munster, moreover, agreed to rise up before Findchua’s
comarb.*
* “¢ Book of Lismore,” page 241. The title given to St. Findchua was “The
slaughterous hero,” ibid, page 240.
20 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
I need follow the story no further. Suffice if to say that in
later life the saint got a glimmer of thought that being mixed
up with so much bloodshed was not quite in keeping with the
new religion so imperfectly assimilated, ‘‘ and he repented of the
battles which he had fought, and the deeds which he had done
for friendship and for love of kindred,” and, we may add, for
very liberal payment.
This life is of especial value, as not having been recast in
late times, when monastic writers re-wrote the early biographies
and adapted them to their view of what the saints ought to
have done, rather than record what was actually done by them.
It is so totally alien to all that a medizeval Latin monastic
writer would think becoming in a saint, that we may safely
attribute it to a very early period and treat it as fairly portray-
ing the character of some of the primitive native saints.
When Diarmid Mac Cearboil went to war against the Clan
Niall of the north, whom St. Columba (Columbkill) had stirred
up against him,—although he was a Christian, he took with him
in his campaign a Druid to perform enchantments and pro-
nounce curses on the enemy; and the Hy Niall had the saint with
them to work his counter charms and deliver his counter curses.*
The office of cursing originally formed part of the duties of
the Druid. He was a functionary called in likewise at the con-
clusion of contracts. When two individuals entered into a
compact, the Druid was present to utter imprecations on him who
should break the agreement. Beside the Druid, the fii or poet
was called in, and he gave a guarantee that he would compose a
lampoon against the transgressor. This was part and parcel of
a process that was legal. When St. Patrick, St. Carantoc, and
the rest of the Commission revised the laws of Ireland, the least
possible interference was made with existing social and legal
systems.
As the Druid ceased to be esteemed, insensibly the
Saint stepped into his functions. He had thrust on him the
duties formerly discharged by the Druid. St. Patrick did not
meddle with the institution of bards. He abolished all sacri-
ficial acts to idols, but expressly left to the lawfully elected tribal
* Tribes and Customs of the Hy Many.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 21
poet his liberty to compose lampoons in the service of the chief
or the clan to which he was attached. When a satire was to be
pronounced, the poet with six companions ascended a hill at the
rising of the sun, and each turned his face in an opposite direc-
tion ; but the poet looked towards the land of him he was about
to satirize ; and the backs of all seven were set against a haw-
thorn. Hach man provided himself with a thorn from the tree
and a perforated stone. He then repeated one verse of the
satire, after which each buried his stone and thorn under the
tree.*
How profoundly dreaded was the satire, or “‘ ill-wish ” of a
bard may be judged by the case recorded in the ‘‘ Colloquy of
Ancients,” where it is said that Airmelach, son of the King of
Leinster, died of sheer fright when threatened by the bard.t+
In the story of the death of Fergus Mac Leide, King of
Ulidh, the bard of a fairy king is represented as pronouncing a
curse on a monarch, which must inevitably be accomplished.
Indeed, it was held that a curse once launched could not be re-
called, it must fall and blight ; if it did not strike him at whom it
was directed, it recoiled and smote the saint or bard who had
pronounced it. For instance, St. Kieran of Clonmacnois
encountered King Diarmid Mac Cearboil, who had offended
him, and he cried out against him, ‘‘I will not deprive thee of
heaven and earth, but a violent death I wish thee, by wound,
by water, and by fire.” The king at once offered to pay any
price desired by the saint to escape such a fate. ‘‘ Nay,” said
St. Kieran, ‘‘ the missile that I have delivered, by that same I
myself would be hurt to my death, if it fell not on thee.’’§
Perhaps the most extraordinary and instructive instance of
the fear caused by a curse, and of its results, is that of the
abandonment of Tara, which took place in 554.
* Book of Ballymote, quoted in O’Curry’s “* Manner’s and Customs,” &c.,
ii, p. 217.
+‘ Silva Gadelica,”’ ii, 128.
{ Tbid, ii, 271.
§ Ibid ii, 78. Even a woman, a Pagan, unbaptised, could pronounce blessings
and curses that must fulfil themselves. See the Story of Muirghen, in ‘‘ The
Death of Eochaid,” Ibid p. 268.
22 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
It was customary for the chief king of Ireland to send his
herald through the country, and also that the herald should
enter a vs, the court of a subject king, with his spear held
transversely.
Now, Diarmid, son of Fergus Cearbhall, was king from
544 to 565, and on one occasion he sent lis herald round to see
whether everywhere the law was being observed. This man
came to the court of Aed Guaire, king of Connaught, and because
Aedh’s doorway was not wide enough to let him through in the
required manner, he began to break it down. This so incensed
Aedh, that he killed the man, and then fearing the consequences,
fled for sanctuary to St. Ruadhan of Lothra, who, unable to
protect him, sent him into Britain. But as Diarmid demanded
him thence of the British king, Aedh returned to Ireland and
took sanctuary once more with St. Ruadhan. Diarmid broke
sanctuary and carried off Aed Guaire.
Ruadhan was furious; he summoned to him the eleven
principal saints of Ireland for a combined act, to resent infringe-
ment of sanctuary. The saints assembled and proceeded to
Tara, and cursed Diarmid and Tara that the king should perish
miserably, and the royal palace become a desolation for ever.
In vain did Diarmid attempt to come to terms, he surrendered
the prisoner. But the curse once discharged could not be
recailed.
Diarmid was killed in 565, and certain it is that the fear of
the curse laid on Tara caused its immediate abandonment. On
this Dr. Douglas Hyde justly remarks ; ‘‘ Tara—the great palace
where, according to general belief, a hundred and thirty-six
Pagan, and six Christian kings had ruled uninterruptedly, the
most august spot in all Ireland, where a ‘truce of God’ had
always reigned during the great triennial assemblies, was now to
be given up and deserted at the curse of atonsured monk. The
great assembly of Tara, which accustomed the people to the idea
of a centre of government and a ruling power, could no more
be convened, and a thousand associations and memories which
hallowed the office of the High King were snapped in a moment.
It was a blow from which the monarchy of Ireland never
recovered, a blow which, by putting an end to the great triennial
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 23
or septennial conventions of the whole Irish race, weakened the
prestige of the central ruler, increased the power of the pro-
vincial chieftains, segregated the clans of Ireland from one
another, and opened a new road for faction and dissention
throughout the entire island.’’}
One day St. Cuimen preached to the disciples of St. Mochuda
(cire. 650) and drew them about him; this enraged the latter
saint, who cursed St. Cuimen that never thenceforth should he
get any profit out of his sermons. After that Cuimen’s success
in preaching left him.t :
King Raghallach of Connaught put away his wife, and fell
desperately in love with hisown daughter. This created great
scandal, and the saints in Ireland, summoned by St. Fechin of
Fore, proceeded to fast against him—a process to be described
presently, and then to curse him, so that before the ensuing Bel-
tane he might perish at the hands of churls, in a dirty ditch, slain
by base weapons ; all which we are informed came to pass, for
when out hunting, having killed a stag, some of the churls who
were turf-cutting, finding the king alone, murdered him in a
peat dyke with their spades, that they might secure the meat for
themselves.§
There is a story in the Legend of St. Herve, the blind poet
of Brittany, that shews a process in force in Armorica like that
described as customary in Ireland. ‘The prince, Conmore, who
had usurped the sovereignty over Dumnonia (in Armorica) about
540, incurred the resentment of the bard-saint, and he summoned
the bishops of Brittany to the top of Menez Bré, and from the ~
mountain top they united in a sentence of excommunication
against Conmore. This is, one cannot doubt, the pagan launching
of a lampoon, or a curse,masquerading in medizeval Latin guise.
The office of satirist seems speedily to have been absorbed
in that of grand curser. But as we learn that Murtogh Mac-
Earca was banished Ireland for murdering the crozier bearers,
for lampooning him, it would seem that for a while it was
transferred to the comarb of the saint. But what tended to
+ Douglas Hyde: ‘‘ A Literary History of Ireland,” Lond., 1899, p. 226. ‘
{ Fragmentary Annals, in “ Silva Gadelica,”’ ii p. 436.
§ Fragmentary Annals in ‘‘ Silva Gadelica,”’ ii, 430,
24 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
render it obsolete was that the curse was deemed so efficacious
that the satire was regarded as an unnecessary adjunct. St.
Columba visited St. Loman with the White Legs, who hid his
books lest his visitor should ask to have them as a loan.
Thereupon Columba cursed the books that they should no more
profit the owner, and when Loman went for them he found that
the wet had so stained them that they were well nigh illegible.
St. Patrick cursed Brenainn that he should have neither son
nor successor.
A saint’s curse by no means struck only the living; it
affected after generations. Thus St. Patrick cursed the sons of
Hre for stealing his horses, that their descendants should fall
into servitude.*
Some jugglers performed their tricks before Patrick. He
had no food to give them, so he sent to King Loman hard by for
some meat. At the time Patrick’s deacon, Mantan, was cooking
the King’s dinner. Loman and Mantan declared that they
would not spare any of the meat for those mountebanks. There-
upon Patrick cursed them, that Loman’s race should never after
produce a king or a bishop, and that Mantan should never
become noted as a saint, but that sheep and swine should run
over his grave.}
In the same way David cursed Joab: ‘‘ Let there not fail
from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper,
or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that
lacketh bread.{”
When we consider that at least some, if not all, of the non-
Semitic inhabitants of Canaan belonged to the same stock as
that which formed the substratum of the population in Ireland
and Great Britain, we need not be surprised to find the same ideas
relative to the force of a curse prevalent in Palestine as in
Ireland. A curse, once launched, as already said, could not be
recalled. If wrongfully pronounced, then it reverted and fell
on the head of him who had pronounced it; but no amount of
repentance, no amends made, could render it innocuous. The
* “ Tripartite Life,” p. 109.
+ Ibid., p. 203.
{2 Sam., iii, 29.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 25
utmost that could be done was to deflect it so that it fell on a
stone or tree, probably such stone or tree as formed an object of
religious cult to the pagan against whom the curse had been
cast.*
We must not be too shocked at this cursing as practised by
the Celtic saints. It was a legal right accorded to them, hedged
about with certain restrictions. It was a means provided by law
and custom to enable the weak, who could not redress their
wrongs by force of arms, to protect themselves against the
mighty, and to recover valuables taken from them by violence.
A man who considered himself aggrieved, and could not forcibly
recover the fine, went to a Druid in Pagan times, to a saint in
Christian days, and asked him to ‘‘ill-wish ” the wrongdoer, just
as now he goes to a lawyer and solicits a summons.
I cannot but think that the “‘ill-wishing”’ so much dreaded
to this day in Cornwall and Devon is derived from this origin.
Nowadays, however, the privilege to “‘ overlook ”’ or “ ill-wish ”
is not supposed to pertain to a peculiarly holy person.
The point I desire especially to impress is, that the saints
simply stepped into the prerogatives of the Bards and Druids.
They did the same acts, occupied the same positions, and
received the same acknowledgments.
I have spoken of the duties owed by a saint to the secular
tribe to which he was attached.
There were instances in which an entire clan placed itself
under the saint. In the life of St. Fintan of Doone, for instance,
we are informed that the king or chief of one of the districts in
Munster, on his conversion ‘‘cum suis rebus et filiis, nepotibus et
pronepotibus et ceteris in sempiternam servitutem tradiderunt.’’}
There was a second legal process whereby a creditor might
recover from the debtor, or the wronged might exact an erie or
fine from the wrongdoer, and this was by levying a distress.
* St. Patrick cursed the Hy Ailell because his horses were stolen. The
Bishop he had set over them implored his pardon. He wiped the hoofs of Patrick’s
horses in token of submission, but all in vain. The curse must fall. “‘ Lrip.
Life,’ 145. St. Aedan (Maidoc) cursed the King of the Hy Niall, who held his
son-in-law a prisoner. By the instrumentality of a youth the curse was deflected
from the king to a rock, which it split. ‘‘ Cambro-Brit, S8,,”’ p, 244,
+ ‘‘ Codex Salamance.,” p. 217.
26 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
The process was this. He made formal demand for what
was due to him. If this were refused, and he were unable
otherwise to enforce payment or restitution, he seated himself at
the door of the debtor and fasted against him.
It must be understood that there was no executive to enforce
law. Every man was supposed to recover damages as best he
might. If too weak to compel payment, he had recourse to a
Druid to curse the offender, but as a Druid was often shy of
offending a strong man, the creditor took the matter into his own
hands, and fasted against him. In India the British Govern-
ment has been compelled to interfere, and put down this process
of dharna. The fact of the levy of a fast against a man at once
doubled the erzc or fine due for the offence. In India it wasthe
etiquette for the debtor to fast alsc; but in Ireland the only
means one had of meeting a fast against him without yielding,
was to fast also. The fast seemed to have extended to the whole
family ; for when St. Patrick fasted against King Laoghaire, the
king’s son ate some mutton, to the great scandal of his mother.
‘‘ Tt is not proper for you to eat food,” said the Queen ; ‘‘Do you
not know that Patrick is fasting against us?” ‘It isnot against
me he is fasting,” replied the boy, ‘‘but against my father.”’*
Hardly ever did any chief or noble dare to allow the fasting to
proceed to the last extremities, because of the serious blood feud
it would entail, as also because of the loss of prestige in the clan
that would be his.
When St. Germanus came to Britain, so runs the tale, and
preached against the Pelagian heresy, he met with no success
with the inhabitants of a certain city. Thereupon he and his
clerics sat down before the gate to reduce it to orthodoxy by
fasting against the inhabitants.
As we have already seen, St. Patrick boldly had recourse to
the same method to obtain his demands from King Laoghaire.
Again, he found that Trian, an Ulster chief, maltreated his serfs.
Trian had set them to cut down timber with blunt axes, and
*‘° Tripartite Life,” p. 557.
+ The story is told without mention of the fasting in Nennius, because when
the Hist. Brit. was composed, the practice was obsolete, and no longer under-
stood. Irish Nennius, ed. Todd and Herbert, p. 79. See also Fiece’s Hymn (the
gloss) in the Liber Hymnorum,
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 27
without providing them with whetstones. The poor fellows had
their palms raw and bleeding. Patrick remonstrated with their
master, but when he would not listen, he brought him to a
proper sense of humanity by fasting against him.*
We find the same thing in Wales. St. Cadoc was offended
with Maelewn Gwynedd. Some of his men had carried off a
very beautiful girl from his land, the daughter of the steward of
the establishment. The men of Cadoc’s ecclesiastical tribe went
in pursuit, and in revenge massacred three hundred of Maelgwn’s
attendants. The King, ‘‘in raging and furious anger,” marched
against Cadoc’s tribe to wreak vengeance. Oadoc could not
resist by force of arms, so he and all his men instituted a fast
against the King, who at once gave way. An interesting point
in this story is that the person called in to settle the difference
was Maucen, who may be our Cornish St. Mawgan.t
An odd story is that of the men of Leinster, who sent a
deputation to the great St. Columba to obtain of him the promise
that they should never be defeated by any foreign king.
Columba demurred to giving them this assurance, whereupon
they undertook a fast against him, and he gave way.{
St. Caimin of Iniskeltra, to obtain the destruction of the
army of the King of Connaught, he being engaged by the King
of Ulster, fasted against Connaught for three whole days and
nights.
I have already spoken of the cursing of King Diarmid and
Tara by 8. Ruadhan, assisted by eleven saints of Ireland. In
the narrative there is a point of interest connected with this
practice of fasting. The twelve Saints instituted their fast
against the King, fasting alternate days. Thereupen he, in
retaliation, fasted against them, and so long as one kept even
with the other, neither could get the mastery, so the Saints
bribed the king’s steward, with a promise of heaven, to tell his
master a lie, and to assure him that he had seen the twelve
* “Tripartite Life,’’ p. 219.
+ “‘ Cambro-British Saints,” p. 94.
{ ‘‘ Book of Leinster,’ quoted in ‘‘ Anecdota Oxoniensis,’” ‘“‘ The Book of
Lismore,” p. 308.
28 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
eating on their fast day. When Diarmid heard this, he broke
his fast, whereupon the Saints got ahead of him and triumphed.*
Another remarkable story is that of Adamnan, the biog-
rapher of St. Columba. Irghalach son of Conaing had killed
Adamnan’s kinsman Niall. The Saint thereupon fasted upon
Irghalach to obtain a violent death for him. The chief, aware
of this, fasted against Adamnan. The Saint not only fasted,
but stood all night in a river up to his neck. The chief did the
same. At last the Saint outwitted the chief by dressing his
servant in his clothes and letting Irghalach see him eat and
drink. The chief thereupon intermitted his fasting, and so
Adamnan got the better of him, and obtained his death. When
the Queen heard how he had been overreached, she was in terror
lest the Saint should curse her unbornchild. So she “‘ grovelled
at his feet,” imploring mercy for thechild. Adamnanconsented
only so far to curse it, that it should be born with one eye.t}
I have spoken particularly of this levy of a distress by
fasting, for it gives us the clue to the extravagant asceticism,
not of the early Celtic saints only, but of the yogis and fakirs of
India.
The half-Christianised Celtic saints were perfectly familiar
with the law just described, they put its process into operation
against the chiefs with excellent effect. By no great effort of
mind they carried their legal conceptions into their ideas of their
relation with the Almighty. When they desired to obtain
something from a chief, they fasted against him, and God was
to them the greatest of all chieftains, so they supposed that to
obtain a favour from God they must proceed against Him
by levying a distress.
This lies at the root of all fakir self-torture in India. The
ascetic dares the Almighty to let him die of starvation. He is
perfectly assured that He will not do it, lest He should fall into
disrepute among the people, and that He will be brought to
submit, however reluctant He may be, in the end, just as would
a human chieftain.
* ° Silva Gadelica,”’ ii, p. 82.
+ “ Fragmentary Annals,” ibid ii, p. 442-3,
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 29
This, indeed, is frankly admitted in the Tripartite Life of
St. Patrick.
Patrick was ambitious of obtaining peculiar privileges from
God, notably that of sitting in judgment over the Irish people
at the Day of Doom. To obtain this he instituted a fast.
When in a condition of nervous exaltation he fancied that
an angel appeared and intimated to him that such a petition was
offensive to God, and he offered him some other favour in place
ofit, Patrick stubbornly rejected all compromise, and continued
his fast, as the writer says, ‘‘in a very bad temper, without
drink, without food.” After some time, he fancied again that
the angel approached him, offering further concessions. ‘I will
not go from this place till I am dead,” replied Patrick, ‘“ unless
all the things I have asked for are granted to me.”
In the end he fell into such a condition of exhaustion of
body, that he became a prey to hallucinations, thought the sky
was full of black birds, and deluded himself with the belief that
the Almighty had given way on all points.{| Mr. Newell in his
‘Saint Patrick” is very angry with the writers of this story.
‘‘ A fouler travesty of a noble character could scarcely be pub-
lished than is contained in these late legends.”’§ I entirely differ
from this able writer. The anecdote seems to me to breathe the
spirit of that transition condition of mind in which the early saints
among the Celts were, whilst legal conceptions were strong in
them and coloured deeply their religious ideas. Such a story
could not have been invented at a late period when the principle
had been forgotten on which fasting was practised.
There is a story of three scholars in the Book of Lismore
that also illustrates how completely this legal notion of trans-
acting business with the Almighty affected the minds of the
early Celtic Christians.
{ ‘‘ Tripartite Life,’ p. 115. Tirechan, the most trustworthy of the biograph-
ers of St. Patrick, speaks of this fast.
§ “St. Patrick, his Life and Teaching,” S.P.C.K., 1890. A like story is told
of St. Maidoc of Ferns, who desired to obtain some outrageous privileges—that
no successor of his should go to hell, that no member of his community or tribe
should be lost eternally, and that till the day of judgment he might be able to
deliver daily a soul from hell. He fasted against God, to wring from Him these
privileges, and continued his fast for fifty days, and deluded himself into the belief
that he had forced the Almighty to grant everything. “‘ Cambro-British Saints,”
p. 243.
30 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
Three scholars resolved on reciting daily the Psalter, each
taking a third; and they agreed among themselves that in the
event of one dying, the others should take his Psalms on them
in addition to their own. First one died, then the other two
readily divided his fifty Psalms between them. But presently a
second died, and the third found himself saddled with the daily
recitation of the entire Psalter. He was highly incensed against
heaven for letting the other two off so easily, and overloading
him with obligations. Then, in his resentment, regarding God
as having treated him unjustly, we are informed that he fasted
against Him.*
In India the fakirs possess power over the people who flock
to them to entreat the gods to obtain for them abundant
harvests, or the burning of an enemy’s house, the xecovery of a
sick child, or the wholesale destruction of an enemy’s family. A
man who sits on spikes, has voluntarily distorted himself, or who
lives half buried in the earth, is supposed to be all powerful
with the gods. Why so? Because through his self-tortures he
has wrung a legal power over the gods to grant what he shall
ask. The very same race which underlies the Hindu population
of India underlay the Celtic Gael in Ireland and the Brython in
Britain. That race which to this day sets up menhirs and dol-
mens there, strewed Ireland and Cornwall with them at a
remotely early period. That same race has scattered these
remains over Moab. We find the same legal and religious
ideas in India and in Ireland; as also in Moab, which is
likewise strewn with dolmens. Balaam comports himself just
as would a Christian saint many centuries later in Erin, because
these ideas belong to the non-Aryan Ivernian race everywhere.
Monachism among the Celts, doubtless, received an impulse from
such books as the ‘“ Historia Lausiaca’’ of Palladius, and the
Life of St. Martin, by Sulpicius Severus; but it did not origi-
nate from the perusal of these books. It had existed as a
system from a remote antiquity among the pagan forefathers
of the saints.
Everything conduced to engage the Christian missionaries
in a contest of ascetic emulation with the medicine men of
ane Book of Lismore,’’ Anecd. Oxon, p.8. Also in the ‘‘ Book of iLetnstien,
p- :
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 31
Paganism. They strove to outstrip them, for if they fell short
of the self-torture practised by the latter, they could not hope to
gain the ear of the princes and impress the imaginations of the
vulgar.
In the instance of St. Findchua, we have a man emerging
from Paganism, practising frightful austerities, and eagerly
invoked to occupy the place hitherto assigned to the Druid.
Surely he simply trod the same path as that pursued by the
necromancers before him.
Of St. Kevin it is said that he remained for seven years
without sleep, and that he held up one arm till it became rigid,
and a blackbird laid and hatched her eggs in his palm.*
St. Ere is said to have spent the day immersed in a river.
St. Itha to have had only earth for her bed.
This immoderate and astounding self-torture enabled the
saints in Celtic lands, with all confidence, to appropriate to them-
selves the keys of heaven and hell, and to give assurance of
celestial felicity to whom they would, and denounce to endless
woe whoever offended them.
St. Patrick is said to have promised heaven to a story-teller,
who had amused him with old bardic tales, and to a harper for
having performed well on his instrument. As we have already
seen, the twelve saints of Ireland promised heaven to the
unfaithful steward on condition that the should tell his master
a lie, and so deceive him to his destruction.
Senan of Iniscathy threatened King Lugaid to deprive him
of heaven, if he thwarted him, and he left assurance with his
community that no man buried in his churchyard should go to
hell.t St. Finnian of Clonard made the same promise relative
to his own burial ground.§
So much, then, for the ferocious self-torture exercised by the
early Celtic saints.
* [rish Liber Hymnorum, ii. 192; Giraldus Camb., Top. Hibern. ii, 48;
Book of Lismore, p. 334.
+ ‘* Silva Gadelica,” ii, pp. 137, 191.
t ‘‘ Book of Lismore,” pp. 210, 214.
§ Ibid, p. 219.
32 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
Whether this asceticism extended to the drink is, perhaps,
open to doubt. As we have seen, St. Findchua ordered for his
visitors a vat of ale fit to make fifty men drunk ; and it is signi-
ficant that the only poetical composition attributed to St. Bridget
that has come down to us should begin: -
“T should like a great lake of ale
For the King of Kings.
I should like the whole family of Heaven
To be drinking it eternally?”’*
But in many cases there was a nobler motive in the hearts
of these venerable fathers, than one of mere following in the
traces of their pagan predecessors, and outrivalling them. A
clue to their conduct may be found in an incifent related of St.
Columba.
One day he saw a poor widow gathering sting-nettles. He
asked her the reason. She replied that she had no other
food. The old man trembled with emotion, went back to
his cell, and bade his attendant give him thenceforth nettles
only to eat. He had come among the Picts to be an apostle,
to poor as well as to rich, mean as well as noble, and he
would not fare better than the lowliest among those to whom
he ministered. The story goes on to say that the disciple,
seeing the aged master become thin and pinched on this meagre
diet, employed a hollow elder stick with which to stir the nettles,
over the fire, and he surreptitiously introduced a little butter
into the hollow of the stick, that ran down and enriched the
porridge.t
There are, moreover, remarkable instances among the Irish
ascetics of their standing high above a narrow formalism. Some
travellers came to Ruadhan of Lothra during Lent, and he at once
produced a meat supper, and, to exhibit true hospitality, not only
sat down at it himself, but bade his monks do the same.
Some travellers came to St. Cronan, and he at once produced
all he had for their refreshment, and sat down with them.
‘‘ Humph!” said a stickler for rule, ‘‘ At this rate, I do not see
*The whole hymn is printed in O’Curry’s ‘‘MS. Materials for Irish History,’
1861, p. 616.
+ ‘* Book of Lismore,” p. 302.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 33
much chance of Mattins being said.” ‘ My friend,” said Cronan,
‘in showing hospitality to strangers we minister to Christ. Do
not trouble about the Mattins, the angels will sing them for
aes *
At the same time that the saints were vastly hospitable, they
refused to regale kings and their retinue when this was demanded
asaright. It was one of the conditions of subjection toa secu-
lar prince to have to find him in food when he called, and to
furnish his beasts with provender. Compliance with the demand
established a dangerous precedent, for vassallage brought with
it liability to military service. It was accordingly stubbornly
resisted.
When Maelgwyn Gwynedd was hunting in the neighbour-
hood of St. Brynach, he sent to the saint a command to prepare
supper for him and his attendants. ‘‘ But the holy man being
desirous that he and his brethren and also his territory should be
free from all tribute, asserted that he did not owe the king a
supper, and would give him none.”
Naturally this produced an explosion of anger, but it ended
in the saint furnishing the meal, which the king formally
acknowledged as being accorded him out of charity, and not as
a due.t
St. Senan absolutely declined to pay tax to Lugaidh, the petty
local king. Then the king sent his race-horse to be turned out on
Senan’s pasture, saying he would take his dues in this manner.
Accidentally the horse was drowned, and this lead to violent
threats on the king’s part and demand for compensation.
As already intimated, one of the obligations laid on the
saint was to educate the young of the tribe ; so that his estab-
lishment was, in point of fact, a great mixed school, in which
were girls as well as boys. The education was carried on till
both were grown up to an adultage. The institution of schools
for the young was certainly much older than Christianity in
Britain and Ireland. We know from classic authorities, as well
as from the Irish writers of the heroic legends, that the Druids
formed communities, that these were presided over by an Arch-
**¢ Codex Salamane.,”’ p. 548.
+ ‘‘ Cambro-British Saints,”’ p. 296.
84 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
Druid, that in them were educated the sons of the kings and
nobles, and the heads of these schools had lands for their
support.
So also were there communities of Druidesses, to whom
were committed the fostering and education of the daughters of
the nobility ; and these Druidesses shared with the Druids the
privilege of sanctuary, and the function of blessing and cursing.
By no other way can we explain the marvellous expansion
of the educational establishments which took place after Ireland
became Christian, than on the supposition that the saints occu-
pied institutions already existing, and brought into them a new
life.
St. Lasrian is said to have ruled over 1,500 disciples, St.
Cuana had 1,746 scholars under him; in the establishment of St.
Gerald, of Mayo, there were 3,300.
Now at first the saint took charge of the education of the
sons and daughters of the free men, and held a mixed school.
As many of the pupils tarried on to prepare for the clerical life,
and some of the damsels resolved to embrace the ecclesiasti-
cal profession also, these young people were thrown together a
good deal, and the results were not always what might be
desired.
This led to a change in the system, and several of the saints
induced a sister, or a mother, or some other approved matron, to
establish a girls’ school, subject to his supervision, yet at a
distance from his college for youths sufficient to prevent the
recurrence of scandals.
But such a division of the sexes was not universal, and the
persistence of double monasteries among the Northumbrians and
Kast Saxons, moulded on the Celtic type, shows that the mixed
school still had those who favoured it. The modern American
system is a recurrence to the early pattern.
Another force was in operation to alter the character of
these schools. Owing to the teaching capacity of the principals
in some being considered of a high order, there ensued a resort
to certain schools from all quarters, even from abroad, so that
they lost their character of tribal institutions, and became
instead colleges open to all comers.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 35
A further change was effected. Under their ecclesiastical
heads they assumed a literary and ecclesiastical complexion
admirably suited for clerks, but less adapted to the needs of
those who would live in the world.
The three points here indicated deserve to be illustrated.
(1.) Perhaps the most noted of all masters was Mancen, or, as
we call him in Cornwall, Mawgan. His head college was Ty
Gwyn, the White House, which has now been satisfactorily located
near Porth Mawr, in Pembrokeshire.* This was a great establish-
ment where missionaries were trained, men who have left their
mark in Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall, as well as Wales. It
was a double establishment, and Non, the mother of St. David,
was there educated. So was the daughter of Drust, a British
king, who ruled from 523 to 528. At that time in the monastic
school there resided Finnian, afterwards a famous teacher at
Clonard, and two other Irishmen, Rioec and Talmach. Drustic
fell desperately in love with Rioc, and bribed Finnian by a
promise of a copy of all Mancen’s MSS. books to act as her go-
between. Finnian agreed, but acted treacherously, for what
reason we do not know, and he conveyed to the damsel the
addresses of Talmach in place of those of Rioc.
Mancen got wind of this nice little affair, and he was highly
incensed, so much so that he told a boy to take a hatchet, hide
behind the oratory, and hew at Finnian as he came at early dawn
to Mattins. The boy agreed, but by some mistake Mancen pre-
ceded the pupil, and the lad struck at him and felled him.
Happily the blow was not mortal. t
St. Kieran had much trouble with his pupil Carthagh, who
was a very loose fish, and he had to expel him. Senan of
Iniscathy appears to have been of the extreme party for the
separation of the sexes into distinct schools.
In the curious fragment, often quoted, on the Orders of the
Trish saints, a distinction is drawn between the first order or
generation, that of the period of St. Patrick and the Apostolic
* “ Archeologia Cambrensis,” Jan., 1898.
+The story is in the Gloss to Meugint’s Hymn in the Irish Liber Hymnorum.
The story occurs also, with some variation, in the Life of St. Finnian. Drustic
by Talmach, became the mother of St. Lonan (Martyr. Donegal, Nov. 1).
86 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
men whom he brought with him- from Britain and Gaul, and
those that succeeded. The first Order, so says the text, did not
reject the society and help of women; whereas the second gen-
eration, which was one of native saints, adopted the monastic
form, ‘‘ mulierum consortia ac administrationes fugiebant.”* St.
Patrick had met with some very discouraging experiences among
his missionaries, and he had laid down the rule in choosing a
Bishop that he should be according to the Apostolic precept,
‘the husband of one wife.”+ He allowed his priests to marry,
for in the Senchus Mor is a regulation as to the dress the wives
should wear. Nevertheless, he had a bad time of it with some
of his unmarried clerics. {
This may have led to the separation of sexes alluded to in
the passage above quoted, which is said to have taken place
after the removal of Patrick, and to have begun with the last
years of Tuathal Maelgarbh, who died in 544. Consequently
the prior system lasted about a century.
It was fron Mancen or Maucen (Mawgan) that Brig (the
Cornish Briaca) derived the rules by which a college of women
was to be governed in Ireland.
The great heads of the colleges there were Bridget, Itha,
Morwen or Monynna, and Brig. That these foundresses had
branch institutions in Dumnonia subject to their rule I suppose
probable. We find Bridget in several places about the Tamar,
and St. Itha at St. Issey, probably because an institution for
girls was planted there under the direction of St. Petrock.
*The whole fragment is in the Salamanca Codex, published at the cost of the
Marquess of Bute, Edinb., Blackwood, 1888.
+ “‘ Tripartite Life,” p. 191; Tirechan’s Coll.. Ibid., p. 345.
t Bishop Mell, his nephew, transgressed. Patrick went to investigate the
matter. Mell pretended to be imbecile, and was discovered fishing for salmon
between the ridges of a ploughed field. Scandalous stories circulated relative to
Bishop Bron, and he only escaped through the intervention of St. Bridget.
Bishop MacNiss was found guilty, and had his hand cut off. Bishop McTail
was thought to have conducted himself lightly with the nurse of St. Kieran.
Ercnat, daughter of Daire, fell in love with St. Benignus, allured by his sweet
singing ; however, by a judicious application of relics, her affection was modified,
‘and afterwards she loved him spiritually.”’ (‘‘ Tripartite Life,” p. 233.) St,
Hogain of Ardstraw was the son of Bishop Ercin lawful marriage (Feliré of
Oengus, Nov. 2). Bishop Assicus and his wife, Cipia, had a son, Bote (‘‘ Trip.
Life,” ii, p. 97.)
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 37
If we look at the map of West Cornwall we can see indi-
cations of such a system there. I strongly suspect that
Gwendron was the head of a girls’ college under the supervision
of St. Mawgan ; that St. Piran planted St. Burian in Penwith
and his foster-mother Cocca at Ladoc for the same purpose ; that
St. Senan, possibly, had his women’s college at Zenor under St.
Sennara.*
(II.) The second cause of the break-up of the system of
Tribal schools was the fact that certain teachers acquired great
fame, andimmense numbers came to them from every quarter, to
profit by their instructions. Moreover, pupils became impatient,
they would no longer remain with their tribal masters, but went
off to seek other heads. The least ruffle between a tutor and
his pupil was enough to occasion the latter to desert. Some-
times the master became jealous of his pupil, and told him
plainly that there was not room for both in the same school.
Sometimes a faction was formed in the college, and the students
turned out the master. There is a curious instance of this in
the life St. Monynna, whom [ am disposed to equate with our
St. Morwenna. She was a disciple of St. Ibar of Begerry. St.
Ibar urged her to receive into her college a female pupil of whom
he thought highly. Sheconsented against herjudgment. After
a while this girl contrived to organize so strong an opposition,
that the malcontents expelled their superior, with fifty of the
sisters who adhered to her, and these were forced to go into
another part of the country, and form a new establishment.
(III.) I have mentioned asa third element of disturbance of
the educational system in the tribes, the clerical and literary
character that the colleges assumed. That this was early felt
appears from the matter having been brought before the
Gathering of Drumceatt in 590. At that great assembly the
national system of education was revised and placed on a more
solid basis ; and at the same time provision was made that the
young people not destined to the clerical life should be given an
education less classical and ecclesiastical. A special ollamh, or
* I hesitate greatly about identifying Sennara with Cainera, Senan’s daltha
or pupil. The hard Gaelic C is not likely to become S in Cornwall, though it
does in France, where Kiera becomes St. Ceré, the C pronounced almost like an 8.
88 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
minister of education, was appointed in attendance on the over-
king, with under-ministers of education in each of the minor
kingdoms. Each such ol/amh was assured inviolability of person,
right of sanctuary, and the enjoyment of certain endowments.*
Pray observe that this was no new creation; it was the re-
adjustment of a very ancient institution thrown out of gear by
the introduction of Christianity, or rather by the strong classical
and clerical direction taken in the ecclesiastical schools. It
appears from the Brehon laws that the sons of gentlemen were
expected to be taught horsemanship, chess, swimming, and the
use of the several weapons employed in war. The daughters
were to be instructed in sewing, weaving, cutting out, and
embroidery.
Now, we can well conceive that a venerable saint laid more
stress on the elaboration of knot-work in the illumination of a
MS. than he did on the playing of chess, and that he was hardly
a master in equitation or a skilful diver. The kings and nobles
of Ireland were therefore compelled to make provision that such
of their sons as were not destined to the ecclesiastical state
should receive suitable teaching. According to law, every col-
lege had in it six masters—the headmaster, who supervised the
whole course of education; the professor of religion, who
instructed in the Gospel history and in the articles of faith; the
professor of grammar, spelling, arithmetic, and astronomy ; the
master of historic studies; the under-master, who taught read-
ing; and the cantor, who instructed in the recitation or singing
of the Psalms.
Of the quality of learning given in these schools, many
now have littleidea. Latin and Greek were taught, also Hebrew.
To test his knowledge, once when Brendan proceeded to the
altar, a Greek Liturgy was placed before him. He went through
the service without hesitation, translating into Latin at sight.
Still more striking is the evidence from the texts of Scripture,
either in Gospels, or as quoted in the Irish and Welsh Lives.
On examination, it was seen that these were, in a great
many cases, corrected from the original Greek, because the Latin
* O’Curry, ‘‘ Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish,”’ ii, p. 77.
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 89
of the received text was either faulty or an inadequate render-
ing,—thus showing no mean scholarship in the early writers.*
One day Finnachta, before he became monarch of Ireland
in 6738, was riding to visit his sister, when he overtook a young
student, carrying a barrel on his back, and the youth, in stepping
out of the way of the horses, stumbled and fell, and broke the
cask, from which its contents of curd were spilt. He picked
himself up and ran along after Finnachta and his attendants.
The prince seeing the condition of the youth, stained with curds,
and pitying him, said kindly to him, “ Do not be troubled, we
will make up to you the loss you have sustained.” ‘Alas, sir,”
said the student, who was unaware of the rank of the rider, ‘I
am in trouble indeed, for we are a party of three poor scholars
at Clonard, who attend on three noble students; we go about in
turn begging for food for our support; and what distresses me
now is that not only is our supply of curd lost, but that also the
barrel is smashed, and it was borrowed.”
Finnachta not only indemnified the lad for his loss, but kept
an eye on him afterwards, and, when this scholar took holy
orders, appointed him to be his chief counsellor and director.
This poor scholar was Adamnan, the biographer of St, Columba.t
He was something more. And what this is I will relate,
because it shows us how great and glorious a work was wrought
by the early monastic mothers who took the education of the
young women into their hands.
Hitherto, whenever a king or chief called out his clan to
war, the able-bodied young women had to serve in the ranks as
well as the men. From this odious obligation Adamnan freed
them. He came one day on a battlefield and saw one woman
with a reaping-hook driven into the bosom of another, and so
dragging her out of the fray. Horror-struck at this exhibition
of savagery, Adamnan went about from one king to another,
and by his urgent representations brought about the great
council of Drumceatt, in which was repealed the obligation of
women to follow the standard.
* Williams (Hugh) “ Some Aspects of the Church of Wales” (Lond. :
Clark, 1895) pp. 24, 34, 35.
+ From a MS. by MacFirbis, quoted by O’Curry, ‘“‘Man, and Cust.” ii. 79,
40 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
It is only when we recognise how essential the educational
system was in the Celtic polity that we realise the significance of
such great colleges for youths as must have existed at Padstow
and Bodmin, Hartland, Buckfast, Mawgan in Pyder, St.
German’s, Perranzabulo, Mawgan in Kerrier, St. Keverne,
Ludgvan, and perhaps St. Sennen; and for women at the great
schools of Breage, Burian, and Gwendron. That there were
similar schools in the east of the county I cannot doubt, Altarnon
was probably one, St. Issey, attached to the settlement of St.
Petrock, and perhaps St. Veep, under the direction of St.
Winnow. We cannot, unhappily, establish these points, from
not having documentary evidence preserved ; but we may suspect
that it was so, because such a system was in full swing in
Ireland, and was consonant with the feelings and usages of the
Celts in both islands. These establishments were by no means
monasteries in the medieval acceptation of the term, they were
the great national schools, some mixed, others, for each sex
separately, in connexion with the tribes to which the saints were
attached, probably in Cornwall, not changing their character as
they did in Ireland. Whether in our Peninsula the secular
chiefs were driven to set up secular schools as well, we do not
know.
One remarkable feature in the character of the saints was
their restlessness, a feature which I must now dwell on and
explain.
It was a restlessness that took possession, not of men only,
but of women as well. St. Ninnocha left Ireland at the head
of four Bishops and a body of clergy <o settle in Brittany. St.
Newlyn deserted her foundation in Cornwall with the same
purpose. St. Piala left Ireland to seek a home abroad. St.
Dominica, also Irish, settled on the Tamar. Our Cornish
Constantine was no sooner converted than—apparently in token
of conversion—he assumed the pilgrim’s staff, visited St. David’s
in Menevia, crossed into Ireland, and died in Alba. St. Brendan
cruised about for seven years seeking the Isles of the Blessed.
When Umbrafel, the uncle of St. Samson, was converted, ‘‘Now,’
said his nephew, ‘‘You must become a pilgrim,” and he packed
the old man off to Ireland.*
*Abban McCormic, we read, erected three monasteries in Connaught, then
went to Munster, where he founded another, then he went into Muskerry and
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 41
The lives of St. Senan, St. Kieran, St. Kea, show them to
have been incessantly on the move. No sooner had they
obtained a grant of land than away they went to solicit another
grant and found a new church. St. Brioc we find in Wales, in
Scotland, in Cornwall, and in Brittany. St. Columba is said to
have founded a hundred churches. This is certainly an
exaggeration. In Italy the Irish saints made foundations at
Bobbio, Taranto, Lucca, Faenza, and Fiesoli; in Germany at
Erfurt, Wiirzburg, Memmingen, Mainz, Cologne, and Ratisbon ;
in Switzerland at Constance, Reichenau, St. Gall, Bregenz,
Rheinau, and Dissentis. They settled at Salzburg. In the
Netherlands they were planted at Namur, Waulsort, Liége,
Hautmont, Soignies, and Malines. In France and Brittany they
were too numerous to be here named.
Now, what was the particular object of this dotting of
establishments in all directions ?
You must consider that there was no parochial system, and
that the old educational establishments of the Druids were
falling into disrepute. What Senan, Kieran, and a score of
others did was to seize on every occasion that presented itself of
forming a religious and educational centre in every clan and
sub-division of a clan, so as to be able to give to the people the
offices of religion and take into their own hands the training of
the young.
There was none of that caprice in the matter which appears
on a superficial view. They acted with remarkable judgment,
and according to a predetermined system. All the foundations
were afiiliated to the head establishments, and were called daltha
or pupilchurches. By means of these a network of ecclesiastical
organisation was thrown over Celtic lands. Parishes, dioceses,
built a fifth, then he made a settlement at Oill Caoine, then went to Fermoy and
made a seventh; then he passed again into Muskerry and founded an eighth.
Soon after he established a ninth at Clon Finglass, then away he went and
constructed a tenth, Clon Conbruin. No sooner was this done than he went into
Emly, again founding monasteries, how many we are not told. Then he went
into Leinster and established another, Cill Abbain. Then to Wexford, where he
established ‘‘multa monasteria et cellae.”’ Not yet satisfied, he went into Meath,
and founded there two monasteries ; then the King of the Hy Cinnsellach gave up
to him his cathir or dun to be converted into a place for religion. This Abbot
must have been the founder of some twenty monasteries and cells.
42 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
there were none. The organization was entirely distinct from
the territorial system of the Roman imperial world, but it was
in full accord with the institutions and genius of the Celtic
people. The time was one of establishing vital points over a
large surface, points from which religion and culture might
radiate, and obviously the more that were established the
greater the prospect of success in the ensuing age, which would
be one of development from these centres and building up on
these foundations.
There is yet another point to which I must direct your
attention, the name of Saint applied to each of the heads of
the ecclesiastical tribes.
A saint—naomh—to a Celt was not one who was canonised,
for the canonising of saints was a thing entirely unknown at
the time. The naomh was the head of the ecclesiastical settle-
ments, the nemed. None of the Cornish saints have been
canonised, none of the Welsh save St. David, (for political
reasons,) in 1120, and possibly Caradoc, who died in 1124, and
it is said, was canonised by the Pope, at the solicitation of
Giraldus Cambrensis. None of the early Irish saints have
been canonised, though some, as Palladius, Patrick, and Bridget,
have been taken into the Roman Calendar.
Canonization is a regulating of the early custom of in-
troducing names of the blessed dead into the diptychs from
which the celebrant read, when he prayed for the living and
commemorated the dead, at the altar. Originally each priest
decided whom he would pray for, or commemorate. Then
the Bishops took on them to decide what names were to be read.
Next the Metropolitans claimed to determine this. A furious
controversy was waged over the recitation of the name of St.
John Chrysostom in the diptychs, as also over that of Acacius.
That some order should be introduced was advisable. St.
Martin of Tours found that his people had elevated into a
martyr, a highway robber, who had been executed for his crimes,
and were invoking him, and recording miraculous cures wrought
by his relics. Guibert of Nogent tells us of a case that came
under his own notice of a drunken man who was drowned, and
was at once, by popular acclamation, declared to be a saint.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 43
In every place, said Guibert, old women canonize new saints by
inventing all sorts of gossiping stories about them. The
earliest instance of a regular canonization that can be discovered
is that of Ulric of Augsburg in 993, and that was done by the
Council then assembled at the Lateran, rather than by the Pope,
John XV. Already, in the Synod of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 789,
the veneration of fictitious martyrs had been forbidden,—and in
those of Frankfort in 794, and Aix in or about 803, the
introduction of the cult of unauthorised saints had been con-
demned. Saintship among the Celts was a profession, a saint
—naomh—was the head of the ecclesiastical settlement, quite
irrespective of his moral character. Thus Peirio, abbot, who
tumbled into a well when drunk and died of the consequences,
was a saint; so was Cairnech, although he instigated a man to
murder his own (Cairnech’s) brother, and blessed him for the
deed.
Finally, let me indicate again another feature in Celtic
christianity. In addition to the ecclesiastical tribes, there grew
up a second institution, also based on pagan usage.
A king or great chief of a clan had, as has already been
shown, his druid attached to the court to bless his undertakings
and to curse his enemies. This druid had his school of disciples,
and derived a fixed revenue from the king and from the court.
He had his separate house and establishment. When the saint
succeeded to the druid in the royal establishment nothing was
altered except the method of incantation. He blessed in the
name of God instead of in that of Crom Cruach or whatever
deity his predecessor had invoked; and his imprecations were
but slightly tinged with the new religion.
Thus there existed two ecclesiastical organizations in the
land, just as there were two political or social organizations.
On the one hand, there was the old Tribal system, with its sacred
tribe ministering to it in holy things. On the other hand was
the king’s court with his personal adherents not under tribal
order at all, but creatures of the prince, and alongside of that
was the ecclesiastical order attached to the court.
Mr. Willis Bund, commenting on this, and quoting from the
Welsh laws, says: ‘‘ There was attached to the court a kind of
44 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
religious, it might almost be said monastic establishment, and
at the head of this was the chief ecclesiastic about the court.
The house of the chaplain was the residence of this personage.
Probably this was a survival of the times when the Celtic chief
was surrounded by the Magicians and Sorcerers; these the
Christians had supplanted, and in their place the king was, on
becoming a christian, surrounded with monks. As Pagans,
their duty had been by their magic arts to ward off danger
from the king, as Christians, it was the same, but the means
used were different.’’*
The Priest of the Household was entitled to receive a third
of the king’s tithes, and a third of everything the people about
the court received.
‘“ All the chapels of the king were served by monks, that
is, the monks about the king’s court. They were under the
control, not of the king, but of the head of their own tribe, the
Priest of the Household, and it was provided that the ‘ bishop
was not to present anyone to the king’s chapels without the
permission of the Priest of the Household except by the advice
of the king.’ That is, that according to the Celtic idea, the
bishops had no right to interfere in the monastery attached to
the court.”
It is clear, then, that we have in Celtic Christianity two rival
ecclesiastical institutions, the monastic, or tribal, governed by
the Abbot, who was Saint to the Clan; and secondly, the
royal ecclesiastical monastery, governed by the Household Priest
attached to the king, and with his residence in the royal Dun.
Very often the king got his House Priest to be consecrated
bishop, and then we have a bishop, head of the military retainers
of the king on one side, and on the other the abbot with bishops
under his jurisdiction in close connexion with the tribe. When
Bishop Kenstec of Dinnurrin, in Cornwall, made submission to
the See of Canterbury (833-70), he was probably the Household
Bishop of the Cornish king, whose dun was Dingerein. Gradually
and inevitably in Ireland, the Household Priests became
bishops, extended their authority, and came to be regarded as
bishops of fixed sees.
*** The Celtic Church in Wales,”’ Lond. 1897, p. 314.
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 45
But this did not take place in Devon and Cornwall. If I
am not mistaken, this is what took place :-—
The chief priest of the household of the chieftain was
called Arch-priest, and exercised jurisdiction over the serfs and
retainers of the chief, and appointed to chapels on his domain.
In Devon and Cornwall the crushing of the independence
of the Princes prevented their Household Bishops ever becoming
Bishops of Sees. LKeclesiastically all Cornwall and Devon was
placed under the pastoral staff of a Saxon or a Norman in
Crediton or Exeter.
Nevertheless, in some places the priest of the household
maintained his independence, sheltering himself under the arm
of his territorial lord. In Devon there were arch-priesthoods,
at Haccombe, Beerferris, Whitchurch; in Cornwall at S.
Michael Penkivel; but of these now only that of Haccombe
remains. Atan episcopal visitation when his name is called, the
arch-priest makes no response, as not recognising his submission
to the bishop.*
It is possible enough that first Saxon and then Norman
great nobles may have been glad to have their chaplains inde-
pendent of the jurisdiction of the bishop, and finding such an
institution already in existence, to have maintained it.
The Arch-priest of the Greek, and of the Latin church,
where he is but a dean under another name, would have a
different origin, if my idea be correct.
In Wales, as in Ireland and Brittany, the Arch-priest of the
royal household became the diocesan bishop. In Cornwall this,
however, never took place.
I hope on a future occasion to enter into details as to the
Monastic Structures, and the rules of Monastic Life among the
Celts.
*Haccombe was regulated by Bishop Grandisson, 19 Nov., 1337; Bere-
Ferrers by the same, 17 Jan., 1333-4; Whitchurch by Bishop Stapledon, 14 Jan.,
1321-2; S. Michael Penkevil by Stapeldon, 7 Feb. 1319-20 ; but in all these cases
what was done was probably a recognition of and giving episcopal assent to
a condition of affairs already existing. I do not say that it certainly was so,
but that it is not unlikely to have been so,
46 THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
ARCHDEACON CoRNISH, proposing a vote of thanks to the
president, said they always wondered at the extreme celerity
with which Mr. Baring-Gould could prepare the most learned
papers, and the extreme lightness with which he could use the
great learning he possessed. As he had told them, Cornish history
was not to be found in text, but must be sought in Irish, Welsh,
and Breton sources and authorities. That must leave a great
deal to the person who sought it, and a great deal of licence
must rest upon anyone describing it. They must put their own
colour and interpretation upon it. Though he might not beable
to agree with all the president had said, they were all thankful
for the address. He would rather judge of the saints by the result
of the work they did, than by the legends which related to them.
Legends grew and acquired new colour as they passed from hand
to hand, but when they looked back and saw the wonderful work
that had sprung from the lives of those men, they could only
thank God for such lives. It was true that a great deal of their
proceedings might be regarded as restlessness, but if they looked
deeper they saw it was only the restlessness of St. Paul, and the
restlessness of all missionary work. They thanked God that
there lived in the old days those great men, the fruits of whose
labours they were now almost unconsciously entering upon.
Sir Epwin Durninc-Lawrence, Bart., M.P., seconded the
resolution, remarking that if the old days were not altogether
happy times, they must remember the people lived in the midst of
great barbarism. He had himself tried to study ancient literature,
and tried most to learn from what writers did not tell him —to read
between the lines. The thought occurred to him, in reference to
the great restlessness of the saints in founding great educa-
tional institutions over large areas, that all present were very
near a great educational building (the County Technical Schools)
founded by a man who was not yet styled a saint, but who had
built these great establishments in many parts of the country
(applause). He did not think they realised sometimes how great
might be the uses of those buildings, which in some measure
took the place of the ancient institutions of which they had
heard. He did not think religion or education would become less,
but education was different, and in some respects it was a different
religion to-day from the early Christianity of which they had
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 47
heard, for saints now were not called on, as the ancients were,
to curse their enemies. This was the age of mechanical know-
ledge, the age in which, for the first time in the history of
humanity, man had powers of nature in his hand, so that almost
daily some new power was given to man and turned to his
service. To-day it was wireless telegraphy; what it would be
to-morrow it was almost impossible to say. ‘This was the result
of education and the training of thought. Anyone who wandered
through the streets of great cities would see scarcely a child who
looked starved, and so, while man was getting more education,
the very poorest were not being crushed down. In the ancient
days the serf was ground still lower to enable men to carry
on their work. It might in those days have been necessary, for
the only slave was the living slave, but now they had the dead
slave of a mechanical power. They now ground this slave and
relieved men from the toil. There was also in these days a vast
difference in the position of women, compared with the times
spoken of by the president, for she was no longer the slave, but
the equal and the friend of man (applause).
The PRrEsIpENT, acknowledging the vote, said they must
remember, in regard to the lives of the saints in Celtic countries,
that the histories of them had been for the most part re-written
in the middle ages, and the monastic writers (of the 11th and 12th
centuries) saw through their own spectacles and could not under-
stand the condition, of half-savagery and half-Christianity, in
which the first founders existed. In the days of those writers
there was a great craving for the miraculous, and they heaped
in the marvellous to a wonderful extent. It was easy to strip
that off and generally to find a clear, definite substratum of
history. They could check one writing with another to see if
there were any great anachronisms, and if there were not, it
was clear that the main outline was correct,
48
THE ANNUAL EXCURSION, 1899.
On Tuesday, 22nd August, 1899, the annual excursion took
place, the district selected being Liskeard, St. Neot, Dozmare
Pool and Bodmin.
The following account of the day’s proceedings is from the
description given at the time by a non-member of the Institution,
who joined in the expedition.
The party assembled at Liskeard Station, and among those
present were Mrs. KE. Snow Martin, Miss B. Williams, Miss
Florence Williams, Miss Frances Williams, Miss F. Dixon, and
Miss J. P. B. Dixon, the Rev. W. Iago, B.A., the Rev. R.
Prior, M.A., Major Parkyn, Messrs. J. D. Enys, F.G.8., R. H.
Williams, F.G.S., F. W. Michell, C.E., Hamilton James, T. V.
Hodgson (Plymouth), H. Barrett, J. Barrett, G. Dixon, W. J.
Clyma, H. Studden (London), F. Dowsing, J. Bryant, and R.
A. Gregg (curator.) The first visit was to the parish church
of St. Martin, where the visitors were shown round by the
Rev. J. Norris, the Rev. H. Pettman, Dr. Hammond, Dr.
Nettle, and Mr. W. T. Hancock. The holy tables, made
of olive wood from the Holy Land, were examined with
interest, as well as the old sacred vessels of the church. It
was mentioned that the Liskeard churchwardens’ accounts are
preserved from the date of 1605. A tablet to Captain Emmanuel
Pyper; who died in 1714—found when building the new vestry
was pointed out, and also the curious lepers’ squint-hole, which
permitted afflicted worshippers to join in the services of the
church without entering. In this connection it may be mentioned
that formerly there was a leper-hospital near by. The con-
secration crosses on the exterior of the church were examined,
together with the evidences of desecration at some period.
Leaving the church, the old castle grounds, the site of the
residence of former Earls of Cornwall, received a passing glance,
and the party proceeded to St. Neot by way of Dobwalls and
Doublebois. The roads were rough and the sun was hot, but
the beauty of the St. Neot valley was a sufficiently potent charm
to distract the attention of the company from these inconveni-
ences, and many were the expressions of admiration as each
THE ANNUAL EXOURSION. 49
bend of the winding road opened up fresh vistas of delightful
landscape. At St. Neot, interest centered in the village
church, which possesses such an unique wealth of medieval
stained-glass windows. Here, as elsewhere, the Rev. W. Iago
gave the visitors the benefit of his knowledge, telling in turn the
story of each window. ‘The vicar (the Rev. G. H. Hermon) was
unable to be present. Beginning with the St. Neot window, put
in by the young men of St. Neot, Mr. Iago gave an outline of
the life of the saint, who became a monk of Glastonbury, and
afterwards settled at St. Neot. Previous to that the church was
dedicated to St. Guerrier. Medical benefits were supposed to be
within the power of this saint, and it was said that King Alfred,
who was a near relative of St. Neot, sought aid at the church,
which consequently afterwards grew in fame. The window is
dated 1528, and depicts St. Neot in various scenes connected
with his life, and the legend of his holy well near by. The next
window was put in by the young women of the parish (dated
1529), the next by the wives of the parish (dated 15380), others
by Ralph Harris, the Callawy and Tubbe families respectively.
These windows, depict a number of saints, many of them
Cornish patron saints, and the figures of the donors of the
windows in supplication beneath. The chancel window is in
modern glass, but it is a copy of a picture in the British
Museum, which is said to be the earliest Biblical illustration
extant, of the fifteenth century. It represents the last supper.
Other very interesting windows show scenes at the Creation,
and at the Flood. They are very ancient and most singular; as
is also the window giving the history of St. George. Several
windows were erected by members of the families of Borlase,
Martin, Mutton, Grylls. Descriptions of all the windows have
been published. Parts of some of the old windows, it was
mentioned, had been taken away or transposed, but the Rev.
Richard Gerveys Grylls, a former vicar of the church, did much
to restore them, at a cost, it is said, of over £2,000. The shrine
of the patron saint attracted attention, and Mr. Iago related the
story that the body of St. Neot was taken from this burial place
to St. Neot, in Huntingdonshire, and temporarily to other places,
but an arm was alleged to have been left here, as it was said,
to guard the church. After the interesting recital of the
curious legends attaching to the place and its patron saint,
50 THE ANNUAL EXCURSION.
the excursionists adjourned to the London Inn, where luncheon
was prepared. That important item over, a short visit was
paid to St. Neot’s Holy Well, from the sheltered depths of
which, beautifully cool water was enjoyed. An advance was then
made for Dozmary Pool, by steep hills and vales. Everyone
was preparing to hear Mr. Iago’s story of the pool and its weird
traditions of ‘‘the wicked Tregeagle,’”’ when progress was
checked by a mishap. ‘‘The best laid schemes of mice and
men gang aft aglay,” and in this instance the company were
deprived of their visit to the pool by the breaking of an iron in
front of one of the breaks, while another vehicle was passing.
Hvidently the designers of the road had not anticipated double
traffic, so the hedge had to be courted, and as the hill was steep,
the strain proved too much. Those concerned congratulated each
other that it was no worse, and a good Samaritan with a four-
horse carriage being found further on the road, the company
were little inconvenienced. The contemplated visit to Dozmary
Pool was, however, out of the question, and a move was made
to Liskeard Station. On the way, a brief stay was made at
Dungerth’s Monument. From Liskeard Station, Bodmin was
visited by rail, and at the Royal Hotel high tea was provided,
after which in a few brief speeches Major Parkyn and the Rev.
W. Iago, the secretaries, were thanked cordially for the excellent
arrangements made. It was a well-deserved vote, and every-
body declared that, despite the shortened programme, a splendid
day had been experienced.
51
THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CORNISH
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
The Seventh Annual Joint Meeting of the Cornish Scientific
Societies was held on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd, 1899, in the Museum
of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, Penzance, Mr. J.
D. Enys, F.G.8., of Enys, President of the R. C. G. Society, in
the chair. The President expressed regret at the loss Mr. T. C.
Peter had sustained by the death of his wife, with whom it
was a pleasure to be acquainted.
Mr. F.J.Srzpuens, F.G.S., on behalf of the R. Cornwall Geo-
logical Society, contributed a paper on ‘“‘ Alluvial Deposits in the
Lower Portion of the Red River Valley, near Camborne.”’ After
describing the valley (which is three miles south-east of the
town), and explaining theories as to alluvial tin ground in it,
Mr. Stephens came to the conclusion that in the far away days,
when tin gravel was deposited in the valleys, they were as arule
much deeper, or the land bounding them was higher—much the
same thing. In the case of the Red River, clay and peat were
found lying upon the gravel, shewing that estuarine and marshy
conditions prevailed and alternated for a long period of years.
The beds of clay and peat were thin, and uninterrupted deposi-
tion could not have been of long duration. The thick bed of
clay, which so persistently continues for nearly a mile and a half
up the valley, marks the time when abroad tidal creek ebbed
and flowed probably a good way up both the Roseworthy and
Red River valleys. In those days the district must have
resembled the lower reaches of the Fal. On the north side of
the Reskageage marsh, the peat was deep and formed a sink in
the clay. This was, doubtless, the old bed of the creek, which
had gradually been filled with peaty material. A hollow in the
clay itself had been filled with sand, and might mark either an
older, or a more recent river or creek bed. I+ doubtless mean-
dered about the valley, after the wont of creeks. Very little
of geological interest had been discovered as the result of
operations for exploring the valley. The boreholes have proved
undoubtedly the fact that the Red River valley was formerly an
52 CORNISH SOIENTIFIO SOCIETIES.
arm of the sea. This might have been surmised before, yet as
the record of actual operations, which in themselves were the
result of theory and geological reasoning, the results were
worthy of notice.
Mr. TuurstanC. Perer, of Redruth, representing the Royal
Institution of Cornwall, contributed a very interesting paper on
the St. Just-in-Penwith Church, which will be found printed
with illustrations in subsequent pages of this Journal.
Mr. A. Newianp Dean, B.A., of Falmouth, for the Royal
Cornwall Polytechnic Society, read a paper on ‘“‘ Some Dangers
of Modern Education.”’ The chief of them he considered to be
the utilitarian view of education (and consequent early speciali-
sation), cheap literature, the tendency to do everything for the
child, the pernicious influence and abuse of scholarships, and
the danger connected with athletics. In regard to the first of
these, the utilitarian view of education, he thought parents too
often looked upon a boy’s early years purely as a preparatory
school for teaching him how to secure a good position in after
life and to make money. Hence undue importance was attached
to such subjects as book-keeping and shorthand to the neglect
of Latin, French, mathematics, and science, which are far
superior in mental training, and had a more lasting influence
on character. It was, however, not so much what was taught -
which mattered as the way in which it was done. ‘The essence
and excellence of the public school system, which had developed
so rapidly in modern times, was personal contact between master
and boy. Great men were made not by clear conceptions of
the integral calculus, or a perfect knowledge of Latin or Greek
accidence, but by the influence and example of good and great
men. In connection with cheap literature, he condemned the
sensational story and the majority of the cheap illustrated papers.
The leading papers of the west were to be commended for sup-
pressing realistic details of crime. It was the tendency of
modern education to remove all difficulties from the boy’s path,
whereas the real object of education was to develop a boy’s
character, and to teach him habits of mind which will serve him
in future life. There could be no strength without strain, and
no achievement without effort. With regard to scholarships, it
was no doubt an excellent thing for the talented but poor boy to
CORNISH SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 53
be able to rise from the elementary to the secondary school, and
from the secondary school to the university, but the object
aimed at was often very difficult of attainment. The scholar-
ships were awarded by examination, and examination after all
was but an unsatisfactory test, and the scholarships frequently
went to boys whose parents could well afford to give them a
liberal education. Certainly one of the greatest dangers of
modern education was the undue importance attached to sports.
It was an excellent thing for boys’ bodies to be trained as well
as their minds, and many lessons might be learned in the play-
ing field which could never be learnt in the classroom, but there
was great danger lest strength of muscle should be considered
of more importance than intellectual strength.
Mr. W. Tuomas, Camborne. representing the Mining Asso-
ciation and Institute of Cornwall, read some notes on expediting
mine survey-work, illustrating his notes by some of the most
modern of mine surveying instruments.
On the motion of Canon Moor, seconded by Mr. R. Fox,
the contributors of papers were accorded a hearty vote of
thanks.
54
Roval Institution Of Cornwall.
i
81st ANNUAL MEETING, 1899.
SS
The Annual Meeting of the Society was held in the
Museum Buildings, Truro, on Tuesday, 21st November, 1899,
Mr. J. D. Enys, F.G.S., in the absence of the President, the
Rev. 8. Baring-Gould, in the Chair. There were also present
Ven. Archdeacon Cornish, Canon A. P. Moor, Canon Rogers,
the Revs. W. Iago, T. M. Comyns, R. Pryor, 8. Rundle, H.
Edwardes, and W. Reid Erskine, Messrs. J. D. Enys, Howard
Fox, Robert Fox, Thurstan C. Peter, J. C. Daubuz, Nevell H.
Norway, Henry Barrett, T. V. Hodgson, T. L. Dorrington,
Rupert Vallentin, W. G. N, Earthy, F. H, Davey, W. J. Clyma,
T. Clark, G. Penrose, EH, F. Whitley, Hamilton James, R. A.
Gregg (curator), Mesdames Tomn, J. Rogers, H. James, Dor-
rington, Plunket, Cornish, Franklyn, Share, Paull, Tomn, 8.
Tomn, S. Burall, M. Burall, F. James, Share, and Paull.
Letters regretting inability to attend were received from
Revs. Chancellor Worlledge, and D.G. Whitley, Mr. J. H. Collins,
Mr. J. Osborne. Major Parkyn wrote from London saying it
was now six years since he had missed a meeting, and he trusted
the present one would be most successful.
The minutes of the Spring Meeting having been read, con-
firmed, and signed, the Rev. W. Iago presented for the Council
their Annual Report.
81st ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL.
The Council in presenting their 81st Annual Report are
pleased to record the continued prosperity of the Institution ;
numerically the losses by death and retirement have been more
than compensated for by the accession of new members, They
have to report with much regret the decease of two old and
valued members, Mr Edwin Dunkin, F,R.S., and Mr. E. G.
Heard.
ANNUAL MEETING. 55
Mr. Dunkin was an astronomer of high scientific attain-
ments. He represented the Astronomer Royal on several
important expeditions, and made a number of observations of
great importance, particularly with reference to longitude. He
was a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Astronomi-
eal Society, and was elected President of the latter Society in
1884. Mr. Dunkin published a number of works on his
favourite science, including ‘‘ The Midnight Sky,” ‘‘ Familiar
Notes on the Stars and Planets,” and ‘“‘ Obituary Notices of
Astronomers,”’ and was an occasional contributor to various scien-
tific and other periodicals. He always took a keen interest in
this Cornwall Society, and was President during the years
1889-91.
Mr. E. G. Heard was one of the best known men of the
county, and had taken part in many of its important enterprises
for a great number of years. He filled a prominent place in the
civil life of thecity, his ripe experience being of great value.
He was a frequent attendant at the Society’s meetings, and
was always ready to render any assistance in his power,
while his genial presence at the Excursions will be much missed.
The valuable series of meteorological observations has been
carefully continued by the curator. The close of the year 1899
will complete a period of 60 years during which the records
have been regularly kept. The usual monthly returns have
been sent to the Registrar-General and to the Sanitary Com-
mittee of the Cornwall County Council, and reports have been
furnished to the newspapers.
Mr. R. A. Gregg has summarised and tabulated the results
for the years 1882 to 1898, inclusive, and hopes, early in the new
year, to add those for 1899. They might then be inserted in the
next number of the Journal, when, in conjunction with those
published by the late Dr. Barham in 18838, they would form an
unbroken meteorological record from 1840 to the end of the
century, which will be of great value and interest.
During the past year Mr. Gregg has been regularly sup-
plied with rainfall records by Mr. J, C. Daubuz, Killiow ; Mr.
Lean, Truro Waterworks ; and Mr. H. Tresawna, Lamellyn.
These have been incorporated with his monthly reports to the
56 ANNUAL MEETING.
press, and as they have afforded a means of comparing the rain-
fall in the neighbourhood have been much appreciated. He
proposes adding them to the meteorological tables in the next
Journal. :
The interest of the public in the Museum is well sustained,
and visitors from various parts of the country express their sur-
prise and pleasure at finding such a large and well-kept
collection. Asin past years, every facility has been afforded
students desiring to takeadvantage of the different departments,
and they have again been extensively used. The number of
admissions during the year was as follows :—
Admitted free a. RNG 325826
Members and friends .. 359
Admitted by payment .. 367
3,552
In the museum the curator has examined very carefully
the whole of the cases of birds. A number of the birds re-
quired more than ordinary attention, many being in very poor
condition, but they have been renovated as far as possible. The
interiors of the mineral and conchological cases have been
cleaned, and a large amount of re-labelling in Indian-ink has
been done. Search has been made in the older numbers of the
journals for particulars of articles unlabelled, and when success-
ful, labels have been attached.
Among the giftsto the museum and library the following
are especially worthy of mention :—
Mr. E. Backhouse, of Trebah, presented five sets of drawers
containing minerals collected by the late Mr. Charles Fox, and
a cabinet of very fine foreign butterflies and moths beautifully
set up in a series of glass-topped drawers. Sir Richard Tangye,
who is a frequent donor, sent a document entitled Lease of
Mines and Minerals in the Manor of Restormel in Cornwall,
except Tin and Royal Mines, from His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales to Charles Rashleigh, Esq., Robert W. Fox,
Jno. Williams, and Charles Carpenter, Esq. It is dated 17th
Jan., 1810. Mr. J. D. Enys has further given a striker for flints
for a tinder box, thus completing the series of old forms of
ANNUAL MEETING. 57
lighting, in which he has taken such an interest. He has also
again presented the latest British Association Report, which
brings the set of this valuable work in the Library up to date.
Rey. R. St. Aubyn Rogers, O.M.S., Mombasa, British Kast
Africa, has sent, through Mr. J. D. Enys, a collection of East
African Butterflies made this year. They arrived in the usual
triangular papers, and the curator hopes to be able to commence
setting them out very shortly.
Mrs. Gutteres of Trevella, Crediton, presented a choice
collection of Brazilian Ferns, made by the late Rev. E. Gutteres.
Mr. J. H. James, of Durban, has sent a strip of Rhinoceros
hide from South Africa.
Rev. Canon Moor, St. Clements, has again presented a
number of parts of the Geographical Journal, once more
completing this set, the Year Book and Record of the Royal
Geographical Society, and several numbers of Peterman’s
Geographische Mitthielungen.
The thanks of the Society are likewise due to the Agents
General for Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Australia,
for their valuable handbooks, as well as to the United States
Government for the important publications presented by them.
The Technical Classes, held under the auspices of the Insti-
tution for a number of years, have now been transferred to the
Central Technical Schools, and the room which has been
occupied by them has become available for other purposes. An
examination showed the floor to be badly affected with dry rot,
which had also affected the windows, and it is now being put
into a state of thorough repair. It is proposed to add this room
to the museum, and to place in it the objects at present in the
hall, together with others that are now needing more advan-
tageous display in the museum. The Committee of the Central
Technical Schools having asked for the loan of some articles
from the museum for their Art Exhibition, a number were lent
for a short time, and are now on view there, with exhibits from
the South Kensington Museum. They will be returned in due
course.
The Annual Excursion of the Institution took place in most
delightful weather, on Tuesday, 22nd August, when Liskeard,
58 ANNUAL MEETING,
St. Neot, and Bodmin were visited. At Liskeard the Rev. J.
Norris and Rev. H, Pettyman conducted the visitors over the
church, and drew their attention to the holy tables made of olive
wood from the Holy Land, the consecration crosses, and the old
sacred vessels of the church. After leaving the church, the old
castle mounds, the site of the castle of former Harls of Cornwall,
were pointed out. St. Neot’s was reached by way of Dobwalls
and Doublebois, the charming valley of St. Neot receiving a
due share of admiration. The vicar, the Rev. G. E. Hermon,
was unable to be present, so the Rev. W. Iago conducted the
party through the church, and gave a most interesting and
instructive account of the unique medieval stained-glass
windows. When the very acceptable luncheon had been
partaken of, and an inspection of St. Neot’s Holy Well had been
made, a start was made for Dozmare Pool, but in trying to pass
another vehicle in one of the narrow roads, a wheel of one of the
brakes caught in the hedge, and an iron bar was broken, which
necessitated the visit to Dozmare being abandoned. A move was
therefore made for Liskeard, with a brief stay en route at
Dungerth’s Monument. From Liskeard, Bodmin was reached
by rail, and a high tea partaken of at the Royal Hotel. After
tea hearty votes of thanks were accorded to the Rev. W. Iago
and Major Parkyn for the excellent arrangements they had
made, and when Truro was reached, it was the unanimous
opinion that, notwithstanding the shortened programme, a
most enjoyable day had been spent.
The seventh Annual Joint Meeting of the Cornish Scientific
Societies was held in the Museum of the Royal Geological
Society of Cornwall, on Tuesday, 3rd October, 1899, when the
following papers were read ‘‘The Alluvium of the Red River
Valley,” by Mr. F. J. Stephens on behalf of the Royal Geo-
logical Society of Cornwall; ‘‘Some Dangers of Modern
Education,” by Mr. A. Newland Deakin, B.A., on behalf of the
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society ; ‘‘ Notes on Expediting
Mine Survey Work,” by Mr. William Thomas on behalf of the
Mining Association and Institute of Cornwall ; and ‘On St,
Just (in Penwith) Church,” by Mr. Thurstan C. Peter on behalf
of this Society.
ANNUAL MEETING. 59
No. 45 of the Journal has been issued since the last annual
meeting, and its contents very favourably reported on by the
press. Jt includes the Presidential Address of the Rev. S.
Baring-Gould on ‘‘ The Early History of Cornwall” and the
first part of a paper on “‘ Cornish Dedications to Saints.” ‘““Some
Natural History Records for 1898” by Mr. F. H. Davey, and
“Fauna Notes for 1897” by Mr. Rupert Vallentin, are also
papers of great interest and value, while Archeology is well
represented by ‘‘The House of Godolphin” by Mr. G. E.
Hadow, ‘‘ Description of the Carland Barrows” by Rev. R.
Pryor, ‘‘ Cornwall Domesday and Geld Inquest” by Mr. H.
Michell Whitley, F.G.S., ‘‘ Cinerary Urns from Gunwalloe ”’ by
Mr. J. D. Enys, F.G.S., and ‘“ St. Clether Chapel and Holy
Wells” by Rev. A. H. Malan, the two last papers being
excellently illustrated. ‘The Council consider that the editors,
the Rev. W. Iago and Major Parkyn are to be congratulated on
the issue of a Journal of more than ordinary interest, while
thanks are due to Mr. Gregg, the Curator, for the assistance he
rendered in its publication.
At a fully constituted Meeting of the Council, held on
Thursday, October 5th last, after due notice, the fourth Hen-
wood Gold Medal was awarded to Mr. Rupert Vallentin for his
paper on the Fauna of Falmouth, the parts of which have
appeared in the last three numbers of the Journal.
It will be the duty of the President to present the
Medal to Mr. Vallentin in the course of the present proceedings.
The President, the Rev, 8. Baring-Gould having served the
usual period of two years, the Council have great pleasure in
proposing that Mr. John Charles Williams, of Caerhays Castle,
be elected President of the Institution for the next two years.
They recommend for approval the following list of Executive
Officers for the ensuing year :—
President—
Mr. JOHN CHARLES WILLIAMS (Canruays.)
Vice-Presidents—
Rev. CANoN Moor. M.A., The Right Hon. LEonarp H. Courtney,
M.R.A.S., F.R.G.S. M.A., M.P.
Rev. W. Jago, B.A. Rev. S. BaRING- Goutp, M.A.
Mr. J. D. Enys, F.G.S.
60 GENERAL MEETING.
Other Members of the Council—
Ven. ARCHDEACON CoRNISH, M.A. Mr. JAMES Osporn, F.G:S.
Mr. Howarp Fox, F.G.S. CHANCELLOR PAUL, M.A.
Mr. Hamiuton James. Mr. THURSTAN C. PETER.
Mr. F. W. Micuett, C.E. Rev. S. RuNDLE, M.A.
Rev. D. G. WHITLEY.
Treasurer: Mr. A. P. Nix.
Hon. Secs. & Editors of Journal: Rev. W. Iago, B.A., Major Parxyn, F.G.S.
GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM.
Striker for Flints for Tinder Box.. ie ie Mr. J.D. Enys, F.G.S.
Case of Drawers of Foreign Baten and Moths
5 Sets of Drawers containing Minerals collected by ‘ha
late Mr. Charles Fox ... BB
Mr. E. Backhouse,
Trebah.
An Old Document, ‘“‘Lease of Mines stl eet in
the Manor of Restormel, from H.R.H. The Prince
of Wales to Chas. Rashleich, Esq., Robert W.
Fox, John Williams, and Chas. Canpenter, Peto
dated 17th Jan. Af 1810 , ba
Silver Coins, Spanish, (Giese XIII
Half-penny, George III, 1806
Shell’of Tortoise Mr. Arthur Worth.
| Sir Richard Tangye.
«oJ
Specimen of Elvan with dendritic eneans from = Mn We Beiiornces
Mr. R. A. Gregg.
Tremore Quarry, Withiel
Mr. D. H. James,
Durban.
Mr. William Benney,
St. Cubert.
Mrs. Gutteres,
Trevella, Crediton.
Rev. K. St. Aubyn
Rogers, C.M.S.
hee Brit, Hast
Africa.
Mr. Howes Fox,
Strip of Rhinoceros Hide from South Africa
Specimen of Acherontia BRED OS Death’s Head Hawk
Moth ane ‘
Collection of Biaian Teen, wa eee he Ba 1 E.
Gutteres .. a
Collection of East African Butterflies made in 1889 .
Specimen of supposed Fossiliferous Rock from Fishing
Cove, Gunwalloe ce =p
GIFTS TO LIBRARY.
Tasmania and its Mineral Wealth Bee
Report of the uOy. General and ea fie Tioeehy, The Agent-General
1897-8 for Tasmania.
The Mineral financier of Tasnanie
12 Numbers of the Geographical Journal
Year Book and Record of the Baris Geographical a Rev. Moon ME. ie P.
Society, 1899... F.R.G. g., pe
Geographische Miritiielataen Patera 8
ANNUAL MEETING, 61
Condition of Articulation Teaching in American Schools
for the Deaf, 1892. Dr. Graham Bell. |
Methods of Instructing the Deaf in the United erates |
1898. Dr.G. Bell... ie |
The Story of the Rise of the Oral Method in Amerin, |
1898, Mabel G. Bell . |
Some Differences in the mduestion of ‘ibe ‘Deaf nad “ihe | The Volta Bureau,
Hearing. A. G. Mashburn ... a \ Washington City,
List of Works of Prof. A. Melville Bell ait U.S.A.
International Reports of Schools for the Deaf ... ac a
The Difference between the two system of teaching |
Deaf-Mute Children the English Teteudee: Dr.
J. H. Gordon
Miss Helen A. Keller’s frat cae e of College Preparatory |
Work : a)
Genie he Agent-
A Land of Promise, West Australia in 1897-8... ee ea es
British Association Report for 1898 ee a ve Mr.}J. D. Enys, F.G.S.
The Government Handbook of Victoria... te ; Mr. J. M. Sinclair.
Beploration of the Stone Camp on St. David’s Fant
by Rev. S. Baring-Gould, R. Burnard, pe F.S.A., ¢ Rev.S. Hare Gould,
and J. D. Enys, Hsq., F.GS.
W. pete
Journal of Anthropological Society of Australasia . - sBudhial, Sedney,
ales
Official Guide to the Isle of Man ... Board of Advertising.
; il. mt Messrs.
Picturesque Devon and Cornwa Netherton & Worth.
Reports on Mines and Quarries for 1898... S60 as i Dr. C. Le Neve Foster.
Guide to Queensland for Queensland.
en j Mr. Frank Booth
The Association Review, No.1, Vol.1 ... ues on Philadelphia, U.S.A.
} The Agent-General
Canon Moor proposed the adoption of the Report of the
Council, and referred to the services of Mr. Michell Whitley,
Major Parkyn, the Rev. W. Iago, and the curator (Mr. R. A.
Gregg).—The motion was seconded by Mr. Thurstan C. Peter
and carried.
PRESENTATION OF THE HEenwoop Goitp MEDAL.
Mr. J. D. Enys said it gave him much pleasure to present
the fourth Henwood gold medal to Mr. Rupert Vallentin for his
valuable contributions on the Fauna of Falmouth. This was
the sixth gold medal he had su presented, three on behalf of the
62 ANNUAL MEETING,
Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, and the others for this
institution.
Mr. Vallentin said he did not know how to express ade-
quately his thanks for the honour conferred on him. It would
be anincentive to him to enter still more thoroughly into the
study of the Fauna of Falmouth.
At this stage of the proceedings the President, the Rev. S.
Baring-Gould, having arrived, Mr. J. D. Enys vacated the chair
in his favour.
Mr. F. H. Davey read a paper on ‘‘Some Botanical
Records.”
The Rev. W. Iago gave a very interesting description of
the recently-lifted cross at Penzance, illustrating his remarks
with very effective rubbings of different portions of the cross.
Mr. J. D. Enys mentioned that a son of Mr. F. W. Michell
had discovered a fossil in one of the St. Agnes clay beds, and he
trusted the discovery would encourage others to search in those
beds, which for many years had puzzled geologists.
The Rev. 8. Baring-Gould observed that he was now resign-
ing his Presidency, and Mr. J. C. Williams would succeed him.
It had given him the greatest possible pleasure to fill the position.
He was sure the new President would be able to give them a
great deal of new and Interesting matter in connection with the
county. He (the speaker) did not really belong to Cornwall,
but he considered Devon and Cornwall belonged to the old
kingdom of Dumnonia, and were really once occupied by the
Celts, who were held down by the Saxon people.
Thanks to the officers were voted on the proposal of Canon
S. Rogers, seconded by Dr. Norway.
Contributors of papers and donors to the institution were
thanked, on the motion of Archdeacon Cornish, seconded by
Mr. Howard Fox.—The Chairman was thanked, on the propo-
sition of Mr. T. L. Dorrington, seconded by Rev. S. Rundle—
Rev. 8S. Baring-Gould said he had already inflicted a good deal
about the Cornish saints on the Institution, and as those saints
were crying out for a biographer he was afraid he should have
to trespass on the space of their Journal for years to come.
peeey = 6 SL WreF
a pats Mure |
CEES Caen © on me coreleal i 668
We 1 660 aro tee B00 “+ sorpung 6G
0 0 G eee wee eee wee wee TOYVIOIVO 66
() Hee ve gn oe “ gouvinsuy oat ‘‘
Ot @ te see ove tee 500 soltpung we
OL F 6 eee eee Bon oe Son TOISANO XH, 6c
9 10 " ore oie u0g » UosiepudFy “*
<P ea a si = Se sourzesvy, “
ON ON OGI seer FO1@ ANG OLD ULICT eH eisai
Zz Lt * 00 ee “" sexBy, puv soyey “
0 p 0 900 Bon ane po aoe eee jeuanor 6c
e 0 ¢ O50 vee eee ove see SBx) pus [ONT 6
0 6L2 aia ee Ve a i SLOFISTA “
IL G h eee eee eee ay) ‘Sulyulig ‘sy00q, 66
0 816 °° a 00 on tee toIsanoxy “‘
0028 eee see tee oon sosuod xn TANEsn yA GG
6 918 Sat AE tates gs a Maree rea aT Qasiaol Cle OCR Mes ae “tang aa suondiosqng “ 4sT¢ Ame
BOO eT “6681
OQ © Ba te 660 S00 606 “ goyung kg 6 S189 ~ JA a a a " pouvpeg oy, “4sT¢ Aine
a ae *6-8681 D8 ¥ “8681
4) fumusag go moynyysuL yeholy dfy Hm yunoae m Csubh@ mg ag Ce 10) Ae
“SOI IN ODO Ww GMO) AL GHGs GL OUND WI tl
gre
C8-FS F§-9¢ 1G-8§ 88-9
96:€ ¥G-F LG-F SIF
GL-& LLG 8Z-8 92.8
CGS 09-8 ZC. OL-e
0¢-§ GE-S GPL ZG.e
6S-1 6¢-T 86-1 C0.
$¢:0 10:1 28.) £C.0
9%-T 98-1 Po-1 88-1
6ST CE-G LOG ARoll
69-6 18:6 C8-G 98-6
o&-1 LeT 19-1 OFT
GL:¢ 0L-¢ €¢-9 [6-9
GG.9 90-9 90:9 68-9
pe eee ee | ee a ae et
atk) “VW WU
“6681
STVLOT,
equiese(T
OQ ULOAO NT
19903009
reque}deg
jsn.cny
Ane
oune
ko
Tady
TOILe
Aren1qe,7
Arenue ¢
DS
TIVANIVAa AO NOSTAVdWOO
‘GOOHYNOGHSIHN WHHL NI
TABLE No. 1.
mel GG. ۤ. | 280. 986.1 V6L-6G = TAPE TL9-66 | SIE. TA6-66 700. | 846-66 | 286.62 | 226.6%
0¢ 3 62 98. a oi ae 0eLz : 62. OSE-86 | G | O9P-0& | 669-62 | SEZ. __| FP8.6% | G00- LF8.63 6F8.68 988.62 “188-62 xaqu1090¢q
SRL cy OL | TP. |680- | 696.L | G | 846.62 | AT | 069-08 | 166.62 | 986 | €L41-0€ | F00- | 44T-0€ | PAT-0S | S9T.08 | TGT-0S |29qU MIAO NT
CVI 88. |G GE. | 860. | P6E-L | T | LL0.6G| 6 | SEE-0€ | 169-62 | 9EE. 160-0€ | 900. | 460-0€ | 90-0€ | 410-0€ | 620-0 | 1299990
9L RSL} SS. | St} Gz. | 140. | 648.0 | 08 | LOP-6 | OT | 096-0 | 469-62 | GLE. | ZI6.62| F00- | 916-62 | 016.62 | 606-62 | 0&6-6z |Z9qmeydeg
ERT WG. | G3 | PI. |GhO. | 99-0 | TE | 884-60] LT | PCE-0 | Z19.62| FEF. | GF0.0€ | F00- | 9F0-0E | FFO.0E | TF0-0E | $90.08 |" sRSny
CRT GG. | @ 03- | 090. |€&4.0 | T | 999-62 | TE | 66E-0€ | $9.62 | SFP. | G60.0E | Z00- | 460-08 | FOT-0¢ | 460-08 | 060-08 |" 4T™r
06 8 6L| 9P 61 | Pr. | 890. 06-T | 06 | 981-66 | 6 | 946-08 | 0S9.62 | P8E- | $E0-0E | 100. | FE0-0€ | 980-0€ | 80-08 | FFO-0E | ~~" ouNL
SLY ST) OF | 8 | 2. | E20. | 96T:L | ST | 862-62 | 8% | PEP-0E | GIL-6z | L8G. | 966.62 | 00- | 666.62 | $00.08 | 166.62 | $00-08 |" “BIT
GLRIL| 8S. | GL | OF. | 9TT- 486.1 | &T | 96-86] G | OVE-0€ | F6G-66 | G4. | $98.63 | F00- _| 698-6Z | 698.6% | 698.6 | 698-62 [dy
OL ¥ 6 98. | 8 0g. | 660 G99.T | 6 | 860-62| T | 84-08 | 448.62 | SFZ. | €60.0E | 200. | OOT-0E | GOT-08 | OOT-08 | SBT-0€ | Tre
PL BEL| 6h. | IL | 22. | 980. | 49-1 | SL | 910.64) 8% | 069-0€ | 1S¢-62 | PSZ- | Z08-62 | 00. | $08.62 | 828.62 | $62.6z | $62.62 | Aren199,7
G6 BF 1G le G oF: 9eT. 99F-T I 081-66 96 262:08 gees ove see 86 ae GaR ee ee sitte gle ce Geeee Avenue pe
Q ‘ s
Es gi : c S ee ous oe: 22 “2 es ae Ee ‘md ¢ | ‘mde | m2 6
ce teceleyem | Gs | oe Pe Bese) sue] ee | ee | ee | ee | es
; 5 o o : iS} : pej0ar109 aanssord Uveyy
‘PPAR BOS UBM GAOG’ Joos Ep UIST) “GHLHNOUVEA HHL JO SNVAW ATHLNOW “6681
‘yonusog fo uoungusuy pohoar ayp yp ydoy ssogsibooy most
“6681 mah ayn of “Mv .G¢ bUu0T “AT {LI 009 “WT U2 ‘ounaT, yo suorgvasesqg quorbojouoajepy fo hamunung
TABLE No. 2.
“TOWStRLD UT Aq poyoetioo usaq ev pus “warqueZ pure 19,019ON Aq 018 sqyag
Ie oy} WOM YSnory ‘poys Wopoom wB Ur woLqN4T4SUT [ekory O49 JO Foor popevg] oy} WO paovid ore stoyomMOMMIEGT, OUD
69 ||¢.ST [6-29 | &-0 |Z-8S |P-SF |6-09 || T-4 |8-SF | 6-6 9.67 6-0 |P-09 6-4 | P-L €-7S |6.87 €-1S 1-2¢ §-4G §.0¢ |8-PS || ~~ STIL
9.8F | 2.9 |G-28 | &S |6-Th | 8-0 |3-GP |3-FP | 3-0 \P-PF |6-0F |4.07 4.€P 7-97 0-6F 'L-PP | toquie00q
e | 29 |l7.21 |4-67 | 1-0 |8-6F 9-8P |0-9S | 3.9 8-87 e.g |L.Lh | ¢.0 |3-8P [0.09 | 9-0 [9-09 |/9.9F 13.8) &-08 |8-€S |8-247 |6.6P || teqmeao Ny
L.2¢ | P.0 |T-PS |4-9P |9-T9 || 1-9 |1-8P | 9-6 |9-TS | 9-0 |0-65 (2-76 8.0 |0-GG ||T-0G |0-2¢ 6.S¢ /§-89 |0-2G |4.PG || 12404990
ZS |le.eT \4.09 | 3-0 |6-09 2-E$ |9-89 | G8 |P-TS | 6-S /2-99 | 6.0 9.9 |9.6¢ | L-T |€-T9 ||3.SS |P-8G [4-49 |6-€9 |6.9¢ |4.19 || equteydog
i es | ——
G G
6 | &8 |0-02 |0.99 | § 0 [-99 |&-9E [8-94 |) ¢-TTIE-SS | 8-5 8.09 | Z-T |0-29 19-99 | 0-3 |9-89 ||Z-09 |3-F9 |€-E9 |0-64 |9-69 |9.69 “ gsneny
0c | &8 |IP-8T |6-F9 | &.0 |3-S9 0-98 |&-PZ || 0.8 [9-89 | $-7 [1-68 | GT 2.09 |9.¢9 | T-% |4-$9 ||8.8¢ |0.29 (0-29 |9-69 |€-09 |4-S9 || ATne
4 $8 |IP-1S \F-19 | &.0 [4.19 |0-TS |P-24 || 7-6 [2-19 | 8-7 €.9¢ LL |0-8G |T-19 | 6-3 |0-¥9 ||9-8¢ |4.8¢ [8-69 [4-29 |2-8¢ |4-99 |) aunt
@ | ZZ |lG.8L |F-T¢ | 8.0 |3-2¢ |0-8F |€-T9 || 3.8 |6-EF | 8-E |6-8P | P-T L.6P \L-3G | §-3 |F-PS |IP-SPh 9-0G |0-1S 6-29 |6-6P |P-S¢ || AR
0g | £9 |I6-ET |0.6P | T-0 |L-6P |1-6F |1-9S |] 3.9 |8-6P | 6-E 8.cp | &.T |L-2ZP \0-6P | 9-1 [9-08 ||4-SF |2-2h [4-87 |P-ES 6-97 [4.0 |)” [ady
¢.cp |P-98 |G-FS || ¢.¢ 19-68 | 8-3 |L-SP | 9.0 [4-Gh |6-PP | 0-1 [6-97 ||6-TP |6-€P \6-S7 6-6F |9-TP \8-P7 || T2RIN,
FL | 99 ||6-41 |1-SP | 6-0
OL | 8¢ |/8-2E |8-SF | T-0 |6.¢F |$-68 |&-2S || 6.7 |4.0P | €-6 |€-EP | S-0 8.eP |9.GP | 4-0 |6-9F ||0-SP |8-PP |9-SP |L-6P |0-EP [6-97 AIeNIGa
=t | 9¢ ILor |2.77 | 1-0 [8-44 12-68 |6-6F || €.¢ |9-68 | T-2 |8-2F | €.0 [LSP |6.Ph | F-0 [€-Sh [L-ch (0.PF |5-FP [8-4 1A.6P [8-17 Arenue pt
oO (0) oO oO oO fe) (0) oO oO oO oO oO oO (0) fo) (0) (0) (0) (0) ) (0) LE Wee a
S) " =
E: S S fe} 5 s 3 5 os a 4 BE ey
: ei aac] = o4/4e | 22 | 4 ef
S eile | 2 (Fe | ee leb ei lae| = |eeie2|22|fs|Pe lee lee|e(4)s)2) 2) 4
Bl ole) 2 ee esleslze|salael 2 l2clee/eslaglczlesie8le|ele|el els
ple] ei) 2 Se \belealecleciee| 2 eS Self: (Be |Ssl2q|28 | 2) 2) 2/2) 2) 2
5 Bile | SleclRe Pale oleg |S ig |ee| sels Bea aleell & le lis |e le | a yf ow
E 5 8 |) ee |S Se S Bll-o|] § SP oleae |” Y OS i
is Si Nestle ete Ne 4| 5 me |G 5 maleons
‘A LOTOSAV ‘ONIUALSIOGY WTAS ‘UALANOUNAH S,NOSVIAL sud 6 ‘ud ¢ “HR 6
“6681
YALANONUAHL AHL JO SNVEANW ATHINOW
Ce —————
"ULLOIS YUOOTA 01 WMI WIOAT ‘9 OF 0 WlUAJ O[VOS B UO payBIUI4SA Bl PULM OY} JO edL0F ON,
¢.0/0.1/6.0 | FF 8-21 0.9% 9.08 || slr €.88 0.28 9.¢g |" suey
S| Se) 2 ee sO OO Ss | Oe en ee et | ee ee Oe Oe eer
P-9|T-21\ 2-01] 7 | PE| SL || S | 9L| 9T || | Se | TS || 12 | 9F | $2 || PH | TS | AP SL && | SE || 92 | Z| 8s || AT oF TE) sect [®4O.L
LON EOIGON OW WB ANO Hie VW ONO 1 WO 1 OO We 1S ie We Wi? Wie NOL | yb | te | ekeuecsiyar
HOE AOWO IO |O NO FO} ON te We EO Pe | Mae We Pe te 2 |S PS | |e Se I | i? | @ pee eres
HON OLIGO te IR NO TO WO Ihe 19 9 Ie PS PW eS te Pe te YP Pe Pte ie | @ | a pe seater
SOIL MO LO | OW @ |e te We OLMGEW 4A VS |e WS Ne [iz ie ie Pie Ie Pe pe EO 7 @ | © raqurey deg
TOTO) OL O1O | LMO WO |e Me eB WO Pe OWE TO OWE Pe ye AS ye pO yey qsnsny
POMOMONOIOIBWO TENTH OD | GIONS TAZ IO Welt PSS ie ce Pe yO Te |e ye Ajog
POWMIOLONOTIBNENBIEWHOIATA WEES BIST EPO LO LOPS Isle POTS pe ye eee
BOWL EMO BNE WNOB VEN RNA TSAO Te Te OA eS Pe ie de Te ye pz ps ye AVIA
VOM OEMNO OVO WO i ISN |S Wie IPS POL SMP We |S ee 1B yO 1S Pte POLO TOY Tady
HOMO Hae |e HS do |e ile |S 7 Ie de 1B WO hs fe HO |e PE PO | Ee ye et fits Pe Belton
DOM MIGOMO fee 1O WO fe y@ We VO Wie HO Pe LO We 1S ite ye iz ie We | OES Ie ys ye Arenaqef
EN MEN LAG Le We NeW eS HS HS HG LA OLE Pe Vi7 Ne SS Ite | I © SrenUe pl
We) oo Ge} wo} ww] co ey w | Toy w | % >) oo le) We} Co We) We} Jt) We) We} oo ire} re} ) We}
éé sie lene sles folp ise Pel else Seles lS los Sle ise |e] eis |e eS
: B/B/BVEI/BIBI BIB BEI BIBIBIBIBIB|BIE| Ble) Bei BEB) BS | oon
a
ay SS
re ‘HOHOd WOVURAV “H'N “N “M'N "MM “A'S ‘Ss bic Gis) } mc
<a =
H “SANIM ‘6681
*punor3 o174 ULOAy Joos OP Joqe ye “TOTyNATY4sUT [eAOY oy} JO Joor yey ayy WO poovyd st oanry, 4@ oSnes-urer oyT, ‘so ‘bsg ‘shug ‘a'r
Aq pepuoserd ‘repxovay ourysung o1ydersojyoyg s,uepior ¥ Aq Woexey ST OUTYSUNS BIT, *pamosqo ore eso} yo Aueot MOY Sutzou puv ‘szred woz opur As oY} SUTpIATp Aq payvurtzse ST ssouTpNo[D
“S[RIOT, x
TABLE 4.
IT | 64 || 1-9 |xPIe |s-cesr|0.72¢) eTe.| 24 | OT | 48 72-0) #90 |x¢8-F¢|6-7|9-7|0.9|@.¢ || SPAIN
| ‘tr ‘9'2 Fc For “Ts oncarer ee igeaty || 08) 84 | F-T | 0 |6.eF |[p-ees] F2o.] 44 | 2.0 | 9-8 || 83 /S7-0) BB | 96 | ZO) TG | ¥-9) T-4 /xodmoood, |
| or gh SQwO [84 a8 58 Fe “ee eo TE 0G OL | TT | GL || 8.2 | GE |o.69 2.929] 982-| 08 | 8.0 |e || € ]90-1] IL | SLE | $9] 6.9 | T.9) ¢.9 |xedmo40N
98 ‘e621 ‘9x FI eI O16 8°L‘4 Foam “Fr sorr || TL | 28 ||e-y | SS IT-PeLlle.cec| FEs-| 08 | 6-0 | BE || Az |S8-0| SI | G9. | 6-F| S-F| BG) GG || 7940990
| ., SOME, 86 a SaAsT puetopenaL || g | gB| FS | O& |T-E9Tl|0.4T¢| O88.| 94 | ET | E- || 6s /S0-1) AT | 05-8 | 47) 6-8) 9.9| 9-4 qoquteydeg
» Bumqusry puewepunys, || @ | 16 || Z-6 | TE |6-482||8.60S| VSF-| 89 | GS | 87 || 46 |TV 0) OT | 6&1 | &< L-1| 9.3) 8-3 ||" 9susny
rsa || 2 | 98138 | te I¢pezlio.2te| epr-| 22 /¢1 | or || IL |1e0| 9 | 79.0 |8H|o-%| 2-5) 09]) Ame
¢ | eg |l2.8 | 0g le.zgozlo.cts| ege-| 22 | 21 | SF || 6r 1€9-0| 9 | 981 |¥-8)0-8]2e] 0-7] OumL
1 OL ‘TBH “IL ‘Burayzysry y z9punyy, “OL ‘Surazysry 6 £8 || 8-9 66 1Z-818 ||4-F3S 193. PL, LL e.g 8G 9F.0| TT ze.l | Ppl 9.210.¢| 9F Merateiete key
“259 OID “AL Te “6L SL “ZL FL ‘980mL || ZT | G2 || 9-F | 9B IG.8SL\0.8¢¢] GSc-| G4 | T-L | 6-6 ZL \1S-0| 61 6¢.2 | 2.¢] FF 17.91 2-9 oe Tady
I aloctaous’ cence ase erecta | 9 | 89-9 | 68 lo.gatlic-ess| We-| F8| $0 | 88 | 8 [42-0] BI | ZT |ov|re|6e| 2%] TOTP
lace SO Cae & aeeete |
on a es ‘aL oT ar “Fe Bou vg "mur ome || or | 12, || 9-8 | eo Ig-L0T|e.zes| e92-| $8 | G0 | 6% || ¢ [99-1] ST | 949 |¥.9]0.9]69| eg | Aemtded
om 6 FS ee a here) “91
owen ROE ies Gort hoe | 42 | 99/90 | 12 |e-6h le.se2] Pre-| 78 | 2.0 | 8% || 0c jOLT| Ge | 89 | 9.9/8.9) 69 | 29 Aaenuep
a ZA ca ; Waa oi a 7 ae |
8 eq B is} BA
pleo|@sl S8) Bl Blese es &) S189] a | el ol e| e
< lc) 0g S © lo |R0D oO] o ct a | bPEIO i
at|/anules ||_ 94/88 |/e8/Sbs| 4? | Peo & 2@lsis |] »
‘SHUVAY BS] as |e = lloPel To lBrlsac| ae [Fe ei| Blel|els
4/9/58 | 5S] pe [Pen] se Se |2 S88) Se oma | se] ° Bis iS | E
@ | 2] eo) 2? | ee ese se le iceel S2 |! smog |_™ "yqUOTT
BO|S8 | ag ||P os/ eo |B )F8| $2 | scores | soqout
“EG |Pa es mal Pe oie 58 qsoqvotg ’ Ul [TeyULeYy ‘SSHNIGQOTO
6 ® SB 8] Sips ™ Fe ANTE GDVUGAV
‘UGHLVEM 6681
(a SS
altos
<a NA,
ei
Be
weer:
ILLUSTRATIONS.
REV. S. RUNDLE’s PAPER ON CORNUBIANA.
PART III.
Figure 5.
Figure 3.
69
CORNUBIANA.—Parrt III.
By Rev. S. RUNDLE, M.A.
I.—FINDs.
A “‘Giant’s Coit,” hitherto apparently unrecorded, was in-
spected on Sept. 10th and 17th, 1898. It lies in the parish of St.
Hilary, in a little lane branching off from the Penzance road
from Millpool. It was almost concealed from view by a thick
tangle of brushwood, in a nook of the hedge, hard-by the mine
shaft which is called after it, Giant’s Shaft. By dint of vigorous
labour, a lever formed from a contiguous branch, that lay handy
for the purpose, was inserted between the quoit and the ground,
which enabled it to be lifted carefully from its position, where,
apparently, it had lain unmolested for ages. Careful investi-
gation proved that the ground underneath was virgin soil, and
that therefore the quoit, if in its original site, did not cover the
grave either of the giant or any legendary hero of old. The
bottom of the quoit was in its natural rough unhewn state.
The upper surface, as well as the sides, had been carefully
smoothed, presenting an even appearance. The diameter of the
partially moss-grown surface is 3 feet in every direction. In
the centre is a carefully fashioned hole, 24 inches deep by 7
inches across. In the centre of the hole rises a boss, roughly
shaped, nearly level with the surface of the quoit. There are
two markings, apparently carved—the larger of the two is 43
inches across, from the centre of which diverges the other, 2
inches in length. Both reach the circumference of the boss.
The legends connected with this quoit will be found on page
80, under the subject of ‘‘ Folk-lore.”’
An illustration of the quoit, from a photograph by Mr.
Stewart, is given in figures 1 and 2 of plate.
70 CORNUBIANA.
Lower-town, Helston. At the bottom of this village, just
above the foaming Cober, rises Castle Tremearne in three irregu-
lar, curved tiers, the sides of which are scarped out of the
solid rock. They are somewhat of a serpentine shape, and
are separated from one another by broad curves of turf. The
summit is rounded, sloping away to the S.W. At the foot of
the castle there are two parallel terraces, rising one above the
other, and stretching towards the S.E. This ‘‘ castle” (which
word often means an earth-work) presents unique features, as it
could not have been intended either for habitation or fortifi-
cation, and its object remains an enigma.
A carved stone is built into the wall of the mill in the
same village. It is placed sidewise, and its dimensions are
11 inches by 9 inches. It is rudely sculptured, being divided
by apale, and within this there is a Vshaped figure. The lower
portion has a deeply excised panel bounded by a sculptured
curve, and inside this there are faint traces of a heart-and-egg
-shaped figure.
Half-way up the village street stands a peculiarly fine
mould for casting tin, hewn out of iron-stone. It is, roughly
speaking, 4 feet square. On the upper surface are two deep
excavations, somewhat of the form and size of an ordinary
human foot. They have deeply extended splays in the centre,
and are very finely finished for the purpose for which they were
intended. In size and general character this mould deserves
careful attention.
On Mill-pool Hill, another stone mould for casting tin is
to be noticed lying embedded in the hedge, as one of the
foundations. The stone is an ordinary flat one, 15 inches in
length by 12 inches in height. The two holes used for casting
occupy an extreme width of 10 inches, and the width of each
hole is 5 inches, length 43 inches. The holes are semicircular,
and are 8 inches deep. ‘There is no channel to connect the
two holes, nor is there any means of conveying away the
superfluous metal. The surface is blackened by contact with
red-hot metal, and it is the only one within my knowledge that
is thus coated with fumes (fig. 3).
CORNUBIANA. 71
At Wheal Gilbert, in Godolphin, there are remains of an old
stone stamping mill, of a period prior to the use of steam,—
especially of the deeply-scored portions of the wheel which acted
as the crushing power. Just above the dwelling-house, near
the leat, are two upright stones of precisely similar character
which were used for casting blocks of tin. The measurements
of the stone above the dwelling-house, forming part of an old out-
house, are as follow :—width 2-ft. 44-in., length 2-ft., height
above ground 2-ft. 9-in. The mould is 4 inches long, 2 inches
wide, 83inchesdeep. An illustration is given of this stone from
a photograph by Mr. Stewart (fig.4.) The lower stone has a
mould about an inch longer than the first described. Hach mould
slopes towards the bottom, so that the ingot of tin might be easily
removed by means of a stick. It is interesting to notice the
distinction in the three tin moulds that have been described in
this paper. The one at Mill-pool Hill is round, and possesses
two cavities for the tin close together. At Lower-town the moulds
are also contiguous, but are of foot-like form. The remaining
one at Wheal Gilbert, described above, was designed for casting
blocks or ingots of another form. All the three moulds thus
possess a distinct character.
In the western wall of the house at Wheal Gilbert there is a
stone, the carving on which presents something of the appearance
of acrab. The stone is 41 inches by 22 inches. The carving
measures 9 inches by 8 inches. The holes are 14 inches wide
(see fig. 5).
In the cobble-paved court are remains of millwheel-stones
with holes for the insertion of the axle-tree. Close to the second
casting-mould is one of the grinding wheels, much mutilated.
Its surfaces display signs of scoring, se that probably the
tin-stone was ground between a lower and upper wheel.
II.—SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CORNWALL AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
It is striking how many coincidences between Cornwall and
other countries exist. I shall call attention to some of them in
the following pages : —
72 CORNUBIANA.
(1). St. John’s Day in Jutland —Mr. Charles Edwardes in his
interesting book ‘‘ In Jutland witha cycle,” gives this description:
—‘‘ An early dusk was upon Skagen when I reached the Catte-
gat shore of the town. The revels of St. Hans (St. John) had
begun here as well as by the wood. Excited lads and lasses
were rearing bonfires, and lighting them.... Four or five of
the fires had got famously alight, and through the flames the
children jumped, and scurried one after another with shouts.
One had evoked great admiration by crawling on his hands and
knees” (pp. 152, 158.) This extract is peculiarly interesting to
me, because many years ago I wrote an article to show that the
bon-fires on Midsummer Day—if even Baal-fires had become
transferred to St. John (the Jutland St. Hans)—were not
confined to Celtic districts, and the above extract emphasises this
in a very clear manner. It is also clear from an examination of
the above account how affinities may be traced between races far
removed in every respect, for the above account recalls the
proceedings at Penzance on St. John’s Day at no distant period,
when bonfires were kindled in the streets, and gangs of boys and
maidens would career madly though the flames. This custom was
formally abolished several years ago by the mayor and corpo-
ration, and alas, the custom of igniting vast bonfires on
Tregoning and other hills has entirely died away, and last year
(1898) not even a single miniature one was to be observed—the
first time within my remembrance.
(2). It seems extremely strange that a very striking
resemblance between the colour of the ordinary man’s working
coat in parts of West Cornwall, and that of the natives of
Normandy and Brittany, has been so far unnoticed. In both
countries blue is the colour used. Probably the reason why
the resemblance has not been noticed is that the stranger has
confused the light working coat worn by the West Cornwall
native with that of the butcher, so common in other parts of
England. To the native, it is unnoticed because so usual. This
lightish-blue colour in the material of the jackets worn is most
noticeable, and one might almost say universal. Some few years
ago the usage seemed to be dying out, but now (1899) it has
recovered new life, and is more common than ever. Has the
colour lingered on from the blue woad of the ancient Britons ?
CORNUBIANA. 78
(3). In Part I, of this series of papers, an account was given
of the way in which tradition asserts that a ‘‘mill-proo”’ is formed,
viz : by the emitting of slaver of congregated serpents, which
congeals, and forms an object used as an amulet. A similar
legend is reported by Pliny 1, xxix, cap. 44 (quoted by Michaelet,
Hist. of France, vol. 1, p. 11), ‘‘In summer time vast numbers
of serpents...... with their saliva combined with the froth that
oozes out of their skin, produce the object known as the
serpent’s egg. When it is perfect they raise it, and support it
in the air by their hissings.”’
(4). The howling of a dog asa portent of death is not merely
Cornish, but cosmopolitan. The earliest known mention of this
superstition occurs in the Post-Mishnic Rabbis. (Hershom
Tal. Com. on Gen. 296.)
(5). Another extremely interesting instance of the connexion-
ship of Cornwall with other countries is shown in a country
where we should expect to find it, -though I confess I did not
think that I should be able to produce one so curious. The
close relationship between Brittany and Cornwall has long been
known, and Gibbon tells us that the reluctant submission of
Cornwall was delayed some years (temp. Athelstan 927-941) and
a band of fugitives acquired a settlement in Gaul..The western
angle of Armorica acquired the name of Cornwall, and the
lesser Britain and the vacant lands of Osismii were filled by a
strange people, who under the authority of their counts and
bishops preserved the laws and languages of their ancestors.
(Gibbon, vol. vi, pp. 246-7.) And accordingly we are not sur-
prised to find that the same Saints were recognised in each coun-
try. Without quoting other well-knowa names, I will relate the
history of St. Corentyn (St. Cury) as given by Mrs. Palliser in
her ‘‘ Brittany and its Byways,” page 137, and then show how
the long-forgotten tale had been preserved under thick coats of
white-wash in a fresco in a Cornish church. ‘In the days of
Conan Meriadec (says Mrs. Palliser) Corentin retired to a spot
near a fountain. Every day a fish came to him from the foun-
tain, and he cut off a little piece for his food, and threw it
back again into the water, when it became whole. One day
King Gradlon on one of his expeditions came to him with his train,
74 CORNUBIANA,.
and asked for food. The saint called to him his little fish, cut offa
piece, and gave it to the cook to prepare for the party. To the
surprise of the cook, the king and the whole party, the tiny
slice proved sufficient for all. The king, throwing himself at
St. Corentin’s feet, gave him the forest with a ‘maison de
plaisance,’ which the saint converted into a monastery.” Mrs.
Palliser would have been probably as much surprised as anyone»
if she had been told that years after her book had been pub-
lished, this very story would have been found not only to have
been known in Cornwall, but actually painted on the walls of a
Cornish church about 450 years ago, and then at the time of the
reformation concealed from sight by coats of plaster. This
obscuration lasted for many years, until it happened in 1890
that, when the present vicar was restoring the church of St.
Breage, the thick coats of plaster were removed, and there came
into view a saint drawing a fish out of water by means of a line,
and so that there might be no doubt as to the identity of the
saint, the following inscription can still be deciphered ‘“‘ Sce
(Sancte) Quorentyn ora pro nobis.” I think I am right, that
a more interesting and a more unexpected instance of the same
saint and the same legend being remembered both in Cornwall
and in Brittany could not have been found. In connection with
church-frescoes Mrs. Palliser points out that in the parish church
of Carnac there is a series of fresco-paintings of the life of
St. Cornelly, of whom an account is given in the ‘‘ World-wide
Magazine”’ for January, 1899.
II].—RELICS OF THE CORNISH SAINTS.
It seems to be a particularly hazardous thing to do, to assert
that there are any relics of Cornish Saints now to be found,
especially as occasionally able persons are to be found who
declare that the Cornish Saints were but a myth, and their
names a pious delusion of late growth. I will not enter into the
question as to the old practice of calling Cornish parishes
after Cornish saints, because that poiut has been settled by a
catena of authorities, beginning with Domesday Book and ending
with Carew. With regard to the relics, the question is very
difficult on account of the great danger of making mistakes by
confounding a Cornish saint with some Breton or Irish saint
CORNUBIANA, 75
when, perhaps, the only similarity consists in both having the
same letter, ‘‘a,”or ‘‘b,” or ‘‘c”’ for instance, occurring in their
names. With the exception of the bottle at St. Phillack,
and the Tre-Meneverne stone connected with the legend of St.
Keverne and St. Just, an account of the relics is only advanced
with the greatest caution, and no claim of infallibility is
announced. In addition to this, the authenticity of the relics
may be open to question and even denied, so that the whole
matter is involved in the greatest obscurity. Still, as the
subject has never been broached before, it is desirable that it
should now be attempted.
The first relic is that of a bottle discovered in the founda-
tions of the chancel of the church of St. Phillack, half-filled
with what was supposed to be blood. The bottle was made of
glass, and had been submitted to an expert, Mr. Powell, head of
the Whitefriars Glass Works. This gentleman was convinced
of its antiquity by the sharp cutting of the rim of the neck by
shears, and by the mode of detaching the base (See Proceedings
of Soc. of Antiq., v., 135). The bottle was returned to its place
during the completion of the restoration of the chancel. If the
fluid were blood, it is exceedingly likely that, from its position.
it was supposed to be the blood of the martyred saint, St.
Phillack, who may have fallen, among the saints whom the
bloodthirsty king Teudar slew, near Revyer, which still remains
under nearly the same name near Phillack.* It is hardly
necessary to remind my readers how relics of saints were eagerly
sought for, and buried underneath, or near the altar, as convey-
ing a particular sanctity and protection to the spot, and this may
have been the case with the glass bottle containing the fluid
buried in the chancel at St. Phillack. In pre-Reformation days
no church was to be consecrated without relics. [Greg. Dial., iii,
30. Cone. Celeyth, A.D. 816, c. 2 (Haddan and Stubbs iii, 580).
Hefele Conciliengseh iii, 270 (2), (Magor’s and Lumby’s Bede,
Camb., 1879.) ]
The next relic we have to consider is that of the pastoral
staff of St. Malo, whom Harvey identifies with St. Malo or Mullyon;
but Borlase (‘‘ Age of Saints,” p. 168) claims Mullyon for St.
* Leland, Supp. Papers, Lake’s Par. Hist. of Cornwall, iv, 72.
76 CORNUBIANA.
Melanius. At all events, inthe next page he says that, perhaps,
St. Malo has left his name in Malo’s Moor in the parish of
Mullyon. In mentioning the staff of St. Malo in connection
with St. Mullyon, it cannot be too often repeated that, in all these
eases, I am not insisting on the identification of the saints, but
I am only cautiously and tentatiously pointing out that a simi-
larity has been observed, but it is not to be pressed. In the case
of this pastoral staff I take an account, under the name of A.
W. Franks, (preserved in Proc. of Soc. of A., vol. iii, p. 59),
referring to an Exhibition of Ecclesiastical Art at Malines, 1864.
‘Tn the first section was a crosier of an Englishman, St. Malo,
Bishop of Aleth in Brittany (No. 42) who died in 565 or 570. It
was formed of ivory, jointed with bronze.’ If the identification
of St. Malo with Mullyon, or Malo’s Moor, be genuine, we have
a relic which should appeal in the strongest way to our anti-
quarian and religious sense.
There seems to be better ground for identifying the patron
saint of Paul near Penzance with St. Pol de Leon. Borlase
observes that ‘‘St. Paul de Leon was a Breton from Cornwall,
says Haddan, and a cousin of St. Samson.—He is supposed
to give his name to the parish of Paul. So entirely had this
Saint identified himself with the church in Brittany, that he was
made the bishop of a new see at Leon in Cornugallia.” (“‘Age of
the Saints,” pp. 168-9.) Now, asto the relic. A little bell is
shown at St Pol de Leon which the Saint had often asked the
king to give him, but was denied. One day the fishermen
brought him a large fish taken off the isle of Batz, und in it was
the bell. It is very ancient in form, a kind of pyramid, with a
square base about 4 inches wide, it is 9 high, of beaten red
copper largely mixed with silver. It is now rung over the
faithful on pardons, asa specific against head-ache and ear-ache
(Mrs. Palliser, ‘‘ Byways of Brittany,” p. 109). This Bell, then,
may really be a relic of the patron saint of St. Paul near
Penzance.
St. Just and the stolen chalice.—There is no better known
story than the legend of St. Just stealing St. Keverne’s chalice,
and the righteous judgment that befell him,—in his being stoned
and compelled to relinquish his ill-gotten booty, by St.
CORNUBIANA. 77
Keverne. In these days of general white-washing, it is inter-
esting to notice thata local authority transfers the ‘‘ persons ”’
to an eastern and western giant (7.¢. from the eastern to western
parts of Cornwall), and that there is some slight local evidence,
if it may be called so, in favour of the transference, by the fact
that on the opposite side of the road, where the stones used to
lie, there is a stepping stone now torn from its resting-place, and
lying on the wayside turf, with an irregular depression, which
is known by the name of the giant’s-stride stone. The
stones themselves are known by the name of the Tre-Men-Everne
stones—the dwelling place of the stone of Everne. When I
first knew them, they were reduced in number from seven to
three, and now to one. It is said that this one was removed by
a farmer to build a hedge, and it brought such trouble on him
that he replaced it. This is the stone, I fancy, that is said to
dance when it hears St. Germoe church bells ring. The material
of the stone is schorl rock, and the locality whence it was said to
have been brought is Crousa Downs in the parish of St. Keverne.
But after a systematic investigation of Crousa Downs, with Mr.
Gregg, not a vestige of such is to be found, only diallage. It
is clear that as the material of the stones is different, a false
charge has been brought against St. Keverne, and that he must
be pronounced innocent after all these years of incrimination.
The stone, if it be the identical one, lies just beyond an erection
made by a Mr. James, a lawyer, some ninety years ago, and
called by him from its situation ‘‘ Mount Pleasant.” The legend
is, that if the stones be removed by day, they will return by
night. This has been contradicted by the fact that out of the
seven stones removed, only one has returned.
There is, however, a still more striking fact in connection
with this legend. According to an edict of Queen Elizabeth,
the churches without sacramental plate were to be provided
with a standing cup and cover, the latter to serve as a paten
for the bread. Now, that St. Keverne church was provided with
the standing cup is clear, as the cover, which was inseparable
from it, in gift, is still found amongst the altar vessels of St.
Keverne. It is of silver, of the usual shape, with the inscrip-
tion ‘‘ Saynt Keverne, 1576.’’ Its companion, the chalice, has
completely disappeared—an uncommon occurrence. By whom
78 OCORNUBIANA.
when, and whither, are questions that cannot be solved. It is
hardly likely that the loss of a chalice of so late a date should
have given rise to the legend of the theft, though legends are
much oftener of such coinage than is usually supposed. In view
of this legend, however, it is extremely extraordinary that the
chalice should be actually missing.
TV.—THE GREAT-WORK MINE.
This mine, situated at the base of Godolphin Hill, singu-
larly possesses an English name, though according to tradition—
as its history dates back to many a century ago, we should expect
to find a Cornish name. Its English name contrasts with the
name Wheal Vor, whose Cornish appellation is not borne out
by any traditions of age. The Great Work, together with
Ding Dong Mine, claims to have sent tin to Solomon’s Temple,
probably, in the view of the tradition-mongers, to be alloyed
with copper, so as to make bronze, which formeda large portion of
the material used by Solomon in the furniture of the Temple.
Leaving such baseless theories, Tonkin tells us that in the parish
of Germoe stands Godolphin Ball,* butin this he is mistaken,
because it is in the old parish of St. Breage. He says that the
Godolphin families have had a “considerable augmentation of
their paternal estate from the casualties of tin from thence
issuing (Godolphin Ball). The same is a barren mountain of
pretty large extent and great height, and although wrought fortin
for (at the least) three hundred years, seems still like the widow’s
cruse of oil and barrel of meal to increase in the using, for not-
withstanding the incredible quantities of tin that have been
taken thence in former ages, it still affords employment and pays
the wages, with some overplus, of at least three hundred men
throughout the year.” In this account we find that Godolphin
Hill was known in Tonkin’s day by the name of Godolphin Ball,*
a title which it never now bears, and that it had been working for
at least three hundred years, about which there is some doubt,
as by this time it would have reached nearly the age of five
hundred years (Tonkin wrote about 1712) and this seems very
doubtful, on account of its English name. Probably it was here
that Sir Francis Godolphin first employed his ‘‘ Dutch Minerall
Man,” by whose ingenuity he so much improved the methods
*Ball, a round hill, or (?) Bal, a mine,
CORNUBIANA. 79
of mining, and increased his income. With regard to the
three hundred men employed in Tonkin’s time, they have now
dwindled down to 60, and the overplus no longer exists, for the
mine, it is sad to say, hardly pays its way. Like other Cornish
mines, it has had a very chequered history, and has had periods
of enforced idleness, though at the present time its tin is always
largely sought for, and obtains a higher price than that given
for tin from any other Cornish mine, It is said to have brought
as much as £101 a ton for black tin, in June, 1872, which is said
to have beaten the record for Cornish tin. ‘“The barren mountain
of pretty large extent” is a hill 536 feet high, and covers about
200 acres. In the mine itself there are indications of very
ancient workings,—the principal of which is a level, rejoicing in
the elegant name of ‘‘ Bug’s”’ level. Its entrance is 3-ft. 6-in.,
and it must have been driven by miners either lying flat on their
backs, or else in a crouching posture. It must have been
excavated by chisel and hammer, and probably the explosive
material used was that of lime quenched with water, and then
plugged tightly so that probably an explosion would occur during
the night. Mr. Stewart, who examined this portion of the
mine, says ‘‘ These levels seem to be cross-cuts rather than
levels, as they do not follow the strike of the lodes. One of
these goes from the Blue Dipper lode on its foot wall (S. side),
and passes in a crooked line in south and south-westerly direction
to the Blue Dipper shaft, a distance of 27 fathoms. Size of
level, 3 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 6 inches. N.B.—AIl magnetic
bearings. There are no shot marks in the whole of this level,
but probably those of a moyle (the mining term for a chisel).
The tradition runs that this level was driven by “transports”
when St. Germoe church tower was being built, and, in that
case, the date would be about 1450—1475, as the tower is of the
Perpendicular style. The only inscription in the mine is on the
northern wall of a winze, about ten fathoms above the adit.
The letters on the top line are about 6 inches high, those in the
lower are about 5 inches with a 2-inch margin of flattened stone
round the inscription, which measures 14 inches in length. The
letters in the top line are deeper cut than in the lower. The
inscription is as follows :
Jey diga WGie
"3
TS Q
80 CORNUBIANA.
About 350 yards south from the account-house, beneath a
barrow of rubble, a cave was discovered about two years ago.
There was a seat of clay-stone round the interior, about
18 inches high, which was dug up by the miners when search-
ing for tin. Nothing was discovered.
V.—FOLK LORE.
In addition to the works recommended for study on the sub-
ject of Cornish Folk-Lore, Miss Courtney’s Cornish Feasts and
Folk-lore should be added, which, though not perhaps highly
scientific, yet contains a vast amount of information on the sub-
ject. And this subject needs most careful handling, as so many
of the legends and charms deal with sacred subjects, and very
often in a manner that requires complete oblivion. In present-
ing the accompanying matter, it is hoped that no offence will be
given in this respect.
With regard to one of the objects,—the giant’s coit,—
already described, at page 69, it is said to have been hurled by a
giant at St. Hilary Church steeple, at St. Michael’s Mount, and
at the Land’s End, but as the giant’s strength failed him in each
case, the quoit remains a melancholy instance of his failure.
At Hangman’s Barrow in St.Crowan, (which is really Mén-an,
the stone), a legend has been coined to suit the title. A man
murdered a man and his wife, and tried to take the life of their
little son, but the little boy took refuge in a ‘“‘cunderd”’ (culvert),
and so escaped with his life. Many years afterwards, when the
boy had grown to man’s estate, and was driving a cart, he overtook
a tired way-farer, and gave him a lift. It happened that their
journey took them past the very place where the murder had
been perpetrated, and the traveller, becoming garrulous, pointed
to the spot, and said ‘‘Years ago, it was there I killed a buck and
doe, but their young got into that cunderd, where I could
not get at him, and so he escaped.”’ The feelings of the son may
be well imagined when he heard his parents’ murder so brutally
and callously alluded to, but he said nothing until he could pro-
cure assistance, when he delivered the ruffian into the hands of
justice. Soon after he was sentenced to death by the lingering
mode of exposure in an iron cage. And from this very circum-
stance, though not even according to the above facts, the carn of
stones took the name of ‘‘ Hangman’s Barrow,”
CORNUBIANA. $l
There lies in the bed of a pool at St. Mawgan-in-Meneage
a huge pebble, with a mark on it like an eagle’s claws, which
had been thrown by a giant against a rock, and so originated the
Venton Ganel spring. The giant was also said to have flung it
from the church tower.
Death Portents.—(1.) A youth of sixteen returned home one
day in alarm, saying that he had seen something white, like a
lamb, the sight of which had very greatly terrified him. The
next day he was killed at the mine. (2.) A man went on a
journey from P , leaving his father alive. As he was
drawing near the little meeting-house at St.——, he saw therein
a light, and a large horse which dwindled to the size of a
pony, and then vanished. When he passed the meeting-house,
all trace of a light had disappeared, and on reaching home, he
found his father had died during his absence. (83.) See page 73.
Wreck portents.—(1). A man, living near the seaside, heard
the sound of voices, which he considered to arise from his
sisters arguing. When he entered the house to inquire what
was the matter, he was met by the question ‘‘ What was you
and father arguing about ?”” Convinced by this, and the strange
tone of the voices that there was something supernatural about
them, he prophesied that a wreck would shortly happen. When
he went to the cove next morning he found that a wreck had
really occurred, and that there were about seventeen or eighteen
men clinging to the rocks, and conversing in the same strange
tongue, which he had heard the night before. Out of the num-
ber who reached the rocks, only one was ultimately saved alive,
the rest refused to leave the rock, and everyone of them perished.
(2) Off the fishing cove at ——, there appeared for several
nights a strange light, like that of a fire burning on the sea.
The appearance was only visible from the shore. When a boat
approached it, it would row right through the place where the
fire had seemed to be, and yet there was nothing. Not long
after, a ship laden with grain, and curiosities such as stuffed
serpents, was wrecked in this very cove.
A Mystery.—At , in the parish of ——, there is an old
house about two hundred years of age. It has been much
modernised, but, standing with a few forlorn trees about it, it
82 CORNUBIANA.
has a sodden uncanny look. It was formerly a public-house,
but of late years it has been inhabited by private tenants. A
certain mine-captain, who died many years ago, seems to be the
ghost, whose manifestations have given this house so painful a
name. These manifestations oceur between Christmas and Lady-
day, and take the character of unseen hands, noises, doors
opening mysteriously, and portents of a like nature. The story
runs as follows, given to me by two former and present
inhabitants of the place: ‘‘Old Capt.——, was ‘a philosopher,’
for he could bring the stars into the room—a remarkable instance
of occult powers. As he lay a-dying, suddenly the whole house
shook, so that his wife cried out ‘Old Cap’n has passed: levs
put on the tea-kettle.’’”” Atter his death, his spirit is supposed
to have haunted the house, though it has never actually been
seen. When a certain old woman was sitting at the table, un-
seen hands would present her with the things she required—a
most good-natured ghost, whose services would be very welcome
to many of us. The sisters of one of my informants used to
complain to him of the noises they heard by night, which were
unheard by him. They complained that it was like a chariot of
fire driving round the room. For a long time he heard nothing,
until one night he was aroused by mysterious noises, and it
seemed as if the house door was being slowly opened, dragging
noisily against the ground as was its wont. Then feet, clad in
bags, pattered into the shop below, corn was weighed, and the
oven was being prepared to cook a meal. The feet approached
the bottom of the stairs, and displaced the boots arranged there.
This was more than the awe-struck listener could bear, so he
cried aloud ‘‘In the name of the Lord, who isthere?” At the
sacred name, a sudden quietness ensued, until the father of my
informant inquired what was the matter. On being told, he
merely replied ‘‘ Go to sleep, I heard it as well as thee ?”
To still the noise of a roystering party in this house, on another
occasion, the old man exclaimed, ‘‘ Hold your noise, the old one
will be here in a moment!” refering to the philosophic mine
captain. In mockery, one of the men fell on his knees “‘to raise
the old one,’’ when a dreadful sound was heard, and the passage
seemed full of some mystic presence which could be understood
rather than felt. The men hurried off at full speed, and the
CORNUBIANA., 83
old man brought his infant grandchild into the room. All was
now peaceful and in its ordinary state, save that there was ‘a
smudder”’ in the place, just like an ‘‘ end” when dynamite has
been exploded in it. On another occasion the old man was spun
round and round, like a teetotum, by invisible power, and this
invisible power opened the court-door three or four times, to the
amazement and terror of a passing miner. My other informant
tells me that once, when suffering from tooth-ache, he went
downstairs, about three in the morning, and was sitting by the
fire, when an unseen arm, to his unutterable horror, clasped him
round the back, and drove him in alarm fromthe room. A voice,
at intervals of about a week, sounded in his ears in the early
morning. In the third week this sound took definite articulation,
and called the name ‘‘John.”” He turned to his wife and said ‘‘I
am sure that your brother John has had something happen to
him, I will ask William about it to-day.”’ When he met him,
he asked him whether he had heard from his brother, ‘‘ Yes,”’
he said, ‘‘I have had a letter to-day to say that he is dead.”
In conclusion, I may say that all are not able to hear or
see anything occult in this house, for shortly after Christmas,
many yearsago, I passed the house purposely at midnight, and
remained outside for some time, but nothing mysterious or weird
occurred.
VI.—FOLK-RHYMES.
From a small collection of folk-rhymes, I select the two
following as being of some interest. The first is the chant of a
_ Gwennap bal-maiden, and contains several words peculiar to her
trade.
“T can buddly, and I can rocky,
And I can walk like a man,
I can looby,* and shaky
And please the old Jan.”
The other rhyme is called the pudding-bag, and may, per-
haps, be worth preserving.
Pudding bag, pudding bag, was too full,
I jumped in a roaring bull ;
Roaring bull was too fat,
I jumped in a gentleman’s hat ;
*Tossing, called ‘‘ Tozan ”’ in some parts of Cornwall.
84
OORNUBIANA.
Gentleman’s hat was too fine,
I jumped in a glass of wine ;
Glass of wine was too clear,
I jumped in a glass of beer ;
Glass of beer was too thick,
I jumped in a broom stick ;
Broom stick was too narrow,
I jumped in a wheelbarrow ;
Wheelbarrow would’nt wheel,
I jumped in a horse’s heel ;
Horse’s heel was too nasty,
I jumped in an apple pasty ;
Apple pasty was too sour,
I jumped in Germoe Tower ;
Germoe Tower was too big,
I jumped in an earwig ;
Earwig was too small,
I jumped in a mouse’s hole.+
+ Pronounced ‘‘ hawl.”’
85
A CATALOGUE OF SAINTS CONNECTED WITH CORNWALL,
WITH AN EPITOME OF THEIR LIVES, AND LIST OF
CHURCHES AND CHAPELS DEDICATED TO THEM.
By The Rev. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A.
ParT II. D—G.
8. Dacuuna, Virgin.
According to Leland (Coll. I, 10) the body of 8. Dachuna,
Virgin, reposed at Bodmin. —
The name Dachona or Dachonna is found in the Irish
Martyrologies, on Feb. 17, and Dachuimmne, which is the
same, on September 10. The name comes from Deochain, a
deacon. The Saints of similar names in Ireland are male.
It is possible that Leland may have been misled into supposing
Dachuna was female, by the a termination.
Dachona was the son of Odhran, there are six of this latter
name commemorated in the martyrologies, and doubtless, it was
acommon name. We cannot identify the father of Dachona.
S. Dacay, Bishop, Abbot, Confessor.
One of the disciples of 8S. Petrock, who, with his com-
‘panions Medan and Oroidan was commemorated at Bodmin, on
June 4.
Dagan was a nephew of 8S. Coemgen, S. Petrock’s pupil or
companion in Ireland; and one can quite understand Coemgen
(Kevin) trusting his nephew to his old friend.
Dagan was the son of Colmad, of the illustrious Leinster
house of Dal-Messincorb. His mother, Coeltigherna, was
S. Coemgen’s sister. He had two brothers, Mobai and Menoc,
and perhaps Medan may be this Mobai.
Dagan was also a pupil of S. Pulcherius, of Liathmore,
After a while he founded a monastery at Inverdaoile, or
Ennereilly, near Arklow. He was a great traveller and is said
to have visited Rome. He was consecrated Bishop about 600.
If this be so, then he must have been quite a child when with
S. Petrock, before he was sent to S. Pulcherius.
86 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Dagan was an ardent supporter of the Irish modes of
tonsure and paschal computation.
How it was, we do not know, but by some means he was
brought into communication with Laurentius, immediate successor
to Augustine at Canterbury (605-619). Augustine had failed
to come to terms with the British Bishops, who were offended
at his arrogance. Laurence attempted to effect an union with
the Scotic (Irish) Bishops.
Bede gives us the beginning of a letter sent to them, in
which reference is made to Dagan.
‘‘To the lords, our very dear brethren, the bishops and
abbats throughout the land of the Scots, Laurence, Mellitus and
Justus, bishops, servants of the servants of God :—
‘‘ When the apostolic see sent us, as it’s wont has been in
all parts of the world, to preach in these western parts to the
pagan races, it happened that we entered the country before we
were properly acquainted with it. We have venerated both the
Britons and the Scots with great reverence for their sanctity,
believing that they walked in the way of the universal Church.
But since we have got to know the Britons, we have supposed
that the Scots are superior to them, Now, however, we have
learned by means of Bishop Dagan, who has come to Britain,
and of Abbat Columbanus among the Gauls, that they do not
differ from the Britons in their manner of life. For when
Bishop Dagan came to us, he not only would not take food with
us, but would not even take food in the same guest-house in
which we were eating.”’ Dagan had passed through Wales.
Popular tradition pointed out the place of his landing on
Strumble Head, where also stood a Capel Degan, commemorating
his visit there. About this more presently.
In Wales, among the British, he had heard of the
conference at Augustine’s Oak, and had felt the resentment that
had been provoked by the rudeness of Augustine, shown to men
he venerated profoundly, and he hotly took their side against the
Italian Missioners.
Nevertheless, he is represented as a man of very mild
disposition,—pre@-placidum he is called by Marianus O’Gorman,
who, though a very late authority (1167), probably drew from
much earlier materials now lost.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 87
Dagan is said to have taken S. Lugid’s Rule to Rome and
to have shewn it to S. Gregory (590-604). 8S. Lugid’s Rule
divided the day into three parts, one for work, one for prayer,
and one for study. When Gregory saw it, he said, ‘‘ The man
who drew up this rule had an eye ranging round his community
and up to heaven.”
When S. Lugid felt his end approaching he went to consult
Dagan as to a successor. ‘‘Lactean is the man for you,” said
Dagan. ‘TI think so,” answered Lugid. Then said the Bishop,
‘“‘Bless us before you depart.” ‘‘ Blessing shall be given you
from above,” answered Lugid. Dagan supposed he intended to
mount a hill and bless the monastery thence, but Lugid meant
that the benediction would descend from heaven.
Lugid went thence to S. Cronan of Roscree, and received
the communion from his hands, and gave up his monastery to
him, and not to Lactean as arranged with Dagan.
Nothing more is told us of the acts of Dagan, of whom no
biography exists.
The Bishopof Bristol (Dr. Browne) says, in reference to the
controversy between Dagan and Laurence, ‘It is very
interesting to find that we can, in these happy days of the
careful examination of ancient manuscripts, put a friendlier face
upon the relations between the two Churches in times not much
later than these, and in connection with the very persons here
named. In the earliest Missal of the Irish Church, known to
be in existence, the famous Stowe Missal, written probably
eleven hundred year ago, and for the last eight hundred years
contained in the silver case made for it by order of a son of
Brian Boroimhe, there is of course a list—it is a very long
list—of those for whom intercessary prayers were offered. In
the earliest part of the list there are entered the names of
Laurentius, Mellitus, and Justus, the second, third, and fourth
Archbishops of Canterbury, and then, with only one name
between, comes Dagan. The presence of these Italian names
in the list does great credit to the kindliness of the Celtic
monks, as the marked absence of Augustine’s name testifies to
their appreciation of his character. Many criticisms on his
conduct have appeared; I do not know of any that can compare
88 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
in first-hand interest, and discriminating severity, with this
omission of his name and inclusion of his successors’ names in
the earliest Irish missal which we possess. It is so early that
it contains a prayer that the Chieftain who had built them their
church might be converted from idolatry. Dagan, who had
refused to sit at table with Laurentius and Mellitus, reposed
along with them on the Holy Table for many centuries in this
forgiving list.”’*
Dagan died on Sept. 13. The Annals of the Four Masters
give the date as 640.
The meeting with Laurence would seem to have taken
place about 608. He was then a bishop, and probably not very
young.
S. Pulcherius or Mochoemog is said to have died in 655 at
the advanced age of a hundred and six.
If we suppose that Dagan died at the age of eighty-eight,
then he was born in 552, and he would have been over fifty
when he met Laurentius. The dates in the life of 8. Petrock are
very difficult to determine. . Dagan was with him for five years.
Petrock’s arrival in Cornwall was between 520 and 560, so that
Dagan was with him only when quite young.
His day in the Felire of Oengus, the Donegal and Tallaght
Martyrologies, is Sept. 13.
See further on 8. Decuman.
In Wales he seems to have tarried some time and to have
been well known.
Fenton, in his ‘‘ Historical Tour through Pembrokeshire,”
1811, p. 21, e¢ seg. says:—‘‘ Westward of Trehowel, near the
edge of the cliff, overhanging a small creek, are seen the faint
ruins of a Chapel dedicated to S. Tegan or Degan, with legends
of whom this county abounds; his sanctity bore no proportion
to his stature, for this is represented as most diminutive. When
very young, I recollect an old man who said he remembered the
Chapel up, and in a part of it then roofed, the Saint’s sacred
vest was preserved and shown. This vest was purchased many
years after by a stranger travelling in these parts, and with the
removal of his robe, the fame of his sanctity passed away.
* Browne (G. F.) ‘‘ The Christian Church in these Lands before Augustine,”
S.P.C,K., 1897, pp, 128-9,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 89
‘Tt seems that this sacred garment was in existence about
the year 1720; for in a letter of that date to Brown Willis,
from one H. Goff, a member of the Cathedral of St. Davids,
the writer says (MS. Bodleian Lib.)—‘ That above a small
ereek in Llanwnda parish there is a ruined chapel, called St.
Degan’s, having uear to it a spring named after the saint ; and
above the spring a tumulus, called St. Degan’s knowe or knoll,
where people resort to seat themselves on holidays and Sundays.
There is a remarkable habit, of this said St. Degan, preserved
for several ages; the person that has it now having had it in
his custody for forty years, to whom it was handed down by an
elderly matron of upwards of ninety years of age. This habit,
a piece whereof I have sent you enclosed, I had the curiosity to
see; it is much in the form of a clergyman’s cassock, but
without sleeves. There are two of them of the same make,
near a yard in length, but having the like slit or hole at every
corner on each end, and on the brim of each side were loops of
blue silk.’
“The veneration for this little duodecimo saint is hereditary
amongst the inhabitants of this district, who tell a thousand
miraculous stories of him, and never fail to point out the prints
of his horse’s feet in the cliffs up which he rode when he
emerged from the ocean, for it seems he was a sort of marine
production. Numerous prophecies likewise ascribed to him
have been handed down traditionally from father to son, for
generations; and one more remarkable than the rest for pre-
figuring, with a most circumstantial coincidence, the late French
descent on that coast.”—Fenton alludes here to the French
abortive invasion of Wales in 1797.
S. Davin, Bishop, Confessor.
That this illustrious Saint was in Cornwall we know,
because a Welsh writer of the 12th Century says, that whilst
there David endured persecution at the hands of some evilly
disposed woman, and he adds that he endangered the sceptre of
that realm. Of this, presently.
90 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
William of Worcester, copying from the Calendar of 8.
Michael’s Mount, says that ‘‘S. Nonnita, mother of 8. David, lies
in the Church of Altarnon, where also 8. David was born.”
But the Welsh tradition is that he was born where now
stands S. Non’s ruined chapel on the cliffs near 8. David’s, and
that he was baptised hard by at Porthclais.
The idea of his having been born in Cornwall, probably
originated in the fact of his mother having been there, owing
to close relationship with the reigning house. Her sister Gwen
was married to Selyf or Solomon, the Cornish King, who had a
palace somewhere about where Callington now stands.
Cunedda Wledig
invaded Wales
circ. 389.
|
| |
Ceredig=Eleri Hinion Yrth
(Coroticus) | or Melari K. of Gwynedd
conquered | da. of Brychan CYC. 440.
Cardigan | K. of Brecknock
CiYC. 420
d. circ. 450.
| | |
Ithel Cedig Hydwn Caswallan Lawhir
Dwn King of Gwynedd,
Sanddhe=Non da. of drove the Irish out
Gynyr of 450—480.
Caer Gawch.
S. Dogmael Enlleu
S. David S. Teilo
d. circ. 550. b. 510
d. circ. 566
Disciple of S. David.
Non was the daughter of Gynyr of Caer Gawch, probably
the headland fortress of S. David’s; and the Foss y Mynach
marks the bounds of his little principality, which he afterwards
made over to the Church.
Hard by was Ty Gwyn, the White House where 8. Ninidh
had his celebrated school and monastery, a nursery of Saints.
It was a double society, consisting of monks and nuns, who
worshipped in the same church, separated from one another by
a wall. The foundations of a very early church remain there,
as well asa cemetery crowded with early Christian graves of
rude construction.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 91
Non—what her real name was we do not know*—was perhaps
a professed Nun in the monastery of Ty Gwyn, perhaps only a
pupil therein. One day as she was walking at some distance
from the monastery, she was overtaken by Sandde, son of Cedig
and grandson of Ceredig who has left his name to Ceredigion
or Cardigan. Ceredig had expelled the Irish from that portion
of Wales over which he held sway, and that Gynyr of Caer
Gawch was an Irish Chief holding on among the rocks and
moors of Rhos, is likely enough. The British Prince carried
off Non, regardless of every consideration.
When he let her depart, she returned to Ty Gwyn. The
story goes that Gildas was there and could not preach. What
the mysterious influence was that silenced him he could not
divine, so he bade all leave the church. Still he could not
preach, so looked further and discovered a woman crouched
behind the dividing wall. Then he found his tongue and
proclaimed that the child that would be born to her would be a
great saint.
It is also said that thirty years before, S. Patrick, who had
halted there on his way to Ireland—-The Wexford mountains
are visible thence—had likewise foretold the birth of the saint.
This is fabulous. What is true is that it was thence that
S. Patrick set sail for Ireland. The foundations of his chapel
near the beach remain. Also that Gildas visited Ty Gwyn
whilst S. Ninidh was master there, and thence also embarked
for Ireland. This was quite sufficient for a legend to spring
up that both had foretold the birth of David.
When the time of her confinement drew near S. Non
retired to a cot at some distance, and this cot was afterwards
converted into a chapel. She took her child to Porth Clais,
where an Irish Bishop happened to have arrived, named Helue,
actually S. Ailbe of Emly, who baptised him in a spring that is
* In Brittany she is called also Melaria.
+ There is another version of the story in the life of S. Ailbe. He came to
Ty Gwyn on his way back to Ireland from Gaul, and found a priest at the altar
unable to proceed with the mass. ‘‘ Then Ailbe looking round the church saw a
certain pregnant woman, and said, ‘‘ You cannot offer, because this woman bears
in her womb David of Kilmuin, a bishop; and a priest must not celebrate before
a bishop without his consent.’’—Cod. Salam. p. 245.
92 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
still pointed out, and where a chapel was afterwards erected, of
which now hardly a trace remains. In the life of 8. Ailbe of
Emly we are told that the father of David gave up his son to
be educated by him;* but in that of S. Colman of Dromore
we are informed that 8. David was his pupil at a very early age.
It is possible that he may have passed through the hands ot
more than one in childhood. When he had arrived at an
age approaching manhood, he returned to Wales and was
trained at Ty Gwyn for the monastic life.
The received opinion has been that this was Ty Gwyn ar Dat
or Whitlands in Carmarthenshire. But Mrs. Dawson in the
‘‘Cambrian Archeologia,” for 1898, has made out a strong case
for Ty Gwyn near Porth Mawr. Certainly the references we
have to the White House in the lives of several of the Saints
apply far more closely to this site than to that on the Teify ;
and there is extant no evidence that Whitlands was a monastery
before the Norman invasion of South Wales in the 12th century.
Ty Gwyn lies on the slope of the noble Carn Lliddi, facing
south, just above the termination of the Via Julia at the sea,
and opposite where was the probable site of the Roman station
Ad Menapiam.
As well as we can judge, the following was the order of
Teachers and of the great Colleges in South Wales.
S. Dubricius at Hentland in Herefordshire and Moccos.
He is said to have been ordained by 8. Germanus, but
this is hardly possible, as Germanus visited Britain the
the second time in 447 and Dubricius was alive in 520.
S. Mancen, Maucen or Ninidh, established by St. Patrick
at Ty Gwyn 459-450. He had as disciples, Tighernach
(d. 544), Endeus (d. circ. 545), Cairpre (d. 560),
Eoghain (d. circ. 550), Finian (of Moville?), and
Paulinus.
S. Iltyd at Caerworgon (Llantwit) and Inis Pyr, 464-500,
had with him Paul of Leon (d, 573), Samson (d. 565),
Gildas (d. 570), David (d. cire. 550), Brioc (d. 515 ?).
* Cod. Salaman. p. 832. In the life of S. Ailbe itis not expressly said that
he baptised David ; it isimplied in that of S. Colman of Dromore, that he raised
him to a new life by the waters of baptism.
Colman was a son of Sant; David of Sandde. But the Irish say Sant was
the mother of Colman.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 93
S. Paulinus of Ty Gwyn, succeeded Mancen, 480-510, and
had as disciples David and Teilo.
S. David removed the site of the monastery from Ty Gwyn
to Rosnat, where is now the Cathedral, 520-550. He
had with him Teilo, Aidan or Maidoc afterwards of
Ferns, d. 580, Cadoc—but hardly the great Cadoc who
converted S. Iltyd,—Ismael and Modomnoc.
It must be clearly understood that the dates given above
are approximate only.
To return to Ty Gwyn.
Here David was under the teaching of Paul or Paulinus.
Later he was with 8. Iltyd at Caerworgon. He also visited
Bath, Glastonbury, Leominster, and Gwent.
Then he returned to his native place and settled in the
valley of the Allun, and strongly urged the abandonment of the
old site at Ty Gwyn, also called Yr Henllwyn or the Old Bush.
It was exposed to gales, and worse still was so near the harbour,
that it was open to attack from pirates at any time.
The place he selected was sheltered, if marshy. Having
planted himself there he lighted his fire. Next morning an
Irish Pict Chieftain who had effected a settlement hard by on a
prong of red Cambrian rock, which he had compassed with a
wall, saw the rising smoke and went in wrath to investigate who
had come on his land and taken possession without consent.
The man’s name was Boia,* and the Cleggr Voia still retains
both his name and remains of his fortress. It looks directly up
the Allun valley to where now stands S. David’s Cathedral.
The Chief was easily pacified, but his wife, a nagging,
ill-conditioned woman, was not content. She endeavoured to
goad her husband on to killing the intruders.
As he would not listen to her tongue, having had long and
disagreeable acquaintance with it, she sent her maids to bathe
in the stream near where the monks were settled. David took
no notice of them. Then she brought her step-daughter down
into a hazel-brake on the slope of the ravine, on the excuse that
she wished to trim her hair in the sun. When the girl laid her
* The life of S. Teilo distinctly says he was a Gwyddel-Fficht.
94 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
head in the woman’s lap, she shore off her hair. This was
tantamount to adoption, and then with the scizzors cut the
child’s throat as an oblation to the Gods to obtain by their
means the destruction of the monks.
This failed, Next night an Irish rover, Paucant son of
Liski arrived, ran his vessel into the harbour that now bears
the name of Porth Liski, attacked the Camp and burnt it. Boia
and his wife were killed in their beds.
The crag still shows the remains of walling forming two
enclosures, Ona rock that is utilised as a portion of the wall is
a spring, or at all events a basin of water, that is said never to
run dry.
David was now able in peace to proceed with the construc-
tion of his monastery. It was probably of stone, as no timber
of any size grows in the neighbourhood. Moreover the Irish
Goidels had been accustomed to construct buildings of stone,
and probably old Gynyr his grandfather was a Pict from
Ireland.
He had several disciples—Aedan or Maidoc, afterwards
Bishop of Ferns was with him, and has given his name to the
Ffinnon Vaidoc, an unfailing spring of crystalline water on the
way to the Port and Ty Gwyn. Others were S. Teilo and
S. Ismael. Also Modomnoc, the first to introduce bees into
Ireland, and these came from David’s hives.
Here also he was visited by many Irish Saints. 8. Scuthin,
S. Finbar, and S. Senan.
This is not to be wondered at, for Menevia was the great
‘Port Said” for travellers. The Irish who desired to visit the
Continent and Rome, crossed over from Waterford or Wexford
to Porth Mawr in the 8. David’s promontory, travelled thence to
Carmarthen bay, whence they crossed to Devon or Cornwall, and
took ship again in the estuary of either the Tamar, the Fawey,
or the Fal.
At his monastery, in the ravine of the Allun, David
practised severe austerities. The leek may have been his
principal food, but of that there is no mention in his legend ;
only it is said that he abstained from animal food, and drank
water alone.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 95
He devoted himself wholly to prayer, study, and to the
training of his disciples. He, like many other abbots at that
time, was promoted to the episcopate. A wild legend makes
him to have started on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and to have
received consecration at the hands of the patriarch John III.
This tale was invented by some British monk to show that the
Welsh bishops traced their succession to the oldest, if not the
most powerful, of the patriarchates. Except when compelled
by unavoidable necessity, he kept aloof from all temporal
concerns. He was reluctant even to attend the Synod of Brefi.
This was convened by Dubricius about 519 at Llandewi Brefi,
in Cardiganshire, to suppress the Pelagian heresy, which was
once more raising its head. The synod was composed of
bishops, abbots, and religious of different orders, together with
princes and laymen. Guiraldus says, ‘‘ When many discourses
had been delivered in public, and were ineffectual to reclaim
the Pelagians from their error, at length Paulinus, a bishop
with whom David had studied in his youth, very earnestly
entreated that the holy, discreet, and eloquent man might be
sent for. Messengers were therefore despatched to desire his
attendance: but their importunity was unavailing with the holy
man, he being so fully and intently given up to contemplation,
that urgent necessity alone could induce him to pay any regard
to temporal or secular concerns. At last two holy men, Daniel
and Dubricius, persuaded him to come.”
On his arrival he found the synod gathered in a very
unsuitable spot, the old Roman station of Loventium, and by his
advice it was moved to Llandewi Brefi, where was a mound or
tump on which the speakers could stand and be heard by those
whom they desired to address.
Giraldus says, that ‘‘ Father David, by common consent of
all, whether clergy or laity (Dubricius having resigned in his
favour), was elected primate of the Cambrian Church.” This is
reading history through the spectacles of Latin usage. Probably
David did become a bishop of and was atCaerleon ; but owing to
the incursions of the Saxons, he resolved on withdrawing to the
land given by his grandfather to the Church, and where he had
founded his monastery. ‘There was much to commend the site,
96 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
It was there that all passengers for the South of Ireland
embarked, and it was to this port that the Irish came when they
desired to start on their Missionary rambles. It was then by no
means the forgotten spot that it is now, but, rather, a busy place
through which flowed throughout the summer a steady stream
of traffic. Moreover, should the Saxous continue their incur-
sions, thence David could fly to Ireland.
Before leaving Caerleon, David is said to have convened a
synod, supposed to have been held in 529, to complete the
confutation of the Pelagian heresy, It is called the ‘‘ Synod
of Victory.” It ratified the canons and decrees of Brefi, as well
as a code of rules which David had drawn up for the regulation
of the British Church, a copy of which remained in the
Cathedral of S. David’s until it was lost in an incursion of
pirates. Giraldus says, ‘In his times, in Cambria, the Church
of God flourished exceedingly, and ripened with much fruit
every day. Monasteries were built everywhere ; many congre-
gations of the faithful of various orders were collected to
celebrate with fervent devotion the Sacrifice of Christ. But to
all of them Father David, as if placed on a lofty eminence, was
a mirror and pattern of life. He informed them by words, and
he instructed them by example; as a preacher he was most
powerful through his eloquence, but more so in his works. He
was a doctrine to his hearers, a guide to the religious, a light to
the poor, a support to the orphans, a protection to widows, a
father to the fatherless, a rule to monks, and a path to seculars,
being made all things to all men that he might bring all to
God.”
There is no account in the Life of S. David of any visit to
Cornwall and Devon, though he is said generally to have
travelled about a good deal in Britain, and to have been at
Glastonbury. But there are reasons that make it probable that
he was there, and he apparently also visited Brittany. Ina
poem of Gwyn fardd it is said that in Dumnonia—
‘He endured buffetings, very hard blows,
From the hands of a discourteous woman, void of modesty ;
He took vengeance, he endangered the sceptre of Devon,
And such as were not slain were burned.”
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 97
This refers to some passage of his history now lost, and one
that the hagiographer deemed unadvisable to admit into his
laudatory composition. David’s mother was sister of Wenn,
wife of Selyf, Prince of Cornwall; and Non certainly was in
that country and received large grants of land there. The
woman who treated him so badly we may suspect was the wife
of Cado, Duke or Prince of Cornwall, ‘‘the unclean lioness of
Dumnonia,”’ mother of Constantine II., against whom Gildas
inveighed so savagely. It is apparent that David stirred up
civil war, in consequence of his ill-treatment, that ended in
bloodshed and burnings. This ‘‘ unclean lioness” was the wife
of the uncle of Gildas, but we know neither her name nor her
pedigree. It is possible that the war was fratricidal, between
Selyf and Cado. An assertion is made by the Breton historians
that this Selyf fell in an insurrection, and he is accounted a
Martyr. But this has been contested, as Selyf or Solomon III.,
King of Brittany, actually was butchered in an insurrection,
and it has been supposed that thence has arisen the idea that
the earlier Solomon also so fell.
Geoffrey of Monmouth states that David died in his monastery
at Mynyw 7.e. 8. David’s, where he was honourably buried by
order of Maelgwn Gwynedd.
But the date of his death is very difficult to fix. The
most probable computation places it in 550. His “ Life”
contains fabulous tales, the product of lively imaginations.
He opened many fountains in dry places, healed many
brackish streams, raised many dead to life, and had many visions
of God and of Angels. In one of these visions he was warned
that he should depart, March Ist. Thenceforth he was more
zealous in the discharge of his duty: on the Sunday before his
death he preached a sermon to the assembled people, and after
consecrating and receiving the Lord’s Body, he was seized with
a sudden pain: then turning to the people he said, ‘‘ Brethren,
persevere in the things which ye have heard of me: on the third
day hence I go the way of my fathers.” On that day, while
the clergy were singing the Matin Office, he had a vision of
his Lord; then, exulting in spirit, he exclaimed, ‘‘ Raise me
after Thee,”” With these words he breathed his last.
98 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
He was canonized by Pope Callixtus IT., a.p. 1120; who is
reported to have granted an indulgence to all those who made
a pilgrimage to his shrine. Three kings of England— William
the Conqueror, Henry IJ., and Edward I.—are held to have
undertaken the journey, which when twice repeated was deemed
equal to one pilgrimage to Rome; whence arose this saying :—
‘‘Roma semel quantum, dat bis Menevia tantum.”
It is said that a noble English matron, Elswida, in the reign
of Edgar, transferred his relics, probably in 964, from S. David’s
to Glastonbury.
S. David’s plain but empty shrine stands now in the choir
of 8. David’s Cathedral to the north of Edward Tudor’s altar
tomb.
The fountain of 8S. David, which supplied his monastery,
was to the East of the Church, it was a source of injury to the
building, and at the restoration of the Cathedral, was carried
away in an underground drain.
Immediately behind the High Altar was found, walled up,
a recess with a window into it of fine Norman work. This was
probably a fenestrella confessionis. Behind it, in the recess, were
bones. These were placed in a box and buried below the spot
on the E. side of the Altar screen. They were probably, but
not certainly, relics of the Patron Saint. There was, however,
no metal shrine, and no inscription to state whose bones they
were.
The dedications to 8S. David are :—
A suburban church at Exeter.
The parish church of Dolton, consecrated in 1259. In Devon.
The parish church of Thelbridge, also in Devon.
The parish church of Ashprington, also in Devon.
The parish church of Davidstow in Cornwall, locally called
Dewstow.
There may have been a chapel, at Trethevy, between
Boscastle and Bosinney ; the place is called by Leland Tredewi.
There is also a Pendavy or Pendewy in Egloshayle,
and a Landue in Lezant, but this may mean ‘‘The Black
Church.” It is, however, to be noted that it is separated
only by the Tamar from Bradstone, the dedication of which is
to S. Non, David’s mother. At Lansallos is a Landaviddy with
a Holy Well, now called ‘‘ The Saint’s Well,”
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 99
In Brittany is a chapel dedicated to S. David, at Saint
Dolay, in Morbihan. In Finisterre many churches and chapels
commemorate him; such are Dirinon (where the Bretons hold
that S. Non is buried), Ploaré, Plounevez-Porzay, Plounéour-
Menez, Pouldavid, Quimperlé, 8. Divy, 8. Martin-de-Morlaix,
Scaer, Trémeven, &c.
He is invoked in Brittany in children’s maladies. His day
in the Sarum, Hereford, Welsh, and Roman Calendars, is
March 1.
The feast at Davidstow, is on June 24.
The commemoration in Brittany is on July 10.
He is there called variously Avit, Ivy, and Divy.
He is represented as a bishop, with a dove whispering in
his ear; it is said in his “Life,” that his fellow pupils often
observed such a bird, of golden hue, at his side.
A leek is also his emblem, but there is nothing in his life
about leeks, and the emblem seems to have been transferred to
him from 8. Patrick, who miraculously supplied the wife of
Ailill with them, and then declared that all women who ate leeks
would fare well in child-bearing.*
As already said, the date of 8. David’s death is very
uncertain, and ranges from 544 or 550 to 601, which is the date
given in the ‘“ Annales Cambria,” but is there coupled with the
death of S Gregory, which was in 604.
In the Chronicon Scotorum it is entered under 588. In the
‘‘Life” it is said that the Saint died on a Tuesday, which fell
that year on the Calends of March. This will suit 544 or 550.
S. Day, Abbot, Confessor.
Day was a disciple of S. Winwaloe, and was doubtless
associated with him in founding houses in Cornwall, in connexion
with his main establishment at Landevennec. There is a parish
called Loc-Tey in the diocese of Quimper that holds him as its
patron. He has chapels as well at Cleden-Cap-Sizun, Plouhinec,
* Tripartite Life, p. 201,
100 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Pléhédel, Pluduno, Poullan, and 8, Segal. He is invoked in
Brittany by parents to ward death from their sick children,
which seems to show that in his lost legend, he was regarded as
one who showed particular love and tenderness to children.
His day is July 11.
S. Decuman, Hermit, Martyr.
A chapel at Merthyr Euny, in Wendron, has this dedication.
The legend concerning him is too meagre in detail to enable us
to fix his date.
Capgrave, after John of Tynemouth, says, that Decuman
was born in the Western part of Wales and was piously
educated. He resolved to leave his native place and crossed the
Severn on a hurdle of rods, ‘‘ Virgas secus mare in fruteto, quas
reperit crescentes, colligavit in fasciculum, et tali utens vehiculo
misit se in profundum, et provectus est ad littus oppositum
prope castrum Dorostorum (Dunster).”’
That is, in.fact, he made a coracle, and crossed therein.
At that time the district under Exmoor was desert, ‘‘ Vasta
eremi solitudo frutetis et vepribus obsita, et densibile silvarum
in longum et latum spaciose porrecta, montium eminentia sursum
educta, et concavitate vallium mirabiliter interrupta, Hec ei
sedes complacuit.”
Here he lived the life of a hermit for many years, nourishing
himself on the milk of a cow.
Here also he met his death at the hands of a truculent
fellow, a man of Belial, who cut off his head ‘‘cum quadam
vauga,” i.e. scythe (?)* .
Then he rose and carried his head to the fountain where he
was wont to wash, and there his body was afterwards found.
The place where he died bears his name and is attached to
a prebendal stall at Wells. He is venerated as a Martyr and
his day is Aug. 27.
Why he should have a chapel in Wendron is hard to see,
* Ducange has not the word, but I presume it is the French fauche.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 101
It has been conjectured that he is the same as S, Dagan,
but there is no hint in the legend that he came from Ireland,
and there is no tradition in Ireland that Dagan suffered a violent
death.
S. Decuman is commemorated in Wales, where he is the
patron of Rosecrowther, in Pembrokeshire, and of Llandegeman,
an extinct chapel in the parish of Llanfihangel cwn Di,
Brecknochshire. :
We have no data by which to determine his date.
8. Denys, Bishop, Martyr.
There are two churches in Cornwall dedicated to this Saint,
Otterham, in the North Hast, and 8. Dennis.
There was also a chapel at Trevena, in Tintagel, dedicated
to him, and licensed in 1400 (Reg. Bp. Stafford).
The dedication of 8. Denis in Pydar is significant.
The position of the church is remarkable, it stands in the
midst of an early dinas or fortification, on the summit of a
conical hill.
The church was anciently called Landinas (Domesday), and
this gave occasion to its rededication to 8. Denys, of Paris,
who was confounded in the Middle Ages with Dionysius the
Areopagite. Otterham occupies high ground and is a most
dreary and miserable spot. There is now no evidence of
fortification about the church, but as the Manor belonged to the
Champernownes it is possible that the baronial founder may
have been a devotee of the foreign Saint.
Whytford says, ‘‘At Parys (Oct. 9), the feast of Saynt
Denyse a bysshop, Saynt Rustyke a preest, and Saynt Elewthery
a deacon, that by the Pope were sent to converte fraunce and
when in the sayd cite they had don theyr offyce with dilygence,
at the last they were taken and by the mayre Fesceny put to
deth all by the swerde.”
That there ever was a Dionysius, Bishop and Martyr, of
Paris, is very doubtful. The first to mention him is Gregory of
Tours some three hundred years after his presumed death,
which is set down as in A,D, 286,
102 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
The Feast of 8. Denys is on Oct. 9.
In Brittany he is in high esteem, Itis there asserted that
God granted him power every day to liberate a soul from
Purgatory ; and another every night. He is invoked for the
dead, and the offering made to him is black corn.*
8. Derwe, Virgin, Martyr.
One of the company of Irish that came over and occupied
Penwith and Carnmarth. Derwe was, perhaps, killed, as her
Yartyrium was in Camborne parish at Mertherderwa, or Mena-
derva as it is now called, where was a chapel dedicated to SS.
Hia and Derwe.
The name is certainly Irish and the association with S. Hia
indicates that Derwe was Irish.
Derwe is the same as Dér-chartain, of Oughterard, in
Kildare. The name signifies Daughter of the Rowan-tree,
which was used to drive away witches. When S. Senan was
born, his mother laid hold of a rowan branch. If my
identification of S. Illogan with Ilodhan son of Cormac, King
of Leinster be allowed, then she and S. Ethnia (Stithiana) were
his sisters.
On the hill of Oughterard are the ruins of her church and
of around tower. This is in the same barony of Salt as the
church of her brother at Castle Dillon. Her day in the
Martyrology of Donegal is March 8. Her date of death about
560. Nothing is known of her history.
As the names of the patrons of Camborne (Cambron, the
crooked hill) are given as Hia and Derwe, (Dr. Borlase, MS.
Par. Mem., p. 16), it is reasonable to suppose that Derwe is a
female. Had Derwe been a male, the order would have been
SS. Derwe and Hia.
There is good reason for believing that 8. Stithiana of
Stythians is her sister Etaine or Ethnia, as the feast at Stythians
is on old 8. HKtaine’s Day. Moreover Camborne Fair is on March
7, the eve of S. Derchartain. They were aunts of S. Credan
disciple of S. Petrock and founder of Sancreed.
* Le Braz “‘ Annales de Brétagne,”’ T, ix, p. 461,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 103
Dunlaing
King of Leinster
d. before 410.
|
| [.
Tolladan Ailill
K. of Leinster K. of Leinster
bapt. by S. Patrick 460 bapt. by S. Patrick 460
d. 506 d. 482.
Cormac
K. of Leinster
d. 535
|
| | a
Cairbre the Black S. Iolladan S. Derchartain S. Etaine
K. of Leinster (Illogan) (Derwe of (Stithiana
535—546. Feb. 2. Camborne) of Stythians)
Mch. 8. July 6.
Colman S. Credan
K. of Leinster disc. of S. Petrock,
d. 576. May tr.
Foelan
sent as a babe
to S. Kevin ;
K. of Leinster
663.
S. Docwin, Abbot, Confessor.
Doewin is another name for Cyngar, the brother of Selyf
or Solomon, King or Duke of Cornwall. He was the son of the
heroic Geraint who fell at Llongborth in 522, and the lovely Enid
daughter of the Lord of Caerleon. He was uncle of S. Cuby
and of 8. Constantine.
The life of 8S. Cyngar, or Congar, is given by Capgrave,
but it is an unsatisfactory biography based on no genuine
documents, betraying at every point the work of a hagiographer
making his bricks without straw. In place of historic facts
it is stuffed with pious commonplaces.
To begin with, the writer makes him a son of ‘An
Emperor of Constantinople.” He had heard of his descent
from Constantine the Blessed, who was actually his great-
grandfather, and he mistook this Cornish Constantine for
one of the emperors.
Cyngar settled in Somersetshire, at Congresbury, but did
not remain there all his time. The district was marshy, but by
means of drainage he made it flourish like a garden. He then
moved into Glamorganshire, but before leaving, planted his
staff at Congresbury, where it grew into a stately yew.
104 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
In Morganwg or Glamorganshire he met with much
contrariety and was forced again to shift his quarters.
At what time he was a founder in Cornwall we are not told,
but it was probably when obliged to leave Morganwg. There
he established himself in a pleasant sheltered glen, among
Cornish elms by a copious spring.
It was probably thence that 8. Cuby took him when he
went to Ireland. The story of his cow has been already told
by us. (See 8. Cuby.)
In 711, King Ina re-established Oyngar’s Abbey, in
Somersetshire, but dedicated it to the Holy Trinity.
Cyngar was extremely old when with his nephew in Ireland.
Cuby brought him back to Cornwall, and he probably died at
his foundation of 8S. Kew. This church is one of the finest, if
not the finest, in North-East Cornwall, and contains mag-
nificent ancient glass, some of which was removed from Bodmin
church.
The selection of S. Kewe as a religious foundation was
probably on account of proximity to Damelioc the fortified Caer
of the Cornish Princes.
In Bishop Stafford’s register, the name is Sanctus Doquinus
(1400), but also Landeho and Lan-doc (1412). In Domesday
it is Lan-ehoc. In Bishop Bronescombe’s register (1259), it is
Landeho. In Bishop Grandission’s time it had become Lannowe.
In Prynne’s Records (III. 718), the dedication is given as to
Sancto Landoco.
S. Docwin must not be confounded with 8. Dochen who
accompanied 8, Germanus on his journey through Britain, who
was none other than 8. Oudoc of Llandaff, also called Doquinus.
The feast of 8. Docwin in the Welsh Calendars is on Nov.
7. Challoner erroneously gives Nov. 5. At 8S. Kewe the feast is
kept on July 25. §S. Cyngar or Docwin had a chapel and holy
well in Lanivet, where he was venerated under the name of
Ingunger, Saint Gungar, or Gonger.
The holy well at S. Kewe is in sound condition, it has been
carefully repaired.
In Brittany is a parish called Congard in the Morbihan,
that regards him as patron, there it is held that the old man
died on his way to Jerusalem, and his feast is obseryed on
May 12,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 105
His death probably took place between 530 and 550. His
symbol in art is a Yew Tree.
S. Doemart, Abbot, Confessor.
Known in Wales as Dogfael, son of Ithel ab Ceredig. He
founded 8S. Dogmael’s in Cemmaes, 8. Dogwel’s in Pebidiog,
and other churches in Pembrokeshire. He was first cousin to
Sandde, the father of S. David.
According to F. Peckham there was formerly a chapel
dedicated to him near Liskeard.
8. Dominica, Virgin, Martyr.
Indract, son of an Irish Prince, with his sister Dominica,
and seven others of noble birth, visited Britain, intending
eventually to proceed on a pilgrimage to Rome.
They came to the Tamar and settled there for a while;
Indract founded Landrake, but he had also a chapel and holy
well near the river edge. Of the former a wall remains, and
the well is in perfect condition.
Whilst staying there an unpleasantness arose which shall
be mentioned when we come to speak of S. Indract, and the
party left and visited Rome. On their return journey they
halted at Skapwith, near Glastonbury, where they were murdered
by an official of the Saxon King.
King Ina in 710 refounded Glastonbury, and at a later
date, a successor removed to it the relics of the saints.
It is by no means certain that Dominica accompanied her
brother to Rome, and was killed at Shapwith.
The church of 8. Dominick, in Cornwall, is dedicated to
her and marks the site of her religious foundation. It is
probable that she there had a congregation of pious women
under her.
The church was rededicated on May 18, 1263, by Bishop
Bronescombe, to Sancta Dominica. The same dedication is
given in Bytton’s register 1310, and in that of Bishop Stapeldon.
106 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
The festival of SS. Dominica and Indract is on May 8.
Whytford, on this day says, ‘‘The feest of Saynt Indrake a
kynge of Yrelond y* forsoke all his royalty and went to rome
w* his syster saynt Dominyke w™ dyuerse other y* al togyder
lyved a private lyf full of sctite [sanctite] and myracles and
at the last martyred for Chrystes fayth.”
The feast at S. Dominick is on the first Thursday after
May 12th. Add eleven days to May 8. and we have May 19,
near about when the Feast is held. As usual the people insist
on old style reckoning.
May 8 is the day given in the Salisbury Martyrology, and
also in the Altemps Martyrology of the 13th cent., and a
Norwich Martyrology of the 15th.
Challoner inaccurately gives Feb. 5.
The date of the death of S. Dominica cannot be fixed with
any confidence, Colgan considered it must have taken place in
678, but, as shall be shown under the head of Indract, the most
probable date is 854.
In art S. Dominica should be represented habited as an ~
Irish Nun, and with a crown at her feet.
Her name and that of her brother are Irish. Hers is
composed in the same manner as was Domnach, a Church ; and
Domnall and Domnan, names for men.
S. Erzcra, Virgin.
The ancient name for Landulf was Landelech, i.e. Lan-
elech; this we see in Domesday. It then became Landylp
(Reg. B. Bronescombe, 1280). The present dedication is to 8.
Leonard. There is a Holy Well in the parish.
In Endellion was a chapel dedicated to 8. Electa.* Both
William of Worcester and Leland give Elic or Elie as a child of
Brychan who settled in Cornwall. This is the Ellyw, or Elyw,
of the Welsh lists, who was a grand-daughter according to one
account.
* Register of B. Stapeldon, ed. H. Randolph (1400), p. 68.
Register of B. Grandisson, ed. H. Randolph (1881), p. 627.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 107
The name has gone through much change. William of
Worcester, quoting from a calendar that came into his hands,
says of her ‘‘S* Elevetha Virgo Martyr una ex 24 filiarum
reguli de Brekehaynoke in Wallia per 24 Miliaria de Hereford
est, jacet (in) ecclesia monalium virginum villae de Usque, et
fuit martirizata super montem per unum miliare de Brekenok
ubi fons emanabat; et lapis ubi ea acapitabatur ibi remanet et
quoties toties aliquis in honore Dei et dictae Sanctae dicat
orationem dominicam, aut bibat de aqua dictae fontis, inveniet
qualibet vice crinem muliebris dictae Sanctae super lapidem ex
magno miraculo,” (Itin. ed. Nasmith, Camb. 1778, p. 186).
Again, in another place, he says, ‘“‘S*® Hlaveta virgo jacet in
ecclesia apud Usque” (p. 180). This is the Elined or Almedha
of Giraldus Cambrensis.
Thus we have the same person called Ellyw, Elic or Elie,
Elvetha, and Electa.
In Wales she was known as Elined and as Ellyw, and this
was corrupted in 8. Tayled or S. Ayled. The chapel that stood
on the mountain where she suffered, a mile from Brechnock,
was standing in 1698, but roofless. Some vestiges of the
building may still be traced, and an aged yew tree and her holy
well at its foot mark the site. Giraldus Cambrensis says, that
in his time, ‘‘In her honour a solemn feast is annually held
here in the beginning of August, and attended by a large
concourse of people from a considerable distance, when those
persons who labour under various diseases, through the merits
of this blessed virgin, receive their wished-for health. The
circumstances which occur at every anniversary, appear to me
remarkable. You may see men or girls, now in the church, now
in the churchyard, now in a dance, which is led round the
churchyard with a song, on a sudden falling on the ground in a
fit, then jumping up as in a frenzy, and representing with their
hands and feet, before the people, whatever work they have
unlawfully done on feast days; you may see one man put his
hand to the plough, and another, as it were, goad on the oxen,
mitigating their sense of labour by the usual rude song; one
man imitating the profession of a shoemaker; another, that of
atanner. You may see a girl with a distaff, drawing out the
108 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
thread, and winding it again on the spindle; another walking,
and arranging the threads for the web; another, as it were,
throwing the shuttle, and seeming to weave. On being brought
into the church, and led up to the altar with their oblations,
you will be astonished to see them suddenly awakened, and
coming to themselves. Thus, by the divine mercy, which
rejoices in the conversion—not in the death—of sinners, many
persons, from the conviction of their senses, are at these feast
days corrected and amended.”
Her day is Aug. 1. In Wales, Llanelly, in Carmarthenshire,
and Llanehan and Llanelly, near Crickhowel, in Brecknochshire,
are dedicated to her.
According to a deed formerly in the possession of N. H. P.
Laurence, Esq., of Launceston, dated ‘‘ Thursday after the
Feast of S. Ambrose, in April, 1451,” Landulph parish church
was then dedicated to 8. Leonard.
One may suspect that Pillaton had anciently a dedication to
8. Electa, see S. Odulph.
S. Etsy, see Helen.
S. Exran, see Allen.
S. Exrp, see Ilid.
S. Exoan or Etwyn, Bishop, Confessor.
Was an Irishman, and formed one of the company of
S. Briaca, according to Leland: ‘‘ Breaca venit in Cornubiam
comitata multis Sanctis, inter quos fuerunt Sinninus abbas....
Elwen, Crewenna, Helena,”
He had a chapel at Sithney (B. Bronescombe’s Reg. 1270,
p. 178), Leland refers to his legend extant in his time.
The church of 8S. Elwyn, near Hayle, is dedicated to him.
In Buryan parish, near S. Loy is a piece of land on which
till some thirty years ago were the ruins of a chapel, called
Sandellin, S. Elwyn. Leland distinguishes between Elwyn and
his companion Helen; but possibly they were identical.
I suspect that in Elwyn we have Illadhan who is the
Cornish Ilogan, who is also to be equated with Elid or Illid and
Illog (see Illid). As already said, under S. Allen, we must
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 109
distinguish between several saints whose names are similar; at
the same time we have to run into one several personages with
names, apparently different, but which are actually various forms .
assumed by one original name.
S. Elwyn or Elian, the pilgrim, I have already pointed out
to be the Cornish §. Allen. The name of Elwyn, however,
remains attached to a chapel and holy well in the parish of S.
Eval. The spot is now called Halwyn. The spring never fails,
and there are beside it the remains of an oblong structure,
probably the chapel.
His tomb is shown in the church of S. Gwen in Cotes du
Nord, S. Gwen was the mother of his intimate friend S. Cuby.
In Cornwall, 8. Wenn is not far from the chapel and well of
8. Elwyn.
In Brittany he is variously called Elven, Elvan, Hlonay,
Luan, and Gelvan, and is commemorated on Aug. 28.
S. Elvan or Elwyn, the Irishman, of the Land’s End
district is quite distinct from Elian. For him see under Illogan.
S. Enpevienta, Virgin.
This was one of Brychan’s family, according to the list
given by Leland from the lite of 8. Nectan which he found at
Hartland.
In William of Worcester’s Itinerary she is also named as a
child of Brychan. Her name is incorrectly printed in Nasmith’s
edition, as Sudebrent, and this error has been reproduced by
Gilbert.
Endelienta is invariably represented in the Episcopal
Registers as a female saint, and the church of Endelion was
collegiate. It is most improbable that the canons of Endelion
should not have known the sex of the patron saint of the church
in which they ministered. In a Provincial Council or Synod
held in 1841, they signed as the Chapter of S** Endelienta.
Mr, Borlase conceived the notion that Endelion was 8. Teilo,
and when the chapter was formed for Truro Cathedral, Bishop
Benson who had purposed to entitle one of the canonries after
110 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
8. Endelienta, was shaken by Mr. Borlase’s statement, and gave
it to 8. Teilo instead, whose connexion with Cornwall was of the
slightest.
Endelion is the Kenedelion of the Welsh Brychan lists.
According to Mr. Rhys in the ‘“‘Cambro-British Saints’ her
pedigree has been mistaken. She was daughter of Briafel ap
Llywarch, and sister of Brychan ap Gwyngon, quite another
Brychan. This Kenedlion was married to Arthfael, son of
Ithel, King of Gwent. She is the Patroness of the church of
Rockfield, near Monmouth. It seems, however, more probable
that Endelion was one of the Brechnock Brychan’s family, and
came over with many others of her kin. It is significant that
in the parish of Endelion should be found the inscribed stone
of Broegan, which is the same name as Brychan. The feast at
Endelion is on Ascension Day and the two days following, but
the Saturday after the Ascension is the chief day of the Revel.
There is a holy well at Endellion.
S. Enopoo, Confessor.
This is, if I mistake not, Cynidr, who was son of Rhiengar
of the Brychan family. He attached himself to S. Cadoc, and
is mentioned in his life as associated with Teilo, David, Oudoc,
and Madoc, in a deputation to King Arthur. Oc is a diminutive.
A certain Ligessaue—or as we should call him now
Legassick—nick-named the Longhand, had killed three of
Arthur’s retainers, and then had fled for refuge to the Sanctuary
of S. Cadoc, with whom he remained in concealment for seven
years, before Arthur diseovered where he was.
Then, highly incensed, the king ordered Cadoc to surrender
the fugitive that he might undergo punishment.
Now a saint had no right to grant sanctuary indefinitely.
Properly speaking the right of sanctuary was for a limited
number of days, and it was his duty during these days to come
to terms with the prosecutor, and pay the mulct or fine for the
crime committed. If he did not do this, then he must surrender
the refugee. Cadoc had undoubtedly behaved in an underhand
way in this matter, and the King was very naturally and rightly
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 111
offended. The saint finding that he had got into trouble, and
assured that it would bring on him discredit if he did not now
secure the safety of Ligessauc, despatched his most trusty
disciples to smooth the matter over with Arthur.
They accordingly went to him, where he was holding a
gorsedd or assembly on the Usk. But not venturing to put
themselves in his power, they did not cross the river, but
conducted the negotiation by shouting across.
At length it was settled that Cadoc should pay the King a
hundred cows as mulct for the men who had been slain. Cadoc
had offered three cows per man, nine in all, but Arthur had
scouted at the offer.
The ultimatum of Arthur was accepted with reluctance, and
when Cadoc sent the prescribed number, he had raked together
the leanest and oldest he could find. The King peremptorily
refused to receive them, and they had to be returned, and cows
of a better quality sent.
The next point of dispute was—how were they to be
delivered? It was referred to judges, who decided that the
cattle should be driven half-way over the ford by Cadoc’s men,
then they would be received by the King’s men.
Accordingly, Arthur sent Kai, his steward, into the mud of
the Usk, together with the requisite number of men. But they
arrived, on their return, beplastered with ooze, rolling before
them bundles of russet fern instead of cows.
Astonished at this miracle, the King gave way, and allowed
Cadoc rights of asylum to extend over seven years, seven
months, and seven days. It is not difficult to see the truth
through the dust of fiction. The biographer of 8. Cadoc could
not allow his hero to come off badly in a bargain, and he
invented the miracle to disguise a somewhat sordid transaction.
Cadoc was fined heavily, as he deserved, for he had behaved
dishonourably. He paid the enormous fine imposed on him,
reluctantly, yet in full; and then Arthur generously granted
him the extension of right of asylum, unless this also be an
invention of the Llancarvan hagiographer.
1 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Unfortunately we know nothing further of Cynydr save
that he founded two churches in Brecknockshire, one of which
is Y Clas or Glasebury, where he was buried.
S. Cadoe certainly was in Cornwall, and he very probably
took his cousin Cynydr with him, and Cynydr would not be at
all reluctant to visit his kinsmen thick as stars in the firmament,
studded on the windy downs of North Cornwall.
S. Enoder in 8. Minver is not 8. Cyndr.
The festival of S. Cynydr, in Wales, is on April 27.
In Brittany his feast is not on the same day or month.
He is there called 8. Kinéde, and is commemorated on Aug. 1.
He has chapels at Plumelin and Plaintel in Cotes du Nord and
Morbihan (Kerviler). Nothing seems to be known concerning
him in Brittany; and Le Mené, in his Wistowre des paroises de
Vannes says nothing about a chapel of S. Kinéde, at Ploumelin.
It is most probable that he is the same as S. Cenneur
(Cynydr becoming Cenneur). The story told of S. Cenneur is
that he was a native of Wales, and that when the Yellow
Plague devastated Britain 547—550, he fled with his friend
and kinsman, S. Cadoc, to Armonica.
This might well be 8. Enodoc who was a cousin of 8. Cadoc;
and there certainly was an exodus of saints and their disciples
from Wales and Ireland during the continuance of the plague.
S. Cenneur is patron of a parish in the diocese of S. Malo.
He is represented as a hermit astride on a stag.
Besides S. Enodoc, near Mitchell, there is no other church
or chapel dedicated to him in Cornwall. The date of his death
would be about 570.
S. Ero or Ertu, Bishop, Confessor.
William of Worcester tells us that he learned that Herygh
(i.e. Ergh or Ere) was brother toS. Euny and 8. Ia. He was of
the Irish party that landed in Hayle bay. Among the several
Trish Eres, there can be little doubt as to who this is. He was
a disciple of 8S. Senan, and as Senan came to Penwith, doubtless
his pupil came with him or followed him.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 113
The harsh sound of Ere has been softened in Cornish
mouths into Erth.
That Ere and Euny were related is probable enough.
The Scholiast on the Martyrology of Oengus says of
Koghain (Euny), on Aug. 238, ‘‘Son of Bishop Ere of Slane,
ut perite ferunt,” but gives ‘‘svcut ali” another parentage to him.
Nevertheless on Nov. 2 he returns to the point, and then says
without hesitation, ‘‘ Bishop Eoghain, of Ardstraw, was a son
of Bishop Ere, of Slane.”
The father of Ere was Degaid of the royal race of Ulster,
but the family lived in Munster. Degaid or Deagh was brehon
or judge of King Laoghaire. The day before 8. Patrick
appeared at Tara, the Apostle was camped on the heights of
Slane. The date was 455, and the time, the festival of Samhain,
All Saints Eve, the greatest pagan festival of the year.*
It began by the extinction of every fire in the country and
whosoever violated the order was slain. Patrick however lighted
the fire as usual. This was seen from Tara, where the King was.
When, at night, the little red spark shone out over the plain,
Laoghaire’s druids went to him and said, ‘‘ Unless this fire be
extinguished, it will not be quenched till doomsday.”’
The King then ordered that the man who had kindled the
fire should be put to death. The druids then cautioned the
King :—‘‘ Do not thyself go to the place, lest this stranger
suppose that thou doest an act of reverence to him. Stay outside,
a little way off, and send for him.”
The King agreed to this, so the whole party crossed the
plain till they approached the height of Slane, and then a
summons was sent to Patrick to come before Laoghaire.
Meanwhile all had agreed to show no respect to the Saint,
but to receive him, seated.
Patrick on being handed the summons, at once rose and went
forth in obedience, chanting, ‘‘Some put their trust on chariots
and some on horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord
our God.” When he arrived in the royal presence, he found the
* It is usually said that this was at Master. But there seems some reason to
suspect that the incident really took place at Samhain. The Tripartite Life
says “‘ Haster,”’
114 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
King and his chiefs seated, ‘‘with the rims of their shields
against their chins, and none of them rose up before him, save
one man only, in whom was a divine spirit, namely Ere, son of
Deagh.” *
Laoghaire, however, was overcome by the dignity of the
Apostle, and probably also was unwilling to violate the rights of
hospitality, when Patrick appealed to him for protection. The
story has been laid hold of by legend writers, and a contest like
that of Moses with the magicians of Pharaoh, has been invented
and thrust into the story.
When Ere was asked why he had arisen before Patrick, he
replied that the words that came from the lips of the Missioner
were full of living fire and light that kindled his soul.
There was a second conference with the King at Tara, and
finally Laoghaire gave the Saint liberty to preach, but did not,
himself, believe. Patrick had taken notice of Ere, and a little
later he instructed him, and asked him if he desired baptism. Ere
eagerly consented.
If Ere was, as is recorded, in his ninetieth year in 512 when
he died, then at this date, 455, he must have been aged thirty
three. It is said that his baptism took place the day after the
great gathering of Tara, but it is more probable that a little time
intervened for instruction. At the baptism of Hrc, an incident
took place that we can hardly regard as an invention.
Many years before, when Patrick was in Gaul, he dreamt
that he heard the voices of the children of the Wood of Fochlad
erying out to him to come over and teach them the way of God.
He tells us this in his own Confession. Where Fochlad was, he
did not know. He had heard the name perhaps, when he had
been a slave-boy with Milchu, and the name had thus come up in
dream. Now he was in Ireland, and he had, perhaps, forgotten
the particulars.
As he was engaged baptizing Erc, some fellows who stood
behind made fun of the ceremony, to the great annoyance of
Patrick. However, he took no open notice of this unmannerliness.
Presently one of the mockers said to another standing by, ‘‘ Who
are you, and whence come you? we have not met previously.”
* Tripartite Life, pp. 43-5.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 115
‘“‘T,” answered the man addressed, ‘‘I am Enna by name,
son of Amalgaidh, and come from the Wood of Fochlad.”’
Instantly Patrick turned on him:—“ You, you come from
the Wood of Fochlad! It is thither I am called. When you
return home, I will accompany you.” ‘‘ No thank you,” replied
Enna, ‘‘ We shall get into trouble with our people, if we introduce
you among them with your new-fangled notions. It might end
in both of us being killed.”
“Unless you take me with you, you shall not return at all,”
said Patrick.
After some demur and discussion, Enna consented to Patrick
baptizing his son, Conall, but he declined to submit to baptism,
himself, ‘‘ Lest he should be laughed at.” *
Ten years after his baptism, Ere was consecrated bishop, and
was sent about as a Missioner.
His first field of labours seems to have been in what is now
Kerry, for, although there is no record of his work there, yet
Tarmuin-Kire, or the Sanctuary of Ere, remains at Lerrig, about
three miles North of Ardfert. It was whilst he was there that
he saw one night the sky illumined with the auroral lights, and
not understanding that it was a natural phenomenon, he took it
into his head that it signified the birth of some marvellous man.
He instituted enquiries in his immediate neighbourhood, and
learned that the wife of aman named Finlog, at Fenit, seven
miles distant, had been brought to bed that night of a boy. He
at once went to the place to congratulate the parents, and assure
them that the flickering heavenly display could signify nothing
other than that this son was to become a luminary of the Church.
They were flattered and convinced, and consented that the child
should be given to him to be fostered and educated.
This took place in or about 484. Ere proceeded to baptise
the child by the name of Mobi, but he is known by that of
Brendan. Then he committed him to be nursed by 8. Itha, who
at this time had a house at Tubrid Beg, five miles from Tralee.
Brendan remained in 8. Itha’s care for five years, and then
returned to Ere, who taught him letters and formed his mind.
* Tirechan’s Collections, Tripartite Life, II, 308.
116 CORNISH DEDICATIONS,
Erc took the little fellow about with him wherever he went.
One day he was on one of his Missionary tours in a cart, from
which he addressed the people. A great concourse surrounded
the vehicle, and Ere stood in the forepart, preaching, Brendan
was behind. Now it chanced that a little girl, daughter of a
chief, seeing the urchin of ten doing nothing but peer over the
sides of the cart, attempted to scramble up the wheel, to play
with him. But Brendan got hold of the reins and, probably also
in play, began to lash her with them.
This little by-game distracted the attention of the audience,
and Ere could make no impression on their minds or consciences.
Seeing the eyes of the people directed elsewhere, and hearing
them laughing, he turned sharply about, and saw what was going
on in the rear. He was mightily offended, gave Brendan a
scolding, and in punishment put him in the black hole for the
night. The boy spent his time in shouting psalms, and Ere,
molified, let him out. After some years spent under his master,
Brendan left and did not return till he was an Abbot.
In the Life of 8. Bridget is a story of her first meeting with
Hre.
When they encountered, she asked him who he was and
whence he came. He satisfied her on these points. Then she,
falling into a condition of second-sight, exclaimed, ‘‘I see war
being waged in your country.”
‘‘ Nothing more likely,” replied Ere, ‘‘ My people are always
fighting someone else.”
Then said Bridget, ‘‘ Your folk have been routed.” A lad
in Ere’s company burst out laughing, and said, ‘‘ How can that
woman see what is going on many miles away?”
Ere rebuked the boy, and apologised to Bridget, who signed
his eyes and those of the lad, and at once both were endued with ~
the same power, and saw the battle that was being waged.
Then the youth wailed—‘‘ Two of my brothers are fallen!”
and he began to sob.
Such is the story, probably based on a lucky guess of
Bridget, and magnified in telling.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. U7
Ere is entitled Bishop of Slane. This spot was the hill of
the Graves of the Men of Fiacc, so called from its being a Tribal
Cemetery. At the period there were no territorial bishoprics.
He constituted Slane his monastic and ecclesiastical centre, whence
radiated his missions.
As he was son of a noted Brehon, or lawyer, and had been
educated to the same profession, Patrick employed him to regulate
all such matters as came before him for judgment, and consulted
him on points where his action conflicted with established law.
The Apostle had the highest respect for his abilities and for his
rectitude. He said of him :—
‘‘Hpiscopus Ere
Quicquid judicavit rectum erat
Quisquis tulerit aequum judicium
Benedictionem feret Episcopi Erci.”’
Which is sorry enough Latin to be a genuine production of
S. Patrick. The lines are quoted by Tighernach in the 11th
century.
If Ere were the father of Koghain, then the latter must
have been born about 460.
Ere was a friend of Muircheartach, or Murtogh Mac Earca,
a great scoundrel, but who was, nevertheless, the first Christian
King of Ireland. He reigned from 509 to 518. For something
about him see 8. Carantoe.
Several Saints were akin to Erc, as Brendan of Birr—not
the Brendan who was his foster-son—Caiman and Lethan and the
holy daughters of Ernan, of whom one was S. Crida or 8. Creed.
When Ere came to Cornwall we do not know. Unhappily
no detailed biography of the Saint exists, and all we know of
him is picked up from allusions in the lives of other Saints who
were his contemporaries. But his period is precisely that of the
beginning of the saintly migration to Cornwall.
There is a very curious story called ‘The Banquet of Dunna
n-Gedh,” published by the Irish Society. It was written before
the end of the 12th Century. It concerns Erc, but contains
anachronisms.
One day Domnhal, King of Ireland, sent his servants to
collect for him goose eggs. They came on a woman carrying a
118 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
black basket on her head, on her way to a little oratory. The
basket was piled up with goose eggs. The King’s servants
demanded them, but she answered that they were intended as a
present for Ere, who spent the day immersed to his arm-pits in
the river Benda, with his psalter set up on the bank from which
he recited the psalms from morning till evening.
In the evening he emerged from his bath, shook himself, and
ate an egg and a half together with three bunches of water cress.
However, regardless of the Saint’s necessities, the servants
carried away the eggs.
When 8. Ere came out of the river, dripping from every
limb, and found that there were no eggs for his supper, he waxed
warm, and cursed roundly the rascals who had carried off the
eggs, and those who had set them on, and those who should eat
them. According to his curse, those same eggs were to become
very apples of discord productive of long continued bloodshed.
The story goes on to tell how his curse was fulfilled.
In the ‘Annals of the Four Masters,” Erc is said to have
died in 512.
He is patron of S. Erth by Hayle.
In 8. Allen (B. Stapeldon’s Reg., 1314) was a Lan-Erghe,
now corrupted to Lanner. This must have been a chapel to him.
William of Worcester gives Oct. 31 as the feast of S. Ere in
Cornwall. He says, ‘‘ Sanctus Herygh, frater S* Uny, Episcopus,
jacet in quadam ecclesia scita sub cruce ecclesiae Sancti Pauli
Londiniarum.” I have been unable to discover anything about
this London shrine of 8. Ere. :
In Ireland he is commemorated on Nov. 2.
There was another Ere, Bishop of Domnach Mor the present
Maynooth, but he belongs to a later generation and of him we
know nothing.
S. Erms, Abbot, Confessor,
Erme is the short for Ermel or Arthmael.
On the cross at Llantwit is the inscription that Samson made
the cross for his own soul and for those of Juthael the King and
of Arthmael, It is supposed, now, that the cross is of later date
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 119
than has been hitherto thought, and that it was not erected by
S. Samson to the memory of King Judicael and this Arthmael,
but by an Abbot Samson, at a time posterior, and that the
Juthael and Arthmael thereon named, belonged to this later date,
and to the house of Morganwg. If so, the coincidence of names
at two periods is very remarkable.
Armel or Arthmael was born in Morganwg, in the Cantred
of Penochen. We are not told by the Breton historians the
names of his parents, but Arthfael which is the same name,
occurs repeatedly in the pedigree of the Morganwg Royal family.
He crossed over to Brittany and founded a Plow at Plouarzel
in Leon, but was driven from it by the usurper Conmore, and
then he probably returned to Wales, and joined Samson in his
expedition. He then accompanied him to Cornwall and passed
over with him to Dol. We find him at the court of Childebert,
at the same time as Samson, and engaged on the same
attempt, to induce the Frank King to permit an insurrection
in favour of Judual the rightful heir to the throne of Domnonia.
Childebert was reluctant to allow of a civil war being
engaged in, however he finally suffered Samson and Arthmael to
have their way, and after a succession of conflicts Judual was
restored and Conmore killed.
Judual rewarded the service of Arthmael by a liberal grant
of land, and the Saint founded a Monastery in the diocese of
Rennes. He died on Aug, 16, on which day he is commemorated
in the Breviaries of Rennes, Leon, 8. Brieuc, and Quimper.
In the Tavistock Calendar and in that of S. Michael’s
Mount, 8S. Hermes was entered on Aug. 28, this was the Roman
Martyr who was substituted for Arthmael by the Latinising
-Bishops of Exeter. The Church 8“ Ermetis (Reg. Quivil, 1283, )
So also Stapeldon, 1318; S* Hermetis (Reg. Stafford, 1405).
Dedications to 8. Arthmael, or Erme, in Cornwall are, a
chapel at Stratton,* the church in the Deanery of Powder, and a
chapel in S. Hilary, at Marazion (Reg. Stapeldon, 1308-9).
* His chapel was in the parish church, his statue on the rood loft, and the
Meneday or Feast of the Saint was observed at Stratton (Goulding: The
Blanchminster Charity, Lond,, 1898).
120 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
In Brittany not only is the church dedicated to him at
Plouarzel, but there is another at Logonna Douglas, in Finisterre ;
he is invoked against rheumatism and gout. His Holy Well and
Chapel are at Lonteuil, and his tomb at 8. Armel, both in Ile et
Vilaine.
There is in his Life a story of his having elicited a spring by
driving his staff into the ground, and another of his having bound
his stole about the neck of a dragon, and leading him to the
brink of the river Siche and bidding him plunge in. He died
about 558. His proper day is Aug. 16.
In Art he should be represented an an abbot with a dragon
at his side with the stole attached to the neck.
His Life is given by Albert Le Grand from the lections of
the Breviaries of Leon and Folgoat, and the Legendarium of
Plouarzel.
See further under Ervan.
8. Ernoc, Confessor.
Ernoc, Arnoc, or in the form in which we find the name with
us, Erney, was a son of 8. Judicael and grandson of the Juthael
or Judual who was restored to the throne by S. Samson.
He was a disciple of his uncle, 8. Judoc, whom he attended
in his cell in Ponthieu, but on his death he came to Brittany to
the banks of the Elhorn, where his cell and church became known
afterwards as Landerneau or Lann-Hrnoc. In the church there
he is represented holding a lantern ; a punning emblem.
He got possession of a good deal of land, indeed his pou or
pagus comprised five parishes. These he obtained as his right,
owing to his princely birth, and he ruled them as head of a great
saintly tribe, so that later writers have supposed he must have
been a bishop.
Near him lived his uncle, named Winiau, to whom he had
promised a gift. ‘I will give you,” said he one day, ‘‘as much
land as you can walk over whilst I am asleep,” then he threw
himself down and was soon snoring. Away went Winian as fast
as his old legs could carry him, but finding he could not do much
that way, he prayed, and lo! a horse descended from heaven ; the
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. DT
old hermit mounted it; at one bound the angelic steed carried
him to the top of a church tower and thence galloped without
touching soil till it had gone round the whole pow of Illy, over
which Ernoc held sway. When the latter awoke he rubbed his
eyes, and was much disconcerted to find that he had given away
every foot of soil he had.
This is the legendary form assumed by a very simple
transaction, 7c. that Winiau turned his nephew out of his
lands, claiming a prior right to them. It was, perhaps then
that Ernoe migrated to Cornwall, and fonnded the chapel that
bears his name. SS. Judoc died in 676. We may suppose that
his nephew lived till 700.
The story of 8. Erney is found in Le Grand’s additions to
the Life of 8. Paul of Leon.
In the parish of S. Erney is a Holy Well that goes by the
name of Mark-vwell.
It is stated in the life of 8. Winnoe, that Ernan lived for a
considerable part of his religious life in Britain, so that the
conjecture that he came to Cornwall is not without basis.
At 8. Hernin, near Carhaix, in Finisterre, is his Holy Well,
and the saint is represented on the porch of the church. He
there figures in a short tunic or blouse, girt about the waist with
rope. He holds a staff in his hand. A more ancient statue
stands at the Well. To obtain the favour of the saint, his face
has to be washed and well rubbed; for, so say the people, in life
he was wont to dip his head in the well thrice daily.
The popular story concerning him is that he came from
Treland—so that his national origin is forgotten. It is said that
he brought a bell with him and settled first at Loc-harn. He
hung his bell between two trees, and by means of a sort of lever
was able to set the bell rmging without much trouble to himself,
or leaving where he was. As this bell was clanging at all times
night and day, the people of the district did not like it. It was
a novelty, and they suspected mischief; that it would bring a
plague upon them. So they fled the neighbourhood. Then
S. Arnec, leaving his bell where it was, went to where is now
Saint Hernin. The chief at this place kept a pack of dog's, that
tore every beggar who approached. Avrnec, or Erney, however,
122 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
went to his door. The chief saw him coming. ‘“‘ Poor beggar,”
said he, ‘‘the hounds will not leave of him so much as a bit of
tripe.”
To his surprise, they fawned on him.
Convinced that Erney was a Saint, he granted him as much
land as he could enclose. Erney drew his staff after him and it
traced a ditch and bank that formed the bounds of his Iinzhi or
Sanctuary.*
S. Ervan, King, Confessor.
Erbin, whom I take to be the same as Ervan, was the son of
Constantine the Cornishman, or the Blessed, whose brother Aldor
went to Brittany and founded a princely house in Armorican
Domnonia. Constantine, King of Devon and Cornwall, died
about 460. One of his sons was Ambrosius, who headed the
revolt of the Romanised Britons against Vortigern.
The histories of Walter Mapes and Geoffrey are very
untrustworthy, yet there is probably a substratum of truth on
which much romance is built up. Their story is that the Britons
applied to Aldor, King of Armorica, for assistance; upon which
he sent them his brother Constantine with a large army, and
defeated the barbarian Picts and Scots. The Triads, probably
relying on Geoffrey, make Constantine one of the three foreign
princes of Britain. The reverse is probably the case. Constantine
was home-bred, and Aldor migrated. Armorica in the 5th
century was in no position to send help to Britain. Erbin, Prince
of Devon, died about 480; and unhappily we know nothing
about him and his acts.
It was perhaps due to this unsatisfactory condition of affairs
that the Bishops of Exeter changed the dedication of S. Ervan,
as they did of S. Erme, to Hermes, a martyr in the Roman
Calendar.
In the Welsh Calendars S. Ervan’s day is May 29, but at
Penrose, a large hamlet in 8. Ervan, a fair is held on May 25.
* Te Braz, in ‘“‘ Annales d2 Bretagne”’ T. IX (1894) p. 240.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 123
There were several Saints of the name of Hermes,
commemorated respectively on Jan. 4, March 1, Aug. 28, Oct. 22,
and Noy. 2. The fair at Penrose will not agree with any of these
commemorations. In Brittany churches formerly dedicated to
S. Erbin have been transferred to S. Urban, Pope and Martyr,
whose day is May 25th, precisely that of the Penrose fair. This
seems to indicate an attempt to supplant the native Saint by
Urban, in Cornwall, before the idea took with a bishop of Exeter
to put Hermes in his place.
S. Erver, Confessor.
In Marazion was a chapel dedicated to this Saint (B. Stafford’s
Register, licenced 1397).
There are two Saints either of whom might be Ervetus in
question, Hoarvé, Huerve, Latinised into Herveus, in Brittany,
and Herbotius. The 4 in the latter is equivalent tov; and the
name would be Ervotius or Herbotius.
Hoarve belongs to Cornouaille and Herbot to Domnonia ; but
I think that the Ervetus of Marazion is Herbot. Herveus was
the son of a Briton who migrated into Armorica, but was never
in the island himself. He was born blind. He lived in the
middle of the 6th century, but his legend was not committed to
writing till the 13th century.
Herbotius, on the other hand, was a native of Britain who
crossed over into Armorica, between the 6th and 8th century,
it is unfortunately not possible to determine his date more nearly,
as his Life has been lost. This Life was preserved in his church,
in Britanny, till between 1340 and 1350, but perished during the
wars of Blois and Montfort, when the English pillaged the
church. The only legend we have is that published in the
appendix to the Acta Sanctorum for 17th June (lst edition),
which was forwarded to the Bollandists from Quimper by the
Pére Bernard as based on tradition. The chapel that bears his
name is in Finisterre, it is a very fine gothic edifice, between
Haelgoal and Lannedern. He is there popularly said to have
preached at Berrien on the Southern slope of the mountain of
Arez, but the women were angry with him because he drew the
124 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
men away from the work of the fields to hear his sermons, and
they stole his limen which he hung on the hedge after a wash.
One day they pelted him with stones. He was so angry that he
cursed Berrien that it should thenceforth produce little else but
stones. According to a proverb, there are four things the
Almighty cannot do, level Brazpartz, clear Plouyé of fern, rid
Berrien of stones, and make the girls of Poullaouen steady.
Leaving Berrien he came to Nank and asked a farmer there
to lend him a pair of oxen for ploughing. The man replied, he
had none to spare. So Herbot cursed Nank that thenceforth it
should produce only good-for-nothing cattle.
Coming to Rusquec he met with a better reception. <A
farmer there bade him take from his herd what oxen he chose.
Herbot selected two that were white. He harnessed these with
the bark of a willow to a bough of a tree, from which he had
not stripped the leaves, and thus ploughed his land. Afterwards
the two white oxen would not leave him; but always, even after
his death, were to be found at uightfall couched by the porch of
his chapel. Any men needing their services had only to borrow
them of S. Herbot at night and return them before daybreak.
On one occasion, however, a grasping farmer did not restore them,
but locked them into his shed. henceforth they have been no
longer at the service of men, though it is said that sometimes they
are still visible at night couched by the porch of 8S. Herbot.
When 8. Herbot had built his oratory he asked for slates to
roof it. ‘‘ Yes,” said the man, ‘if you will chip the slates for
me.” §. Herbot took off his cap, placed the slates on it and
trimmed them, thus, giving the slates a perfect shape and doing
his cap no harm.
S. Herbot is reckoned one of the richest saints in Britanny.
To him are offered cows’ tails, some ten or a dozen of these may
be seen suspended on the left hand side of his altar. The sale of
the hair of the tails offered amounts in the year to a good sum,
as many as 1,800 lbs. of hair being given, and this sells at from
80 c. to 1 fr. 25 c. per lb.
Pilgrims arrive in the month of May. Mondays and Fridays
are the days preferred. The cattle are driven round the church,
then led to the Holy Well, where they are allowed to drink, and
whence also bottles of water are taken for use at home in the
event of the cattle falling ill.
EE —
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 125
The chapel of 8S. Herbot is in the parish of Logeffret. It
has a tower and is planted in a green valley among beech trees,
at the foot of bleak hills. A few houses about it are converted,
during the pardon, into so many hostelries, and the ample stables
and sheds receive the cattle that have come to offer their tails to
the Saint. The chapel has a fine flamboyant gallery above the
West porch, dating from 1526. The great East window bears
the date 1556. The choir contains some magnificent wood work
of the renaissance period, and the tomb of 8. Herbot. On the
sarcophagus he is represented in hermit’s garb, the hood thrown
back; his head and hair are long; from his girdle hangs his
breviary, in one hand is a staff, and his feet repose on a lion.*
In the Breton Litanies of the 9th and 10th century, the
name is Hoiarnbiu,t and this has become Herbot. The
Bollandists give June 17 as his day, solely because that is the
day of S. Huerve. As the Pardon is in May, it is clearly an
error to give his festival in June.
S. ErHELRED.
A chapel in the parish of 8. Dominick is said to have had
this very Saxon dedication. Not a trace of it now remains. The
only notice of it is a licence granted to Roger Waterman, rector,
9th April, 1405, for the chapel. I suspect the site was Boetheric,
and that the saint was not originally Etheldred.
There were two Ethelred Saints, one the King of Mercia,
son of the ferocious Penda, who succeeded his brother Wulfhere,
in 675, and after a reign of thirty years retired to the Abbey of
Bardney, where he died in 716. The other Ethelred was a Prince
of Kent, who was murdered in 670. There was some inexplicable
association with Mercia in the West, as we have at Warbstow
and Wembury, churches dedicated to the Mercian 8. Milburga.
In these cases we may suppose the strongholds were occupied by
Mercian soldiers, guarding the coast against the Danes, but this
will not explain a dedication in 8. Dominick to 8. Ethelred.
* Le Braz, in ‘‘ Annales de Bretagne,’”’ (1898).
+ This however may be intended for Huerve.
e
126 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
S. Euny, Bishop, Confessor.
Uny or Eunius was one of the party of Irish colonists that
came into Penwith and Carnmarth with 8. Hia, 8. Ere, and
others, about 495 or 500.
In Leland’s time, lives of three of these were extant in
Cornwall, those of S. Breaca, 8. Elwyn, and 8S. Wymer. Breaca
we have already identified as Brig, sister of S. Brendan, Elwyn
as §. Illadhan, and Wymer is 8. Fingar.
8. Uny, according to William of Worcester, was brother of
S. Ere. Another of the party we may conjecture was S. Setna,
the disciple of S. Kieran and of 8. Senan, both of whom have left
their impress on West Cornwall.
The colonists were opposed by Tewdrig, and some of them
were killed. As there isa Merthyr Uny, it is supposed that he
was one of those who fell on this occasion. But this seems
improbable on account of the number of his foundations in
Cornwall. Lelant had him as patron, and under this was the
chapelry of 8. Hia (8. Ives), this implies that she was subject to
his patronage and protection. ‘Towednack also was a chapelry
under Lelant. There was also a foundation of his at Redruth,
and a chapel at Sancreed, as well as Merthyr Uny in Gwendron.
So many foundations imply a residence of some time in
Cornwall, and make it very doubtful whether he was one of
those who fell under the sword of Tewdrig at the first landing.
He is described as a Bishop, and his name is variously given as
HKunius, Hwninus, and Kunianus, in the Episcopal registers.
For his identification we must follow the clue offered by
William of Worcester, and look among the relatives and disciples
of 8. Ere. We at once come on Kogain or Hugenius, afterwards
Bishop of Ardstraw, in Derry. The hard g in the Irish name
would fall away in Cornish and the name became Euenius and
then Eunius.
There is much to lead us to hold that Kugenius of Ardstraw,
is the Uny of Lelant. According to the glossator on the Feliré
of Oengus, he was son of 8. Erc; but according to a more
probable account he was son of Cainnech, of Leinster, and his
mother’s name was Muindecha, and he was a near relative of
S. Kevin, of Glendalough ; indeed the latter was hisnephew. His
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 127
race was royal. Whilst yet in tender years he was sent to Clones
where he was brought up along with Tighernach, who has also
left a footprint in Cornwall, at Northill. They were both carried
away by pirates from Britain and were sold into captivity.
Ninidh,* abbot of Ty Gwyn or Rosnat, now identified with a site
on the slopes of Carn Lliddy, near 8. David’s Head, obtained
their liberation ; he took charge of them, and educated them in
his establishment, where they made the acquaintance of Coirpre,
afterwards Bishop of Coleraine. A second time Hogain and his
companions were carried into captivity and this time were taken
to and sold as slaves in Britanny, where they became the property
of one of the Armorican Kings, who set them to grind his mill.
One day whilst Eugene, Tighernach, and Coirpre, were
supposed to be thus engaged, the steward noticed that there was
no sound of grinding issuing from the mill. He looked in and
found the lads engaged in reading a psalter they had managed to
preserve. When he informed his master of this, the King, who
respected scholarship, generously gave them their liberty and
sent them back to Ty Gwyn. There Eogain or Kugene remained
for many years. At last Ninidh resolved on crossing into Ireland
and establishing monasteries there. He took with him both
Eugene and Torney and they founded settlements in Leinster.
Eogain made an independent establishment at Kilnamanagh, on
the East coast of Wicklow, and presided over it for fifteen years
as Abbot.
Under him his nephew, 8. Kevin, of Glendalough, received
his education.
After a while Eogain left his monastery and went North,
along with Tighernach. The legend says that great was the
grief of the monks of Kilnamanagh at losing their superior.
He consoled them by assuring them that, although absent in
body, he would ever be with them in spirit.
Together these friends Hogain and Tighernach founded a
monastery at Clones, and then, after awhile, Kogain went further
and made an establishment at Ardstraw, or the high place on
the Strath, 7.e. on the little river Derg.
* Same as S. Mawgan.
128 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
A considerable number of fabulous tales have been associated
with his name, but the main facts of his life are pretty firmly
established. It was a pagan Irish custom to baptise a new
weapon in the blood of an imnocent child, and when Amalghaid,
a chieftain in his neighbourhood was about to thus treat a new
spear, Koghain interfered first by prayer and then by offering a
bribe. But Amalghaid would not be dissuaded from following
‘‘Old customs,” and then Koghain warned him that no good luck
would follow his using a spear, thus baptized, when he knew it
was a sin to so inaugurate its use. As Amalghaid was killed a few
days after, it was supposed that this was due to his having
refused the Saint’s petition.
An odd incident is related of his girdle, which was of leather.
One day returning from a pastoral visit he lost his belt. Next
day he returned on his traces in search of it, and found that a
fox had begun to gnaw it, but his teeth that had penetrated the
leather had stuck in it so that he could not withdraw them, and
he had died struggling vainly to disengage himself.
On one occasion a number of his countrymen were enclosed
in a dun by a party of pirates who had landed on the coast, and
caught them unprepared. Hearing of this, Hoghain went to the
camp and managed unperceived in a dark night to evade the
watchmen and get into the dun. ‘There he found about a
hundred persons, many of them women. He took occasion to
baptize them, and then, as further resistance was impossible, he
induced them in fog and darkness to attempt to escape, and he
managed successfully to elude the observation of the pirates and
get all clear from the dun.
One story told of him as miraculous is easily explained.
He was one day walking through a wood with a boy
attendant, and as he went he sang aloud the psalms. Then he
said the Lord’s Prayer, and when the boy sang out Amen, to their
great astonishment they heard Amen repeated from the trees, as
echo.
Once, when on a journey he came to a Cathar, where merry-
making and feasting were in progress, and he was refused
admission and a place at the feast. He was very angry, and
cursed the place, that no more revelry might take place therein to
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 129
the end of time. He would have been in difficult circumstances
for a lodging had not one named Caitne and his wife Brig,
housed him for the night, they fed him on roast beef, pork, and
a big jar full of beer that was set before him. He was so pleased
that he promised that ale and meat should not fail them till
Pentecost. And that was on November Ist, so that we know the
revelry in the caer was due to the celebration of a Pagan
festival.
The Saints of Ireland whom we find associated with Cornwall
all belong to the South, and it seems strange to have the Patron
Saint of Derry also in Cornwall. But it must be remembered
that Hoghain’s earliest foundation was Kilnamanagh, in Wicklow.
It was not till he was well advanced in life that he went into the
North. And his visit to Cornwall must have been at an early
period of his career.
That he was vastly charitable would appear from his giving
his pair of chariot horses to a leper who was wretchedly off.
When his friend Coirpre, Bishop of Coleraine—who, it will be
remembered had been a fellow pupil with him—heard of this he
sent him two horses of his own. In return for this EKoghain
gave him a complete copy of the Holy Gospels.
Hoghain was related to Conlaeth, S. Bridget’s Bishop. The
reason of his going North seems to have been that he might be
among his mother’s relations, as she was daughter of the petty
king of Oriel.
It might be objected that in Gwendron is Merthyr Uny,
which implies that he was a martyr there. This would be true
were this a Welsh settlement, as among the Welsh Merthyr does
mean a Martyrium, either over a Martyr’s grave or in memory of
a Martyr; but it has not this meaning at all in Ireland, nor had
it that signification at the beginning. S. Patrick was solicitous
that his converts should not be buried in cairns after heathen
fashion, and he consecrated Jartartechs, or Cemeteries, (tech is a
house) for the special burial places of the Christians. In Ossory
he made a Martartech in the plain of Magh Roighne; and he
did the same apparently in each several district. Thus in one
region there would be a single domus martyrwi to which all the
faithful throughout the district would be brought. So Merthyr
Uny would be the cemetery consecrated by Uny for the use of
his co-religionists in Carnmarth.
130 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
That Merthyr had the same meaning outside the region
occupied by the Irish we do not know. It had, as shown, a
different meaning in Wales. \
Another name by which these Cemeteries was known in
Treland was relig, probably because the Apostle of the Irish
placed some relic, or supposed relic, in them to consecrate them.
The date of 8. Hoghain’s death is thought to have been
570. But this is probably too late; his friend and fellow student,
Tighernach, died in 548.
There is a representation of 8. Huny on the churchyard
cross at 8. Ives.
William of Worcester gives as his day February 1.
At Redruth and Lelant the Feast is observed on February 2.
But at Lelant also on August 15.
In Ireland, EKoghain is commemorated August 23.*
In Brittany, as 8. Uniac, Ugnac, or Igneuc, on August 2.
There is a parish, Plou-Ignau, that bears his name in the
diocese of Quimper.
The dedications in Cornwall are :—
The church of Uny-Lelant.
The church of Redruth.
A chapel at Sancreed.
A chapel at 8. Just in Penwith.
A chapel and cemetery at Merthyr Uny, in Wendron.
In Gulval, some years ago, an inscribed cross-shaff was
found bearing on it ‘‘ Unui.”” The fragment has been re-erected,
by inadvertance, upside down.
The Life of 8S. Eoghain is among those in the Salamanca
Codex.
8. Evat, Bishop, Confessor.
In 13822 Bishop Stapeldon issued an order relative to the
church ‘Sancti Uvelli,” and Bishop Bronescombe also calls the
patron of 8. Eyals—Uvellus. Wythiel parish church is likewise
dedicated to him.
* So also Whytford in his Martyrology.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 131
In the parish of S. Eval is a farm called Raws, where was a
chapel called Laneff, and this probably was the original
oratory of the Saint.
Uvellus is the Latin form for the Welsh Uvelwyn. He was
a sou of 8. Kenneth, the crippled hermit of Gower, and grandson
of Gildas the historian. His brother was 8. Filius, of Phileigh.
He is believed to have been one of the British Bishops who
met Augustine in the celebrated conference under the Oak,
relative to the differences between the Latin church and that of
the Britons.
This is very probable, as at that time Uvellus or Eval was
Bishop of Llandaff, having succeeded 8. Oudoc. Moreover it is
almost certain that so important a person in the Welsh Church
as the Bishop of Llandaff would be present. According to
Welsh tradition he was one of those who met 8. Augustine, but
the see of 8. David was not represented, probably because vacant
at the time.
I will venture to quote the account of this great conference
from the Bishop of Bristol’s little book on ‘ Augustine and his
Companions.” His authority of course is Bede.
‘‘ Augustine began by brotherly admonition to urge the
Britons to make catholic peace with him... .Ecclesiastical and
formal unity having been secured, by whatever action might be
necessary, they were then to take a joint interest in spreading
the gospel among the heathen people. And here Bede interposes
an explanation of the need for some action to secure Catholic
peace. The Britons, he says, did not keep the Lord’s Day of the
Passover at the proper time, but from the fourteenth to the
twentieth of the Moon, and very many other things they did
contrary to ecclesiastical unity....The Britons held their own
firmly. The disputation lasted long. The British firmness
produced its natural effect upon men like Augustine. They
began by praying the Britons to take their view; they went on
to exhorting them; they ended by scolding them. And not to
any of these methods and tempers did the British gave any heed.
To the last they preferred their own traditions to all that they
were told of the agreement of all the churches in the world.
This brings us to the last weapon in Augustine’s armoury,
132 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
scolding having been the last but one. I accept the story as
given by Bede, but withold an expression of opinion as to
Augustine’s part init. Augustine proposed that some afflicted
person should be brought before them, and each party should try
to heal him by the efficacy of their prayers. The Britons
consented, but unwillingly, and a blind man was brought. ‘The
British Priests did what they could, but they could do nothing.
Then Augustine knelt down and prayed, and immediately the
man received his sight. Thereupon the Britons confessed that
Augustine’s was the true way of righteousness. But, they said,
they could not commit themselves to a change from their ancient
customs, without the consent and permission of those whom they
represented. They asked that a second conference should be
held, when more of them would come.”
Here we have the partisan version of the story by Bede.
It is amusing to compare with this the account given by an Irish
early writer of a similar conclave held at Old Leighlin, in 680,
when an admonitory letter to the bishops of Ireland, from
Honorius I., was read to them. S. Laserian, abbot of Leighlin,
strongly advocated the introduction of the Roman computation of
Easter, according to the Papal letter. But 8. Fintan Munu of
Taghmon vehemently oppossed this, and appealed to the judgment
of God. He asked to have a house set in a blaze, and that one
of the Roman party and one of his Celtic adherents should go into
the flames. Those who favoured the Latin church shrank from
the ordeal.*
“‘The story goes, Bede says, that to the second conference
there came no less than seven Bishops of the Britons; to meet
the one only Bishop the English Church possessed. There came
also, many very learned men chiefly from their most noble
monastery....Bangor ys y Cold, Bangor under the Wood, 10 or
12 miles south of Chester....Before the sacred conference, the
British leaders consulted a holy and prudent man, who lived the
anchorite life among them, on this question, ‘Ought they, on the
teaching of Augustine, to desert their own traditions?’ I feel
sure that we must credit them with putting the question in full
earnest: it seems to me certain that their minds were open to
* Vite: SS, Hibern., in Cod. Salamane, p. 502,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 133
adopt Augustine’s practice, if they saw the way fairly clear. And
the anchorite’s answer is quite startlingly broad and bold—‘ If
he is a man of God, follow him.’ ‘And how,’ they naturally
asked, ‘are we able to test that?’ He replied, ‘The Lord hath
said, take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek
and lowly in heart. If then, Augustine is meek and lowly in
heart, you may believe that he himself bears Christ’s yoke, and
that he offers it to you also to be borne. But if that he is not
meek is proved, it is clear that he is not of God, nor need we regard
his teaching.’ ‘And by what means,’ they asked, ‘are we to
discern this?’ ‘Arrange beforehand,’ he advised them, ‘that he
and his people arrive first at the place of the synod. If he rises
to receive you when you approach, know that he is a servant of
Christ, and hear him with willing attention. But if he spurns
you, and does not chose to rise when you appear, though you are
more in number than he, let him in turn be spurned by you.’
They acted on his advice. It turned out that, when they came,
Augustine remained seated. They became angry, noting him as
proud, and they set themselves to argue against everything he
said. He said last to them this: ‘There are many points on
which you act contrary to our custom, yea, the custom of the
Universal Church. Yet, if on three points you will assent to my
view, we will tolerate with equanimity all your other practices,
though they be contrary to our own. ‘These three points are :—
that you celebrate the Passover (Haster) at its proper time; that
you complete the office of baptism after the manner of the holy
Roman and Apostole Church; that along with us you preach the
Word of God to the English race.’....They then gave him their
final answer. ‘They would do none of these things. They
would not have him as Archbishop; for,’ they argued among
themselves, ‘if he does not rise to greet us now, he will treat us
as of no account at all when we are under his rule.” On which
Augustine is said to have threatened them by a prophecy that the
English would destroy them. So natural a prophecy was in due
course fulfilled.”
It need cause us no surprise to find a foundation of 8. Uvellus
in Cornwall. Caw the father of Gildas and grandfather of 8S.
HKyval, was son of Geraint, of Domnonia, so that there is nothing
surprising in his claiming possession to land in the family
134 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
principality. There was probably a good deal of the royal
domain in this part of Cornwall, as we have near each other so
many foundations of members of the royal house, 8. Eryan, 8.
Wenn, 8S. Enodoc, 8. Constantine, and the grants made to S.
Petrock were out of the royal domain.
We find the name of Uvellus or Uvellwyn as witness to
grants of land made by Pabiau, son-in-law of Constantine III.,
of Cornwall, and King of Ergyng or Archenfeld, and by Meurig
King of Morganwg (Liber Llanday., pp. 215-415).
William of Worcester on ‘Sancti de Wallia, per informa-
tionem Mag. Johannis Smyth, Episcopi Landavensis ecclesiae,”
says, ‘‘S. Uffaldus C., Anglice Seynt Uffille, plures ecclesiae in
Wallia.”” However the only church known to Rees (Essay on
the Welsh Saints, 1836) as dedicated to him was Llanufelwyn
now 8. George’s, near Carditf.*
The Feast day at 8. Eval is November 20.
The Feast day at Wythiel is November 23.
His date would be about 610.
S. Ewe, Virgin, Martyr.
This Saintly Virgin cannot be the same as 8. Hia or Ive, of
Penwith, as her church is in a part out of the district fluenced
by the Ivish settlers.
A family of the name of Hiwys possessed the Manor of
S. Ewe at the beginning of the reign of Edward III., and in
this name we probably have an earlier form of Ewe.
It is possible that she may be the same Virgin Saint as is
venerated in Brittany as 8. Eve, who, as nothing is there known
concerning her is conveniently put into the company of the
mythical Ursula. There was an Eve, V. M., who was honoured
at Dreux, and commemorated on September 6.
Another, a Martyr at Carthage, who was arrested at Abitine
and was so tortured on the rack that she died in prison, 304, her
day is February 11. Neither of these is the least likely to be the
*T suspect that by Uffaldus, William of Worcester meant S. Hlfod, who
brought the Welsh to the Roman computation at Haster,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 135
Cornish 8. Ewe and the Breton 8. Eve. Of the latter, called
also Avoye, the story goes that she was not martyred with S.
Ursula and her company, but escaped to the neighbourhood of
Boulogne where she lived an eremitical life, but was murdered by
pagans in her cell. Her cult was very widely spread in France,
and it is possible that she may have been a native of Britain who
passed into Armorica, which formerly included all the North
coast of Gaul, and there perished by the hands of murderers.
Her day is May 8, in Brittany May 2.
In B. Stafford’s register, 1395, she is called 8“ Ewa, so also
in Quivil’s, 1281.
At Tregona, in the parish of S. Eval was a chapel dedicated
to 8. Eva.
There is a village or hamlet in Pluneret, in Morbihan, where
is a beautiful renaissance chapel dedicated to the Saint, with a
fine screen of 1554. According to the legend told there the Saint
was one of the company of 8. Ursula and was thrown into prison,
where she was miraculously fed by the Blessed Virgin. She was
finally decapitated. There is a ‘“‘pardon”’ there the first Sunday
in May. In the Sanctuary is preserved a great block of quartz
slightly hollowed above and called ‘‘the boat of S** Avoie,”
presumably that on which she escaped from the Huns at Cologne.
On this ‘‘ Boat” are three symbols cut, one like a cross, one
like a T, and the third like J. Children that are delicate or
infirm are placed in the ‘‘ Boat” to recover strength.
At 8. Avé the parish church formerly dedicated to her has
been re-dedicated to SS. Gervase and Protessus. Her feast in
Brittany is not only May 2, but also on May 6 and October 21
(Kerviler).
8. Fexiciras, Virgin, Martyr.
The church of Phillack is entered persistently in the Epis-
copal Registers as that of 8. Felicitas. There can, however,
exist no manner of doubt that 8. Piala was the saint to whom
the church belonged. It is close to Riviere, which is in the
parish. She and her brother Guinger or Fingar were there when
Tewdrig pursued and attacked them. (See Fingar).
(136 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Her day in the Bodmin Calendar, quoted by William of
Worcester, was March 7: which is the day of 8. Felicitas, the
Martyr in Mauritanea, in the Roman Martyrology, commemorated
along with S. Perpetua. Another Felicitas, mother of seven sons,
Martyrs, is commemorated on July 10.
8. Fetrx, Bishop, Confessor.
The church of Philleigh on the Fal is in modern times
attributed to 8. Felix, Bishop of Nantes, who succeeded Kumonius
about 550.
But there is no evidence to justify this appropriation ; Bishop
Stapeldon’s Register for 1311, and that of Bishop Stafford for 1405,
give 8. Filius as the patron. Bronescombe’s Register in 1279
gives Hglosros, ¢.¢. the Church on the Moor. So also the Taxation
of Nicolas LY.
S. Felix of Nantes died Jan. 8, 582.
For the patron of Philleigh see Filius.
8. Frock, Bishop, Confessor.
Feock is Fiacc, Bishop of Sletty, disciple of 8. Patrick. His
veneration extends to Brittany. It is certainly a remarkable
instance of the intercommunication that existed between Ireland,
Britain, and Armorica, that we find the same saint at home in all
three.
The notices that we have concerning the saint in the Irish
records relate only to his acts in Ireland, because nothing was
known of his life out of his native isle; and the Breton life we
have deals with his acts in Armorica, and passes over his acts
in Ireland, or treats them in the vaguest manner.
Fiace is introduced to our notice for the first time when 8.
Patrick accompanied by pious clerics appeared at the convention
of Tara, in 455. Precisely the same story is told of him then, as
of Ere. Ere had stood up on the previous day, when Patrick had
been summoned before Laoghaire at Slane. So, on this occasion,
when Patrick appeared before the king and the great assembly at
Tara, he was received by all seated, with the exception of
Dubhtach, the king’s chief poet, and Fiacc, his nephew, then a
lad of eighteen,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 137
Fiace was the son of Dubhtach’s sister. His father MacDaire
had been expelled from his patrimony in what is now Queen’s
County by Crimthan king of the Hy Cinnselach. In exile he
had become a widower, and had married a sister of Dubhtach
the poet.
All the Hy Bairrche, the family of which Fiace belonged,
were now living dispersed, nursing their resentment and looking
for a chance of revenge and of recovery of their land between
the Nore and the Barrow.
A few years after the incident at Tara, Fiacc was baptised by
8. Patrick himself, during his missionary visitation of Leinster.
Crimthan, the king of the Hy Cinnselach, who occupied
Wexford, and had annexed the Hy Bairrche territory, had opposed
_ the progress of the gospel, and had expelled from his territories
such as possessed Christianity. Patrick succeeded in softening the
old man and inducing him to be baptized. This accelerated the
conversion of his tribesmen, and necessitated the establishment
among them of a native priesthood.
With this view, the apostle consulted Dubhtach, with whom
he was on the most friendly terms, as to what was to be done, and
whom he was to send to organize the Church among the Hy
Cinnselach and in the old Hy Bairrche territory. ‘The man I
require as bishop,” said Patrick, ‘‘must be a free man, of good
family, without blemish, not given to fawning, learned, hospitable,
the husband of one wife, and the father of a single child.” The
object of the last consideration was that the new bishop should
not be cumbered with family cares.
Dubhtach recommended his nephew, Fiacc the Fair. ‘ But
how persuade him to take on him the burden of the office ?”
asked Patrick. ‘‘ He is now approaching,” said Dubhtach, ‘‘ Take
a pair of shears and pretend to be shaving my head, and see what
follows.”” Patrick did as desired. Fiace ran up and asked
breathlessly, what Patrick was about. ‘‘I want a bishop for the
Hy Cinnselach,”’ replied the apostle.
‘My uncle is too important a man to be spared for that,”
said Fiace, ‘‘ Take me rather than him,’ and so it was that Fiace
was consecrated bishop. Then Patrick furnished him with a bell,
a reliquary, a pastoral staff, and a book satchel; and appointed
138 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
seven of his clerics to attend him. S. Patrick’s conduct.in this
transaction was one of those happy strokes of genius and tactful
arrangements which conduced so largely to his success in Ireland.
Crimthan, as already stated, had driven the Hy Bairrche out
of their land, although MacDaire was his own son-in-law. By
the daughter of Crimthan MacDaire had four sons, all of whom
were eating out their hearts with rage in banishment. By his
second wife MacDaire had an only son, Fiace.
The apostle now proposed to Crimthan to surrender one fifth
of the Hy Bairrche patrimony to Fiacc, that is to say Fiacc’s
legitimate share of his father’s property, and to accept him as
spiritual head of the mission in that part of Leinster. ‘To this,
probably after some demur, Crimthan acceded. He moreover
gave to Patrick some thirty or forty sites for churches in the Hy
Cinnselach district, so that at once the Church started well endowed
throughout the whole district from the Nore to the sea. By this
happy arrangement, some of the wrong done to the Hy Bairrche
was redressed, and Fiace started work among his own people.
The first thing he did was to form a nucleus whence he could
work. This he placed at Domnach Fiacc, now Moryacomb, on
the borders of Carlow, between Clonmore and Aghold. It is clear
that he felt little confidence in Crimthan, so he made his head-
quarters at some little distance from him. From this establishment
he worked the district with the men given him by Patrick; but
he did more, he made of this establishment a training school for
missionary priests whom he could send as required, to fill the
churches among the Hy Cinnselach and the Hy Bairrche, as the
gospel made way.
During Lent he was wont to retire unattended to a cave on
the north-east side of the doon of Clopook, where the rock rises
abruptly a hundred and fifty feet from the plain. It lies directly
north-west of Sletty, from which it is distant about seven miles.
Here he not only spent his time in prayer and meditation,
but in jotting down memorials of S. Patrick. A hymn on the
Life of 8. Patrick is attributed to him, but he was not the author,
it was a composition of Aedh the anchorite of Sletty, who died in
690.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 139
From Domnach Fiace he moved to Sletty, near Carlow, for
what reason we do not know, and made that his principal estab-
lishment. He had some able and experienced men with him, men
who made their mark in the Church. One was Ninnidh who has
been identified with Maucen or Mawgan. In Tirechan’s Collections
towards the Life of 8S. Patrick, he is called Manchan. At the
wish, or by the advice of the apostle, this man crossed over to S.
David’s Head, in Wales, and there established the great nursery
of saints, Ty Gwyn. The district ruled by Crimthan was too
unsettled, and the prospects of disturbance too threatening for
Fiace and Patrick not to desire to have the Missionary School
removed from Leinster. Another, who was with Fiacc was Paul,
who succeeded Ninnidh as head of Ty Gwyn, the same Paul the
Old, whose inscribed monument is preserved at Dolau Cothi.
Paul had been a disciple of 8. Germanus of Auxerre.
Other helpers were men of experience, but who have left less
mark. Cattoc or Cattan, Patrick’s priest; Augustine, who had
come to Ireland with Palladius, and who, on the failure of that
mission, had accompanied his patron to North Britain. After the
death of Palladius, Augustine offered his services to Patrick, who
placed him with Fiace.
Others of less note were Tagan or Tecce, an Ossoryman ;
Diarmid a kinsman of Fiacc, and Fedlemid.
Fiace had been baptised in 460, and was consecrated very
shortly after and sent on his mission in Leinster.
In 465 a revolution occurred. The half brother of Fiacc,
called Oengus, succeeded in enlisting allies and in stirring up the
clansmen between the Noreand the Barrow. A battle was fought
and Oengus killed his grandfather, Crimthan, with his own hand.
He then obtained for himself his patrimony. Whether his
brothers were restored is not known. But the Hy Cennselach
were not disposed to bear their defeat, and retaliated, so that for
some years the whole of Leinster was in commotion.
In 480 Finnchad, king of the Hy Cennselach was killed by
Cairbre, son of Niall, in a battle at Graine, north of Kildare, in
which the Leinster men were fighting among themselves. In
489 a desperate conflict took place at Kelliston in Carlow, in which
140 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
S. Fiace’s half-brother Oengus was engaged. In 492 Cairbre was
again fighting the men of Leinster. The latter were again
defeated in 497 or 500.
The condition of the south-east was so disturbed, the country
so incessantly ravaged, that Fiace must have despaired of effecting
much till the times were quieter. This was about the period
of the migration to Penwith, and although the Irish writers tell
us nothing about it, we may conjecture that it was during these
commotions that Fiace went to Cornwall, there to work, and there,
may be, to gather missionaries to assist him, when peace was
restored. But he went further, he visited Armorica. The Breton
Legendary Life of 8. Fiacc, who is called in Breton Vougai, is
late and mixed with fable. It makes him an archbishop of
Armagh who, unable to bear the burden of his office, and the man-
ners of an intractable people, left Ireland, and crossed to Armorica,
floating over on a rock that detached itself and served as a ship.
He stepped ashore at Pen March; whereupon the rock turned
about and swam back to Ireland. He did not remain long at
Pen March, but settled on the south of the great harbour of
Brest, where he founded the church now called Lann Veoc. But
even there he would not tarry. He crossed the harbour, entered
the forest, and formed for himself a hermitage at Landeboscher.
The Bretons think that he died there.
In the parish of Treguenec near Pen March where he came
ashore is a rock bearing the impress on it of a head, and this is
supposed to have served him asa pillow. Pilgrims visit it to be
cured of fever, and they lay their heads in the depression and
drink water into which a relic of the saint has been plunged.
In the 10th century Litany of S. Vougai he is invoked as S.
Becheue.
The name in Brittany is Vio, Vougai, Veho and Vec’ho.
Beside the churches already mentioned of which he is patron, he
is also one of those of Priziac, canton of Faouét, in Morbihan,
These foundations in Brittany, like that in Cornwall, point to his
having devoted a portion of his missionary life to the establish-
ment of centres of religion elsewhere beside Ireland. St. Feock
in Cornwall belongs to the little Irish cluster, of which 8. Kea,
and Peran-ar- Worthal belong; and they are at no great distance
from the cluster at Lizard, where among others was his fellow
worker and friend in Ireland, 8S. Mawgan or Mancen.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 141
To return to his labours in Ireland. He suffered at one time
from an abscess in his leg (laboravit fistula in coxa), which made
it difficult for him to walk. S. Patrick hearing of this sent him
a chariot and horses to alleviate his sufferings; but this excited
jealousy in Secundinus, his comrade. Whereupon Patrick told this
latter to keep the chariot for himself, and Secundinus did actually
retain it for three days, and was then heartily ashamed of himself,
and returned it to Fiacc. Nothing is recorded of his death in
Treland, but late authorities assume that he was buried in Sletty;
so that it is quite conceivable he may have retired in favour of
his son Fiacra, and gone to Cornwall and finished his days in
Brittany. In the Irish Calendars his feast is on October 12th ;
and his death may be put at any time between 510 and 520.
But under the name of Vouk or Vogoue he has a church and
well in S. Vogou’s townland, Wexford, and his feast is there
observed on January 20.
S. Feock’s feast in Cornwall is on the nearest Thursday to
February 2, before or after.
In Brittany he is commemorated on June 15th. In Cornwall
not only is S. Feock dedicated to him, but there is also a Saviock
in 8. Kea’s parish, where it adjoins 8. Feock. (Sze also 8S. Veep).
Sheviock very probably was also dedicated to this saint, though
now under the invocation of SS. Peter and Paul.
Probably in art he should be represented, either with a harp,
as he had been trained to be a bard by his uncle, before his ordi-
nation; or else with a chariot and horses at his side.
S. Fittus, Confessor.
Filius and Uvelus were brothers, and sons of Keneth, and
grandsons of Gildas. Their presence in Cornwall is explicable
enough, as they were akin to the royal family through Caw son of
Geraint. Unfortunately, no details of his life have been preserved.
Philleigh church is under his patronage, so also probably
Lamphil, or Llan-Fil, on the further side of the Camel to the old
chapel of S. James in the parish of 8. Breward. The name Pili
signifies a poet, and it is possible that the saint may have been
trained as a bard.
142 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
The Haroldstone (Welsh) Calendar (Brit. Mus. MSS. Addl.
22, 720) gives March 9 as the day of 8. Felius B.C., but this may
be meant for Felix B. of the Hast Saxons, March 8.
8. Fiyzar, Bishop, Confessor,
Patron of Fowey, where there is anoble church dedicated to him.
For short he is called 8. Barr. His day according to William of
Worcester, as observed there was September 26.
In 1886 at the rededication of the church, Bishop Grandisson
attempted to get rid of him, by putting the church under the
invocation of 8. Nicolas; but the old Irish Saint has held his
ground stubbornly, notwithstanding.
Finbar’s father was a native of Connaught. His origin was
somewhat scandalous, but the story must be given asit isillustra-
tive of the severe laws that prevailed in Ireland forthe preservation
of female virtue.
Tighernach was king of Rathluinin Muskerry. His wife had
a noble lady staying with her, and at the same time the king had
summoned to him a master-smith from Connaught, named
Amergin. ‘The king commanded his household that none of
them should form a secret alliance with the lady visitor. Amergin
did not, however, hear of the warning, and he bestowed great
love and affection to the lady, and her love for him was no less.”
The king hearing a rumour that all was not as it ought to be,
sent for her, and she confessed that she expected to become a
mother, and that Amergin was the father. ‘‘If this be so,” said
the king, “It is right that you should be bound together, and
scorched and burnt without respite.”
The king, so says the story, ordered both to be burnt alive,
but a providential rain extinguished the flames of the pyre. The
facts were, probably, that he was moved by the tears of his wite
and the lady, and commuted the extreme penalty of the law into
one of banishment. That the law did inflict this penalty we know
from another case.*
* Book of the Dun Cow, p. 41.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 1438
When the child was born, the name given to it was Loan, and
he was nursed at home for seven years, at which age his father
gave him up to some religious man to be educated for the eccle-
siastical estate. They brought him to Kilmacahill in the county
of Kilkenny, where he remained some years learning to read and
acquire the psalms by heart.
One day a monk was cutting the boy’s long golden curls,
when he was forced to say, ‘‘ What shining hair yours is!” The
abbot standing by said, ‘‘ Ah! let Shining Hair (Finn-bar) be his
name amongst us henceforth ;’’ and so it was, and so is he known
to this day.
A pretty story is told of his childhood, which indeed at once
shews us the kindly simplicity of these old religious men, and of
the respect with which the little Loan was regarded by them.
They were about to trace out anew site, or perhaps only new
foundations for their church and monastery. With one accord
they agreed to let the innocent little boy with the golden locks
mark the lines that their habitations and church were to be reared
upon, because, said they, nothing but good and a blessing could
rest on such a site as one thus traced in the soil.
A foster brother of S. David, known in the Lives of S. Finbar
as Mac Corp, came to Ireland, and our saint placed himself under
his direction. Mac Corp 7.e. Mac Coirpre is not known to Irish
or Welsh Martyrologists. The name means no more than the
Son of Cairbre. After some years Mac Corp persuaded Barr to go
with him on pilgrimage to Rome. They went thither, and on
their way back, Finbar founded a church in Alba,—possibly by
this Fowey may be meant, for Alba was a name given orignally
to all Britain, but was afterwards limited to Scotland. It is,
however, much more likely that it was then that he made foun-
dations in Scotland where his cult was at one time considerable.
In the Life of 8. David there is a notice of a visit made to
him by Barr on his way back from Rome. Finbar remained with
8. David some little while, and then desiring to return into
Ireland, and haying no boat of his own, 8. David lent him one of
his own called ‘‘ the Horse,” as it had a figure-head representing
that animal. As Finbar crossed over on it, he passed S. Brendan
144 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
in his vessel ‘‘ The Sea Monster,” and they saluted each other.
A picture of the vessel of 8. David was painted and framed in
in gold, and was long preserved at Ferns.*
Finbar seems to have made acquaintance also with 8S. Aidan
and 8. Cadoe.
On his return to Ireland, Finbar founded a monastic settle-
ment on Lough Hirke, at a place that still bears his name Gongane
Barra, or the Chasm of 8. Barr. The place soon became famous,
and many disciples resorted to him, and he became the head of a
large congregation both male and female.
However, the place was incommodious, and 8. Finbar aban-
doned it for Cloyne about fifteen miles from Cork, where he
remained for seventeen years. But this site did not satisfy his
requirements, and he finally migrated to Corcagh-mor, the Great
Marsh, as the name signifies, near the mouth of the Lee, and there
he founded twelve churches, and about his settlement in process
of time grew up the city of Cork. To consecrate the place 8S.
Finbar fasted and prayed incessantly for three days and three
nights. The other alternative method was moderate fasting and
frequent prayer for forty days. Finbar chose the severer but
more rapid method of appropriating and dedicating a site.
In the life of 8. Senan of Iniscathy we are told that that
saint took ten foreign monks from his monastery to S. Finbar, but
it is difficult to reconcile dates. According to legend, 8. Finbar
went from Cork to Rome in company with 8. Aedh or Madoc of
Ferns, 8. David and twelve monks to receive consecration from
Gregory the Great ; Gregory however refused to consecrate him,
because it had been revealed to him that Finbar was to receive his
episcopal orders in heaven itself. Then comes a nonsensical story
of how Finbar and Mac Corp were carried up into heaven and
were there elevated to the office of bishops, and how a miraculous
spring of oil broke out and flowed over the ankles of those who
stood looking up expecting the return of the saints. This stuff
may at once be dismissed, and we must not be misled by the intro-
duction into the story of Gregory the Great (590-604). For how
long S. Finbar remained at Cork after he had founded it we do
not know, but there he died and was buried.
* Vit. S. David, Cambro-Brit. SS. p. 435.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 145
When we come to fixing the date of S. Finbar we meet with
difficulties. He was a contemporary of 8. David, 8. Aedh, and 8.
Cadoc. SS. David’s death can hardly be placed later than 550. As
I shall shew, when we come to 8. Aedh (Hugh) of Ferns, there
were two of this name, and Aedh the disciple of S. David died
between 565 and 570. S. Cadoc is thought to have died as early
as 520, but was probably somewhat later. S. Senan, who sent
monks to 8. Finbar died 510-520.
Leland, quoting from the Life of S. Wymer, ¢.¢. 8. Fingar,
mentions Barricius as ‘‘ Socius Patricii,” and says that he came
to Cornwall, and implies that he did so along with Fingar and
Piala. If so, he must have been associated with 8. Senan and
S. Breaca. Now we are told in his Life that among the holy
women under his direction was a Brig, ¢.c. Breaca. And as we
have seen, he was on friendly terms with S. Senan. Leland is
certainly wrong in calling him a companion of S. Patrick, but if
S. Patrick died in 498, then it is by no means impossible that he
may have seen and spoken with him. But no mention of Patrick
occurs in Finhbar’s Life. Usually, Finbar’s death is set down as
taking place in 623: this I consider far too late, and I should
rather be disposed to place it at 560.
It remains to give a few of the legendary tales that have
attached themselves to Finbar.
As we have seen, the story went that he had been consecrated
in heaven, Christ took him by the hand and lifted him up, that
like 8. Paul, he might see the ineffable glories there. ver after,
that hand blazed with light, so that Finbar was obliged to keep
it covered with a glove.
One day Finbar was sitting under a hazel-bush with 8.
Lasrean, talking about heavenly things, and when they were
about to part, the latter besought his friend for a token that God
was with him. Now it was in the season of early spring; Finbar
prayed, and the hazel-catkins that were swaying above their heads
fell off, nuts formed, and leaves appeared. ‘Then Finbar, smiling,
filled his lap with ripe hazel-nuts, and offered them to 8. Lasrean.
In the Life of Monynna—the Cornish Morwenna—he is said
to have visited her monastery. Seeing the approach of the
bishop, Monynna was aghast, as in the monastery was only one
146 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
little barrel of beer to serve for the sisters, and the travellers
approaching were many and thirsty. Hastily she had a vat filled
with water, and it turned into very respectable swipes. The
origin of the story is not far to seek. The good abbess not having
a sufficiency of ale, watered down her supply, and 8. Finbar
courteously assured her that the liquor was so good that he would
not drink too much of it.
In the gloss in the Lebbar Brece on the Martyrology of
Oengus is a curious story of Finbar and Scuthin meeting on the
sea, probably as the former was on his way from Cornwall, and
the latter on his way to Rome. Finbar was in a boat, but
Scuthin was walking on the water. ‘‘ How come you to be
making your progress thus?” asked Finbar. ‘‘ Why not,”
answered Scuthin, ‘“‘ I am walking on a green shamrock-spread
plain.” Then he stooped, picked a purple flower and threw it to
Finbar, who dipped his hand in the sea, caught a salmon, and
cast the fish to Scuthin.
Scuthine and Brendan were bosom friends, and the former had
been a disciple of 8. David.
S. Finbar’s Day is Sept. 25th. He occurs in all the Irish
Myrtyrologies.
In Nasmith’s edition of William of Worcester the day is
given as Sept. 26th, but this is probably a misprint for the 25th.
There are extant several lives of 8. Finbar. One in MS. in
Bp. Marsh’s Library, 8. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, has never
been printed. It contains some details so fabulous, that the
Bollandist Fathers shrank from publishing it. By the favour of
the librarian, I have been enabled to obtain a copy.
Another life, free from much that scandalised the Bollandists,
is in the Burgundian Library at Brussels, and one is in the Book
of Fermoy, which is probably the same ; so also some MSS. Lives
are in the Libraries of Trinity Coll, Dublin, and the Royal
Trish Academy.
In Art, 8. Finbar should be represented as a bishop holding
a branch of hazel-nuts, or with his right hand emitting rays of
light.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 147
S. Frvear, Martyr.
Fingar or Guaire the White was son of an Irish king, called
in the Latin legend Clyto. This has been supposed to be a mis-
rendering of Olylt, or Ailill Molt king of Connaught in 449, and
king of Ireland in 468, who fell in the battle of Ocha in 478.
But there is no other ground for this supposition than a guess
that Clyto stands for Olylt, and it is more probable—admitting
this, that the Olylt or Aili, who was the father of Fingar, was
the son of Mac Dairre of the Hy Bairrche, who with his brothers
was expelled their patrimony by the Hy Cinnselach from Leinster.
When we read in a monastic account that one of the Celtic
saints left his country for the love of God, at the head of a swarm
of retainers, we may be pretty certain that he was kicked out.
In the legend there is much solemn fooling over Clyto and Fingar.
According to it Fingar was converted by 8. Patrick, and when the
apostle appeared before his father to preach the gospel, he alone
stood up. This is an appropriation from the legends of 8S. Ere
and his half-brother, 8. Fiace. Clyto was so angry that he ordered
Fingar to leave the island. Several young men who believed
joined him, as did also his sister Ciara, or Piala. They took ship
and sailed for Brittany, where they were well received by the
reigning prince, whose name is not recorded.
The place of landing is uncertain. 8. Fingar is commemo-
rated at both Ploudiri in Finisterre and at Pluvinger in Morbihan,
but the latter place named indicates that it was there that he con-
stituted his plow or tribe.
The chief of the land gave his consent to his settling there,
and Fingar diverted himself with hunting. One day he was in
pursuit of a stag, when he was separated from his companions.
He killed and cut up the stag and placed the carcase on his horse.
As he was covered with blood, he sought a fountain where he
could wash, but finding none, he drove the point of his spear into
the ground, whereupon a spring gushed forth. Here he cleansed
his hands and garments. In the process he saw his own face
reflected in the water, and fell into great admiration of his per-
sonal beauty. ‘I really,” said he, ‘‘am too good-looking a fellow
for this world,” and he forthwith resolved to devote his heauty to
religion ; and he set to work to erect a hut of branches near the
spring, where he might begin his life of mortification and solitude,
148 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Meantime his companions and attendants were sore troubled
at his not appearing, and the prince of the country suspecting
foul play, arrested them, and threatened them with death unless
they produced Fingar. They represented to the prince that it was
anticedently improbable that they should murder their leader on
whom they all depended, and that they were obviously incapaci-
tated from finding him if they were locked up in prison. The
prince having a mind open to an argument, yielded and bade them
scour the country and find Fingar. They searched, and at length
came on him in his improvised cell by the fountain. The Prince
or Duke was brought to the spot, and as Fingar professed his
resolution not to return to the world, he was granted the whole
territory round, free of impost for ever. This is almost certainly
the very extensive district of Plouvinger. The name itself indi-
cates it as the place where Fingar established his clan or plebs.
It now contains nine daughter churches, the mother churchis dedi-
cated to S. Fingar, and his sacred fountain is shown near it.
After some time the desire came over him to return to his
native land. He accordingly sailed for Ireland, and on arriving,
found that his father was dead, and the members of the sept
desired that he should be their chief. To this he would not
hearken, but advised that his sister Kiara (the Brythonic form
is Piala) should be married to some noble and that her husband
should be elected king. But Kiara would not consent to this, she
had but one ambition, to join her brother in a religious life.
Fingar then advised the sept to leave it to chance, in other words
let there be a general scrimmage, to decide who should be their
sovereign; as for himself, he would abandon the country.
Accordingly, at the head of seven hundred and seventy-seven
men, seven bishops, and with his sister Kiara, he sailed to return
to Armorica, but was carried by the winds towards Cornwall.
I may be permitted here to quote the grotesque version of
the story as given by Lobineau.
‘“‘ tant retourné dans son pays, avec le dessin de convertir a
Jesus Christ ses compatriotes, il y refusa la couronne que le mort
venait 4 enlever a son pére, et que ses sujets lui présentaient avec
un empressement qui marquait bien que ceux qui professent la
véritable foi ne manquent jamais de fidélité a leurs souverain
légitime,”’
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 149
Hardly had he started before Hia, a virgin, who had resolved
on accompanying Kiara, came down to the shore, and to her dis-
may saw the boat already in the offing. But a leaf was floating
on the waves. With astick she drew it towards her, and trusting
to God stepped on to it, when the leaf expanded, and she was
waited upon it over the sea, and arrived in Cornwall, where she
landed in Hayle Bay, and constructed for herself a cabin, where
now stands S. Ives.
Sometime later Fingar and his party arrived in the same
harbour, and disembarked. On landing, Fingar found a little
dwelling in which lived a holy virgin, but unwilling to incommode
her, the party passed on and went to Connerton. Here was a
worthy woman who was ready and willing to entertain the party ;
and, to make beds for them, she at once tore down all the thatch
from her roof. She had but a single cow, but that she immedi-
ately offered the party. They fell on it, killed, cut it up, roasted
and ate it. After that, Fingar collected the bones, put them into
the skin. 'The entire party, led by the seven bishops, prayed, and
up stood the cow, lowed, shook herself, and suffered herself at
once to be milked. After this the cow always gave three times as
much milk as any other, and from her arose a special breed which
continued in Cornwall to the time of Anselm who wrote the legend.
The next thing to be done was to restore the roof which the
woman “had torn away,” and this was accordingly done.
The company now went on their way, eastwards. S. Hia no
more appears in the tale. She had apparently taken huff at their
sailing without her, and she remained where she had established
herself, and lucky it wasfor her that she did so. News had reached
Tewdrig, the prince, then at Riviere on the creek opening east out
of the Hayle estuary. He did not relish this invasion of Irish,
and he armed men and went in pursuit. Fingar and his party
had slept at Connerton, and now they moved south in a body to
the point where now stands the church of Gwinear. Here Fingar
and a companion left them to go forward and explore the ground.
He came, we are told, to a certain valley, where he sat down.
Being thirsty, he drove his staff into the ground, and elicited a
copious spring of beautifully clear water, ‘ utriusque duplici saxo
decenter inclusus, usque in hodiernam diem copiosa vena fluitare
non cessat,”’
150 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
The spring is that at Tregoth, and a very fine spring it is.
Tt hag been enclosed and conducted by a drain pipe to flow into a
large tank, that is walled round.
Meanwhile Tewdrig ‘‘ veniens improvisus a tergo”’ had fallen
on the party that was resting on the slope of the hill, and had put
them to the sword. Fingar, hearing cries in that direction,
retraced his steps, and on surmounting the elevation due south of
the site of the butchery, saw what had taken place. Turning to
his comrades he said, ‘‘ See—this is the place where our labours
are to be brought to an end. Let us go forward and meet our
fate.” On coming up to Tewdrig, ‘“‘ You son ofa devil,” was his
choice address, ‘‘ do your father’s work quickly.” Then, kneeling
down, he extended his neck, and the tyrant, at a single blow
smote off his head. Fingar had planted his staff at his side, and
there it remained, took root and grew into a tree, but of what
description, Anselm was unable to state.
Almost immediately, the decapitated saint rose to his feet,
picked up his head and walked with it to the top ofthe hill. But
here he encountered a couple of wrangling women, who addressed
each other in such abusive terms, that the saint exclaimed ‘ I can-
not endure this !’’ and he cursed the spot that thenceforth it should
grow no other crop than scolds.
The hill is the bit of moor behind Gwinear, now covered with
the refuse of the manor mine. Disgusted at the language em-
ployed by the women, 8. Fingar turned aside and walked in the
direction of Rewala, but coming, in the bottom, to a beautiful
fountain, he proceeded to wash his head there ‘‘in quo loco
gratissimus fons, jugi rivo, usque hodie emanare non cessat.”
This well is called Tammis or Keat’s Well, and the cottagers
of Relistien have recourse to it for their water. It is not easily
found, being in afurze-brake, near another spring and stream. It
lies deep, and has steps cut in the rock, or built descending into
the water, which 1s of the purist quality. But Fingar’s perigri-
nations did not end there. Having cleaned his head he returned
to the site of the massacre, which at the time when Anselm wrote
was divided from the well by a small wood. There Fingar sank
on the ground and expired. A copious spring issued from the
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 151
spot where his head had been struck off, and this was flowing at
the time when Anselm wrote, near the tree that grew out of the
saint’s walking stick.
This spring has been drained away by the mines, and now
issues from an adit some way below the church.
If we reduce all this fable to its elements, this is what we
arrive at. Fingar landed at the mouth of the Hayle estuary
and went to Connerton, where he spent the first night. Then he
went south. He had outstripped his companions, and was refresh-
ing himself at the Tregotha spring, when he was recalled by
the cries of his companions.
All the nonsense about the march down hill to wash his head
was invented later to give some sanctity to the Tammis Well; and
the curse on the hill was a local joke greedily picked up by
Anselm. The well at Tregotha is still regarded with superstitious
veneration ; recently, a young man whose arm had been broken
went daily to it, to plunge the limb in the water, under the belief
that this would suffice for setting and healing it.
But to return to the legend. Tewdrig having accomplished
his bloody work departed, leaving the dead scattered where they
had been slain.
The ensuing night a countryman named Gur (Gwyr) dreamed
that Fingar appeared to him and bade him bury him decently.
Gwyr woke up his wife, and told her his dream, but she bade him
do nothing of the kind, as Tewdrig might resent it. Next day he
went out hunting and pursued a stag which fled to the spot where
lay the body of Fingar, and fell down before it as if imploring
protection of the dead saint. ‘The dogs also on coming up would
not touch the stag, but went down on the ground, with their tails
between their legs about the sacred body. Gwyr now at once
proceeded to bury Fingar on the spot, and he went about the scene
of the butchery burying all the rest. Some time after a church
was erected over the grave.
Anselm finishes off the story with some tales of miracles per-
formed later, that are not particularly delicate. Where Anselm, the
writer of this wonderful legend lived, we have no means of
telling. That he knew the sitesis obvious. He is particular in
describing them, but he is most vague relative to sites in Brittany.
162 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
His narrative is clearly based on popular tradition. There is
always some truth at the bottom of such traditions, but it is not
always easy to arrive at it.
The truth would seem to be this, that Fingar was obliged to
fly Ireland, to save his life. If, as is possible, he were one of
the Hy Bairrche who were disposessed by Crimthan and the Hy
Connselach, then we have a reasonable explanation. Ailil’s
brother, later, assassinated Crimthan and recovered his own patri-
mony ; and, perhaps, a rumour to this effect reached Fingar, and
he returned to Ireland to try his luck, but the Hy Connselach were
too powerful, and he was obliged at the head of a fresh party of
exiles from the Hy Bairrche country to attempt to return to
Brittany, where he had already settled and established a plow.
Unfavourable winds, however, drove him on the Cornish coast,
and there Tewdrig, who had suffered severely from Irish invasions,
slew him and some of his followers. We are not, however, told
that either Hia or Piala (Kiara) were put to death.
There were later descents of Irish, soon after, under Breaca
and Buriana, and these effectually planted themselves in Penwith
and Carnmarth, and then the cult sprang up of their fellow Irish-
men who had preceded them.
As already intimated, Fingar is honoured not only in Morbi-
han, but also in Finisterre, at Ploudiri, where he is the patron of
the daughter church of Loc-equinger. But as there is another com-
mune of the same name with the same dedication in S. Thegonec,
in Finisterre, we may conclude that, although the legend says
nothing about it, Fingar brought over a second colony from Ire-
land which he planted in Léon, and this expedition in which he
lost his life was actually the third.
Lobineau and the Bollandists put the date of the martyrdom
at 455, and this is possibly too early. 8. Fiace who belonged to
the same generation as Ailill, was born about 435 and died about
520. But it is, it must be understood, mereconjecture in making
Fingar a son of Ailill of the Hy Bairrche. It is needless to say
that no Irish historian knows anything of Clyto. 8. Fiace would,
if the identification be admitted, be a half-brother of Fingar, and
that may help to account for the incident of the rising out of
respect to S. Patrick being transferred from Fiacc to Fingar.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 153
The Church of Gwynear is supposed to mark the site of the
martyrdom.
Wilson in the second edition of his martyrology (1640) gives
his day as March 28rd.
The Bollandists follow Wilson, Colgan by mistake on Feb.
23rd.
In Brittany on Dec. 14th.
Gwynear Feast is on the Sunday after the first Thursday in
May.
In the diocese of Quimper, Loc Equinger is dedicated to him,
and another place of the same name in 8. Thegoneec. At Langon
he was venerated as 8. Venier, and his sanctuary was resorted to as
early as 838. He became invested with the attributes of. the
Goddess of Love, and was in repute among the amorous. To
obviate inconveniences due to this identification, the church has
been rededicated to S. Agatha.
In Brittany he is regarded as a bishop. But for this there is
no justification in the Life.
S. Francis, Confessor.
A chapel at Mitchel bore this dedication (Reg. B. Stafford,
11th Oct., 1411).
S. Gztyry, Bishop, Confessor.
We learn from Bishop Stafford’s Register, 1398, that there
was a chapel with this dedication in the parish of 8S. Sithney
(p. 225).
Gelvin is probably the Saint whom the Bretons call Goulven.
He was the son of an emigrant from Britain, named Glaudan,
who arrived with his wife Gologwen in a single coracle on the
beach of Brengorut, in Plouider, on the North of Finisterre.
The place of landing is called the Anse de Goulven. They found
the country covered with forest. There was near the water but
one cottage occupied by a churl, who did not relish the arrival of
travellers and refused them hospitality, although the young wife
of Glaudan was about to become a mother. The Briton was
obliged to make for her a rude cabin of wattles and thatch it,
154 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
and under this poor roof Gologwen gave birth to her child,
Goulven or Gelvin. The exact spot is now occupied by a little
chapel not far from the parish church of Goulven. Glaudan, in
his quest for a spring of water, lost his way in the forest and was
absent a whole day. Meanwhile, the poor mother, parched with
thirst, desiring water, prayed, and a jet of water rose out of the
eround—at least so says the legend. The spring is still shown.
After a while, the chieftain of the district, Godian by name,
extended his protection to the couple and their child, that is to
say he took them into the number of his personal retainers.
Gelvin was baptized and given some education.
At an early age he resolved on embracing the religious life,
and he retired from the world to a spot near where he had been
born, and there constituted his penzti or cell. At three points in
the forest he planted crosses, which indicated the limits of his
lawn or sanctuary, and these are still pointed out.
The Count or regulus of the country soon adopted him as
the spiritual protector of the land, and called on him to curse the
pirates who troubled the seaboard. As the imprecations of the
Saint were powerful enough to give the Chief success, he granted
Gelvin lands in return and assisted him in the erection of a
church.
He had a disciple named Maden.
One day Gelvin said to him: ‘There is a well-to-do farmer
named Joncor, at Enemeur, go to him and ask for a gift—what-
ever he has in his hands at the moment of your addressing him.”
Maden went, and found the farmer ploughing. Joncor
stooped, took up three handsfull of earth and put them in the lap
of the disciple, and bade him return with them to his master.
Maden carried the earth back, but looking at it on the way found it
converted into gold; and out of this gold, Gelvin fashioned three
crosses and three augular bells and a chalice. The legend in a
poetical form records the grant of land by Joncor to the Saint,
which under his good tillage produced a sufficiency to enable him
to purchase metal wherewith to make sundry necessary articles of
furniture for his church. 8. Paul, of Léon, heard of his merits
and had communication with him,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 155
After the death of S. Paul, in or about 570, he was
succeeded by Cetomerin who died shortly after, and then Gelvin
became abbot and bishop of Léon. He probably died about 590.
The legend of S. Gelvin is very late. It can not, as it
stands, have been written before the 12th century, but it is
probably based on earlier material. It, however, falls into gross
anachronism when it makes of the chief who befriended Gelvin,
Count Even, who belongs to the 10th century.
See ‘‘Saint Goulven, Texte de sa vie ancienne, avec notes et
commentaire,” par A. de la Borderie, Rennes, 1892.
The name of his father Glaudan is the Welsh Golendd-an,
and that of his mother, Gologwen is Golendd-gwen.* They are
quite unknown to the Welsh.
S. Gelvin’s day is July 1.
S. Genzs, Bishop, Confessor.
The dedication of a church in the deauery of Trigg Minor
to 8. Genys or Genes, leads to the suspicion that the original
founder belonged to the Brychan migration. And we find that
there was a Gwynys who was of the children, or rather grand-
children of Brychan; he is accounted the founder of Llanwnwr,
in Cardiganshire. His day in the Welsh Calendars is Dee. 13.
The actor-martyr Genes has supplanted the original patron of 8.
Genys, because he had the good fortune to find a place in the
Roman Martyrology.
S. Genes, M., at Rome is commemorated on Aug. 25.
S. Genes, M., at Arles on the same day.
In the Tavistock Calendar, 8. Genes is on Aug. 25.
But 8. Genys was a church under Launceston Priory, and in
the Calendar of that church, the Saint was entered as an Arch-
bishop of Lismore in Ireland, and as one of three brothers of the
same name, who all lost their heads. S. Genys was commemorated
at Launceston, on May 2nd and 3rd, and the Translation of his
head on July 19th.
* The names derive from Golen, light, bright,
156 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
All that we can conclude with any safety from William of
Worcester who gives us this information, is that at Launceston
and §. Genys, it was well understood that the Saint was from
Treland, and that he was not the Roman or the Arles Martyr, and
that he was a bishop.
There was, however, considerable confusion of mind about
him, he was supposed to be brother of the other two Saints of
the same name, who did have their heads struck off, and it was
fabled that he had shared their fate.
As to his connexion with Lismore, this is also apocryphal.
The diocese was never archiepiscopal, nor was there any bishop
of his name there. Lismore Abbey was founded by 8. Carthage,
the younger, about 630.
At Dol, a Genevius is commemorated on Aug. 29. He is
supposed to have been an early bishop, and at Quimper is a
S. Geneste or Vinidic, to whom the church of Cast is dedicated,
and where is his Holy Well.
The only Irish Saint at all possible is 8. Canice, of Achadboe
and Kilkenny. His name Cainigh has been Latinised as
Cannicius, and in Irish has become Kenny, and in Scotch Keneth.
Canice was born in Londonderry about 516, of obscure and poor
parents. He went to Wales where he became the disciple of
S. Cadoe, at Llancarvan, and made the acquaintance of 8. David,
S. Maidoc, and of Gildas. He spent a good deal of his time in
Britain, and travelled on the continent as well. He paid at least
one visit to Rome. When at Llancarvan he was noticed for his
punctuality and promptitude. ‘This was shown on one occasion
when he was writing. The signal was given for prayers, when
he started up and left a letter O half finished.
In Ireland he placed himself under instruction by 8. Finnian
of Clonard. He became intimate with 8. Columba, of Hy, and
was often with him in Alba, labouring at the conversion of the
Picts. His principal foundation was Achadboe in Queen’s
County, and he was much mixed up with the political troubles of
Ossory.
If we could be sure that Canice was the Genys of N. EH.
Cornwall, we would be justified in giving his life at some length,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. on
What is certain is that the Genes of the Cornish parish
settled there and established an ecclesiastical tribe, as several
fields of the glebe comprise the “‘ Sanctuary.”
The Village Feast is on Whit-Sunday.
There are springs near the church, but no tradition exists as
to any of them having been a Holy Well. The church,
picturesquely situated, has been horribly injured by ‘‘restoration.”
Tt looks like a skeleton from which the flesh has been picked by
vultures.
The roodscreen and old benchends were destroyed at this
‘“‘restoration.”’
It may be observed that a foundation of 8S. Cyngar, in
Glamorganshire, was known later as Llangenys. (Rees: Hssay
on Welsh Saints, p. 183). But 8. Genys of N. E. Cornwall
cannot be the same, as the tradition was strong of his Irish
origin, and Cyngar was not Irish.
S. Gerarnt or Gerans, King, Martyr.
Geraint, Prince of Domnonia, is too heroic and interesting a
character to be forgotten. It is, however, by no means certain
that he was Sovereign in Devon and Cornwall only, and not a
Dux Britannorum, or Pendragon over all the minor princes.
For we find him founding a church in Hereford, and more
remarkable still, he was the father of Caw who was a warrior in
North Britain, and was driven out of his territory by the Picts.
What makes the matter more perplexing is that there was a
Domnonia between the Clyde and the Firth of Forth, and that
Geraint was there to the fore in the great battles that culminated
in the rout of Catraeth in the Lowlands is rendered probable
from mention in the Gododin. His principality is called Gereinwg,
but it is not clear where that was. Whether he exercised
princely rights over both regions of Domnonia, or whether he was
recognised as general Sovereign over all Britain, or whether,
driven out of the North, he fell back on Cornwall, it is impossible
to say. In Cornwall he has left his mark.
158 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Tt is of course also true that there were more of the same
name, and that the Geraint of the Gododin may not be the same
as Geraint of Cornwall. But the Welsh pedigrees are singularly
unanimous concerning him. Geraint ap Erbin and his family
occur in them all without variations.
He was the son of Erbin, whom I have identified with
S. Ervan, and was grandson of Constantine Gorneu or the
Cornishman. A Prince by right of birth, he was constrained to
fight for his throne and people against the Saxons.
His wife was that touchingly beautiful character, Enid, whose
story has been revived by Tennyson. By this sweet woman, he
was father of five sons and one daughter. His son Cador or
Cado, became Duke of Cornwall, and is associated with Arthur in
romance. Another son, Solomon or Selyf, was King, and father
of 8. Cybi or Cuby.
Another, Cyngar, was the Saint already referred to under
the name of Docwin. Another, Jestin or Justinian has been
supplanted by 8S. Just, but is not quite forgotten in Brittany.
A good deal of romance is associated with the Domnonian
Prince Geraint, and has been worked up to form one of the tales
in the Mabinogion. Geraint’s name occurs in the legend of S.
Senan. According to the story Senan was dining with the King,
when news reached the latter that one of his servants had been
killed by wolves. In return for his dinner, Senan restored the
man to life. Senan died in 544, and Geraint fell at Longborth
in 522, so that it is quite possible that Senan and Geraint may
have met. Senan is the Sennan of Land’s End.
Geraint is spoken of in terms of high enconium in the
Gododin of Aneurin (Myrr. Archaeol. I., 13). His only son who
was not a saint was Garwy, who was celebrated as one of the
three amorous and courteous Knights of Arthur’s Court (Tr. 119).
There was another Geraint, who is not to be confounded
with the Saint, who was probably his grandson, who figures in
Arthur’s latest battles. In the life of 8. Teilo this prince is
mentioned. When the Saint was going to Armorica at the head
of a large migration of his countrymen, at the time of the
Yellow Death, about 547, which was then desolating Wales, and
which carried off Maelgwn Gwynedd, he was hospitably received
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 159
by Geraint, King of Cornwall, to whom, previous to his departure,
the Saint promised that he should not die until he had received
the communion from his hands.
Accordingly, when death approached the King in his bed,
S. Teilo was miraculously informed of his situation, and at once
proceeded to fulfil his promise, and at the same time to return to
Wales, as the pestilence had ceased. As they were about to
embark, Teilo desired his followers to convey to the ship a stone
sarcophagus which he had provided for the King; but they
declared their inability to convey it to the coracle which it would
swamp. ‘Teilo then harnessed to it ten yoke of oxen, which
drew it to the shore, where he launched it on the tide, and the
sarcophagus swam before the vessel and reached the Cornish
coast before them.
They landed at Dingerein, and Teilo at once proceeded to
visit the king, whom he found still alive, but who on receiving
the communion immediately expired, and his remains were laid
in the sarcophagus provided for him.
Nor again must 8. Geraint be confounded with Geraint IIL.,
Prince of Devon, doubtless a descendant, to whom 8S. Aldhelm wrote
in 705. The Saintly King is noted in one of the Triads for having
had a fleet of six score ships with six score men in each (Tr. 68).
This fleet was in the Severn, and the fatal battle in which Geraint
fell was at Llongborth on the Parret, the Pedrydan of the Anglo
Saxon Chronicle.
Geraint is not unknown in Brittany, or, to be more correct,
was not unknown. A parish near Ancenis, in the diocese of
Nantes, bore his name as 8. Giron, or Geruntius, which is the
Latin form taken by Geraint. But of late he has been supplanted
by the fabulous 8. Gereon of the Theban legion.
The church of 8. Géran, in the deanery of Pontivy and the
diocese of Vannes, is dedicated to him. In Belle Ile at Te
Palais, is a church bearing his name, and there he is commemor-
ated on March 5; nothing is there known of him, and Kerviler
in his Breton Calendar, calls him a regionary bishop, the
companion of 8. Patrick, which is mere guesswork. S. Patrick
had no fellow worker of that name, On April 1, the Irish
160 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Martyrologies commemorate the sons of Geran. Whothey were is
not said, nor who the Geran is who is there mentioned. Gereon
the fabulous martyr at Cologne is commemorated on Oct. 10.
In Cornwall the church of Gerrans claims him as founder.
His palace was at Din Gerrein in the parish, where earthworks
remain. ‘This is probably the Dinurrin from which a Bishop
hailed, Kensteg, who made his submission to Archbishop
Coelnoth, in or about 866. Geraint’s tomb was shown at Carn
Point, where he was said to lie in a golden boat, with silver oars, an
interesting instance of persistence of tradition in associating him
with ships. When the tumulus was excavated by treasure
seekers in 1855, a kistvaen was discovered and bones, but no
precious metal. As 8. Geraint fell at Llongborth he would hardly
have been conveyed to Cornwall for interment.
In Anthony, in Roseland, is Kill-Gerran, the cell of Geraint.
In Philleigh parish was a chapel, now ruined, but the wood in
which it stood still bears his name. Gerran’s Bay and Gerran’s
Point also recall him. In the Myrrian Archaeology is a poem by
Lywarch Hén as an elegy on his death.
Tt has been thought that the virtuous wife of Caradog
Freichfras who figures in the ballad of the Boy and the Mantle,
and whose name was Tegau Eurfron was a daughter of Geraint,
but this is not certain. According to one account she was
daughter of Nudd Hael.
No representations of Geraint remain, but were he to be
figured, as he ought to be in some of our churches, he should be
crowned as a King, by his side a golden boat, with silver oars,
and in his hand a sword.
S. Gerran’s Feast is on 10th August.
S. Gzermanvs, Bishop, Confessor.
Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, according to the Welsh
pedigrees, was son of Redgitus, and his sister was married to
Aldor or Audrian, brother of Constantine of Cornwall, or ‘“‘ The
Blessed.” It is unnecessary to give here his history, with any
approach to fulness, as it is easily accessible. I will confine
myself to his connexion with our islands.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 161
The British Church being troubled with the heresy of
Pelagius, who taught that man could fulfil all righteounness
unassisted by Divine Grace, sent to the Bishops of Gaul for
counsel. A synod was called and Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre,
and Lupus, Bishop of Troyes, were appointed to visit Britain.
In 429 these prelates came to our Island. They had a rough
crossing, but happily having some casks of olive oil on board
they broached them and poured the contents on the waves, and
this served to still the waves immediately about the boat.
‘‘ When they got to work in Britain, they proceeded on a
definite plan. Some sixty or seventy years before, Hilary, the
Bishop of Poitiers, dealing in Gaul with the great heresy which
preceded this, had found it of great service to go about from
place to place and collect in different parts small assemblies of
the bishops, for free discussion and mutual explanation. He found
that misunderstandings were in this way, better than in any
other, got rid of, and differences of opinion were reduced to a
minimum. Germanus and Lupus dealt with the people of
Britain as their predecessors had dealt with the Bishops of Gaul.
They went all over discussing the great question with the people
whom they found. They preached in the churches, they
addressed the people on the highroads, they sought for-them in
the fields, and followed them up by-paths. It is clear that the
visitors from Gaul could speak to the people, both in town and
in country in their own tongue, or in a tongue well understood
by them. No doubt the native speech of Gaul and that of
Britain were still so closely akin that no serious difficulty was felt
in this respect. They met with success so great that the leaders
on the other side were forced to take action. ‘They undertook to
dispute with the Galicans in public. The biographer is not an
impartial chronicler. The Pelagians came to the disputation with
many outward signs of pomp and wealth, richly dressed, and
attended by a crowd of spectators. Beside the principals, we are
told that immense numbers of people came to hear the dispute,
bringing with them their wives and children; coming, in the
important phrase of the biographer, to play the part of spectator
and judge. The disputants were now face to face... .The bishops
set the Pelagians to begin, and a weary business the Pelagians
made of it. Then their turn came. They quoted the scriptures.
162 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
The opponents had nothing to say. The people to whose
arbitration it was put, scarce could keep their hands off them.
The decision was given by acclammation against the Pelagians.”*
Nennius,} in his ‘‘ British History,” has preserved portions
of a British account of the acts of S. Germanus, whilst in our
island, and although there is a certain amount of fabulous matter
mixed up with it, yet we are justified in supposing that the
narrative is substantially historical.
According to this Welsh account, Germanus met with much
opposition in Powys from the King, Benlli, and when he
approached the city where he was, probably Uriconium or
Wroxeter, had the gates shut against him. Germanus and his
clerks remained without, fasting. They were however supported
by the keeper of the gate, Cadell Deyrnllwg. As Benlli persisted
in refusing to receive the Saint, fire fell from heaven and
consumed the palace and the King, and Cadell was elevated to
become King of Powys in his room.
Now if we translate this out of legendary language into that
of history, we shall discover that the facts were that Germanus
finding the King of Powys obstinate, blessed and encouraged an
insurrection under Cadeil, which proving successful, Cadell
became King and head of a new dynasty, ‘his offspring
governing Powys unto this day.”
Cadell was by no means of the low origin attributed to him
in this story. He was chief of a district in the present county
of Denbigh, and married a daughter of Brychan. That this was
a dynastic revolution favoured by Germanus seems abundantly
clear. Mr. Rees (Essay on the Welsh Saints) holds that the
incident belongs to the second visit of Germanus to Britain.
* Browne (B. of Bristol) : ‘*‘ The Church in these Islands before Augustine,”
S.P.C.K., 1897, p. 92, et seq. :
+ Zimmer (H.) in his “‘ Nennius Vindicatus,” Berlin, 1893, has successfully
established that the author was called Nennius, that he compiled his History in
796 out of pre-existing material, mainly out of an earlier anonymous History
written in Alcluith 679. Nennius himself wrote in Bualt, part of Herefordshire.
He has also demonstrated that the Vatican Nennius is late and comparatively
worthless.
Among the material Nennius employed, was the Welsh Life of S. Germanus,
of which all we now possess are the extracts made by him.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 163
Germanus made a second visit to Britain in 447, and on this
occasion was accompanied by Severus, Bishop of Treves. It was
in part a political visit. Vortigern was the King of the Britons,
and not only was his hfe scandalous, but he had also invited the
Angles and Saxons into the Island. A party under Ambrosius
was impatient of his rule. Germanus was asked to denounce him
and give him over to destruction. In the Mediaeval account
Germanus fasted for forty days and nights.on a rock, engaged in
prayer, that the sins of Vortigern might be forgiven him, and
finally when the King fled to a castle in Carnarvonshire, the Saint
followed him and with his clergy fasted and prayed for three
days and three nights, when fire fell from heaven and consumed
the king and the castle.
We must translate this out of monastic language of the
Middle Ages into the words and ideas of the present, and then we
find that the party opposed to Vortigern invited Germanus to
curse the king, and gathering about the castle they set it on fire
and so ridded themselves of the impious king.
The story told by Bede, of Germanus rallying the Britons
against the Picts, and of the ‘‘Alleluaic Victory,” is too well
known to be given here.
I turn to a point of great importance, his sending of 8.
Patrick to Iveland.
Probably in his first visit to Britain Germanus made the
acquaintance of Succat, a young British Christian, and he induced
him to accompany him to Auxerre, where he trained him for the
mission field, and sent him to finish his religious education at Lerins,
He then consecrated him Bishop in the basilica of 8. Amator, his
immediate predecessor in the see of Auxerre,* and Succat who
* Zimmer has succeeded in clearing up what was a difficulty before. Patrick
was said to have been consecrated by a certain Bishop Amatorex, near Auxerre.
Now Amator preceded Germanus, but there was a basilica near Auxerre bearing
the name of Amator. He suggests that the consecration took place in this
church. As to the name Amatorex, it is thusformed. The Irish turned Amator
into Ainmire, a familiar name, and then when the name was re-latinised, the title
of Rex wasadded tothe name. Asto the fable of S. Patrick’s having received
commission from Pope Celestine, it was a wilful invention of the Roman party
in the Irish Church in the 8th cent., just as a forged account of the legation of
Lucius to Pope Hleutherius was framed to support the same party in England.
See Zimmer, pp. 123 and 144—154.
164 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
assumed the name of Patrick started on his eventful mission.
No man better suited to the task could have been found. Having
been for some years a captive in Ireland, he could speak the
Scottish or Gaelic tongue, as well as his native Welsh. As the
English church has to thank 8. Gregory for sending Augustine,
so has the Irish church to look to the thought and care of
Germanus of Auxerre for sending to them 8. Patrick.
With the remainder of the Life of S. Germanus I will not
here concern myself.
According to the Welsh account, whilst in Britain Germanus
formed two monastic establishments, one at Caerleon and
placed Dubricius over it, the other at Caer Worgorn under 8,
lltyd. This latter is Llantwit. It is hard not to suppose that
S. Germans on the Lynher is not another of his foundation.
He may have used the estuary of the Tamar as his port in
coming and going, and have deemed it advisable to have a centre
of right doctrine in Cornwall as well as in Wales.
The dedications of S. Germanus are :—
8. German’s on the Lynher.
The Parish Church of Rame.
A Chapel at Padstow (B. Stafford’s Reg., 1415).
The Parish Church of Week 8. Germans, Devon.
S. German’s day is July 31.
In the Bodmin Calendar, 8. Germanus, B. of Paris, on May
28.*
A fragment of a Cornish Mass of S. Germanus exists, and
in it he is asserted to have preached in Cornwall.
He died in 448.
In Art 8. Germanus is represented with a mule at his feet.
He went to Ravenna to see the Empress Placida, and the beast
he had been riding, a mule, fell dead-beat when he reached the
palace. The Empress would have given him a horse, but he
replied that he would return home on his mule. He laid his
hand on and caressed the weary beast, and it rose and bore him
to his lodgings.
* Misprinted by Nasmith, May 27.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 165
His biographer, to adapt a simple story to the perverted
taste of the times, made the beast fall dead, instead of being
dead-beat, and so without much difficulty twisted a natural
incident into a miracle.
S. Gzrmoc, King, Confessor.
Germoc is said by Leland, quoting from the Legend of 8.
Breaca, to have been a King, probably a princeling from Ireland
and leader of the band that descended on Penwith like a flight
of locusts. Tradition says that Breaca was nurse or foster-mother
of S. Germoc.
According to William of Worcester—who says he was a
Bishop—his festival was on 8. John the Baptist’s Day; but at
Germoe it is now observed on the Sunday after the first Saturday
in May.
No little difficulty is found in determining his history. The
name at once reveals itself as a diminutive of Germ, that might
be either German or Germoc, and doubtless he was called
indiscriminately one or the other. But which German was he ?
There were two, apart from the Bishop of Auxerre, one became
Bishop of the Isle of Man, and was a companion and disciple of
S. Patrick. He would almost certainly have been from the North
of Ireland, whence Man was colonised. The other German is
also called Gemman and Mo-Garman, the Mo being a term of
affection. The Rev. J. F. Shearman thinks they were the same*
But this can hardly be. German or Gemman, was a bard of
Leinster near the confines of Neath. He was a disciple of S.
Kieran abbot of Saighir, and this will account for his making one
of the migration to Cornwall. He had a son named Enan, of
Rosmore, in Gorey, Co. Wexford, who was the earliest to write
the Lives of the Saints.
S. Columba after having been ordained deacon in the
Monastery of 8S. Finnian of Moville, set out for Leinster, and
became a pupil of German, then advanced in years, and after
spending some time with him, entered the Monastic school of
* Loca Patriciana, p. 298.
166 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Clonard under another Finnian. We find that S. Gemman
applied to this latter with a poem he had composed, “ habens
secum quoddan carmen magnificum,”’ + in honour of the abbot of
Moville.
‘Neither gold, nor silver, nor precious raiment,” said
Gemman, ‘do I ask of thee for this euolgy, but one thing only:
the little land which I have is barren; wouldst thou make prayer
that it become fruitful.” Said Finnian: ‘Put the hymn which
thou hast made into water and scatter the water over the land.”
This was done and the land became fertile.
German went to visit his master, whereupon Kieran proposed
after prayer to perform one of his penances, to go into a tub of
cold water, and he invited German to come in with him. This
German did—but the water was so cold that his teeth chattered,
and he was about to scramble out, when Kieran assured him that
if he would only remain in and bear it a little longer, he would
get over the sense of the intense cold. German did so.
Presently Kieran exclaimed, ‘‘ Heigh! a fish! a fish!” and
between them the two nude Saints succeeded in capturing a trout
that was in the vat. ‘‘I rejoice that we have got the fish,” said
Kieran, ‘‘for I am expecting home to daymy old pupil Carthagh,
whom I had to send abroad, as he was rather disorderly as a
disciple—and he will want his dinner.”
This Carthagh was son of Aengus, King of Munster, who
was killed in 489; consequently we find German who tubbed
with S. Kieran was a contemporary of those who invaded
Penwith, and I have little doubt he is the same as Germoe or
Germoce.
According to Leland, two of Germoc’s companions were
Helena and Thecla. These were his brother Helan and his sister
Fracla. They left Ireland along with Gibrian and Tressan two
other brothers, and after a brief stay in Cornwall crossed into
Brittany and pushed on their way among the Franks. Gibrian
and Tressan obtained some success at Chalons-sur-Marne.
Sigebert of Gemblours, gives 509 as the date of their arrival
there. Tressan finally settled at Avenai, others of the party were
+ Codex Salamanc, p. 202; Book of Lismore, p. 227.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 167
Veran, Aelran, and Petran. Floddard also makes mention of
the arrival of these Saints. The party of Irish Missionaries
reached Rheims whilst S. Remigius occupied the see (459-533).
The old name for Wexford Harbour was Loch-Garman, but
whether it took its name from our Saint, the son of Goil, we
have no means of judging.
Though Germoc may have been of royal descent, he was
hardly a King, and would be more appropriately figured with a
harp, than crowned. ‘There is a fresco of him in Breage Church.
The date of his death would be about 530. The day of 8. German
Mac Goil in the Irish Calendars is July 30.
Germoe Feast is on the first Thursday in May.
William of Worcester says that his Day was June 24.
In the church-yard of Germoe is a singular structure,
whether a tomb cannot be told. It is called 8S. Germoe’s Chair.
It existed in the time of Leland. There is also the Holy Well
of the Saint near the Church.
8. Gipezy, Virgin.
The name is a corruption of Lidy, whose body reposed at
S. Issey. There was, and there is now, a chapel in the parish of
S. Issey bearing her name; at Canalidgey, a farm also preserves
the name in a less corrupt form.
The church of 8. Issey was dedicated to 8. Ida or Itha, and
was supposed to preserve the bodies of SS. Ida and Lidy. Lidy
may have been a disciple of 8. Itha sent to Cornwall to found
there a daltha or pupil church.
The chapel of 8. Gidgey was formerly called Sanzidgey.
She is probably the Irish Luigsech of Droma-da-dart.
Her day, according to the Tallaght and Donegal Calendars,
is May 22.
She had companions Aghna and Caissin. As she belonged
to the S.W. of Ireland, she may have been of Itha’s house, and
brought over by S. Petrock to found a College for women in
Cornwall, observing Itha’s rules.
168 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
S. Gtuvias, Abbot, Confessor.
This Saint is perhaps the Glwys, son of Gwynllyw Filwr,
King of Wentloog, who settled in Cornwall, according to Welsh
accounts. He was brother of 8. Cadoe.
There was a chapel in the valley of Lanherne, and the farm
by it is called Gluvian, which seems to point out that the chapel
bore the same dedication at the parish church of Gluvias.
In Domesday this latter is called San Guilant, and in the
Exeter transcript Sain Guilant. Gluvias is certainly quite out of
the region occupied by the Brechnock-Gwentian settlers, but as
Glwys belonged to a later generation, and did not probably come
into Cornwall till the settlement in the North was a fait accompli,
and the excitement and resentment caused by the invasion had
somewhat abated, this may explain his church being found on
the Fal.
The Feast is on the first Sunday in May.
8S. Gonant, Hermit, Confessor.
Otherwise called Gomond. The real name is Conan. He
was a hermit at Roche, where the parish church is dedicated to
him. The popular tradition is that he was a leper who lived in
the hermitage on a rock, and was daily attended by his daughter
who brought him meat and other necessaries. He had a well
cut in the rock whence he drank.
The date at which he lived is uncertain.
His feast is on the Sunday before the second Thursday in
June.
S. Gunwat, Virgin, Abbess.
It is tempting to identify the Cornish Gulval with 8. Gudwal
or Gurval, who is venerated in Brittany and at Ghent, and about
whom a good deal is told, but nothing very reliable. However,
Bishop Grandisson in his Register, in 1828, gives Gulval as
Ecclesia Sanctae Welvelve de Langstly, and this settles the
dedication. See under 8. Wulvella.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 169
S. Guron, Hermit, Confessor.
This was the saintly recluse who surrendered his cell at
Bodmin to 8S. Petrock when he arrived there. He then retired to
another place (Leland, Col. 1, 74).
Gorran in the deanery of St. Austell is probably the place
he chose. He crossed the watershed and settled between
Tywardreath Bay and that of Veryan. He had a chapel at
Gorran Haven and also a chapel at Bodmin.
William of Worcester from the Bodmin Antiphonary calls
him Woronus, and styles him Confessor.
His feast is on April 7.
The Holy Well in the church-yard at Bodmin is called by
his name. Bodmin is Bodd-Mynachau, the place of abode of
monks.
It is possible that Guron is identical with the Saint Goneri
who receives veneration, according to Albert le Grand, in Brittany
on the same day, April 7, although the day of his death was
July 18. Lobineau had under his eyes a MS. life of the Saint,
written in the 13th cent., but based on an earlier life. This has
been lost, and all we know of S. Goneri is through his summary,
and the more diffuse life in Le Grand. He was a native of
Britain who left this island for Armorica and landed at Vannes.
He went into the country and formed for himself a hermitage in
the forest of Brenguilly near Rohan. There he was one day
engaged in prayer, when the chief of the district rode by, and
seeing a stranger settled on the land without his permission
ordered his servants to drive him off. The steward intervened
but in vain. The chief who is called Alvandus, rode hence to
Noyala, and left his huntsmen to maltreat the unfortunate
settler. They fell on Goneri, beat and kicked him and broke two
of his ribs.
The steward returned after Alvandus had reached his
residence and did not suffer Goneri to be further maltreated.
He went further. He told his lord how harshly the poor priest
and saint had been dealt with and how severely he was hurt.
Alvandus was sorry, and probably afraid lest he should suffer
through the imprecations of the Saint, and he saw to his being
healed, and suffered him to continue in peace.
170 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
After a while Goneri moved into Domnonia, to the
neighbourhood of Treguier, and placed himself under 8. Tugdual
at Plougrescant. There he died.
In 1514, the Bishop of Treguier ordered that his commem-
oration should take place on the first Tuesday in April. The
people of Treguier keep the feast on April 7.
His name has been changed in Latin to 8. Veneridus.
The name of Guron occurs in the Liber Llandavensis. It
may be a mere coincidence that Goneri and Guron are
commemorated on the same day. The Breton name cannot, as it
stands, be deduced from any Celtic root. It has come to us
much altered.
A very curious Pagan myth has attached itself to 8. Goneri.
One day he was attacked by robbers who made a fire, threw him
into it and left him to be consumed. Some hours after, a holy
beggar passed and saw a heap of cinders with a fresh ripe apple
on top of it. This he took, and coming after a while to a cottage,
he gave the apple to a young virgin. She ate it, and became a
mother and when the child was born, with a loud voice it
proclaimed ‘‘I am the Goneri who was and Goneri I am again.”’*
The story is found in an ancient Egyptian papyrus, it is
found in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiches, it is
found in the Finnish Kalewipoeg, and is in fact a reincarnation
myth common to many pagan beliefs in divers parts of the
world.
__§. Guyzr or Gurer, Hermit, Confessor.
When S. Neot came to the place now called after him, he
found a cell that had been occupied previously by a venerable
hermit, named Guier, and he took up his residence in it.
Nothing is known about him.
His feast is on April 7, the same day as that of 8. Guron,
which makes us suspect that they may have been one and the
same person.
A chapel was dedicated to him at 8. Neot.
* Le Braz: in Annales de Bretagne, T. XI., pp. 173-7.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 171
S. Gwinzar, Martyr, see Fingar.
S. Gwyratan, Confessor.
The parish church of Gwythian is dedicated to this Saint,
and 8. Gothian’s chapel remains in the sands a ruin; probably
as ancient as that of 8. Piran at Perranzabuloe.
Gwythian is a daughter church to Phillack and therefore a
later foundation. ‘The royal manor and seat of the prince was
at Connerton in the parish and it remained a royal manor
continuously. Leland calls it Nicanor or Cenor. The creek of
the Hayle estuary running inland here was called Connordore, or
Connor’s Water.
Gwythian can hardly have been one of the Irish party.
Gwythian was Count in the Kast of Cornwall, when S.
Samson arrived there, and found the people in Trig performing
idolatrous rites about a menhir.
A boy tearing about the field on a horse was thrown and
taken up insensible. Samson took the lad in his arms and was
successful in restoring him; and the people supposed that a
miracle had been wrought. That the story is not a fabrication
of the writer I conclude. Had it been so, he would assuredly
have made the boy son of the Count.
The name of Gwythian is variously given as Guidianus
(Vit. 1”*), Widianus (Vit. 2°"), and Gedianus (Vit, 3%*).
It is noticeable that we have Lawhitton, Llan-Gwidian, in
the neighbourhood, though not indeed in the same deanery.
The Cornish names of parishes on the Tamar, where brought in
contact with English, have been as much altered as have the
Welsh names in that part of Pembrokeshire, which is ‘‘ Little
England beyond Wales.” ‘Thus as in Pembrokeshire Llan
Aidan has been altered into Lawhadden, and Llan Reithren into
Lawrenny, so has Llan Gwidian become Lawhitton, Llan Sant
has become Lezant, and Llan Winoc has been converted into
Lewanick, Landrake has in vulgar parlance become Larrick.
In Domesday Lawhitton appears as Languittetone. We can
not be at all sure that this is a Zlan founded by Gwidian or
Gwithian, but it is probable,
172 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Then we find a Langwithian in S. Winnow parish, near 8.
Samson’s foundation at Golant, and this leads to the supposition
that for a while he followed this great Saint.
He seems after a while to have entered the congregation of
S. Winwaloe; he is known as one of his disciples, under the
name of 8. Gozier, the ¢/ in Breton becoming s.
That he was no obscure Saint appears from his inclusion in
the Litany of 8. Vougai, as also in that published by Mabillon.
In the former his name immediately preceeds that of 8. Winnow.
The form assumed by his name in the former is Guidiane, in the
latter Guoidiane. His name occurs in the life of S. Gunthiern,
in the Cartulary of Quimperlé.
If he followed Winwaloe into Cornwall, then we can under-
stand how that he should found his chapel of 8. Gothian not far _
from the Winwaloe settlement at Towednack, and it may have
been he who gave up to his master the land where are the
Winwaloe Churches in Hast Cornwall in a cluster, all in the Trig
district and near Tregeare, which perhaps may be the Tricorium
where he had his dwelling.
Gwithian is called the chapel of 8. Gothian in Bishop Lacy’s
Register, Sept. 28, 1433.
Gwythian feast is on Nov. 1.
173
NOTES ON THE CHURCH OF St. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
A Paper read at the Foint Meeting of Cornish Societies at Penzance, 1899.
By THURSTAN C. PETER.
Although I can lay before this audience nothing worthy of
its acceptance, yet I do not feel that any apology is due from me
for my appearance here; the apology is due from the secretary
of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, who, having vainly sought
elsewhere for a representative of the Society, remembered that
fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and sent to me. But
it is only my insufficient knowledge of my subject which gives me
any anxiety, for the subject itselfis of the fullest interest. There
is no branch of history which better repays study than that of the
Church, which in all ages of our country has represented what is
highest and best in our national character, and is as instructive
in its days of failure as in those of its successes. Always chang-
ing yet ever the same, from age to age adapting its doctrines and
its ritual to its varying environment, it is to the Church’s history
that we must look for the best information of the state of our
country from time to time. And not only is its study full of
interest, but it is one for which we have a mass of material such
as we have for few, if any, other institutions. Yet it is a subject
which no writer has yet ventured to tackle as far as our own
county is concerned, for works like Mr. Lach-Szyrma’s amusing
little so-called history can hardly be recognised as serious, and in
venturing to make a few observations even on a well-known
church like that of St. Just one feels overwhelmed by the want
of any real assistance. When Preb. Hingeston-Randolph’s
edition of the Episcopal Registers is complete, when the Cartu-
laries of such places as Glasney and Tywardreath have been
published, and when a decent collection has been made of the
various MSS. in public libraries and private hands, then and not
till then will it be possible to write a history of the county. There
is no county in England which has had inflicted on it more lying
books calling themselves history than has our own. Except the
Messrs. Lysons who honestly tried to get original information,
174 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
and only failed because they undertook more than they could
accomplish, and Sir John Maclean who really did show us how
the work could be done almost to perfection, I know no Cornish
history which you can quote as an authority for anything. Davies
Gilbert copied everything and copied it incorrectly. C. 8. Gilbert
thought that the history of the squire and his sisters, and his
cousins, and his aunts, was the history of the parish, while
Lake’s, which is after all the best of this bad lot, written by a
surveyor and others employed, is nothing but a confused collec-
tion of extracts from previous writers, put together chiefly by a
man who did not understand them himself,* and who leaves you
to find out for yourself where he borrowed themfrom. To take a
mild instance of the way a wrong statement is perpetuated, Lake’s
History says that the Church of St. Cury was dedicated by Bishop
Bronescombe on the Ist of September, 1261. Whoever first
started this mistake did it through carelessness, for the Register
states that on that day the Bishop was in Devonshire, and that
the church which he dedicated was not 8. Cury at all, but Coryton.
As a matter of fact Cury was not at that time a church, but merely
a chapel. his mistake is repeated by Cummings in his history
of that parish, and is now quoted on his authority by Students’
Associations and newspapers who naturally suppose that a man
who set to work to write the history of his own parish would at
any rate have taken the trouble to refer to some respectable
authority for his information.
But it is time that I get to my own subject, and, having
found fault with other people, proceed to give you all the oppor-
tunity of finding fault with me.
First, who was St. Just? Iam sure I do not know. Many
tell us that he was Justus, one of the companions of that trouble-
some fellow Augustine in 596, and who was appointed to the See
of Rochester by King Ethelbert, and, in 616, succeeded to the
Archbishopric of Canterbury. But there seems to be no ground
whatever for treating the two men as identical. The late Mr.
Borlase, in his ‘‘ Age of the Saints,” suggested Jestyn ap Geraint,
to whom two churches in Anglesey are dedicated. This identifi-
cation has the approval of no less an authority than Mr. Baring-
Gould. Mr. Borlase, in another of his writings, put forward St.
*Lake is the name of the publisher, not the author.
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 175
Eustatius as the probable patronal saint, and thinks that the
name Usticke is the modern form of the name, and that it means
aman of St. Just. All this is very pretty and fanciful; but is
there any real evidence, or even reasonable probability in its
favour? It is perhaps worth noting that natives call the place
St. Toost, thereby suggesting the Welsh St. Ust. But we should
be surprised to find a Welsh saint so far west. After all, it does
not matter much; perhaps if we found out all about him, we
should only know what a disreputable fellow he was. In some
of the earlier MSS. (e.g. the Taxacio of Pope Nicholas IV, and
the Inquisicio Nonarum) this church is called Sancti Justi, while
the Roseland church is called de Sancto Justo. This distinction
is probably merely for convenience, and without any special
significance. But however dim St. Just may be as an historical
figure, in Cornish legend he looms large. He quarrelled with
his neighbour St. Sennen, and the two saints were only kept
from mutual destruction by the aim of each being so exact that
the boulders which they hurled at each other met in mid air and
fell to the ground welded into one single mass. Another legend
has a real interest. As St. Patrick stole some relics belonging
to the Bishop of Rome and was commended for his piety in
doing so, our saint likewise had no compunction, when enjoying
the hospitality of St. Keverne, in stealing a chalice belonging to
the latter saint, and only gave it back when St. Keverne overtook
him and threw at him rocks which—until a few years since —stood
at Tre-men-keverne, where Germoe lane joins the main road to
Marazion, a silent but eloquent witness to the truth of the story.
The numerous quarrels, of which history and legend alike tell us,
between different saints, are intelligible enough when we remem-
ber that they were saints merely because they belonged to the
religious department of the state, and not because of any especial
saintly qualities which they possessed. The ‘‘ Saints” of the
different tribes had their opposing interests to serve quite as much
as any temporal prince. Moreover, bloodshed was not always
looked on with the horror it now mostly is, and even in modern
times holy men have not hesitated to get rid of their opponents
in a manner quite shocking to the uninstructed lay mind.
On the 7th of August, 1309, we find Sir Richard de Beaupre
was rector of St. Just, an office which he was still holding in
176 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
1318, when (7th May) the custody of the manors of Conerton and
Drym, and of the Hundred of Penwith, was committed to him by
the Bishop, by reason of the minority of John, son and heir of
John Arundell. He died in 1334, and Henry Marsley was nomi-
nated to the vacant rectory by Sir Richard Champernowne,
custodian of the infant John de Beaupre, the patron of the
living. There appears to have been a suspicion of wrongful
collusion between him and Sir Richard, for, on the 10th of April,
1334, Bp. Grandisson issued his commission to Master William
de Nassingtone, a Canon of Exeter, to inquire into the matter,
and, if satisfied, to institute Marsley to the rectory. There is no
record of the result of the inquiry; but, as he did not institute
him, we may fairly conclude that there was something wrong.
Marsley, however, had not long to wait. A pen has been passed
through the entry, and a marginal memorandum informs us that
the Bishop instituted him at Clyst on the 20th of April. This is the
man whose services were so useful a few years later in acting as
interpreter between the good people of St. Buryan-and the bishop
when they wanted to discuss matters connected with their parish,
and found that they did not understand each other’s language. I
do not know the names of any rectors earlier than Beaupre, but
the last rector of the parish was Reginald of St. Austle, in whose
time the benefice was appropriated to the College of Glasney.
For, by this time, the spirit of appropriation, which had such
an important influence on the history of the Middle Ages, had set
in in fullest force, and the revenues of St. Just, as of so many
other churches, were diverted to a purpose for which they were
never intended. Kennett has calculated that within three centuries
of the Norman Conquest no less than one third of the English
churches had been appropriated to some monastery or college,
and by the time ofthe Reformation atleast another third. Every
now and then, some one had the courage to protest. One of these
protests I notice, because I do not think it is much known. In
the celebrated dispute, in 1125, between St. Bernard of Clarvaux
and Peter the Venerable of Clugni, on the subject of monkish
discipline, the former wrote: ‘‘On what ground do you hold
parish churches, first fruits, and tithes, when, according to the
canons, all these things pertain not to monks, but to clerks?
That is, they are granted to those whose office it is to baptize, and
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 177
to preach, and to perform whatever else belongs to the cure of
souls, in order that they may not be necessarily involved in secular
business; but that, as they labour in the church, they may live
by the church, as the Lord saith, ‘‘ The labourer is worthy of his
hire.” But why do you usurp these things, while it is not your
place to do any of the things which we have mentioned? and
while you do not perform the labour, why do you take the wages
thereof?’ This, however, is not the place to discuss the question,
on which much could be said on both sides. The system certainly
lessened the usefulness of the church in the parishes, but, on the
other hand, was of service in keeping on foot institutions with-
out which (humanly speaking) the world must in the centuries
from the 9th to the 12th have sunk into utter barbarism. We
must accept the fact that appropriations were frequent, and that
amongst others was that of St. Just to the great College of
Glasney at Penryn. I cannot stay now to trace the history of
that awful pestilence, known as the Black Plague, which, in the
14th century, swept away half our population. I merely name
it as an introduction to the deed of appropriation of St. Just. On
the 15th of April, 1355, Bp. Grandisson, with the consent of his
Chapter, appropriated to the College of Glasney the church of St,
Just, which had been given to him for the purpose by Sir John de
Beaupre, Knight, who had been moved thereto by finding that
the Vicars of Glasney were not receiving enough of their
accustomed stipends to afford them a sufficient livelihood (victum
congruum), owing to the recent pestilence, the change in the
times, and the growing malice of men, and, therefore, desired to
increase their stipends and to augment their number. ‘The
College was to enter into possession of the same (reserving a
sufficient portion for the Vicar) after the cession or death of the
then rector, Sir Reginald of St. Austle. Two priests, on the
nomination of Sir John de Beaupre, were to be received into the
Collegiate church over and above the accustomed number, who
were to be known as ‘“‘ Beaupre’s Priests.’”? They were to cele-
brate Masses for the well-being of Sir John and Margaret, his
wife, during life, and after their death for their souls and those
of their relatives, ancestors, and heirs for ever, receiving yearly
of the fruits of St. Just, divided equally between them, the sum
of £8 18s. 4d. sterling. These priests were to take the customary
178 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
oath of obedience to the Provost and his successors, on their
admission. The thirteen vicars, one of whom was to be nominated
by the Provost, weekly, to say Mass for the welfare of Sir John, his
wife, &c., were to receive of the fruits of St. Just the sum of
£4 6s. 8d. sterling, yearly amongst them. Also, the said vicars
were every day in the year, by one of themselves, to celebrate one
Mass of the day, or of Requiem, for the welfare of the Bishop, of
Sir Richard de Gomersale, then Provost, and others whose names
are set out in the deed, during life, and for their souls, and for
the soul of Master John de Stoke a former canon of Glasney,
their relatives, friends, and benefactors and all the faithful
departed; and they were to receive of the said fruits, in addition
to the portion just named, £4 6s. 8d. every year equally amongst
them. Also, from the time of obtaining possession of St. Just,
there were to be two clerks ‘‘of the second form,” who were to
be called ‘“‘ Beaupre’s Clerks,” and to serve God and the Church
according totheir degree in the day and night offices. These
clerks were to receive eight pence weekly. Also, two choristers,
to be called ‘‘ Beaupre’s choristers,” who were to receive 4d.
each every week, and one of whom was to serve the Priests in the
celebration of the before mentioned Masses. Then follow further
interesting provisions for Obits, and sung Masses, and for the
future appointments of priests and choristers. Sir John de
Beaupre was to find in the first instance for his two Priests the
books, chalice, vestments, towels, and other requisites for Masses
and Matins, and to erect suitable houses for them at Glasney, but
afterwards these burdens were to be met by the College out of
the fruits of St. Just for ever. The Sacristan of Glasney for the
time being was to find bread, wine and lights, for the Masses, and
to receive 4/3 yearly out of the said fruits to meet the costs thereof.
If there should be any residue, it was to be divided in the custom-
ary manner amongst the resident Canons. This most interesting
document, which I should have liked to give in full, but feared to
weary you, received the approval of the Dean and Chapter of
Exeter on the same day, and was sealed by Sir John de Beaupre
at his Manor of Lanestly on the first of May in the same year.
It is perhaps worth mentioning that the names of some of the
Beaupre chaplains are still preserved.
I regret that I am unable to give you the Taxation of this
vicarage, the deed, that is, fixing the relative rights of the rectors
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 179
and the vicar; but I have been unable to trace it. The College
had to wait ten years before they enjoyed the fruits, and doubt-
less, in their condition of poverty, chafed a bit at this long
waiting for dead men’s shoes. However, their time came, and on
the 8th of October, 1865, John Carbons was appointed the first
vicar of this parish.
Buller, in his interesting little history of this parish (p. 41)
states that the Manor of Lafrouda belonged to Glasney before
the appropriation of the benefice. This may likely have been so,
but Mr. Buller gives no authority for it, and I have been unable
to find any. The name Lafrouda is said,—I am out of my depth
and express no opinion,—to be formed of Laf (7 ¢. Lan?) achurch,
rood, a cross, and dha, holy, and this mixture of languages to
mean ‘‘ The Church of the Holy Cross.” It may mean this; but,
assuming’ the etymology to be even approximately correct, it may
also mean the Church Cross, or Market place, referring to the
cross which, until quite recent times, stood in the centre of the
village.
I do not purpose repeating to you the names of the rectors
and vicars of this parish. There is an almost complete list of
them preserved in the church, as I could wish was the case in
every church. The bare list of names and dates, even if nothing
is known of the men themselves, is an eloquent tribute to the
continuity of the church, and where the names of the patrons are
also given, we have a valuable record of the dealings with the
benefice from age to age. Ido not know that any of the vicars
have been very eminent, except Dr. Borlase, whose works, though
much of them is obsolete,—and further knowledge has shown him
to be more often wrong than right,—were yet amongst the very
earliest attempts at being correct. James Millett is remembered
solely because he had three wives, and is said to have worn a ring
engraved with the legend “If I survive I will have five.”
He was evidently a vigorous old gentleman. He was vicar of
this parish for 54 years, and an undated Terrier is signed proudly
‘“‘ James Millett, Vicar, A‘tatis suee, 80.” Nankivel is only re-
membered as the friend of two greater men, Dr. Walcot and
John Opie. John Buller wrote a history of the parish, and is
also known to lawyers by a case in the Law Reports, from which
180 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
we learn that he was once Mayor of Saltash, and at the end of
his year of office refused to deliver up the mace and the common
seal. Gorham is known by the celebrated trial brought by him
against the Bishop of Exeter, who would not institute him to a
vicarage in Devonshire on the ground that his views were unsound
on the subject of Baptismal regeneration; by his history of St.
Neot’s and some other works; and by the tradition that his
protestant instincts were so offended by one of the church crosses
that he threw it down a well.
Amongst other early records of this church we may notice
the Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV, which was completed in 1291.
I had hoped to find an earlier reference, as in the Rev. Mr.
Fagan’saccount of this church, published in the Penzance Society’s
Transactions, is a reference to a visitation of 1252. I think from
his reference to the Church having been then valued at £8 that he
was really quoting the Taxation in 1291. At any rate there is
no record of any Visitation in 1252, or anywhere about that
time. In the 1291 Taxation the value of the benefice was
assessed at £8, a value which it maintained at the date of the
Inquisicio Nonarum in 1340. The parish registers are not of
very early date, or of particular interest, and I pass on to
a record relating to this parish of very exceptional interest,
namely the tithe account from 1588 to 1596, in the hand-writing
of the then vicar Drake. The collection of tithes has always
been a subject of strife. As early as 1410 we find the people of
St. Just refusing to pay their dues to Glasney College, and being
excommunicated accordingly; indeed they do not seem to have
offered a merely passive resistance, but to have actively molested
the collectors, and no doubt merited their punishment. At
Towednack, Redruth, St. Keverne, and indeed in almost every
Cornish parish there have been from time to time squabbles about
tithes, and highly amusing, as well as instructive, some of these
disputes have been. The St. Just tithe book was published a few
years since in that invaluable work the Diocesan Kalendar, and
it is from that I quote, as I have unfortunately not had the
opportunity of looking at the original. The most interesting part
of this record consists of the additions of the vicar, Mason, who
held the living during the Commonwealth and Restoration, and
who, unlike most of those who were intruded into, or allowed to
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 181
retain, livings during the Commonwealth, wasa man of education
and wit. In the tithe book he has written a certificate in Latin
and in English, of publication of banns of the latter of which
the following is a copy :—
The Bands of Marriage twixt these two
Being published three Sundays past,
You may (so as you use to do
When nothing hinders) bind them fast
With links to last till life does end ;
So writes in haste your loving friend, A.M.”
From papers preserved by Drake’s widow, he completed a
paper of customs, which he believed to be older than the book,
and which he expresses a wish that his successors may possess, in
order to ‘‘ keep peace in the parish.”” I wish I could read you
the whole of these ‘‘ Articles of our Laudable Costom tyme oute
of mynde,” but time forbids. We find that it cost 6d. to be
married, with an extra penny for the clerk, while for a funeral the
vicar got only 5d., and the clerk nothing. We notice in passing
that these fees gradually increased. From a Terrier, signed
by the Vicar, James Millett, which belongs apparently to the year
1727, we learn ‘“‘ Marriages antiently one shilling, for many years
last pas’d. two shillings and sixpence ** * Burials one shilling ’””—
in fact, a general rise in the charge for luxuries. The most
interesting entries are of Tythe honye which was “‘ to be brought
upon the Vaunte stone in the church,” and the Tythe leeks and
unnyons which were to be deposited in the same place. Tythe
hemp, flax, and wool were to be left in the porch, and I should
have thought that the leeks and onions might as well have been
left there too, for their odour is not that of sanctity, whilst, if the
honey was left there over service, it must have driven the small
boys into ecstasy to watch the flies as they settled on it. One
source of amusement was, however, denied to these young people,
for it is expressly provided that the tythe pigs and geese were to
be tied securely, and that the vicar should be warned to remove
them. What the Vann or Vaunte stone was, I do not know.
Mr. W. C. Borlase suggested that it was the base of the font ; but
there is a difficulty in this explanation inasmuch as the book tells
us that it was situate in the choir. It seems to me far more prob-
able that it is the same as the old French Van, from the Latin
vannus, a measure.
182 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
We hope that the good sense of the vicars led to the early
removal of all their tythes, whether high-smelling or otherwise,
and that none of them imitated the vicar of St. Mary Church in
Devon, who at a Visitation in 1301 was reported for that ‘‘ he
causes his malt to be prepared in the church, and stores up his
wheat and other things there. And hence his labourers, coming
in and going out, open the door, and the wind in stormy times
gets into the church, and often blows off portions of the roof.”
Another entry in this book reads ‘‘ Wuirzsoutz. To be
brought to the Chaunsler at two severall sondayes, that is to say
sondaye next after mydsomar and sonday next after our ladye
daye in August,” (meaning probably the Sunday after the Assump-
tion of the Virgin). The most interesting word in the entry is
Whitesoule. From Carew’s Survey we learn that the ‘‘ meat” of
the ordinary Cornish husbandman was ‘‘ Whitsul, as they call it,
milk, sowre milk, cheese, curds, butter, and such as came from the
cow and ewe.” In the printed copy of the 1726 Terrier of St.
Feock occurs the word whitfoole, but a reference to the original at
Exeter shows that this isa mere misprint.* Inthe 1727 Terrier of
St. Keverne we read ‘Tt is to be understood that the white sowle
is 9 days milk turned into cheese and the cream into butter, and
to be paid at the vicarage house, or on the Communion Table”
Here again it will be noticed that the place of payment is within
the chancel, and not at the font. At St. Feock also whitsul was
all the butter and cheese of nine days gathering, so that was
possibly the general custom. For the etymology of this interest-
ing word it is probably sufficient to point to the north country
dialect word sool, meaning anything used to flavour bread, a word
which occurs also in the old poem of Havelock
Kam he nevere hom hand bare,
That he ne brouchte bred and sowel.
This tythe of whitsul was worth having; in 1590, for
instance, the Vicar received no less than 196 cheeses, and 240
pounds of butter.
There are many other customs I should have liked to notice,
but must not; the payment of Haster Eggs; the tythe of fish,
* A similar misprint occurs in Lord de Dunstanville’s edition of Carew’s
Survey.
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 183
about which the disputes in Cornwall were almost endless, one of
the most famous cases on the subject occurring at Paul, where
after much litigation the court delivered a judgment which covers
about ten feet of parchment, and leaves the question little clearer
than it was before.
From these same accounts we learn that prices at St. Just at
the end of the 16th century were much the same as elsewhere.
A lamb was worth a shilling; a goose 4d.; and butter 3d. a
pound. Wages, however, were only two pence a day, which was
rather lower than the average in England. , Tinners’ gettings do
not appear, they being by custom free of tythe. For instance, in
the St. Feock Terrier of 1727 we read :—‘“ And all Tinners being
Venturers for Tin to pay according to good consience.” I hope
they paid up sometimes, but have my misgivings.
And now to say a few words of the fabric of the church. I
am not of course going to give you a detailed account such as one
would insert in a printed description of a church ; and I shall
take it for granted that most of you know the building. It is
undoubtedly one of the most imteresting in Cornwall, and its
interest has been very largely increased by the good taste of the
present incumbent* in having the whole of the interior cleared of
its ime and plaster. In many cases this removal of plaster is a
mistake, for a glance at what is revealed shows at once that the
original builder never meant the stones to be exposed; but at St.
Just, where every stone is a rough unhewn moorstone showing its
natural surface, the effect is beautiful in the highest degree, and
I cannot but regret that the late Mr. Sedding, who had such a
keen appreciation of the wonderful accord between our Cornish
churches and their surroundings, never lived to see what perfect
sympathy there is between these walls which look as if they had
grown here, and the beautiful moorlands of one of the wildest
and most picturesque parts of Cornwall. Many architects and
antiquaries find traces of foreign influence in this church, and will
find perhaps more now in the unhewn walls. There may be, and
probably is, a trace of France about the church, but of one thing
I am confident, and that is, that the men who built St. Just
* The Rev. G. B. Hooper has left the parish since this paper was written.
184 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
Church, the men who in erecting these walls made nature promi-
nent, and kept art in the background, the men who designed
those wonderful east windows in the aisles, which look like
branching shrubs dwarfed by our wild west winds, and those
stepped windows west and north, which suggest piles of stones
upon the hill-side, were Cornishmen to the very deepest of their
natures, men who loved the western storm, men to whom the
scent of gorse and heather was as nectar and ambrosia, and the
roaring of the sea the voice of the Creator.
But there is something more in these bare walls which have
stood here, some five hundred, and some four hundred, years,
than mere beauty ; there is written on them for those who will
read it the whole history of the church. Here are the walls still
standing east and west of the cruciform church that was here
before the present aisles were built; here at the west end can still
be seen where the south nave-window formerly opened on to the
cemetery, but now part of an internal wall; in the north wall of
the sanctuary is the whole of a window arch and part of its jamb
and splay; and just behind the pulpit can be seen the angle
where the wall of the chancel joined the eastern wall of the
north half of the transept, whose position is indicated on each
side of the church by the arches which at this point are wider and
higher than any others in the arcade. Again, it can be clearly
seen that the western walls of the two aisles were built on to the
old nave wall, for the absence of all plaster enables us to see that
nowhere are they bonded together. But a change from a cruci-
form church to one with aisles is by no means all the history these
walls can tell, as clearly, indeed more clearly, than if the record
was a written one. Looking at these two larger arches which I
have just mentioned it will be noticed that the voussoirs have
been cut away at the top, evidently to allow of a lowering of the
roof, and that at some subsequent time the wall has been again
built on by those to whom a high roof was a beauty.
As you enter by the present south door, you will notice that
it is not exactly opposite the Devil’s, or North, door, as you would
expect, and that the porch is of much more recent date than the
church itself. Having noticed these facts, step within, and
you will see that there was once a south door in the proper
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 185
place, just west of the present one, and exactly opposite the
north; and that equidistant on each side was a window, the
eastern one of which has at some time been blocked to make room
for the new south door, whose position has so puzzled you. The
old doorway is still there, and within it is a smaller one, opening
on to the stairway that leads to the roof of the porch, for what
particular purpose is not very clear, for there is no trace of there
ever having been a parvis there. Many another revelation these
walls have for us, but some of them I have doubtless missed,
and some I have not time to repeat. One only do I wish to draw
attention to, and that is that the north wall is older than the
south. Any of you who have compared the loving care with
which the scoinson arches of the northern windows are put
together of carefully selected moorland stones, with the easier but
less artistic and unnatural way in which those on the south are
made up of great flat slabs, will know what I mean far better
than I can tell you. One can never believe that men who could
conceive and build these walls ever meant that they should be
plastered over, and it is accordingly not surprising to note that
the best of the old stone work, namely the north wall, appears to
be at least 50 years older than the distemper paintings which
adorn it, and which are perhaps contemporary with the south
wall, which is an imitation of the north, made by men who had
not the same sense of beauty. To say a word concerning the
distempers (or, as the newspapers for some reason always call
them, frescoes). They were discovered by the late Mr. Piers St.
Aubyn, during his restoration of the churchin 1866. Four have
entirely disappeared; but two remain, and, though sadly mutil-
ated, are well worth study. The one represents St. George and
the dragon, and was evidently a very spirited drawing; the head
of the horse is especially good, but the bridle and trappings, which
when first discovered retained much of their colour, are now
almost obliterated. The rider has his sword lifted to slay the
dragon, which has somewhat the appearance of a clumsy lion (if
you can conceive such a contradiction), with red paws, and black
claws. Behind St. George are some women, who are of course
Cleodolinda, the king’s daughter of Selene, and her attendants.
But, doubtless, everyone here knows this interesting variant of the
tale of Perseus. The other painting has also lost its beauty. It
186 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
represents the Saviour surrounded by the symbols of various
trades on which spirt drops of the sacred blood. It has with
much probability been explained as representing the Passion and
as a symbolisation of the truth that Christ died for all, the
universality of the Vicarial sacrifice being indicated by the tools
of the various trades. Similar drawings are to be seen at St.
Breage and at Lanivet.
Before any part of the present church was built (and the
oldest part of it as it now stands is probably part of the very
church whose high altar was dedicated by Bp. Grandisson on the
12th of July, 1336,) there was a church at St. Just. This record
of the dedication is, as far as I know, the earliest written refer-
ence to the fabric of the church; but Mr. Buller has told us of a
Norman capital, 15 inches square, which was discovered, with
other fragments of a previous building, built into the north wall
of the chancel. He figures this capital, and tells us that it was
adapted to serve as a piscina in the south wall, in the place of one
too much damaged to be replaced. There is here now an early
arch of oolite, with a new credence shelf and basin, and the old
drain still remains, with an opening in the outer wall, in the shape
of a rose, but now plastered over by some stupid mason.
But the capital thus ingeniously adapted has not been seen for
many years. There is, however, in the vicarage garden the
capital of a Norman respond of the same type as that figured by
Buller, and 143 inches across. This, too, has evidently been used
for other purposes, the top being hollowed out apparently to make
it serve as a holy-water stoup.
Close by this, in the recess which has now been converted
into a sedile, was found the celebrated Selus stone, long left lying
about in the church, but now well mounted on a base at the west
end of the north aisle. But why on earth the churchwardens or
whoever are responsible, allow a deal pew to be stuck right in
front of it passes my comprehension. I have not a great stock of
patience, and should not like to trust myself too near that pew
with an axe in my hand. This stone is the most interesting thing
in the church, and should be so placed that all can see it. Take
away this one offending pew, and the position of the stone will be
all that can be desired. If the patron saint of this parish be, as
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 187
some think, Jestyn ap Geraint, and if those are right who read
the name on this stone as Selius, or Selivs, and consider it the
same as Selyf, then we have the interesting fact that the church
called after one son of the saintly chief Geraint and his wife,
sweet Enid, contains also the monument of another of their
children. The resultis so pretty, that one hardly ventures to throw
a doubt upon it, and any one who likes to believe on the slight
evidence there is in its favour may do so without reflection from
myself. There are some incisions above the letters seLus which
have been variously read, some regarding them as not being letters
at all, and others reading the whole as sEnmus. Letters there
certainly are, but not, I think nt. Whatever the right reading
is, one thing is clear that the stone is at least 1,000 or 1100 years
old or even more. On another side is a Chi Rho within a panel,
which some of the text books have mistaken for a bishop’s
crosier.
While speaking of tomb-stones, let me draw your attention
to the admirable simplicity of many in this churchyard,—
just the initials of the name with, sometimes, the date of death
added. The flaunting vulgarities and heathen symbols of the
professional stone-mason are of course to be found at St. Just as
elsewhere, but not in the same profusion.
At different times there have been found other things in this
church ; a ring which is figured by Buller, a brass cross (perhaps
the same as the ‘crucifix verry antiq.’’ referred to in a Terrier
early in the 18th century) and other things; but they have been
mostly lost.
Any one visiting this church must be struck by the un-
usual number of recesses in the walls, especially at the east end of
the north aisle. They certainly are not all aumbries, or piscine, or
credence recesses, and an interesting fact concerning them is that
in most of them there have been found human bones. Some of
these have been interred in the churchyard, but in one place they
have been replaced in the north wall, and the aperture closed up.
I am told that some of the natives regard them as the remains
of St. Just, while others prefer to regard them as referred to in
the hic jacet of the Selus stone.
The beautiful cross-shaft in the north wall deserves your
attention. ‘The Celtic interlaced work which covers it will well
188 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
repay study, and would have rewarded you still further, had not
the late Mr. Piers St. Aubyn cut away a portion of it because it
projected across the window arch. Mr. St. Aubyn was one of the
most conscientious architects who ever worked in Cornwall, and
what he built, he built to endure; but he was not an artist anda
poet, and was guilty of more than one such crime as this. How
far the blame must rest with him for having disposed of the
carved and other oak of the previous wagon roof I do not know.
That glorious timber now forms a private gentleman’s summer-
house, and its place has been taken by a pine roof, whose very
durability is, under the circumstances, an offence.
Other carved work there was once in this church. Doubtless,
the present pine seats are the successors of carved oak benches,
such as we fortunately still have in many of our Cornish churches.
The screen is still to a large extent preserved, and a portion now
serves as the front of the altar table in Kelynack Mission-room.
Of the other points of interest in the church I must say little, for
my paper has already run to too great alength. There are in the
tower two medieeval bells, with many points of interest about
them, which we must pass by. One is inscribed ‘‘ sce michael ora
Pro nobis,” and the other ‘‘ Protege virgo pia quos conuoco
sancta maria,” which last has been rather wildly translated by a
former vicar, Mr. Fagan, in one of the early numbers of the
Penzance Society’s Transactions, ‘‘ Pray for the Virgin Mary,” a
proceeding unusual, I believe, even among Roman Catholics.
The remaining bell was made at St. Erth in 1741, and for some
unexplained reason has on it the name of Admiral Vernon.
The beautiful alabaster reredos with its figures of Cornish
Saints was cut by Messrs. Harp and Hobbs of London, from the
designs of Mr. Harp, water-colour artist, of Killarney.
The church plate is none of it very old, the oldest piece dating
from 1666, namely the Communion Cup, presented by John
Burlace. This also is the only vessel of any beauty. The interest
of the other pieces lies merely in the names of their donors,
Borlase of Pendeen, Edwards of Truthwall, and Adams of
Carallack.
The church is now lighted by gas, but fortunately the hand-
some chandeliers, with the exquisite iron work which supports
them have been retained. They were the gift of John Edwards of
“SD ‘aosing D'£)\
“UN ONIMOO'I HOWNHO HLIMNHd-NI-Lsal ‘s
[49 0,04q
SD wf ‘moting’ 2 °£) ‘aS WOUT HOYNHD HLIMNAd-NI-sal ‘s [£9 070g
a
FeO
xX
: [F.C. Burrow, F.G.S.
S. JUST-IN-PENWITH CHURCH FROM WEST END
Photo by)
‘SD ‘moLing J's) “HOMNHSD HLIMNAd-NI-LSAL “Ss “LavHS-Ssoud [<q oj0yq
—
,#.G.S.
[F. C. Burrow
-IN-PENWITH CHURCH
. JUST
S)
INSCRIBED STONE,
Photo by]
eh
ey
-
fe
ek
Photo by} [%. C.Aurrow, F.R.P.S.
RUINS OF S. HELEN’S CHAPEL, S. JUST.
ii
|
N
ZA
|
MUP S
t
SS —————
i —— Ss OD
EZZIZLIL
a
DISTEMPER PAINTING OF ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON ON NORTH WALL
OF CHURCH, ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
BLA
iy
a TLD
LN
Yea
ai
aa aie
e
WNenede
gt
“SD ‘moLing 2°) ‘WISIV HLQIOS dO (NA LSHM ‘HOWAHD HLIMNHAd-NI-isal ‘s [49 0,04q
:
Q
‘
et
A
‘SD ‘mossng “D'°£) “HAILIMNAd-NI-ISAL ‘S “IMDNVHOD HO ‘IIVM HLYON [49 004g
oe
“SD ‘motiwng' 2 °£4) “MA'N ONIMOOT HOUNHD HLIMNAd-NI-LSaAL ‘Ss [4g o704q
Photo by) [F. C. Burrow, F.G.S,
ALTAR AND REREDOS, §&. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH. 189
Truthwall in 1746, and have an additional value in that they were
made in the parish by one Leggo, who is said not to have always
confined the use of his skill to such laudable purposes. It is said
of him that he had an especial talent for making half-crowns, and
that he was detected and imprisoned. By some means he got
hold of one of his half-crowns, and with much skill converted it
into a snuff box. This he kept about him until the day of
trial. The account of the trial, as related tome by an old inhabi-
tant, is a little confusing, as it seems to have been carried on in
a rather French style, the judge worrying the poor prisoner, and
trying to get him to convict himself. However, I tell the story as
it was told tome. The judge produced a half-crown, and asked
the prisoner if he recognised it as one of his making. Heasked
to see it, but handed back the snuff-box, remarking pleasantly,
‘Yes, it was his making all right, and he was not ashamed,
indeed he was rather proud of it.”” He explained to the judge
which way to twist it, it was opened, and according to the tale,
the judge at once recognised that this poor fellow, accused of the
wicked crime of coining, was only an ingenious maker of toys.
Of the font I say nothing, except that it is of late date, tasteless
design, and feeble execution. As any of you who know this
church will at once perceive, there are many other things about it
which I ought to notice, but for brevity omit; the piers and capi-
tals, many of them having armorial bearings of some interest,
the tower arch, the hood-moulds of the windows, especially those
having on their terminals some fleurs de lys, and the curiously
formed letters J and M, with dots that recall the five wounds of
Christ and the seven dolours of Mary. Norcan Istay to do more
than mention the little oratory of St. Helen on Cape Cornwall, the
chapel on Carn Brea, respecting which the late Mr. Copeland
Borlase wrote so interestingly, the plain-an-guare which is fairly
to be regarded as part of the history of the church, for it was
doubtless erected when the drama was one of the church’s favour-
ite methods of instruction, the mission room at Kelynack,
of which I can say nothing for I have never seen it, or the
church of Pendeen, which is in this civil parish, and which,
though its proportions make it more like a shooting gallery than
a church, yet is of never failing interest because of the energy of
the vicar and the people who erected it,
190 CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN-PENWITH.
And now to close what I hope has not been an altogether
wearisome paper. I have spoken to you this afternoon only of an
obscure western parish, and of a church of which probably nine
hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand of the people
of this country have never so much even as heard: and yet,
rightly considered, is not the history of each parish the history
of the church at large? Have we not seen how each parish
was formerly self-supporting, and how as time went on great
central associations, either colleges or monasteries, were deemed.
of more importance than the parishes, the large funds which
were in the middle ages diverted to them having since passed,
some into lay hands, and some to other church bodies, but
in either case leaving the parish itself shorn of its proper
income? Again, the parish is now becoming every day more
and more important, and, if it were not for the cathedral
as a centre of the diocese, there would be great danger of
absolute disintegration. I said at the commencement that the
history of the church was a valuable illustration of the history of
the nation; has not an almost exactly similar experience been that
of the state on its secular side ?—first freedom locally, then over
centralisation, then a revulsion to an opposite extreme, so that any
interference from the central government is by many members of
local authorities resented as an undue derogation from the liberty
of the people? We have seen, too, in this little parish the same
disputes over doctrines and tythes and other matters as have from
time to time troubled the whole church, disputes on which the
disputants have imagined the future of the world to hang, while
all the time the great body of the church has gone calmly on,
adapting itself, from age to age, to the varying circumstances of
the times, unaffected by these disputes and soon forgetting the
disputants, the great heart of the nation rising above the petty
details of ritual, and ignoring the angry attempts of fussy people
to force on it their solutions of problems which are insoluble.
The fabric of the church has from time to time much changed its
outward form, its methods and its rites have undergone great
alterations; but these are but feeble efforts to express great
truths, which are the same vesterday as to-day, the same to-day
as yesterday. Is there no lesson in this for the angry disputants
of to-day, who in their stupid quibbling over the method of
expression, lose sight altogether of the message which they would
convey, losing sight of the forest behind the trees ?
191
SOME BOTANICAL RECORDS.
By FRED. HAMILTON DAVEY.
At the last Annual Meeting of this Institution it fell to my
lot to furnish a brief account of one of the greatest botanical
surprises of the year—the discovery of Mitella hyalina in that
happy hunting-ground of the botanist, the Loe Pool, near
Helston. To-day there is nothing of such absorbing interest to
chronicle, but a summer’s hard work at the botany of mid and
west Cornwall enables me to lay before you several interesting
items.
Next in point of value to the discovery of a species new to a
county, must be ranked the verification of a record about which
there has been some dubiety, and the adding of new stations for
the more uncommon plants. In the ninth edition of the
‘London Catalogue,”’ published as recently as 1895, Brassica
Chetranthus is set down as occurring only in the Channel Islands.
The third edition of Sowerby’s ‘‘ English Botany,” also limits
it to ‘‘the sandy seashore at St. Aubin’s Bay, Jersey, and in
Alderney.” In Hooker’s ‘‘Students’ Flora” it is mentioned
as having occurred in Cornwall, without any hint as to the
finder, the year, or the locality. When exploring the south
coast in the neighbourhood of St. Austell, on September 11th
last, it was my good fortune to find a group of about fifty
plants of this local and very rare species in various stages of
progress, but mostly in fruit, thereby enabling me to settle its
identity without the slightest doubt. Mr. R. V. Tellam has
also had another colony under observation for nearly thirty years
at a village a few miles distant. These records will, I think, be
regarded as valuable additions to our county’s flora.
In the course of my summer’s work nothing struck me more
forcibly than what may not be inappropriately called the sectional
richness of our flora. Ever since the Exeter meeting of the
British Association, nearly thirty years ago, when the Lizard
Peninsula was marked on the botanical map as the “district of
Leguminosez,” we have known that no other county can compare
192 SOME BOTANICAL RECORDS.
with ours for richness in trifoliums. ‘This is only one instance,
albeit a very striking one, of what nature has done for us along
certain lines.
Of the twenty-six species of Fanunculi scattered over Great
Britain, twenty-one are already known west of the Tamar, and
many of them were collected by melast summer. Thirteen out of
the fourteen British species of Hypericums have been observed
along our highways and byeways; and of the nine Linarias named
in the ‘‘ London Catalogue’’ I have gathered no fewer than eight
between Fowey and Falmouth. The distribution of these eight
kinds of Linarias is not the least interesting feature about their
occurrence. In Cornwall Linaria supina is now only found at
Par, where, at one particular spot, it literally abounds, and
sparingly at Menheniot. To my own certain knowledge tens of
thousands of plants have blossomed at Par during the past
two years. Linaria elatena is fairly well diffused over the
county, but, save in the Ponsanooth district, it is nowhere a
common weed. The same thing applies to Linaria spuria.
Met with here and there from Hast to West Cornwall, it
attains its maximum frequency only in the Roseland district.
LIinaria viscida and Linaria repens are equally erratic in their
distribution. At Falmouth Railway Station the former may be
gathered without the slightest risk of extermination; yet one
may travel many a week without again meeting it. It has
occurred at the Lizard, at Helston, at Perranwell, near Truro,
at Liskeard, Looe, and in one or two other places, but in only a
few of these localities does it grow in any quantity. Through-
out Mabe, and in one or two of the adjacent parishes, Zenaria
repens is such a common plant that the district may be
regarded as its Cornish centre. Outside this area it is but
rarely found, although, by a curious twist in the laws govern-
ing plant distribution, I recently came upon a thriving colony
as far afield as.Par. About five years ago the late Mr. E.
A. Winsch F.G.S., discovered a batch making a hard struggle
for existence on an old mine heap on the north border of
the parish of Gwennap. Linaria purpurea is perhaps the most
capricious of this interesting genus in its appearance. A few
plants at Saltash, St. Germans and Fowey, are all that I find on
my list.
SOME BOTANICAL RECORDS. 193
Of the thirteen species of Violas now accepted as British, we
can count twelve for Cornwall, with several varietal forms.
Eleven of our fourteen wild Geraniums have been recorded for
the county at one time or other; six of the eight species of
Myosotis, and five of the six kinds of Verbascums.
In that class of plants which engaged the thoughtful
attention of Charles Darwin, and inspired that entrancing book,
‘Carnivorous Plants,” it was thought at one time Cornwall was
very poor. I am now able to state that the whole of the British
Sundews may be found on our bogs, two of them being very
common objects indeed. Of the five species of Bladderworts
(Utricularias) I have quite recently collected four in mid and
west Cornwall, and have been able to add several new stations
for their occurrence. The third class of insect-feeding plants,
the Pinguiculas, are represented by two species, or one-half of
the number recorded for the British Isles. In other words, of
the twelve carnivorous plants found in Great Britain and Ireland,
nine of them may be gathered in our own county by the pains-
taking botanist.
Mention must be made of my experience with Corrigiola
littoralis, perhaps the gem of the Loe Pool, and Hypericum
linarifolium. In his ‘“‘Week at the Lizard,” Johns tells us
Corrigiola occurs some years in‘ plenty on one side of the Pool
and other years in equal abundance on the other side, a
peculiarity which other botanists have verified. Ten or fifteen
years ago one could go to Loe Pool and collect five hundred
plants in one hour without the slightest twitch of conscience, but
during the last half-dozen years Corrigiola has undergone such a
deplorable diminution that I have been unable to hear of anyone
who has filled a vacancy in his herbarium from this place for
quite two years. JI have myself made several ineffectual attempts
to find it, and, among others, I am acquainted with two excellent
botanists who spent several weeks along the shores of the Loe
without meeting a trace of the plant. Just yet it is rather too
early to say Corrigiola has become extinct in Cornwall, but it is
almost certain that no one has found it since Mr. J. D. Enys,
F.G.S., gathered a single plant in August, 1897. Happily,
although for a time it seems to have disappeared from Cornish
soil, it is still found on Slapton Sands and near Start Point, in
Devonshire.
194 SOME BOTANICAL RECORDS.
Professor Babington’s record for Hypericum linarsfolium,
which he found on Cape Cornwall in 1839, has been so slavishly
copied by later-day compilers of floras that few persons seem to
have suspected the disappearance of the plant from that locality.
At its best it must have been but poorly represented “‘ on a steep
slope above the sea, between two prominent masses of rock, on
the south side of the promintory, before reaching the lower part
which connects the conical headland with the rest”; and it may
be averred with every assurance of safety that no one has met
Hypericum tinarifolium on Cape Cornwall, or at any other place in
the county, for at least twenty-five years. Dr. Ralfs, probably
one of the most indefatigable workers at the Cornish flora, was
never able to find it, and Mr. A. Henwood Teague, F.L.S., has yet
tosee his first living Cornish specimen. Three months ago I joined
Mr. A. O. Hume, C.B., the well known authority on the game birds
of India, and Mr. Teague in a final systematic search for this
will-o’-the-wisp. Every inch of the ground marked out by
Professor Babington was carefully examined, together with a
good deal of the surrounding country, and all to no avail. In
matters of this kind one cannot be too cautious, but in the face of
such experience, to which must be added that of at least half-a-
dozen other botanists, the exclusion of Hypericum linarvfolium
from our county’s flora seems inevitable. There must be a good
deal of dubiety about a plant when never a sight of it has been
had for more than a quarter of a century.
Euphorbia Peplis is another plant apparently on the high road
to extinction in the west. It is many years ago now since local
botanists talked with pride of the numbers which grew between
Penzance and Marazion, and on Seaton Sands, in East Cornwall.
He is a fortunate man indeed who can find a plant there, or
in any other part of the county, to-day. This past summer alone
I travelled over more than eight hundred miles of road and
beach, meadow and moorland, without obtaining a sight of this
species.
While a few of our local rarities are thus yearly becoming:
rarer, others hold their own with wonderful tenacity. More than
two hundred years ago when Ray came into Cornwall he found
that pretty grass, Fibichia umbellata, between Penzance and
Marazion, on what is known as the Kastern Green. With his
SOME BOTANICAL RECORDS. 195
customary thoroughness, he located the habitat for the benefit of
the would-be finder by telling him to stand immediately opposite
Gulval Church, at a place where he could see neither the east nor
west sides of the tower, but only the south, and he would be in a
direct line with the grass. I visited the classic spot in September,
and was pleased to find the grass flourishing in such quantities
as to excite no fear about its extermination by the curious
collector.
Another survival in the same district is Pinguicula grandifiora,
an introduction of Dr. Ralf’s from the bogs of south-western
Ireland. Placed in a couple of spongy marshes west of Penzance,
it has increased at a very rapid rate, which is no great matter for
surprise when it is remembered that, given suitable conditions,
every broken leaf will give rise to a new plant. Dr. Ralf’s
monument is not in the churchyard, but on those two western
bogs.
In bringing before your notice last year the discovery of
Nitella hyalina, I said a careful examination of the Loe had led
me to conclude that the plant was probably restricted to a twelve-
yard area in Penrose Creek. Acting on the principle that one
can never be too careful in expressing an opinion on matters of
this kind, I obtained Captain Rogers’s consent to make another
thorough dredging of the Loe in October. What I said twelve
months ago about the distribution of this Nitella is true to-day.
If it occurs on British soil other than on the ‘‘ Nitella bank” in
Penrose Creek, no one knows it.
In the Penryn district the past has been a rich season for
that charming little orchid, the lLady’s-tresses (Spiranthes
autumnalis). In September, in a damp field or two between
Penryn and Tremough, Miss 8. Imeson, a London botanist, found
the grass alive with tens of thousands of the sweet flowers, a
record quite unique in the annals of Cornish botany.
At Ponsanooth we have also had our surprise. For the first
time the Upright Penny-royal (Mentha pulegium var. erecta)
appeared in the locality, and then not as a straggler but in
hundreds. One of the prettiest of mints, it imparted a colour to
the spot where it so suddenly sprang up which was attractive a
considerable distance away. How it got there is a problem.
196
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH,
From rst Fanuary to 1oth September, 1898, and from May, 1899, to
the end of that year.
By RUPERT VALLENTIN.
T have drawn up my observations on the variations of the
Plankton during the above mentioned dates in the same tabular
form as I did on the last occasion. What further remarks I have
to offer concerning these gatherings, and also the variations in the
surface temperature of the sea, will now be noticed in the follow-
ing monthly notes.
January, 1898. The surface temperature of the sea was
very high during this month, this being probably due to the
prevailing winds being from the south-west. On the Ist the
surface temperature of the sea was 49°F., and two days later it rose
to 50° F., and on the following day there wasa still further rise to
51°F. On the 7th the surface temperature suddenly fell to 49°3°
F., this sudden decline being due to a fresh N. wind, but by the
next day it had regained its previous degree of warmth. On the
15th, 17th, and 27th the surface temperature fell to 49°6° F., but
on the remaining days it varied from 50° to 51°F.
The presence of a single specimen of the ephyra stage of
Aurelia in the tow-net on the 4th and also on the 17th is inter-
esting; and the abundance of the Zoe stage of a species of
decapod crustacean during the greater part of the month is also
striking. Speaking generally, however, there was not much
variety in the Plankton for this month, but it was far above the
average of former years.
February. The surface temperature of the sea remained at
51°F, during the first four days of the month. Onthe 5th it fell
to 49°6°F., the wind changing to N.E. Between that day and
the 19th it slowly rose to 50° F., and after that gradually
decreased in temperature to the 28th, when 47°F. was recorded.
The weather during this month was very unsettled and no
collecting was accomplished.
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 197
March. Another unsettled month with a uniform low surface
temperature was recorded; 46°F. being the surface temperature
on the last day of the month. As in the previous month, but
little tow-netting could be done owing to the unsettled state of the
weather.
April. With the commencement of this month the spring
may be said to have begun.
The surface temperature of the sea on the 2nd was 47°3°F.,
but it quickly rose to 48°6° F. on the 4th, and grew perceptibly
warmer till the 14th, when 50°6° F. wasrecorded. Between that
day and the 22nd the temperature of the sea remained fairly
uniform, being 51°6° F.: 53°3° F. being the average surface
temperature during the last six days of the month.
Tetraspores were first detected for this year in a gathering
made on the 4th during high-water ; and between that day and
the 21st they rapidly increased in quantity, attaining their maxi-
mum between the 20th and 3lst. At the beginning of the
next month, this alga began to decrease in quantity till the
27th, when only a very few spheres were seen for the last
occasion. During this time, in no case were these Tetraspores
sufficiently numerous to prevent the use of the tow-net. Indeed,
on many occasions this alga would have escaped notice but for the
employment of that useful instrument.
Among the most prominent forms in the surface gatherings
taken during this month were shoals of Oithonia spinifrons. On
the 21st, after S.E. winds, the comparatively rare copepod,
Anomalocera Patersonii was exceptionally abundant in the docks.
Owing to their large size, these specimens could be easily seen
with the the naked eye, darting hither and thither just beneath
the calm surface of the sea. Microscopical examination of these
specimens shewed that the males were far more numerous than
the females, the average being almost three to one. All these
were ladled from the sea with a tin cup, and were captured in
quantities.
The next day only a single specimen could be found in the
harbour, and that was only seen after a protracted search.
May. The weather during the first week of this month was
very wild, but after the 6th the wind shifted to the north, and
finer weather followed.
198 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH.
The average surface temperature of the sea for the month
was low and varied but little, remaining almost stationary from
the 1st to the 23rd at 53°6° F., rising on the 24th to 54:9°F.,
and still further to 56°6% F. on the 26th, at which point it
remained unchanged till the close of the month.
By far the most abundant forms in the tow-net during this
month were Sarsia prolifera, which occurred in immense profu-
sion in some sheltered places in the harbour. Towards the end
of the month, larval annelids began to abound, and with these a
few tube-dwelling Terebellids were noticed. The early forms of
various species of polycheete larvee were fairly common after the
middle of the month. Halospheera viridis was not detected in any
of the gatherings after the 24th. Several small Beroe averaging
3mm in length were observed on the 25th, and after that date one
or two specimens were seen in almost every gathering till
September.
The occurrence of that singular larval form, Hctinosphera
diaphana in the tow-net on the 25th is interesting. I have not
seen a specimen for a considerable time. The first Actinotrocha
larva seen for the year being secured on the same date.
June. On the Ist the surface temperature of the sea was
55° F., but on the 8rd it had fallen to 54°6° F. From this day
there was a decided change for the better. On the 4th 54°3°F,
was recorded, and on the 7th 55°6°F.; the temperature after that
rose with leaps and bounds, 58-9° F. being recorded on the 15th,
and for the first time for the season 60° F. was reached on the
17th. From the 20th to the 25th there was a steady fall to 56°F.,
and this was quickly followed by a still further decrease to 53°9°F.
on the 28th: 55:°6°F. being recorded on the 30th, the last day of
the month.
About the 15th Obelia lucifera and Auricularia larvee were
abundant, and with these Sarsia gemmifera were noticed.
About this time I detected two specimens of a singular para-
sitic Nematode belonging probably to the family Desmoscolecidee
wandering in the structureless layer of the umbrella of a Clytia
Johnstonii. Unfortunately the host was killed before these para-
sites were detected, and as no others were seen, no further
observations can be recorded.
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 199
The presence of an unknown species of Oscillatoria in vary-
ing quantities in the tow-net from the 25th of May to the 10th
of September, when my observations for a time were discontinued,
is of interest. This alga was most obundant in the sea during
August. Copepods were very scarce during the whole of this
month.
On the 13th three beautiful Bipennaria formed the most
important forms in the tow-net.
Noctiluca reappeared in the bay on the 28rd, and with them
one metazoéa stage of Porcellana longicornis was noticed. Another
specimen of the same crustacean was secured on the 28th.
On the 30th I made two surface gatheringsin the bay. The
tow-net was kept out on both occasions for 15 minutes, and the
localities where these gatherings were taken were separated by a
space of at least two miles. In the first collection a few Noctiluca
and Ceratium tripos were seen with other forms, but in the second
haul they were wanting. ‘This fact clearly shews that one must
not conclude that the absence of any given form from the tow-net
signifies that it is not to be found in the neighbourhood, but only
that it is not present in that portion of the sea where the tow-net
was worked at the time named. The surface temperature of the
sea was identical in both places. being 55°6°F.
The decrease of the two diatoms Rhizosonelia, and Cheetoceros
during this month is noteworthy ; Ceratium tripos appearing in
their stead.
July. It was not till the 6th of the month that summer really
began. During the following nine weeks we enjoyed warm
weather and almost continuous sunshine. Unfortunately the
prevailing winds were from the north, and as a natural conse-
quence the pelagic fauna was wanting in oceanic forms.
The rapid rise in the surface temperature of the sea during
the. early part of this month is interesting. On the Ist the
temperature was 55°F, on the 3rd 55-9°F.; 4th, at 4 p.m., high
water, 62:°3° F.; 5th, 58°6°F.; 6th, 60°F.; 9th, 61°F.;
16th, 63°F.; 17th, 65°3°F. There was a slight fall in the sur-
face temperature on and after the 19th to 62°F., and on the 28rd,
a still further reduction to 61°3°F.; rising again to 62°F. on the
last day of the month.
200 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH.
The occurrence of quantities of Noctiluca, together with a
fair number of Coryceeus anglicus in the bay on the 3rd is inter-
esting. It seems to shew that this sudden rise in the surface
temperature of the inshore waters did not extend to any great
distance from the land, as the following observation will shew.
On the 14th, aided by a pleasant south-westerly wind, I sailed
into the bay and worked the tow-net at 11.30 a.m., just above the
bottom of the sea for fifteen minutes in 25 fathoms of water. The
temperatures recorded were as follows :—surface, 60°F. ; bottom,
25 fms., 56°6°F.; surface temperature of sea in the harbour, at 2
p-m., on my return, 65°F.
On examining this gathering I found it teeming with Noc-
tiluea. I was always hitherto under the impression that this
Infusorian was purely a pelagic form; but this result seems to
indicate that the species does descend into the cooler layers of the
sea at will. I have looked in vain in various works devoted to
the description of these lowly forms, but have failed to find any
notice of this singular habit; all writers simply stating that it is
pelagic. I may mention that no special precautions were taken to
exclude the inclusion of other forms during the passage of the
net to and from the surface. Fortunately, 1 brought back with
me a jar filled with sea-water taken from the surface of the sea
where this gathering was made, and no Noctiluca could be found
therein. The two next days were calm, so I could not sail into
the bay. At 1.15 p.m I made a short tow-net gathering in the
harbour during high-water, but not a single specimen of Noctiluca
could be found. It was not till the 18th that specimens of this
Infusorian occurred in the harbour, and from that date till the
end of the month they formed a constant feature in the tow-net.
In the same gathering quite a number of Ceratium tripos,
C. macroceros, and ©. fuscus were also detected. I have only on
one previous occasion detected specimens of this last named
speciesin my tow-net, that occasion being during the spring of 1898.
On the 23rd of March of that year the tow-net was worked in the
harbour after prolonged easterly winds, and two or three speci-
mens of Ceratium fuscus were observed in that gathering. In my
notes on the Fauna of Falmouth for that year“ I recorded the
presence of this rare species of Infusorian.
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 201
M. Paul Gourret” notes the occurrence of the same species
in the sea in the neighbourhood of Marseilles under the synomym
of Ceratium pellucidum. The genus Ceratium is of great interest
to the naturalist as it is highly phosphorescent.
The planule of Chrysaora were common in the surface-
nettings during this time, as were also young specimens of sea-
urchins with parts of the pluteus larva still attached.
August. Taken as a whole, this month was fine but not
warm, and with the éxception of a few close days at the end of
the month the average surface temperature of the sea was low for
the time of year. The following is a list of the principal changes
of the surface temperature during this month. On the Ist the
surface temperature was 60:9°F..; 2nd, 61:9°F.; and by the Sth
it had fallen to 60°3°F. A slight rise then followed, and by the
10th 61°F. was reached, but by the 11th it receded to 60°F., and
by the following day to 59°6°F. After slight fluctuations the sur-
face temperature rose to 63°F. on the 19th, and between the 20th
and the 27th it remained fairly uniform at 64°F. ; the atmosphere
being at that time close and warm. The remaining four days of
the month were a little cooler, the surface temperature falling
Zein
The contents of the several gatherings made with the tow-
net during this month were very similar to the last. Noctiluca,
larvee of Algirus punctilucens, and Beroe continued to be present
in varying numbers during this time. The presence of several
specimens of Coryceeus anglicus on the 11th is noteworthy. One
of these was coated with diatoms, and one female was carrying
ova. In the same gathering one Pilidium larva was noticed.
September. The surface temperature of the sea on the Ist
was 61:9°F. Ou the 3rd it had risen to 62°F., and by the 5th it
had increased in temperature to 63°3°F.
On the 10th, when the last tow-netting was made for this
year, the surface temperature had risen to 65°F’, and the contents
of the tow-net were very rich and varied. This was the beginning
of the usual autumnal invasion of channel and oceanic forms
which invariably heralds the approach of that season. Unforty-
nately my observations had to be discontinued for a time; but
judging from the list of species recorded in that gathering, there
202 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH.
was every evidence of a greater variety of pelagic life being
present during that month and the following one than in previous
years.
1899.
Although I did not begin my regular observations till June,
I was able to satisfy myself that the Tetraspores were only
present in small quantities during the spring, and that these algze
would have quite escaped notice without a liberal employment of
the tow-net.
From the commencement of May to the 27th, the surface
temperature of the sea remained very uniform, varying only from
58°F. to 53°6° F.; and from the 28th to the 31st it rose to 55°F.
June month was fine and warm. From the 1st to the 9th the
surface temperature of the sea ranged from 59°F. to 60°F, but
owing to the absence of wind no tow-nettings could be made. By
the 13th the surface temperatnre had increased to 63°F., and it
remained unaltered till the 19th, when between that day and the
end of the month it varied from 60°F. to 61°F.
Sarsia gemmifera abounded in the harbour and especially
within the docks. On the last day of this month Sarsia prolifera
was almost as numerous.
July. Up to the 18th the surface temperature of the sea
remained low, varying from 59° F. on the Ist to 61°6°F. on the
17th. Between this date and the 31st there was an unbroken rise
in the surface temperature of the sea to 65:9°F., the weather
being very fine, and the wind light on most days. With this rise
of temperature there was a corresponding increase in pelagic
forms, but these were almost exclusively inshore animals, the
exception being one specimen of Muggieea atlantica secured on
the 27th.
August. This was a record month: the surface temperature
of the sea being far higher than I have ever recorded it. This
fact is due to almost total absence of rain, and continuous
sunshine.
On the Ist the surface temperature of the sea was 64°F, and
by the 3rd it had risen to 67°F. During the next week there
was a slight decrease to 66°F, but between the 11th and 15th the
surface temperature remained almost stationary at 67°F. ‘The
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 2038
next day there was a slight fall in the temperature to 65:9°F.,
but the degree of warmth recorded on the 15th was quickly
regained.
On the 19th the surface temperature of the sea, taken in two
places in the harbour, was 69°F. and 69°6°F. From that day
to the close of the month the variations in the surface tempera-
ture were the same as during the first portion.
The presence of a fair quautity of Noctiluca in a gathering
made in the bay on the 7th is noteworthy, as is also the occurrence
of a few specimens of Prorocentrum micans two days later.
Noctiluca was very abundant in the harbour on the 16th, their
presence being doubtless due to the fresh to strong easterly winds
we experienced from the 10th tothe 14th. On the same occasion,
16th, several Saphenia mirabilis were also secured. Plutei, in an
advanced stage of development, were abundant towards the end
of this month.
September. This exceptionally warm weather continued till
the 14th, when the surface temperature of the sea began to
steadily decline. On the 15th 64:6°F. was recorded, and after
that date there was a steady fall in the surface temperature of the
sea of about 1°F. every three days; 57:°9°F. being noted on the
30th.
On the 19th, after some squally weather, a few specimens of
the radiolarian Acanthometra elastica were noticed in the gather-
ing made that morning, after a long interval. This species
continued to form a prominent object in the tow-net for some
weeks.
October. From the 1st to the 12th the surface temperature
of the sea fluctuated between 56°6°F. and 55:9°F. On the 4th,
5th, 6th, 7th, 26th, 27th the temperature rose to 57°6°F.; but
during the intervening days it remained at 56°F.
The various tow-nettings made during this month were far
above the average, both in quantity and variety. The Radio-
larian, A. elastica, continued to be present in a living condition
during the first portion of the month; but those specimens
captured after the 25th, with a surface temperature of 56-9° were
all dead. Coscinodiscus, Rhizosonelia, Cheetoceros, in chains
were most abundant during the early portion of this month.
204 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH.
The presence of several specimens of Coryczus anglicus with
ova attached, and one specimen of Saphinia mirabilis is note-
worthy. After a long interval, a single specimen of Calagus
rapax was found in the gathering of the 17th.
Specimens of Podon, carrying a single winter egg, were
fairly common during this time.
November. The surface temperature of the sea during the
first week remained unchanged at 56°F. Between the 8th and
15th it fell to 53:3°F., and during the next eight days a further
steady reduction took place to 52°9°F. On the 24th there was a
slight rise to 53°6°F., and during the remaining portion of the
month the variation was very slight. The last half of this month
was characterized by an unbroken calm, a most unusual event for
the time of year.
There was an appreciable diminution in the quantity of
the plankton during this month, although at the commencement
it was far above the average, specimens of Muggieea and Cory-
cus anglicus being exceptionally numerous. A single worm
larva, which I believe to be a young Aphrodita, was captured
tured on the 13th. The presence of a single Beroe in the
tow-net on the 30th is interesting.
December. The surface temperature of the sea remained at
53°3°F, during the first week; this was followed by a rapid fall
to 48°F., at which point it remained practically unchanged till
¢he close of the year.
Ca@LENTERATA. During the spring and summer of both years
Aurelia aurita has been practically absent from this district.
The presence of a single ephyra stage of Aurelia in the tow-net
on the 17th January, 1898, led me to expect that a greater num-
ber would follow, but in spite of many excursions to various
places in the harbour and also up Truro river as far as Malpas,
during the summer of 1898, only one battered adult specimen was
seen. ‘This was observed in the docks on the 27th April, and
was found to measure 30m.m. in diameter. During 1899 not a
single Aurelia aurita was seen. The last time this species was
abundant in this district, was in the spring and summer of 1896.
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 205
The first Chrysaora isosceles was seen drifting up the harbour
on the flood-tide, on the 11th July, 1898, and during the next
month of both years this species was fairly common. The largest
specimen of species was detected in the harbour on the 23rd
August, 1899. It was found to measure 27°50 c.m. in diameter.
The ambulatory gonozooids of Cladonemma radiatum and
Clavatella prolifera abounded in the tidal pools exposed during
low water in all the sheltered creeks of Falmouth harbour and
Helford river. As in former years, the hydroid of both species
has so far eluded my most careful search.
TremMATODES. The parasitic trematode, whose presence I
have detected in the structureless layer of the umbrella of several
species of medusze during the past few years, was found during
the summer of 1898 to be very numerous within the digestive
sacs of the common hydroid, Clytia Johnstonii ‘occuring on drift
Zostera. While examining a tow-net gathering made on the
11th August of that year, I happened to find a small piece
of Zostera marina about 10m.m. in length; and as most of
the hydroids on this weed seemed to be abnormally swollen,
I examined it under the microscope. Great was my astonish-
ment to find that almost every polypide had, in the majority
of instances, two, and in some cases, three of these trematodes
wandering about within the digestive sac. A few days
later, I collected during low water from various parts of the
harbour some pieces of Zostera from the beds on which they were
growing; and although these ribbon-like leaves were covered
with specimens of this hydroid, in no instance could I find a
single trematode within any of them, although on the drift speci-
mens they abounded. During this time, medusz were scarce,
and it seems to me most probable that these parasites were
compelled to find a new host wherein to undergo further
developmental changes, and this may account for the singular
circumstances under which they were found. I may add that
these hydroids seemed to be in no way inconvenienced by the
presence of these trematodes, for they expanded freely when
under observation.
Moutusca. All species of Nudibranchs were scarce during
both years.
206 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH.
A few coils of spawn deposited by Archidoris tuberculata
were observed on the vertical piles of wood which form the
eastern breakwater, on the 19th Feb., 1898. During 1899 not a
single specimen of the adult mollusk could be found anywhere in
the harbour. I made a special point of hunting for this species
for the benefit of a friend who was anxious to obtain specimens,
but I was unsuccessful.
The sides of the coal hulks below water-line which usually
form such excellent collecting places were quite bare of nudi-
branchs till the last few days of 1899, when a large number of
Goniodoris castanea and a few G. nodosa were found. Speci-
mens of Aeolis coronata and Antiopa cristata were also fairly
abundant.
Only one specimen of Aplysia punctata, about 13 ¢.m. in
length was found during these years. This was picked up on the
5th July, 1898, on a bed of Zostera in the docks. During the
spring and summer of 1889 large specimens abounded in similar
places not only in the harbour but also at Helford. Since then,
only stray specimens have been seen, and these in the majority of
instances have been small.
Owing to the exceptionally high temperature of the sea
during the months of July and August, 1899, a very heavy fall
of oyster spat occurred in Falmouth harbour and Truro river.
Certainly, this ‘fall’ is the heaviest which has taken place in this
district within the past ten years; and I doubt if it was beaten
by the memorable ‘ fall of spat’ which occured in 1887.
Crustacea. One of the most striking instances of the dis-
persal of marine animals by human agency that has ever come
under my notice was detected during the spring of 1898. The
facts of the case are these: Towards the end of March, the
southern shores of Great Britain and Ireland were visited by a
severe gale; exceptionally stormy weather being experienced by
those vessels which happened to be at that time at the mouth of
the channel. Among the chief sufferers who survived to tell the
tale was the crew of a Liverpool barque, of about 500 tons,
named ‘‘Ruthen.”’ This vessel had taken on board some time
previously a cargo of guano, obtained from a small island named
Lobos on the Patagonian coast, situated about mid-way between
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 207
Montevidio and the Straits of Magellan. After an uneventful
voyage she arrived off Queenstown, where she received her orders,
presumably from a pilot boat, to proceed to a continental port to
discharge. She experienced the full fury of this gale when off
the Scillys, and in a short time lost all her masts and spars. Her
crew were taken off by a passing steamer, and the vessel was
abandoned. After a brief interval, a vessel took her in tow as
far as the Lizard, and handed her over to a local tug-boat which
promptly brought her to Falmouth, and a short time later she
was moored in the docks. The day after her arrival, I went and
examined her sides with the remote hope that I might be able to
find something of interest amid the forest of green algze which
draped her hull a few inches below water-line. Without any
difficulty I secured a dozen small crabs which I detected running
amid this weed. The next day, I made a more leisurely
examination of these crustaceans and their surroundings, for I
soon discovered they were new to this country. In many instances
these crabs could be seen devouring the weed on the vessel’s sides;
while others were scrambling through the weed, or holding fast to
the peduncles of the Lepas which abounded everywhere below
water-line. Between the time I discovered these crustaceans and
the vessel’s departure, about a week, I paid a daily visit to this
barque; and besides removing numbers for preserving, I scattered
dozens in various places in the harbour with a view to the intro-
duction of a new species. Two years have nearly passed since
this was done, and I have not found a single specimen. ‘This
vessel was finally towed away, and up to the time of her depar-
ture there were still numbers of these crustaceans left on her.
Being unable to identify this species from any book in my
possession, I gave some of these crustaceans to Mr. Pocock, of the
British Museum, who kindly informed me that Pilumnoides
perlatus was the name of this species, and that it was a Chilian
form.
Surprises like misfortunes seldom come single.
During the snmmer of 1899 another barque from Tal-tal, a
seaport on the west coast of South America, arrived at Falmouth
to discharge her cargo during the height of summer. She, like
the preceding vessel, had quantities of Lepas festooning her sides.
208 NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH.
Running over these, possessed of very keen vision, were numbers
of Nautilograpsus minutus, Ine-Edwards.
After a careful search, I have only been able to find that four
other specimens of this species have been secured on the coasts of
Devon and Cornwall. Mr. Spence-Bate,' in his revision of Mr.
Couch’s list of ‘Crustacea’ in the Cornish Fauna, writing under
the synonym of Planes linneana Leach ISS. says: “This is a
stray inhabitant of our shores, and drifted hither after Atlantic
gales. Its proper habitat is the Saragossa or Gulf Weed of Mid-
AMATO” 5.0 46.0% ‘‘In our report, he continues, ‘to the British
Association on the Marine Fauna and Flora of S. Devon and
Cornwall, Mr. Couch says ‘‘In the spring of the present year,
1867, a specimen of the Hawk’s-bill Turtle was taken in the
channel, at not a great distance from the French coast, and there-
fore not to be classed as British; but when brought alive and
active into Polperro there were found, adhering closely under the
shelter of its tail, two full-grown specimens of this crab....”
Mr. Couch says “‘. ..a species of the Genus Grapsus is in the
Atheneeum at Plymouth, under the name of G. pelagicus by Mr.
Prideaux, and known to Dr. Leach, but not in any published
work. It is understood that the collection in the Museum of that
Institution is confined to specimens taken on the borders of Devon
and Cornwall.”
The third specimen was secured by the scientific statf of the
Marine Biological Association™ at Plymouth under the following
circumstances :—On the 26th September, 1895, as the laboratory
steamer was passing the ship ‘‘ Ballachulish” which had arrived
at Plymouth Sound two days previously, the steamer was stopped
for a few moments, and a fine specimen of Nautilograpsus
minutus was taken from the ship’s side, together with a quantity
of Tubularia and numbers of Podocerus falcalus.
The last specimen recorded was found on the 2ist October of
the same year, secreted amid a huge mass of Lepas anatifera
which was flourishing on a buoy of a crab-pot picked up by a
fisherman off Plymouth, some two or three miles distant from
the shore.
With the aid of a landing-net I secured some dozens of these
crustaceans during the first week after the arrival of this vessel.
At the end of that time, a good deal of the cargo had been
&
Harb gobo! nteoaols SheisslO anf aS gemetifers C, —— Plitei darts
arate se : ! sbagep.
¥tia Juiinstoaii. :
* | ob
=~
i
-
1
tie. ae oak
e 4 ela
SE Se le Ga at IAI
ee, atnpagly aiennlQ |
aeci :
whites §
; : ? eS P { ‘ i ,
—— Meh (SW BE (i ia. cob } mile woh | Cysela@iieeua AL | — eel r chee
saci ars ys ty oy Se nw & ie t : darbogh. : nD einattac ke A Mant is A Tae £ & ‘ais aba |
Mears a #* gieyat aitdealad'T |
‘
nen ol
allioung aqtotocd
“Fy ists, | cata: SE | — eroilgen sanoy10D } ntevgols aienn!9 ps ear aoe
Spee’ BvaGittached to the absotaen | ov ame! dements in a ripe concitiog,
dasbauds vlisnotiqsaxPhe Glecimens recocied were teanyasM = .D .
a
sided
‘Oa
a a
Surface Infuearia =a 3
Date. |winal Toroer) Tite, Tncality. | Algw & Diatoms. nd Medusa. taaer Worm Larrsr. Chertognaths. Crustacean lareor. Entomostraca. Molluak larez. Tenicata.
ature. Radislarians.
i a |
1899. | |
Jno, 4th. SW.) 40°F food. |Month of Harbour.’ =— => = -- = Zam A, Clausia elongata. = ——
|
., Ilth,| N. | SUPP | ft ebb, Harbour, — _— = ‘Trockospheres A == Zow A. 1 Coryeseus anclicus.* — —
1 Centropages
C. elongata,
| F = == —— 1 Fphyra. Holothurian = — do. A. ©. elongata, — —
ye 17th, fealm, | 406°R do. roMtupeat Norra zat
Atlantica +
Sut. |S.W.| SPF | — —_ Chsstoceros. = _ = — Sagitta bipunetata. do. ©. elongata. Dias loogiremas. = =
do. ‘Tetrasporn. = Obelia Incifers. Platei. Nerone. — | ao. | Diss Jonginmas Oithonia spinifrons — ‘Apprndicalaria_
Apr. 4th. BRAM! baad % Hialoephuera viridis, ‘Terebellid larvse | Nouplii. Coryewus anglicns, Evadne. | "Lie
a, Chitoceroa. | | \ |
sentellse, [Ieee ce to, Rhizotolenia D. a == = do. — | — do, do. == do.
F — ia tubalosa. — |} do, C. — | — Cclongata. Contropnges ty — —
Ith] B, | do. | do | do. | © Tetrsspora. | Sarria tubalosa, | fo Thaledeys mys SC nel |
| | } 0. spinifrons Evwine and Podon,
oy ae: A} aoe! ==. || ==. | = = Low. Anomalocera Patersonii, = =
4 Ut, | SiBi) do. | do. e | # | Dias longiremus C. elongata.
| les ont. Rrsreeatgt tate Ph EN Zao of C ith if i
FF my flool | 2miles ont. fnyerat atlantic. intai, Larrmof Noreno. = exw of Cancer paguras. ithonia spinifrons, _C. elonata, -- a
May 17th, | S/W.) SSP | flood ie Auricularia Bpioniae. | Metazoss stage of ine facilis ”
Phislidinw. Iarvie, | Poreellanin longicoruis, 1 Microniscus calani. |
ls. | sur | do. Horbour. 6 Clytia Johnatonii. do. do. | — | cypria stage of do. do. a
wy 2Kh, 1 Beroe. | Balanns. Geatropages byplene. | 3 |
1 —
| |
ath.| N- | s5°F | do, do. | Sarsia tubulosa. do. co do. —- do. Calanus finmarchiens. — —
Cheer | S. gommifera. ‘Actinotrocha Clausia elongata. Evadue and Podon.
| | Coscinodiseus, | 1 Beros.
auy.| B. [57 | do, | Limite BE. of | Coscinodiscus, — do. do. do. — Megalops. do. do. — —
Jonelsth. | Be | $7 - Lighthouse.) | Bbizosouelia and
Chretocaros, 4
vee | hw, | 2hmiles 8, of do, — Beroe. — Spioviim. — — do. do, Veiigor larriv. —
vy 36th. |S: |'588F | a | ence Polat. Obelia, L Thalestrys mysis.
‘A I milo do, | Rhizosonelia C. — Obslia, 1 Beroe. | Aaricularia. = Zovee of Cancer pagarus, do. do. Ao, —_
vy Ath. | S.W.| OPE | do, Coseinodiscus A, very advanced. awn
Dy , 1b, Harbour = = Phialidiam temporarium do. Nerono, Terebellidis — do, Calanns finmarchicus. Dias longiromus, flo. ==
grote | BLY SA Feb (bottom 15 fms), - stages, Te, = Evadno nnd Podon. Beane punek,
jucens.
sp | do. | Bream Bay. — Maggima atlontica. do, do. — = Clausia elongata, Dias longiremus. = —
ye Bq, | NeW) 56:6°R || do. sf Clytin Jobnitonii, |Plutei, lato stages! ° i aaa Li
| sip | iw, | Harbour (18 fms,)| Rbizosonclia A. S. Prolifera. -- larvmof Terebellidae, — Penwas Dins longiremus. Oithonin spinifrons, Veligers larrm | Appendicalaria.
EDP SB IN tee ‘Chimtoosroa)/ AY 6 Boros, ‘Spionilee. zi Crelongata, 3 Paton. of Agirms
soo'P, Tiara A. Punctilicens.
Obelin A.
Phialidium temporariam | }
sith.) — | 550 | flood, | 2 miler F. of do. Noctiluca. Obelia Incifern. — — == Thalestrys mysis.* Colnnus Gnmnarehicus. do,
ay % Holford. ‘Thaumantias C. Mage Escpalasa, | UcGhaat a conta Nicene cater
| Pilosella (Forbes), longicoruis,
Clytin Jobnstonit,
55°F | Dood. ‘J miles ont. lo. — do. _ Plated. [Leucodore. Terebell-} Sagitta bipanctata. do, ithonin spivifrons, ‘Thalestris inysis. Hlo. do.
Sly lat. | SiWV-|G57R | Door | Phil teinporarne. Ran Poyacda |)” aivnnced. Cwlanus fiauiarchicus’ Bvalne nud Poon.
illia |
| | |
P y.| 559 2 miles out, — | Noctilaca D. Beroo C. do. : = = Cy elongata, Dias lougirean #iris punct- do.
w Sal. | SAV) 5 ei imzmlenests 1 ae S. Prolifera, ia ae egcarente iftcens Veligers.
| soveral apccies,
: ‘Ss. Lizoso! yi Geratit Williny Obeling = jimctimopterua A. —— Mozalops. frons. Centropages typicus.. do, 10.
saan oa coy yi inten sma em aunts Dn ae see es eaten oN ea tee
a Drepeaea (various eigen Evadne. Podon, ilucens.
WE) Pood | 1milesout. | Rhizosonelia A. | Noctilaca D. Willi stellata, -—- Chistopterns A. — Nauplii. Clausin elongata, Dias longiremus. Voligers. do.
ve Tath | Ni || 00S 2 Moot Bee ma | SSE Zea Cancer pagurns. 0, spinifrous. Evadne. Podon,
, s. | sor | ebb, |Mouth of Harbour, = do, A, | M. Atlantica (all atoges).| 1 Aaricularia. | 1 Polygordius. | Soqitta bipnnctata. to: do. Ga, —
ee DEA | 2 PLAT | Broo A. § iar Evalue, Podon, . finmarchicus A.
| 1 Chiotopteras.
Peis P| 4154 do, = | do. iB. | Sarsia gemmifera. = 1 Chmtopterus. do. Teen. Dias loogiremus., ‘Thalestris mysis.© Veligers. #zirus =
jo S3nh NW.) OTR [es ab 2 Muggion, Willis. leeebrkccslace’ Poresliand ldugicornisl Brado.= ePodou| st 0 puctilvenirs
eadlisearal gate || — do, do. Plutei, carly do. do. C. Porcollana. Calnnus Gamnrchicus A. Dias lougiremus, Voligers, ==
vy aslh, |S. | OrUe |S Hoot, | , Smilesont vee Ill CANUTE Can Sa TEE CORSETS
Oithonia spmnifrons, Claasia elongnto D.
| | Evadne.® Podon® ‘Thalestris mysis,
|
sya led | ba, | 2) miles ont. = do. D. do. Sophenia do. do, do. do. Coryewus anglicus. D. lonj do. —
petite SORA P aetbeg pata SUT! mirabilis As | Pennus * Oltontaipinli gana VAN éesetoonr rau ae
| Calanus finmarchicus D, Clausia clongata D.
| | a
env flenect4 — = Muggima. -- Leucoior — = Calanns finmarchions. Other forms as ou tho 23th, do, Appomiliculnria A.
2N92503, VASO | ARLE RR ED. Obelin. 1 Biroo, ‘Terebolliian. Emducoe oe Nien tac
tis Harbour. — Noctiluca. Muggina, Platei carly == == do, do. do. Fiirus lo.
o Ol. [NAW] WR) | Baw eee = Obelia, stages: no Evadne. punctilucens. :
y . | Xmiles ont. = do. A. do. == == — és
wy lith,| S$. | 59°0F | ebb. miles onl Eradne and Poston. Coryewus anglicns C.* fo, ©
F Entorpo gracilis.
0.
2gni, | S-W.| 62:6°F | food. | 14 miles ont, = — Clytia Johnatonii, | Plutei early aud — Small Saggittw A. do, do. -= fo,
1. 2801. | SAW. late stages.
PE ilo ont. = Noctiluea 0. | Obelia lucifera D. — var. spec. — Centropages typicus, Oithonia spinifrons, Veligers A. =
Sept. 10th, N-W,| 63°F | food. | Tmile on Clytin C. Gen (Clausiay al snrat cael) Aworsalgeera oatnrsonit
Evalue, Podon.*
1899, ;
Tone loib,| ¥. 50°F [Shrs.chb) Harbonr. — — Saraia ines c. = — Zom Cancer ~ Clausia elongata, Poion C. Veligers. -- 7
by} 2) f 1 WVillin, | pagurns.
| | | Clytis Jotinstonii. .
Nea :
exe sane ical : | = = 2 Sarsin. — = — do. Nil. Voligors A.
vy 2d, NAVE) SEE BE, bona Obslia, Lixaia, i :
| Phialidium temporarium.
| sor | hw do. = — Sarsia gemmi -- Lencodor, — — 6 Clousin clongata. Veligers. ==
| m0 |) dans prolifera, Lizzi | (CieNania'SpTAIC ou
wal swe if it ak —= jini =
Ath, N.W,) 59 6°R | lw. ‘2 miles ont. Chuwtoceros in — lo. do. A — 2 stayes of P. O, spinifrons. C. clongats. —
Tall | PS pee chainr, Beroo. 1 Pilidian. Tougicorni,
al Rhizosolenin,
| P ae =
neu ives oh une! abe, Ss Obslia, Bapecies of | Auricularia == 1 Spadell: — Oithonin spinifrons. Dina lougiremus. Sapecins of | Apponilicularia A.
HABE | SAW ae foorelttediscein 0 Sarsia C. Plutci, | ADE Opacat Contrepaien iypicuscai Evie: Veligers. Pre
| 1iSagitta bipuuetsta,
av Bless Isav.) Gurr | Lhour: ilo. ilo. —_— 1Beroe. 2 species of Plutei. larval Polychzetes. | Sagitta bipunctata. Nauplii Zoxw, ilo. ilo.
| Aloo, Sania C, a
|
2b. EVOR Shrs.ebb Hoarbonr. == = 1M. atlantica. do. do, A. Ho. do, C.anglicus A. Clansin elongata C. do, ilo.
oe 27th, (9 Featad | @ spocies of Sarsia A. | early and lato Actinotrocha. fi <j ee Dalongirems Co axis Dunet- i
| | Obdlia. Clytia. ‘ages. ilucens,
: Law. 2 miles ont. — Nectiluca A. do. do. do. . Ho. Contropagea tspicus. Oithonia spinifrons, do. Wo, Be
Avg.6th. | S. | oF | Lew. miles on! BOY | enim orrcetm D Ao. do. 6, ope lena isons uit 6.
» Oh, | BE. | OOF | Pobb do. == Prorocentrain ilo. do. _ do. do. do do. flo. do. BL
‘micans,
Noctilica.
ve With, | N. | O9F | bow. Harbour. Noctiluca C, | Saphenia mirabilis. | plutei, 2atages,| ‘Terebollida», do. A. — do. do. do. Zgirus ail.
r belia, Clytia. | enrly'and late. | 1 Pilidium, Calinns flomarehicas. punetiluceus,
4) 18th, NAW, GG |2 flood, | Smiles ont. — do. Dz do. do, D. Terebellidn, — Eutorpo gracilis, ©, fnmarchisus, lo, do,
Centropayea typicus, Coryeans anglicu
wy 26th, |S. | OSU Phra.ebb) do. —_— do, A. == Early Platei A. —_— — do, C. a of do, @, typicus do. do.
a ORaauunc. Dias Jongiromus. 1 Poe para edtarsael
oth, W. | GLE ebb, Harbour. Acanthrometra do AL — do. — sabioocceatne Nouplii } of do. do. Several species of do. A.
DS 3 lastica A, | Perodinnim C. a “Peniwus 1 Monstrilla, Oithonia spinifrons, Veligers A.
Oct, Bet. |W. | 500'F | Lv. ilo. Ao, Prorocentrum | 1 Obslia lucifera. — = do. A. Zee C. Pi Clausin elongate, Corgemas xnglicus, A. do. —
: micans. A. ICypris stage of Balanus, rao. Vodon. A.
jam
} tablutatum. 0.
I and yar.
t Qhrs.ebb do. ‘ilo. Ceratium Obelia Jucifera. =e Seat ae he ‘Thalestris mysis, 4 Dina longiremus. do. —
} 9th | 8. | do, iia, iis ati uci 118: Cee talopterns (Oithontx sptaifrom. |
atlsutten Gen
| do, — — — = 2 Megalops. Calan fnwnrchicas A. Dia lon — _—
| oy Mth ilo, | Saga? CUPRCE rs |
S. bipunctats.
Tapes a ereetese
bern iawn
—e
t. tpleath af Har]
als plesk
Harboweguoifgns esoee
enoigyd patent t
wstegecols
A>, udaysois .D
—Holethnurian
eta laree
Atlante +
swmivigdol cil vatmgdole O t ob ra —— ahtige
eoottiniga atnciio ba nol anitt ved of belis incffern a Piuted|
ocbave | ilque¥ 4
i
te ‘ )
i. 0b | ms — © .ob
perce es aogeqoitas0 atesnols .D | —_—~ ~ OO «ob
vanottgnn 0 & cian aeboind |
efobod bits omheva anotiiaige O |
iinoesoted sagoolearoa Ak | eos _-— = a
s@egnols .0 enmettgaol aaiT 4
ae as
* atibetgiaols 2). | ae eto ddiO ’ Plaines beyonce ee a ——. Phatel) ocala
#* eilionrp * Re i? “to sents sone wricularim _eghtnolt
usalao sitogt as mt Jiaiovigitol ait Fen ier?
\
Harteer. of i Trt “eh to oaadd & o* ip pe oer au. oh
eustavt eognaoitas Ps encalat t Rerop
GUA oH SHG RGTH EH : PrPH LY tos ’
AO ROH HH Y
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF FALMOUTH. 209
removed, and the hands were busily engaged removing the
barnacles, weed, and other foreign growths from the exterior of
the vessel. These crabs probably took shelter lower down the
vessel or else deserted her, for after this partial cleaning no more
were seen.
The surface temperature of the sea during the week these
crustaceans were so numerous on the sides of this vessel was
67°F., a warmth to which they seemed quite accustomed, for they
were very agile.
The specimens I secured for reference varied considerably in
size; the largest measuring 17 m.m. across the carapace, the
smallest 8 m.m.
In habits, Nautilograpsus minutus reminds one very much
of the Portunide. When an individual is isolated in a pan of sea-
water, it is seldom at rest; but if a bunch of sea-weed is
introduced it at once takes shelter within it. This fact clearly
indicates its normal habitat, viz.: in the floating Saragossa
sea-weed.
REFERENCES.
1. The Cornish Fauna. By J. Couch, with revisions and additions, 1878.
Royal Institution of Cornwall.
2. Gourret, Paul. Sur les Peridiniens du Golfe de Marseille.
Ann. du Musee D’Hist. Nat. de Marseille.
Zoologie. Tom, 1%, Memoir No. 8, 1888.
3. Hodgson, T. V. Faunistic Notes. Jour. Marine Biological Asso-
ciation, Vol. IV (n.s.) 1895-97.
4, Vallentin, R. Some notes on the Pelagic life occurring in the sea
near Falmouth, &c, Jour. Royal Institution of
Cornwall, Vol. XII, Part IT, 1894-95.
210
NOTES ON THE PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO,
PART II. (1469—1660).
By P. JENNINGS.
From 9 Edward IV. (1469) to 33 Henry VIII. (1541-2)
nineteen parliaments assembled, for fourteen of which no returns
whatever are known to exist, and in the case of Truro, the names
of the representatives in but two are preserved; those of 17
Edward IV., which was held at Westminster, 16 January, 1477-8,
and 21 Henry VIII., which met in London, 3 November, 1529.
The official returns for the former give Robertus Cinte and
Henricus Frowyke as the members for Truro; for the latter no
official returns have been found, but in a list, preserved among
the State Papers, are the names of Rogerus Corbet and Johannes
Thomas. The identity of these burgesses cannot now be determined
with certainty, but it has been suggested (West. Ant., Vol. IX,
p- 108) that Thomas may have been a member of the family of
that name, which, after living for several descents at Truthwell,
Sithney, removed to Trink, in Lelant.
To the parliament of 87 Henry VIII., 1545, Truro sent
Franciscus Smyth, armiger, and Robertus Trenkreke, generosus,
the latter is also said to have sat for the town in the succeeding
parliament, 1 Edward VI., 1547, his colleague then being
Nicholas Randall or Randolph, but the official returns for
Cornwall—county and boroughs—for this parliament are lost.
Trenkreke was the father of Robert Trenkreke, the first
Recorder of Truro under Elizabeth, an estimable man, whose
virtues are inscribed on a monument in St. Erme Church, and
to whom reference is made in the following couplet :—
“Tet him who has the key of Heaven go seek
This wonderful man Mr. Bob Trenkreke.”
In two of Mary’s parliaments, those of 1 Mary, 1558, and 1
and 2 Philip and Mary, 1554 (Nov.), Truro was represented by
John Melhuish. ©. 8. Gilbert preserves the tradition that the
founder of the Melhuish family was a doctor who accompanied
King Edward to the Holy Land, and there extracted a poisoned
arrow from that prince’s arm, He also notes (writing in the year
PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO. 211
1819) that ‘“‘ Mr. John Vigurs, of Penzance, whose wife’s maiden
name was Melhuish, has in his possession an excellently preserved
portrait of her ancestor, John Melhuish, a physician, living in
1554.” This physician was, probably,* the representative of
Truro, although he is described in the official records as a
merchant. He wasaman of fearless and independent action,
and the conduct of the Court in endeavouring to restore the
Roman Catholic religion, roused him to active opposition; a band
of thirty-seven members, which included Melhuish and five other
Cornishmen, was formed to resist this attempt, and, to mark their
displeasure, they took the extreme step of leaving the House in a
body. The Court, indignant and alarmed, instructed Edward
Griffith, the Queen’s Attorney General, to indict them at the
Queen’s Bench. Six of them submitted to mercy, and paid the
fine imposed on them; but while arrangements were being made
for the trial of the remainder, the Queen died and the proceedings
were dropped.
To the parliament of 5 Elizabeth, 1562-3, Truro sent John
Carminow and John Mychell. The Carminows, of Fentongollan,
St. Michael Penkivel, were a family of enormous wealth and
unbounded hospitality. John Carminow inherited his uncle’s
property, as well as that of his father, and represented the county,
West Looe, and Truro, successively; he was also sheriff of
Cornwall in 1559. His colleague, Mychell, was a merchant of
Truro; he married Jane, eldest daughter of John Killigrew, and
obtained Killigrew, in St Erme, the ancestral estate of the family,
by mortgage from his father-in-law. Mychell suffered severely
from the depredations of French pirates, who were emboldened
by the unprotected state of the western shores, to venture into
the creeks aud harbours in search of booty. Three of his ships,
one being of 90 tons burden, were ‘“‘lost into France by French
pirates,” he ‘‘ followed the same thence to his utter undoing, and
could never get justice at their hands, so as he is able to make
good accompte by proofe of £3,000 that he hath lost within this
seven years by French pirates, and yet to this daye, never received
a penny recompense.” (State Papers, Domestic, Elizabeth, Vol.
47.) Notwithstanding his losses, Mychell took a prominent part
in municipal affairs, as well as in imperial politics. He was one
* The grounds of probability are very slight.—Ed,
212 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO.
of the first Capital Burgesses under the charter of 31 Elizabeth,
and was the first steward of the court. Referring to the
monuments in St. Mary’s church, Hals’ remarks—‘‘ There is also
near the same (7.e. the Robartes’ monument) another funeral
monument, erected to the memory of three brothers of the
Mitchells, temp. Jas. I., vzz—Thomas, John (the member of
parliament) and James, as I remember, who, as the inscription
saith, had all ‘one God, one womb, one tomb.’”’” This monument
was doubtless destroyed during the so-called restorations of the
church, which were commenced about 1747.
The official Blue Book strangely omits the parliament 13
Elizabeth, 1571, but Browne Willis gives Henry Killigrew and
Vincent Skinner as the members for Truro. Of all the
representatives of the town during the long reign of Elizabeth,
Killigrew was certainly the most famous. He was a younger
brother of Sir John Killigrew, who “‘re-built Arwenack House,
the finest and most costly then in the county.” As a pronounced
Protestant, he had resisted the attempts of the court party to
re-establish popery during the reign of Mary, and was
consequently looked upon with disfavour by those who had the
power to advance his interests. But in the next reign the
Ministers of State were not slow to avail themselves of his
eminent talents, and besides being appointed a teller of the
exchequer and commander of Nieuwport, he was sent on
numerous diplomatic missions, of which the following is a
summary—Ambassador to Scotland, 1566; negotiating in 1569
for additional ports to be opened in the Baltic; to France, when
Walsingham was sick, 1571, the year of his return for Truro;
to Scotland again in 1572, during his second parliament as
burgess for Truro, and in 1573; to Berwick in 1574, and to
Scotland once more in the succeeding year, to the Low Countries
in 1586, and to France, with the Earl of Essex, to assist the
King of France, in 1591, for which latter service he was knighted.
The Queen’s parsimony was a great trouble to him; thus he
complains that when on an embassage to the ‘‘ Princes of
Germanye”’ his allowance was only forty pounds, not half of the
actual cost of the journey. Again, he says, ‘‘Now for all these
Journeys, Chardges, Daungers, Hurtes, and Losses in the mean-
while, and the Tyme used only in Her Majestie’s service, without
PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO. 213
any Proffitt of my owne, I have only to lyve by, of Her Majestie’s
goodness, the Tellership, which was given me before I went to
Newehaven.” He devoted his leisure to the arts of painting,
poetry, and music, and to the study of heraldry and antiquities.
His first wife—Katherine—youngest daughter of Sir Anthony
Cooke, of Giddy Hall, Essex, was one of four sisters, who were
reputed to be the most learned ladies in England; his second
wife—Jael de Peigne, to whom he was married 7th November,
1590, survived him, and afterwards married the Rt. Rev. George
Downame, bishop of Derry. Carew, writing a few months
previous to his death, thus refers to him, ‘‘ After ambassades and
messages and many other profitable employments of peace and
warre, in his prince’s service, to the good of his country, he had
made choyce of a retyred estate, and, reverently regarded by all
sorts, placeth his principal contentment in himselfe, which to a
life so well acted, can in no way bee wanting.” He died 16
March, 1602-3.
Skinner, Killigrew’s colleague in 1571, was a member of a
Lincolnshire family; he seems to have been of a roving dis-
position, for he represented in various parliaments boroughs
ranging from Borough-bridge, in Yorkshire, to St. Ives, in
Cornwall, for which latter town he was elected in 39 Elizabeth,
1597.
In 1572, Oliver Carminow was associated with Henry
Killigrew in the representation of Truro. This Carminow
managed to waste nearly the whole of his immense fortune,
and three years after his death, Fentongollan with its ‘halls,
parlours, and dining rooms, its notable tower and bell, three
stories high,” and its two large gate houses at each end of the
town, was sold by his daughters to help to pay his debts.
Six more parliaments were held during Hlizabeth’s reign,
but of the burgesses who represented Truro, not one sat im more
than one parliament, and of the twelve, only two, or possibly
three, were Cornishmen. Michael Hickes (1584), supposed to
have been of Trevethick, in St. Ewe, was secretary to Lord
Burleigh, and an ancestor of the present Sir Michael Hicks-Beach.
In the troublous times preceding the Spanish Armada, John
Stanhope represented the town (1586); he was father of the
214 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO.
first Lord Chesterfield; his colleague, Roland Lytton, being an
ancestor of the Lyttons, of Knebworth, poets, novelists, and
statesmen. He possessed estates in the eastern part of the
county, and thus became associated with Truro; he claimed
relationship to the Queen, by reason of his marriage with a St.
John, and was captain of the royal band of gentlemen pensioners.
Hannibal Vyvyan, of Trelowarren, one of the two Cornishmen
to whom reference has been made, was a notable man in local
affairs. He was governor of St. Mawes Castle from 1561 until
1603, but the duties of his office did not prevent him from adding
to them the responsibilities of parliamentary life, for we find him
representing Helston in 1586 and in 1601, Truro in 1588, and
St. Mawes in 1596. He was also sheriff of the county in 1601,
and vice-admiral of the South coast of Cornwall. His
colleague in the representation of Truro, John Woulton, is
supposed to have been a relative of Woulton, bishop of Exeter
at that time.
The parliament of 1588 was the last for which burgesses
were elected under the provisions of the older charters; it was
dissolved 29th March, 1589, and on 20th June, of the same year
(1589), Elizabeth granted the town another, the seventh, charter,
under which the corporation continued to act, except for a short
interval in the reign of James II., until the passing of the
Reform Bills in 1832 and 1835. By the provisions of this charter
the right of election of members of parliament was vested in
the Corporation, consisting of twenty-four persons including the
mayor and four aldermen. Nearly four years elapsed before the
new corporate body was required to exercise its privilege in
sending members to parliament, and, unfortunately, all the
official returns relating to it have been lost, except the writ for a
single election at Morpeth; two lists, however, were preserved at
the Crown Office, and they give as representing the town in this
(to Truro) historically important parliament, (35 Elizabeth,
1592-3) the names of John Parker and Nicholas Smyth. These
gentlemen were succeeded in October, 1597, by Sir Maurice
Barkeley, knight, and Reade Stafford. Barkeley, having
married a Killigrew, doubtless owed his election to the influence
of that family; in the previous year, he had been knighted by
the Earl of Essex at the taking of Cadiz.
PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO. 215
Elizabeth’s last parliament was a very short one; it met at
Westminster, 27th October, 1601,and was dissolved 19th December,
in the same year. In his way, each of the two men who sat in
it as member for Truro was an interesting personage. Thomas
Harris, who sat for Callington, in 1584, and for Bossinney in
1593 and 1597, formerly lived in Hertfordshire, but afterwards
at Cornworthy, in Devonshire. He was one of the most
celebrated lawyers of the day, and was raised to the dignity of
serjeant-at-law, in 1589. The earliest mention of the Daniell
family, one that held a most prominent position in the little
town for more than two centuries, occurs in connection with this
parliament, William Daniell being associated with Harris in the
representation of the constituency; nothing further respecting him
seems to be known: he was not one of the original members of
the reformed corporation, and his fame as founder of the house
has been eclipsed by the greater celebrity of his decendants.
To the first parhament of James I. Truro sent two local
gentlemen, Thomas Burgess and Henry Cossen. At this period
the Burgess family was quite as influential as that of the Daniells,
and it is a very remarkable circumstance that in so small a town
as Truro then was, there should have been such a large number
of prosperous merchants; in addition to those just mentioned, the
Michells, Robartes, Lewarnes, Sydenhams, and others were all
successful business men and took prominent positions in local and
national affairs. Burgess was the first mayor under Elizabeth’s
charter, and one of the four men ‘‘out of the better and more
honest burgesses, of the twenty-four Capital Burgesses’? who
were elected aldermen. Cossen resided at Roseveth, in Trega-
vethan; he also was an original member of the reformed
corporation, was mayor in 1614, and left a sum of money for the
delivery of an annual “ gift sermon” at St. Mary’s church.
James’ second parliament met at Westminster, 5th April, 1614,
but after an existence of only two months was dissolved (6th June).
All the official returns of this parliament are wanting, but Hals
inaccurately refers to- Sir Richard Robartes, Bart., and John
Arundell as Burgesses for Truro. Browne Willis (Notitia
Parliamentaria, III., pub. 1750) gives ‘‘Thomas Harris (?)”’ only,
the lawyer who represented the town in 1601. A list preserved
at Menabilly also gives Harris as the only. representative, and it
216 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO.
is conjectured that this was copied from Browne Willis. Another
list, however, has been found more recently among the Duke of
Manchester’s papers, at Kimbolton, and this is now generally
regarded as being more correct. Here the burgesses for Truro are
said to have been Thomas Russell and Thomas Burgess, junior,
merchant. Burgess again sat for Truro in 1623-4.
James called a third parliament in 1620, for which Truro
elected Barnabas Gooch, LL.D., and John Trefusis, of Trefusis.
Apparently, the corporation had some difficulty in the election of
a colleague for Gooch, for while the date of the latter’s return was
18th December, 1620, that of Trefusis was three days later. Gooch
was also returned by the University of Cambridge, and preferred
to serve for it; Truro had consequently to elect another member,
and chose Sir John Catcher, knt., who is described in the official
returns as ‘“‘of Binkfield, county Berks.” If this description is
correct, he must have wandered far afield from his native place
to find a new home, and it does not appear that after renewing
his connection with Truro, he again broke it. He was, probably,
the second of the three sons of William Catcher, of Condurra,
St. Clement, a merchant, an alderman of the borough, and
brother-in-law of Thomas Burgess, senior. John was an ardent
Royalist, and raised a foot company at his own expense for
Charles I. During the Commonwealth he suffered sequestration
and imprisonment, and being released at the Restoration, he
presented a petition to the King (14th July, 1660) praying that he
might be appointed to the offices of stamper and receiver of
excise on tin, and of supervisor of tin-blowing in Cornwall and
Devon. The treasury commissioners, in their report, dated 7th
August, granted the request for the present, and promised to
recommend him to the future farmers of tin, to whom the appoint-
ment belonged. Three years later the Government issued a
warrant to pay him a salary of £80 per annum with arrears.
‘“‘Tnstead of the fathers shall be the children.” To the last
parliament of James I., 1623-4, Truro sent Richard Daniell and
Thomas Burgess, sons of previous representatives of the town.
Reference has already been made to Burgess. Daniell was the
elder son of William Daniell. For many years he traded with
the Low Countries, and resided at Middleburg; so successful was
he in his business, and in his attention to municipal affairs, that
PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO. 217
in 1613, he was appointed deputy governor of the town. He
was twice married, first to Jaquelina von Meghen, secondly to
Margaret von Ganeghan. Returning to Truro he threw himself
with characteristic energy into its public life; he was soon elected
a capital burgess, was an alderman in 1620, mayor in 1622, and
member of parliament in 1623-4, and in 1627-8. He built a fine
house in Truro, which, with its orchards and meadows, cost more
than £600; but during his absence in London, this house was
burnt down, and, in consequence, the Commons gave him
permission to return to Truro, This disaster is the more regret-
able, because, had it stood, it would have been an interesting
example of the architecture of the period, of which so few
remains are to be found inthetown. Daniell died at Truro, 11th
February, 1630.
Charles I. held five parliaments, and in each Truro was
represented by members of the families of Rolle or Rous, except
in 1627-8, when Richard Daniell was again elected. Henry Rolle
sat in the parliaments of 1625, 1625-6, and 1627-8, and was
succeeded in the two parliaments of 1640 by John Rolle. William
Rous sat in Charles’ first parliament, and Francis Rous in 1625-6,
and in the two parliaments of 1640. Henry Rolle was a very
distinguished lawyer, he became first a puisne judge, and
afterwards chief justice of the king’s bench. William Rous,
a member of an ancient Devonshire family that had settled at
Halton, St. Dominick, had married Mary, eldest daughter of
Richard, Lord Robartes, and to the influence of the Robartes
family he owed his election.
Perhaps the most renowned of all the men whose names are
found on the burgess roll of Truro was Francis Rous. Born at
Halton in 1579, he studied at Leyden University, where he
matriculated 10th February, 1599. On his return to England he
espoused the cause of the Puritans, and during the stormy period
of the Great Rebellion, came to the front as an enthusiastic
supporter of the parliamentary party. After sitting in one
parliament for Truro, he was elected for Tregony, 1627-8, and
then returned to Truro. A possible explanation of the fact that
Daniell took Rous’ place as representative for Truro in this
parliament is that the Robartes and Daniell families may have
been rivals for political supremacy in the borough, and that, as
218 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO.
this supremacy oscillated between the two parties, Daniell or
Rous was elected. ‘lo Lord Robartes, Rous dedicated one of
his many works, ‘‘'The heavenly academie”’; the dedication reads
“To the right honourable John, Lord Roberts, Baron of Truco
(sic.)’? and is signed ‘‘who is to your Lordship’s (especially
spirituall) service justly devoted, F. Rous.” Rous and John
Rolle sat for Truro during the Long Parliament 1640-53—a
parliament ‘which in spite of many errors and disasters, is
justly entitled to the reverence and gratitude of all who, in any
part of the world, enjoy the blessings of constitutional
government.’ Within about a month of its assembling, Rous
attracted public attention by opening the debate on the legality
of Laud’s new canons, and shortly afterwards he presented the
articles of impeachment against Dr. Cosin. For these and
similar services he was appointed Provost of HKton, by an
ordinance passed by the Lords at Westminster, 10th February,
1643-4; his predecessor, Dr. Stewart, had been removed from
the position because he had ‘‘joined himself to those that had
levied war against the parliament.” One of Rous’ many
generous acts was the founding of three exhibitions from Eton
to Pembroke College, Oxford. Until 1649 he was a Presbyterian,
but in that year joined the Independents, and in 1651-2 served
on the committee for the propagation of the gospel—a committee
which framed an abortive scheme for establishing a State Church
on the Congregational system; he was also appointed chief
examiner of preachers and commissioner in Cornwall for ejecting
scandalous ministers and ignorant schoolmasters.
The country was in such a disturbed condition in 1658, that
Cromwell and his council deemed it inexpedient to summon a
new parliament after the constitutional manner ; they, therefore,
selected about one hundred and forty members, “‘ faithful, fearing
God, and hating covetousness,” supplied by the ‘‘ Congregational
churches” throughout the country. Rous was member for
Devon in this parliament, and was chosen speaker of the House.
In the next year another parliament met, and a very stormy one
it proved to be; several knights were ordered to be returned for
each county, but not many burgesses; thus the county of
Cornwall returned eight, including James Launce of Penare, and
Charles Boscawen, of Tregothnan; but Truro sent Francis Rous
PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO. 219
only. This was the last parliament in which Rous represented
Truro; he was now seventy-five years of age, and five years
later he died. The Protector showed his appreciation of the loss
of so valued a friend, by giving him a splendid public funeral ;
he was buried in Provost Lupton’s Chapel in the church of Eton
College, and his portrait still hangs on the college walls.
Naturally, he was much disliked by the Royalists, who
called him ‘the illiterate old Jew of Eton,’’ and other bad names;
and Clarendon, referring to his election as speaker says—‘‘ They
(the members) repair’d to the Parliament House, and made choice
of one Rouse to be their Speaker, an old gentleman of Devon-
shire, who had been a member of the former Parliament, and in
that time been preferr’d, and made Provost of the College of
Katon, which office he then enjoy’d, with an opinion of having
some knowledge in the Latin and Greek tongues, but of a very
mean understanding, but thoroughly engaged in the Guilt of the
Times.”’ But, like everybody else who has detractors, Rous had
his admirers, some of whom expressed their admiration in verse;
thus one Nicholas Billingsly wrote a sonnet to extol his virtues;
it is entitled ‘‘ Annagrama, Francis Roose, Rise Car of svn,” and
commences thus :—
“Rise Car of svn, convey thy purer light
Into our souls, so shall they know no night.”
The Protector’s last parliament assembled 17th September,
1656; the official returns for Cornwall are wanting, but Browne
Willis gives Walter Vincent as the sole representative of Truro.
Walter formerly lived at Tregavethan, and afterwards at the
family seat. He was a barrister-at-law, clever, upright, and
popular; and throughout the whole of his career was devotedly
attached to the Stuarts. This election was a significant sign
of the time. The country was becoming tired of Cromvwell’s
administration, and was casting longing eyes across the water
to Prince Charles, and, like many other constituencies, Truro
now replaced an ardent parliamentarian by an equally ardent
royalist. Charles II., in recognition of his loyalty, created him
one of the Barons of the Exchequer, and he set out on a journey
to London, in 1680, to be sworn. On reaching Exeter, however,
he was taken suddenly ill, and died at the early age of 47. He
220 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY OF TRURO.
represented Truro in three successive parliaments, 1656, 1658-9,
and 1660. His loyalty to Charles nearly cost him his seat in the
first of these parliaments. In common with about one hundred
other members, he had not received his writ, when the house met ;
they were excluded by order of Cromwell and his council, ‘“ on
account of their political or moral disqualifications.” Their case
being considered, it was decided on 22nd September, by 125 votes
to 29, that they might apply ‘‘ to the Council for an approbation,”’
and that in the meantime the sitting members would proceed
‘“‘ with the great affairs of the nation.”
In Richard Cromwell’s only parliament (met 27th January,
1658-9) Charles Boscawen, of Nansavallon, shared the represen-
tation of Truro with Vincent. He supported Cromwell’s policy,
so that now the capital burgesses sent a member of each of the two
great national parties torepresentthem. Like Vincent, Boscawen
was a barrister-at-law, but he ‘‘made noe further use thereof in
his elder years than to councill and assist his friends in all their
lawe concerns, gratis.” (Hals). ‘This is the first instance of a
member of the Tregothnan family representing Truro. The
parliamentary influence of the Boscawens in'Truro was remarkable;
until the passing of the Reform Bill, in 1832, they ruled the
the borough with absolute sway, and by far the larger number of
its representatives from 1659 until 1832 were.either members or
nominees of the family.
Sd My ‘moting' )£) CAS Wow) HOWAHD LNOOW S/THVHOIIN ‘Ss [£9 of0Yct
221
NOTES ON ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
By THURSTAN C. PETER.
It is a strange fact, but a true one, that St. Michael’s Mount
has received very little notice from this society. There have been
from time to time papers on its geology, and Sir Edward Smirke
some years ago printed in our Journal a very interesting copy of
an ancient ‘‘ Extent” relating to it. But for the most part the
history of the Mount has been neglected by us. I purpose to-day
attempting, to some small extent, to remedy this omission, by
saying a few words touching its history as a religious establish-
ment, leaving its better known history as a fortress to be dealt
with by someone else. My paper has little in it that is new, and
I have not by any means exhausted all the material even in such
books as Oliver’s Monasticon. In dealing with this beautiful
great rock which forms a place of pilgrimage for so many of us,
the temptation to speak of its natural beauty, and to discuss
its remarkable geological features is very strong. Almost
irresistible, too, is the temptation to tell of the fights and
adventures of which it has been the scene. These were told
quite recently in a very graphic and interesting manner by
Major St. Aubyn in the Pall Mall Magazine, and cannot be
dealt with by me to-day. Nor can I stay to discuss that endless
source of difference—was this the ICTIS of the ancients?
Most answer this question in the affirmative in spite (as it
seems to me) of tremendous evidence to the contrary.
The greatest temptation, however, is the folk-lore with which
the place abounds. Here is the very well* by the side of which
“Jack the valiant Cornishman did slay the giant Cormoran” ;
here too are the ‘Giants’ graves’ which cover the victims of Jack’s
valour; and on the beach at the foot of the hill is the “‘ Chapel
Rock ”’ whereon once stood an oratory of which Leland speaks as
‘‘a little chapel yn the sande nere by the towne toward the
Mount,” and where (on what authority I know not) many of our
* A fragment of brick wall just opposite the well is worth notice, It is
apparently Tudor,
222 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
local histories tell us pilgrims were wont to halt before making
the ascent. But the Chapel Rock has other interests than that
derived from the building that once stood on it. Having already
carried off the top of the neighbouring hill of Trencrom, to make
the Mount itself, Cormoran was in want of further stones
wherewith to build his castle, and sent his wife to fetch them
from the same place. She, thinking (womanlike) that any other
stone would do as well, fetched this one from the nearer hill of
Ludgvan-lees. Angry at her conduct, the monster slew her with
his mighty foot, and the great rock rolled from her apron and fell
where we now see it; a silent witness to the lady’s strength and
to the truth of the narrative.
Though I am unaware of the authority for the statement so
often made that, under the name of Dinsul, this hill was held
sacred by the heathen Britons, yet it was certainly from very
early times the resort of pilgrims, of whom the earliest is the
legendary St. Keyne, who is stated to have come here about the
year 490, and to have conferred on St. Michael’s Chair the power
of giving to that one of a married couple who first sits therein
domestic mastery, a privilege which, as all know, she also
conferred on the well that bears her name in Hast Cornwall. By
one of those freaks of popular fancy which are at once so common
and yet so mysterious, the legend and the name have been both
transferred from the real chair of St. Michael, on the western
side of the hill, to the ruined lantern of moorstone on the chapel
tower, whither many a bride hurries on her wedding day to
secure the happiness that she fondly supposes to be born of
mastery. Indeed there is no place so popular for the honey-day
(if I may coin a word) of the wedded couples of the neighbouring
parishes, especially of St. Just, and I am assured that, as a rule,
the groom bows gracefully to the inevitable, and allows the lady
to mount first.
Many are the churches on hills dedicated to St. Michael. To
name only a few in Cornwall, there are St. Michael Caerhayes,
Michaelstow, St. Michael at Rowtor (licensed 10th November,
1535, but now in ruin); and in the neighbouring county of
Devon is a striking church of that dedication on Brentor. I do
not know if St. Michael is said to have personally appeared at
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 223
each of these places, as he did here and at Mont St. Michel, and
at the monastery of St. Michael del Bosco at Bologna, but I
believe most of them have some such legend.
Actuated possibly by the strong resemblance between the
two hills) King Edward the Confessor granted our Cornish
mount to the abbey of the same name in Normandy, where the
original grant is said to be still preserved. ‘‘In the name of the
blessed and indivisible Trinity, I Edward, by the grace of God
King of the English, being desirous to give the price of
redeeming the soul of myself, and of my relatives, have, with the
consent and witness of good men, delivered to St. Michael the
Archangel, for the use of the brethren who serve God in that
place, St. Michael by the sea, with all its appendages, to wit,
towns, castles, fields, and other appurtenances. I have added
also... .(other lands specified). If any shall attempt to impeach
these gifts let him be anathema and incur the eternal wrath of
God.” It is almost unnecessary to mention that the Norman
abbey was Benedictine, founded by St. Aubert, bishop of
Avranches, in the 8th century, in obedience to a mandate from
St. Michael himself, who appeared to him as he slept. The
Norman abbey held many churches in England :—Woodbury in
Devon, Cholsey in Berkshire, and others. All that seems to have
been intended by Edward’s grant to the Norman abbey was that
the Cornish establishment should be a cell of the Norman.
Gradually, however, as Normandy and England came to be
separated, the Cornish Mount became the home of an independent
monastery to which grants were made direct.
At the time of the Domesday survey the greatest land-owner
in Cornwall was the Conqueror’s half-brother, Robert, Earl of
Mortain and first. Earl of Cornwall, who held no less than 248
manors in this county alone, and 545 in 19 others. Amongst his
lands in this county were Moireis (odie Moresk or St. Clement’s
by Truro), Alwaretone (hodie Alverton or Madron), Tedington
(hodie Tehidy or Illogan), and Luduham (Ludgvan-Lees or
Ludgvan).
From Domesday also we learn that the Church of St. Michael
held Treiwall (the present manor of St. Michael’s Mount).
‘‘ There are two hides which have never paid geld. There is land
for eight ploughs, There is one plough with one villein, and two
224 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
bordars, and ten acres of pasture. Worth twenty shillings. Of
these two hides, the Earl of Mortain has taken away one hide.
Worth twenty shillings.” The land so taken away by the Karl
was (we learn from the same record) held under the earl by
Blohiu. Influenced (as he tells us in his deed of grant) by the
fire of divine love, Earl Mortain notified to all sons of Holy
Mother Church that, whereas in battle he carried the banner of
St. Michael, and moreover desired to secure salvation for the souls
of himself, and of his wife, as well as the salvation, prosperity,
and welfare of the most glorious King William, and to obtain
the reward of eternal life, he gave and granted St. Michael’s
Mount in Cornwall to God and the Monks of the Church of St.
Michael ‘‘de Periculo Maris,” (sec) with half a hide of land, quit
and free from all customs suits and actions, as he himself formerly
held it; and, by permission of his Lord the King, he ordained
that the said monks might hold a market there every Thursday.*
Lastly, having ascertained as a fact that through the merits of
St. Michael and the prayers of the monks, a son had been given
him by his wife, he had increased the gift to the said Leader of
the Heavenly hosts by the grant of three acres of land in
Ameneth, to wit, Trevelaboth, Lismanoch,t Trequaners and
Carmailoc, his most pious lord King William consenting, as also
did his Queen Matilda and their noble children Count Robert,
William Rufus, and Henry, still a lad, to be quit and free of all
pleas, suits and forfeitures, so that the monks should be
responsible to Royal justice for nothing, except only for homicide.
The grant is sealed by King William, his Queen and children, as
also by the Earl, and confirmed by Livric, Bishop of Exeter.
Dugdale’s and Oliver’s copies (from which I have translated this)
give the date as 1085,{ a date which is obviously wrong, as
* Marazion or Marghasiowe is said by some to mean ‘* Thursday’s Market.”
The etymol gy seems fanciful, and it is worth noticing that the markets were not
held at Marghasiowe at all until transferred thither from Marghasbigan, wherever
that may have been. For interesting discussions of the etymology of the name,
see Macmillan’s Magazine for 1867, and the Journal of this society for the same
year.
+ Lismanoch—Monk’s Enclosure. Query, if now represented by the fields in
St. Hilary parish known as “‘ Prior’s fields.”
{ The words are ‘‘ Firmata atque roborata est hee carta, anno millesimo
octuagesimo quinto ab incarnatione Domini, indictione decima quarté, concurrente
tertid, lund octava,’? The indiction, it will be noted, does not agree with the
year.
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 225
Livric (who was the first Bishop of Exeter after the removal
of the see from Crediton), had died in February, 1073. Oliver
suggests that the Pope at the time was Gregory VI, but he had
abdicated in 1046. Gregory VII did not come to the chair until
April, 1073, that is, two months after Livric’s death. There is
a mistake somewhere.
Appended to this charter of the Earl of Mortain, is a
further deed whereby Livric, by command of his most reverend
lord Gregory, and on the exhortation of the King, the Queen
and all the optimates of the realm of England, freed the church
of St. Michael the Archangel in Cornwall, which was entrusted to
the angelical ministry, and with full approbation consecrated and
sanctified, from all episcopal jurisdiction and subjection, and
remitted a third part of the penances of all who should visit the
said church and assist it with their gifts; and, that the grant
might remain for ever unshaken and inviolable, by the authority
of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, he
forbad all his successors from attempting anything contrary
to this decree. William of Worcester, who gives the impossible
date of 1070 for Pope Gregory’s bull, tells us that this episcopal
decree, having been recently found amongst the ancient registers
of the Mount, was ordered to be placed publicly on the gates of
the church, and enjoined to be read in other churches, that the
devout might be induced to visit the place more frequently
and in greater numbers.
I regret to say that I am unable to identify the places named
in Karl Mortain’s grant. Probably someone better acquainted
with the parishes in which they were situated can do so. We
meet with some of the same names in a deed of Bargain and Sale
of 18th April, 1640, whereby the Earl of Salisbury conveyed to
Francis Bassett, of Trehidy(szc)in Illogan, the Mount itself, Bassett
covenanting to keep there eight soldiers for its defence. We may
note in passing that many of the deeds relating to the Mount
contain similar provision, for instance, in [619* Captain Arthur
* State Papers Domestic vol. XC, no 100, where also is an inventory of its
ordnance and of reparations required. See, too, Oliver’s Mon. Dio. Exon. p. 30,
note. We believe that legally the Mount is still a garrison entitled to fly the
Union Jack, though no soldiers are now maintained there and the right is never
exercised.
226 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT,
Harris was holding it for his life on condition of maintaining a
gunner, a porter, and three soldiers. The grant to Bassett
includes the tithe of garb out of Hellowe, alias Enhellowe,
Pencombe, Alvernon, Reskaige, and Penzance in Cornwall, as
well as the tithes of Trehiday in Illogan, but it excepts to the
Earl of Salisbury and his heirs the manor of Treraboe, alias
Trefaboe, the rectory and parish church of St. Hilary, the tithe
of corn and hay arising in St. Hilary (but not the tithe of fish)
and a barn belonging to the said rectory, the tithes of St.
Clement’s, near Truro, the tithe fish of a little creek called
Porthemals in St. Hilary* (except tithe fish within the bay of the
Mount whether in St. Hilary or elsewhere), a messuage and 28
acres of land called Anhey in St. Keverne, a messuage and 380
acres called Carnellock in St. Martin’s, a messuage and 18 acres
in Selant (szc), a messuage called Lambodoe in St. Clement’s and
60 acres belonging thereto, and the tithes thereof, and a close
containing 9 acres in Moresk, ‘‘all which excepted premises were
formerly parcel of the possessions of the late Priory of St.
Michael’s Mount.”+ Comparing the properties described in this
conveyance with those in Harl Mortain’s grant, we may perhaps
venture to identify Trevelaboth as Treraboe in St. Keverne,
Amaneth as Anhay (perhaps also the same as Manael named in
the grant of 30th December, 1290, mentioned below), and
Carmaillock, and Carnellock, we may regard as clerical errors for
Caervellock, in the parish of St. Martin.
In the Domesday Survey the manors of Treiwal and Treuthal
(now apparently the Mount itself and Truthwall or Tregurtha in
St. Hilary) appear as having been the property, in the time of
Edward the Confessor, of Brismar, Prior of St. Michael’s, and at
the date of the survey as the joint property of the Church of St.
Michael and Blohiu (under the Earl). In the reign of Rufus,
Robert de Mortain, and Almodis his wife, added to the former
gifts Ludgvan (Luduhanum), the manor of Richard Fitz Turulf,
* The tithe of fish forms a frequent subject of conveyance and lease in
connection with the Mount, and was, until quite late years, of much value. By
lease dated 10th April, 7 Charles (16381), William Harl of Salisbury, granted to
Hannibal Newman, of St. Michael’s Mount, gent., the tithe of fish belonging to
the Mount and the cellar used for curing the same (except the tithe fish at
Porthemals) for four years at £20 a year.
+ From an abstract of the deed penes Lord St. Levan.
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 227
‘near the Mount.” They also gave the share which (as we have
just seen from Domesday) Blohiu (Bloié in MS.) held in the manor
of Treihul, and both the fairs on the Mount. Robert, the son of the
grantors, joined in this grant, and William his other son promised
that, if Almodis left no direct heir and the land reverted to him,
he would confirm the grant. In consideration of this grant
Robert, the Abbat, and his monks gave the Count £60 of the
money of Le Mans (LX librarum cenomannensium).
The church of the time of Edward the Confessor, assuming
any was then built, must have fallen into decay or have proved
insufficient for its purpose. Perhaps there had been no new
church built here at all since the days when the Mount was visited
by St. Keyne and St. Cadoc and other pilgrims drawn hither by
the sanctity of the place. At any rate the old buildings have, as
we should expect, disappeared, and the only very old part of the
edifice now standing is the wall, several feet thick, pierced by
the principal doorway of the mansion, and which competent
judges consider to be Saxon. The first written record of a
building here is contained in the Custumal of Otterton Priory,*
from which we learn that Bernard, the abbat of Mont St.
Michel, came to England and built the church here in 11385.
At his request, Robert, bishop of Exeter, consecrated it
sometime between 11388 and 1154., This church in time met
with ruin. On the 11th of September, 1275, between the
hours of one and three of the day there was an earthquake
throughout the kingdom, and its shock levelled the church
of St. Michael with the ground.{ But I am going before
my story. The Otterton Custumal recites that in honour of
Christ and his apostles Abbat Bernard had caused suitable
buildings to be erected and 13 monks to be established here, and
had provided for their maintenance. He ordained, however, that,
* Printed by Oliver in the Monasticon. Otterton also formed part of the
possessions of the alien abbey of Mont St. Michel.
+ It was during the reign of Stephen, who died 1154. Robert Chichester was
Bishop from 1188 to 1155.
{Annales de Waverleia, Rolls series. ‘“‘A.D. 1275, Item, III idus
Septembris, inter horam diei primam et tertiam, factus est generalis terrseemotus
per universam regionem, cujus impetu [Ecclesia quoe dicitur Sancti Michaelis de
Monte solo cecidit complanata.”’
228 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
either personally or by one of the brethren as his deputy, the
Prior in Cornwall should annually visit the Abbey in Normandy
and pay in perpetuity a rent of 16 marks silver. He provided
for the deposition of any refractory Prior and the excommunica-
tion of any who should be contumacious or disobedient.
Whoever, whether prince or potentate, should dare to attempt
any alteration of the constitution provided, or should convert any
of the Priory possessions to his own use, was declared anathema.
While any who to the best of his ability (for not only was the
distribution of much by Zaccheus of avail, but so also were the
widows’ mites) should assist in preserving and increasing those
possessions, should have the prayers, and share in all the benefits,
of the Church of St. Michael in Normandy. The possessions
coming by gift of Robert of Mortmain are then enumerated and
it is added ‘‘ There is besides land adjoining for the pasture of
all necessary animals” a privilege apparently referred to in the
Ordinacio of the Vicarage of St. Hilary in 1261.
In 1140, Alan, Count of Brittany, of Cornwall, and of
Richmond, for the welfare of the souls of himself, his wife and
children, and for the redemption of the soul of his uncle Brient,
from whom he had inherited his estate in Cornwall, and of all
other his ancestors and relations, and for the security of his lord,
King Stephen, his children and his wife, granted to God and to
the church of St. Michael’s Mount, the ten shillings which he
received yearly from the fair at Merdresem (Marketjew) and any
increased profits from the same source (Mon. Dio. Exon. p. 32).*
In 1155, Pope Adrian by bull confirmed all their possessions,
including St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall,t to the Norman
Abbey.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Richard, King of the
Romans, granted and confirmed to the Prior of St. Michael’s
Mount and his successors, that the three fairs and three markets
* At the Record Office is a charter of Privileges granted by Henry II to the
Monks of St. Michael, but, although found at Penrose in this County, it
apparently relates to the Norman Monastery and we do not, therefore, repeat it
here. An interesting account of its discovery, and discussion of its contents, by
the late Mr. J. J. Rogers may be found in the Journal of this Institution (vol.
VY, p. 28).
+ ‘‘ Cellam S. Michaelis de Monte, Cornubix, cum pertinentiis suis.”
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 229
enjoyed under grant from his predecessors the Kings of England,
namely on Mid-lent day and the day following, on the vigil of
Michaelmas day and the day following, and on the vigil of the
day of St. Michael in Monte Tomba (16 October), and which they
had hitherto held on land not their own at Marghasbigan, should
in future be held on their own land at Marchadyou near their
grange; but so that such fairs must be conducted according to
the law and custom of England, and must not be to the injury
of any other fair. I am not able to identify the position of
Marghasbigan, and think it may possibly not be a locality at all
but merely a privilege extending over some part of what is now
the township of Marazion. The name (meaning ‘‘the little
market’) also appears as Marghasvean, and is doubtless the
same as de parvo mercato in the 1261 taxation of St. Hilary
Vicarage. Some of our local historians speak of the two markets
as the same, but this is clearly an error.*
By a charter dated at Restormel, 30th December, 1290,
Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, recites and confirms the grants of his
father the said Richard, King of the Romans. In the two
charters which come under his ‘‘Inspeximus,”’ many places are
named which have not been identified, but some can be, as, for
example, the Moor of Goonhib, which is probably Goonhilly
Downs, part of which seems to have gone with the grant of
Treraboe in St. Keverne which is also mentioned. In addition to
confirming the former grants, Edmund further granted and
confirmed to God and the blessed Mary and Saint Michael and to
the Prior and Monks of St. Michael’s Mount, all his estate
(quantum in nobis est) in the Mount itself, with a hide of land and
its appurtenances, free from all customary obligations, as formerly
held by Robert, Count of Mortain ; also 3 acres of land in Manael,
Trurabo, Lesmanack, Trerravers, Carnalel, with their appurte-
nances, as the said Robert of Mortain held them. He also
granted to the Priory that on a vacancy in the office of Prior he
would account for all receipts during such vacancy beyond the
sum necessary for the maintenance of the custodian of the
Priory.
* In other documents also the two are treated as distinct, e.g., in a Deed Poll
dated on the Monday next after the feast of the Nativity, 11 Henry iv, Ralph
Vivian gave to Jeffery Seynaubyn ‘‘all his messuages in Margrasiou, Marghas-
vihan and Breuannak.”’
230 ST. MICHAEL?S MOUNT.
From the Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV (1288-1291) we
extract the following :—
(Taxacio)
Montis Ecclesia de Moreke vj. li Decima x1ij*
Michaelis Vicaria ejusdem xiij*iiij*
Keclesia Sancti Hillarii
Vicaria ejusdem xxyj* viij?
Keclesia de Udnow parva XXX"
Prior Sancti Michaelis percipit in Leclesia in
oblacionibus et obvencionibus vi" xii® iii’ Decima
ooo, coee
Michaelis habet ) Manerium de Trewerabo (s.0.)
vij"vivi*
Summa xi'xix*viij? Decima xxiij*xi*ob
What the letters ‘‘s.o.” in the above taxation mean has not
(I believe) been explained.
The first independent prior of the Mount seems to have
been Ralph de Carteret, who was instituted 21st December, 1266,
the patron being the abbat of the Norman monastery. From
this time the Cornish priory seems to have ceased to be a mere
cell. It probably now adopted a seal of its own, though, so far,
none such has been discovered.
On the 11th of April, 1276, Fr. Richard Perer, Monk of St.
Michael ‘‘in periculo maris”’, was collated to the Cornish priory
by lapse. Apparently the bishop bore no jealousy toward the
foreign house.
On the 8th of July, 1283, Gaufridus de Gernon, alias Forum,
was instituted as Prior. During his priorship he, with the assent
of three of his fellow monks, granted land in Tremenhir Wollas to
Michael de Tremenhir Wollas. After thirty three years govern-
ment he resigned and was succeeded by Peter de Cara Villa, who
further dissipated the Priory property. In 1886, Bishop
Grandisson appointed Richard de Wydeslade, the Treasurer of
Exeter Cathedral, to inquire into the truth of some unpleasant
ST, MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 231
reports as to the conduct of this Prior, whose government was,
according to public report, improvident and rash, the goods of the
Priory being so dissipated as to cause grave anxiety lest the Priory
should be ruined. Acting on his instructions Wydeslade visited
the Priory and made personal inquiry of the Prior and others, the
result of which he reported to the Bishop under date the 22nd of
May, 1336. He had found the income of the Priory to be £100,
in addition to oblations, that the House owed £5 to different
creditors, that the Prior had farmed the land to different persons
for a very low rent (pro vile precio) to the serious loss of his house,
that he had parted with corn and other goods worth 18 marks to
persons from whom he could not venture to ask for their
equivalent return. Moreover, some relative of the Prior, whom
neither he nor the monks would name, was wasting and
consuming the goods of the Priory, and for a month and more
the Prior had stayed alone in the Priory contrary to the
observances of Regulars. Besides this the Prior had produced
no title to the churches which he asserted to have been
appropriated to the Priory (1.e. St. Hilary and St. Clement’s).
To answer all these complaints the Prior was cited to appear
before the Bishop on the first Courtday after the 26th of May
(Grandisson Reg. vol. ui, fol. 199). De Cara Villa ceased to be
Prior in 1342.
During his Priorship a survey’ was made in connection with
the seizure of alien priories, occasioned by the war then impending
between England and France. It is still preserved among the
Public Records, but I translate it from the copy in Oliver’s
Mon. Dio. Exon.* ‘Extent made by William de Hardeshull,
Clerk, and John Hamely, Sheriff of Cornwall, of the lands,
houses, benefices, possessions, places, and goods of the religious
and secular men within the power and dominion of the King of
France in the County of Cornwall, taken and seized into the
hands of our Lord the King by the aforenamed William on the
24th of July, in the 11th year of the reign of Edward III (i.e.
1337). (Here are set out the extents of Tywardreath and
*In Journal of Royal Inst. of Cornwall, vol. 2, is a translation of this
document by Sir Edward Smirke, in which several of the figures differ from
Oliver’s. We have, however, not thought it necessary to note these differences
and regret having had no opportunity of inspecting the original.
232 ST, MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
Talkarn). Goods and Chattels found in the priory of St. Michael’s
Mount. In the church a chalice of the weight of 20s. 10d.
sterling. Item, a vestment with 2 lappets of silk worth 26s. 8d.
Item, a missal worth 13s. 4d. Item, in custody of the Prior and
monks 2 worn cloths (vestes) with 6 towels worth 20s. Item, a
chalice of the weight of 16s. 1d. Item, one worn clerk’s breviary
(portiforium) worth 6s. 8d. ‘These were left to the custody of the
Priory under supervision of the Sheriff. Item, in the Prior’s
chamber 3 lavers and 1 ewer (pelves cum lavatorio) worth 3s. 6d.
Item, 4 chests with a coffer (forcerto) worth 6s. 8d. Item, 8
silver spoons weighing 8s. 4d. Item, 2 wooden cups (ciphi de
mazero) worth 10s. Item, a silver cup, with cover of the same,
weighing 20s. 10d. Item, a silver cup weighing 18s. 4d. Item,
a silver cup, with cover, weighing 31s. 8d. Item, broken silver
weighing 4s. 6d. Item, a certain silver image weighing 113d.
Item, a silver buckle ( firmaculum) weighing 6d. Item, an image
of St. Michael worth 13s. 4d. Item, 2 cups of wood, old and
broken, worth 5s. Item, 1 silver thurible weighing 35s. 8d.
Item, 1 old silver thurible weighing 21s. Item, 5 small and old
tin vases (or mugs—olle de stagno) worth 12d. Item, 4 brass
vases (olle ene@) worth 6s. 8d. ** * Item, worn pans (patelle)
worth 2s. Item, 15 plates (dise’) and 15 worn saucers (salsaria)
worth 15d. Item, one bowl and other iron utensils worth 23d.
Item, in store 3 heifers (afer?) worth 10s.* Item, wooden
vessels worth 6s. 8d. Item, the tithes of the church of Moresk
are taxed at £15. Item, the tithes of the church of St. Hilary,
with the tithe of the chapel of St. Michael, £23 6s. 8d. Item,
the Prior’s rents from the Vill of Treverabo with its appurten-
ances, £22. Item, the said Prior’s rents from Penwith, 29s. 73d.
Item, the tithe of the fishery at this place and the varying casual
oblations remain in the custody of the sheriff to account for * * *
Total £82 3s. 11d.” It is not clear what this total is. The MS.
is imperfect, and perhaps this £82 3s. 11d. includes the fish tithe
and oblations.}
* affert may mean horses, sheep, or oxen.
+ In the time of war it was usual to sequestrate, or, to use the more regular
phrase, to take or seize into the King’s hands all land and moveable property
belonging to the alien Priories. This seizure was not a confiscation but was
merely temporary (see Close Rolls, Membrane 22, for an order to the Treasurer,
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 233
It was common in the Middle Ages to provide for a
dependent by purchasing for him a corrody, that is, a right of
board and lodging in a religious house. Kings frequently
claimed this as of right in religious houses of royal foundation.
In 16 Edward II (1323), as we learn from the Close Rolls,t
Alphonsus de Ispannia, an old servant of the king, was sent by
him to the Prior and Convent of St. Michael’s Mount to receive
the same maintenance as Alan Dannek had in his lifetime in
that house at the King’s request. The right was not always paid
for; Urban VI granted to the crown a right to nominate two
persons for such a dignity in all Cathedral and Collegiate
Churches in England, Wales, and Ireland, and in the case of
our own College of Glasney we find the right exercised more
than once.
John Hardy who succeeded to the office of Prior on the 3rd
October, 1349, was indicted at Launceston in 1356 for having two
years before helped the King’s enemies in Normandy with £60
and for having harboured two men from that Country for two
weeks at Trevaberou (Treverabo). He, however, established his
innocence and was acquitted.§ On Hardy’s death John de
Volant was admitted, 24th April, 1362. He resided in the house
with two monks. At this time the church of St. Michael’s Mount
was valued at £16 3s. 9d., that of St. Hilary at £3 13s. 4d.,
and Moresk at £18 138s. 2d. (Bishop Brantynham’s Regr. vol. 2,
tolls Zi)
&c., of Exchequer, dated 4th February, 1327, to cause to be delivered to the
Prior of St.. Michael’s, in Cornwall, a cell of St. Michel in Peril of the Sea,
Normandy, all lands, advowsons, &c., taken into the King’s hands by reason of
war with the King of France in Aquetaine), The return by the sheriff, or
commissioner, to the Crown was known as an “‘ Extent.’”’ It will be noticed that
throughout the weight of silver articles is given in terms of money; this arises
from the silver sterling penny, of which 20 weighed an ounce troy, being the unit
of that measure. Not only was it usual to seize the Priory property, but to
forbid all intercourse with the foreign abbey. (See Hardy’s case referred to in
the text).
t Cl. Rolls 16 Edw. II, m. 10d. For other instances see Cl. Rolls 10 Edw.
II, m. 238d, et passim.
§ Pat. 30 Edward III p. 3, m. 22, quoted Oliver Mon. Dio. Exon. This
was in pursuance of a Statue of 27 Edward III. In 1383 (Pat. Roll 7 Kichard
TI, m. 37d) we find Nicholas Cusgaran and Walter Benadlek appointed
commissioners to examine and arrest all persons leaving Cornish ports with gold,
&c,, or coming in with letters from the Court of Rome,
234 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
On the seizure af alien Priories the right of presentation
passed to the Crown or to the Duchy of Cornwall. In 1837 and
1378, for instance, it was in the Duchy and was valued at 200
and 100 marks a year respectively. On the 7th of December, 1385,
Brother Richard Auncell (a monk of Tavistock), was admitted on
the presentation of King Richard II (because of the war with
France). ‘This Prior was reported as being in arrear three years
—1408 to 1410—of procurations to the Pope’s collector. On his
death William Lambert, a monk of Tutbury, was on the 21st of
October, 1410, instituted to the Priory, the Patron being Henry,
Prince of Wales (afterwards Henry IV), on account of this alien
Priory being still in the King’s hands. There was an episcopal
inquiry as to the patronage, but Henry’s right was duly
recognised. The Bishop’s Certificates to the King are of
considerable interest, if only as showing the care with which the
registers of his predecessors were searched to answer the King’s
request, for the names, &c., of all Priors instituted to St.
Michael’s Mount are given, from the time of Edward, son of
Henry (i.e. Edward I). Lambert appears to have been the last
Prior, and for some time only a chaplain was kept at the Mount.
By letters patent under date at Clyst, the 10th of August,
1425, Bishop Lacy (Regr. vol. 3, fol. 43) reciting that men are
often stirred to good deeds by the reward of indulgences, that at
that place in his Diocese called Mowntys Bay, men had frequently
suffered shipwreck, and death, from storms, owing to the defective
condition of the causeway, to remedy which the inhabitants of
Marghasyowe near the said Mount of St. Michael had (moved
thereto by piety and aided by God) begun to construct a stone
causeway behind which ships could at all times be received in
safety, but, owing to their poverty, they could not complete the
undertaking without the assistance of the faithful, and they had
asked the Bishop to issue a letter of testimonial, therefore
‘confiding in the immense pity of omnipotent God and of the
blessed Virgin Mary, his mother, and in the merits and prayers
of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, our patrons, and of all
the saints’? the Bishop granted forty days of indulgence to all
parishioners and others who, repenting of their sins and confessing
them, should give, or by will leave, any charitable assistance to
the construction of such causeway,
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 235
Great as were the inducements thus held out, they do not
seem to have answered their purpose, and more businesslike
methods had to be adopted. The Patent Roll, 6 Henry VI,
1427 (pt. 1., m. 22) recites that William Morton, Chaplain of St.
Michael’s, had stated, in a petition to the King, that in the
Mount’s Bay was no safe port for ships of eighty tons burden ;
that very many vessels came into the bay, either through stress
of weather or the negligence of the mariners, and, from want of
a safe port, suffered both in ships, men, and cargo. The said
William, moved by a sense of religion and compassion for those
whose goods were thus endangered, had commenced a quay or
jetty which, if completed, would, by God’s favour, afford security
to 200 ships of whatever burden, but the said William, and the
people of the adjacent parts, had not the means to complete the
work and, therefore, prayed the King’s aid in that behalf.
Whereupon, the King, sincerely affecting the welfare of his
people, and wishing to further the pious desires of the said
Willam, did, with the advice and consent of the Lords spiritual
and temporal then in Parliament assembled, grant to the said
Wilham and the governors of the work of the said quay, during
the next seven years, the right to levy on every vessel of 120 tons
burden and upwards, anchoring near the mount, 12d.; and on
every vessel between 120 tons and 60 tons, 8d.; and on every
vessel under 60 tons burden, 4d.; and from every boat of any
foreign fishermen, fishing for hake in the season within the said
bay, 12d., or fish to that value: provided that the money so
levied were expended on the completion of the said quay, to the
satisfaction of four of the most substantial persons, merchants of
Marghasieu and fishermen belonging to that port, to be chosen
by the other merchants and fishermen of the town. In 1726 and
1727, Sir John St. Aubyn almost entirely rebuilt the pier, which
was again further enlarged and improved in 1824.
In the will of Sir John Arundell, Knight, dated 18th April,
1433, and proved before Bishop Lacy, at Chudleigh, on the 7th
of June, 1433, “‘Lego lumini Sancti Michaelis in Monte
xuj’et iv’. Item lego operi cancellarie ibidem faciende xiij‘et
iv’,” Oliver suggests that this /wmen was the pentagonal lantern
236 ST, MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
now called “The Chair,” and he is probably right.* Having
regard, however, to the next bequest for the chancel,t we may
possibly regard it as a legacy for the lighting of the church
itself{—perhaps for maintainmg the light before the High Altar,
a provision not infrequent in both charters and wills in medizeval
times. f
When (if ever) and how, this church became an archpres-
bytery has not been traced, but in 1537 by dispensation dated at
Lambeth on the 16th of November of that year, Archbishop
Cranmer allowed John Arscott, Archpriest of the church of St.
Michael de Monte Tumba, provided his office of Archpriest did
not involve the cure of souls, and his income from the
Archpresbytery after deducting all accustomed outgoings did not
amount to £8 a year, to hold for his life some other cure or
benefice such as was usually assigned to a secular clerk, and to
exchange the same if he should so desire. But the Archbishop’s
dispensation was not to be acted on until confirmed by Royal
Letters Patent in pursuance of the recent Statute of Parliament
to that effect (Bishop Turberville’s Regr. fol. 7). Apparently the
Royal Letters Patent were never issued. In the Chantry Rolls
of 2 Edward 6 § we read ‘‘S. Michael at Mount. A chapell.
Founded by the abbess of the dissolved monastery of Syon.
Three prysts to celebrate there, one of whom ys named the
archepryst. The yerelye value of annuities to sayd prysts, one of
x4 and the other two vj" each, xxij".” These being the only
known references to an archpresbytery at St. Michael’s Mount
* It would certainly be of great advantage to the fishermen, in whose profits
the monks had a share. There are grooves in the stone for some such substance
as glass or horn.
+1am not confident that this really refers to the chancel. There is no
reason to suppose that the chancel was interfered with at this time. The word
may mean the chancel-screen, or a window, or possibly the ramparts. In any
case I take it to be used for Cancellus, which (amongst its other meanings)
bears that of “‘ Interstitium inter propugnacula.”” (D’Arnis).
t There are some other recorded early benefactions to this Convent. For
example, Dr. Reginald Mertherderwa, Rector of Creed, who in his will, proved
11th Feb., 1447, remembered so many churches in Cornwall did not forget St.
Michael’s Mount; and one Alan Tremenhyre, by his will, dated 20th Nov., 1455,
gave a penny to the Church here, five pence to the fraternity of St. Michael and,
for the repair of the altar, one bushel of wheat.
§ Certificates, 9, No. 42 and 10, No. 34, printed in Oliver’s Mon, Dio, Exon,
p. 488,
Photo by] LF. C. Burrow, F.R.P.S.
St. MICHAEL’S MOUNT CHURCH.
Photo by] (F.C. Buricw, F.R.P.S.
ALABASTER OVER ALTAR (S. SIDE).
Photo by] (F.C. Burrow, F.R.P.S-
ALABASTER OVER ALTAR.
Photo by] (F.C. Burrow, F.R.P.S.
ALABASTER OVER ALTAR (N. SIDE).
F.R.P.S-
Ow,
7
. Bur
C
(F
on
i]
by
Photo
Toms, &c., IN NORTH COURT.
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 237
one can scarcely resist the supposition that there is a confusion
with St. Michael Penkevel, which was an archpresbytery.
As already stated, St. Michael’s, from being a mere cell of
its Norman namesake, with a Prior removable at will, gradually
acquired independence and became a distinct corporation with a
Convent, a Seal and a perpetual Prior. In consequence of its
having thus become independent, it was held to be exempt from
seizure, under the different statutes and orders for taking
possession of alien priories in the reigns of Henry IV and V.*
In the course of a few years—1402 to 1414—no less than one
hundred and twenty two such cells were suppressed, and out
of their revenues were endowed All Souls’, Magdalen and Kings’
Colleges. It stood to reason that the English would not continue
to send rents to France during their long war with that country,
and, moreover, there was a general and growing discontent with
the monastic system in any form. Bishop Oldham, of Exeter,
was but echoing an idea that was every day gathering strength
throughout the country, when he urged Bishop Fox, of Win-
chester, to found a college (Corpus Christi) at Oxford rather
than ‘provide livelodes for a companie of bussing monks” (see
2 Social England ed. H. D. Traill p. 235). But at first there was
a desire also for reform, and one of the methods of reform was
to abolish the smaller monasteries which were supposed (and
probably with truth) to be more vicious and less useful than the
larger ones. Under the act of 4 Henry IV only such alien
priories as were not Conventual were liable to be seized. Never-
theless Henry IV seized the Mount, but owing to the illegality of
his conduct had to restore it.| Henry V, under the authority of
Parliament confirmed by the clergy, transferred St. Michael’s to
his new monastery of Syon near Brentford.{ Subsequently a
*Tt had been seized more than once in earlier times, e.g. on 20th June, 1338
(Pat. Rolls 12 Edw. III, pt. 2, m. 22.) Reginald de Boterels and John Hameley,
Sheriff of Cornwall, were appointed by the King to the custody of the fortlet of
St. Michael’s Mount, then in the King’s hands among other possessions of the
prior, an alien. In 1383 (Pat. Rolls 7 Rich. II, pt. 1, m. 25) the King revoked
a grant of its custody during war with France, because the advowson had been
assigned to his mother in dower, and because, by ordinance of Parliament, the
Prior, having a life estate, was entitled to the custody in preference to others.
+See Rol. Parl. 5 Henry IV, m. 12; Acts of Priory Council (1834) 1,190,
} Oliver, Mon, Dio. Exon. p. 28,
238 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
conflicting grant was made to King’s College, Cambridge; * by
patent dated 29th November, 1461, Edward IV regranted the
Priory of St. Michael’s Mount, then belonging to the duchy of
Cornwall, to Elizabeth, the Abbess, and the Convent of St. Saviour
and SS. Mary and Bridget, Syon, of the order of St. Augustine,
the condition being that they should pray for the good estate of the
King and of Cicely his mother, and for their souls after death,
and those of Richard, late Duke of York, his father, and his
progenitors, and do other works of charity.t On the 26th of
February in the following year{ the College relinquished its
claim, and, until the reign of Henry VIII, the history of St.
Michael’s Mount is only part of the history of the monastery of
Syon, whose house, it is interesting to note, is now, after many
adventures, settled near Chudleigh in the adjoiming county of
Devon.
Carew, in his Survey of Cornwall, gives an account of the
seizure of the Mount, in the reign of Richard the first, by Henry
de la Pomeray ‘‘ who surprised it, and expulsed the monks,” but
adds that there was another story to the effect that, having killed
the King’s sergeant at arms at his castle of Berry Pomeroy, he
abandoned his home, and getting to a sister of his residing at
the Mount, bequeathed a large portion of his land to the religious
there, for redeeming his soul, and then killed himself.§ Prince in
his ‘‘Worthies of Devon” repeats the story from Carew, but
adds that Pomeray’s sister was ‘‘ most likely the prioress of that
cell.”” I may be mistaken, but I believe this to be the sole
foundation for the statement found in modern histories of the
Mount, that there was a Nunnery here, while others, with (as I
think) not a bit more evidence, say there was no nunnery here
but a Gilbertine priory, in which, as you know, monks and nuns
were wont to live in adjoining houses under the same rule. Dr.
* “ Rectori et Scholaribus 8. Nicholai Cantab,”’ that being the name of this
College at the date of the Grant. Pat. Rolls, 30 Edw. III, pt. 3, m. penult; 10
Henry VI, pt. 1, m. ult. and 20 Henry VI, pt. 4, m. 3.
+ Pat. Roll, 1 Edward IV, pt. 2, m. 8, and 1 Edward IV, pt. 3, m. 1, and
ibid, pt. 5, m. 14.
{ Pat. Roll, 2 Edward IV, pt. 1, m. 23; Cl. Roll, 2 Edward IV, m. 13.
§ Roger de Hoveden says (Chronica, vol. iii, page 238, Rolls Series) ‘‘ audito
adventu regis, obiit timore perterritus,”’
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 239
Borlase, who, like most of his contemporaries, always stated his
facts without worrying as to whether there was any evidence to
support them, in his description of the ruin of the Mount in
1720, says “‘I find the Nuns here as early as the Reign of
Richard the first,” but, more suo, gives no reference to any
authority. I have no doubt he gets it from Prince, merely
improving on the story by omitting his author’s words ‘“ most
likely.” Not content with this, he proceeds to identify the very
cells they occupied, and the Chapel dedicated to St. Mary, and
set apart for their use. I hope that I am not unjust to the
memory of a great Cornishman like Dr. Borlase. He may:
be correct, and there may be an authority to support his
statements about the nuns; but, if I am wrong, then it is the
Doctor’s own fault. I only further say in my defence (and when
one differs from Dr. Borlase in Cornwall, one is expected to do it
with bated breath and whispering humbleness), that if there was
a nunnery here it is certainly strange that it should have escaped
the notice of William of Worcester, of Leland, and of Carew,
that Hals and Tonkin should know nothing of it, that the State
Papers and Episcopal Registers (at any rate as far as I can find)
avoid all mention of it, and that it should have been left for Dr.
Borlase and the credulous and erratic author of the ‘‘ Ancient
Cathedral of Cornwall,” not only to discover the nuns but to be
able to locate the rooms in which they slept and worshipped.
As already stated, the Mount seems never to have had a
Prior after its suppression as an alien priory by Henry V. At
the time of the dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII it was
let to farm, andin 1539 that monarch gave its revenues,
amounting to £110 12s. 1d. to Humphry Arundell, who held
them and the office of Governor until 1547. But troublous times
were in store for him. King Edward VI (or rather his Council
in his name), were pushing the doctrine of the Royal supremacy
to an extreme, and every year saw some change in religious
matters, which the people were expected to accept at once. The
altered Prayer-book of 1549 (to be itself again altered by the
Book of 1552—which, however, never received the sanction of
the Church) was ordered to be used in all churches. At once
discontent sprang up in all directions and not least in Cornwall
and Devon, where, under the leadership of Humphry Arundell,
240 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
the people demanded a return to the state of things ordained
by the ‘Six Articles” of Henry VIII, at any rate until the boy
King should be of full age. We cannot here trace their
temporary success, their defeat on Clifton Heath by Lord Russell
on the 7th of August, 1549, and the ultimate capture and
execution of Arundell and several others. Their demands seem
extravagant to our modern ideas, for they asked, amongst other
thing's, that all who would not worship the elevated host should
suffer as heretics, that all preachers should pray for souls in
purgatory, that auricular confession should be insisted on as a
necessity, aud that the services should be in Latin, and the
common people be forbidden to read the Bible. But whether
they were right or wrong in making such demands, surely they
were right in resisting any effort to thrust opposite doctrines on
them against their will. The doctrine of the time that men could
believe what they would; and that, therefore, their wills must be
coerced for the sake of uniformity, is one so alien to modern ideas
that we are apt to misjudge the parties to these old-time quarrels.
After the execution of Humphry Arundell the Crown granted
a lease of the Mount and its appurtenances to John Milton, of
Pengersick. In 1599 the Crown sold to Thomas Bellett and John
Budden the fee simple, describing it as ‘‘ All that farm of Saint
Michael at the Mount, and the site of the mansion house, or
capital messuage, called Saint Michael’s Mount; also the priory
of Saint Michael’s Mount, in Cornwall.” The property passed
through the Earls of Salisbury and the Bassets of Tehidy to the
present owners, the St. Aubyns. Referring to the remains of the
monastery itself, little can be said, so entirely has the face of the
building been changed by its conversion into a dwelling house.
William of Worcester describes the church in 1478 as 30
steps long and 12 steps wide, and the newly built chapel as 20
steps long and 10 steps wide. lLeland’s Itinerary enables us to
identify the site of this chapel. ‘‘ Withyn the sayd ward is a
court strongly walled, wheryn on the south syde is the chapel of
S. Michael, and yn the east syde a chapel of our Lady,” i.e. the
chapel of St. Mary, our Lady, is now represented by the drawing
rooms, entered from the yard through a very pretty square-headed
doorway of Catacleuse stone corresponding in date with
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 241
Worcester’s description of it as ‘‘newly built.”* Leland points
out the priests’ lodgings, but says nothing of nuns. The church,
with its thick, unbuttressed walls, is probably the same as
Worcester saw and paced, being just over 60 feet in length and
20 feet across. It appears to be a building of the 14th century,
with later additions and alterations, notably the insertion of
windows in the 15th century, from which time date the beautiful
pieces of coloured glass preserved in the windows of the Church
and Chevy Chase room. Borlase tells us that in his time there
were ‘‘at the altar two tall Eastern windows with a rose at the
finishing of the top,” which I think we may take as meaning
that the original two-light decorated window had been allowed to
stay there when the other windows were replaced. ‘The seats are
modern and the ornamentation is modern, the handsome
Chandelier representing St. Michael surmounted by the Virgin
and Child, is apparently of no great age; but there is an
old-world air about the whole of the little church, with its
beautiful east rose-window,} that makes it still easy to picture the
old monks, in their sombre garb of black, engaged here in praise
and prayer; or mounting the newel stairway, that leads to the
top of the tower, to light the lamp that shall guide home the
belated fishing boats, for which perhaps they have been anxiously
watching from the same place for hours. You can picture them
as they ascend the steps and file in at the beautiful north door
(which, like the tower, dates from the 14th century), crossing
themselves as they pass the sculptured cross at the head of the
steps.{ One fancies them, too, going through the low doorway
(discovered in 1725, built up) in the south wall, and by the stairs
entering the little vault below (8 feet by 6 feet), where were
discovered (gruesome sight) the uncoffined bones of a man, and
one wonders what had occurred there. Dark deeds perchance,
though we have no evidence to lead us to think so. At any rate
* The brass plate above this door records the visit of H. M. the Queen and
Prince Albert to the Mount, 6th September, 1846.
+ There is a more beautiful one at the west end but hidden by the organ.
We understand that Lord St. Levan purposes to have the organ pipes rearranged
so as to once more throw this open to view.
{ This beautiful Edwardian cross has on the North side the Crucifixion, on
the South the Virgin and child, on the East a monk, and on the West a King.
242 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
there is no reason to suppose that the monks had anything to do
with the death of this unknown man. ‘There was formerly a
window in the South wall of this vault, but it is now closed.
When not engaged in their religious offices the monks had
yet much to do—in fact their life was one of obedience and hard
work. In the dormitories lamps burnt all night, and the monks
lay in their clothes, with their girdles on, ready not only for the
service at 2 a.m., but for any mission on which the prior might
send them. Weekly, and by turns, they served in the kitchen
and at table, those who thus served, as well as they who
cleaned the plates and other articles, receiving an extra allowance
of victuals. From Holy-Rood day (September 14th) to Lent
they dined at nones (3 p.m.), and, at other times of the year,
earlier ; their meal consisting of bread and fruit and wine, which
were consumed in silence, broken only by the reading of the
Scriptures. This meal was eaten in the Refectory, now better
known as the Chevy Chase room, from the Elizabethan frieze
which runs around it. The roof timbers are very old, but the
ornamentation was added to them by Sir John St. Aubyn early
in the present century, previously to which they were plain.
Neither frieze nor ornamental roof bear witness, as they are so
often supposed by visitors to do, to any excessive luxury on the
part of the old monks. Although I cannot on this occasion stay
to notice the fine Jacobean bed, the curious old clock said to have
been brought from Godolphin House, and the many interesting
objects collected mostly by Major St. Aubyn in different parts of
the world, yet two chairs in the refectory are sufficiently connected
with our immediate subject to require to be mentioned, namely,
the one known as the Glastonbury chair, on which is carved the
legend
Johannes Arthurus.
Monachus Glastonie.
Salvet ea Deus.
Sit laus Deo.
Da pacem Die.
and the dark wood one on which in bas relief are pourtrayed
Susanna and the Elders.
Much of the glass in the Chevy Chase room came from the
church. It is very beautiful and deserves careful study.
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 243
The bells, though now unhung and lying on the floor of the
belfry, are of exceptional interest, no less than three of them
being of early date. Their legends appear to be
1. + Ordo Potestatum +
in small black letter characters about 3 of an inch high, with
Lombardic initial letters, somewhat irregularly arranged.
Diameter at the mouth, 24 inches
2. (Co)me: Away : Make: No: Delay: 1785. In thin Roman
capitals, followed by a small piece of border ornament.
The A’s are long and the cross bars so slender that the
letters look like inverted V’s. This bell is broken.
Diameter at the mouth, 263 inches.
8. Charles: &; Iohn Rvdhall Fecit 1784. The lettering is of
the same type as on the second bell, and is preceded by a
piece of border ornament. This bell is also broken, the
last three letters of the inscription and the date being on a
separate fragment. Diameter at the mouth, 274 inches.
4, Spiritus Sanctus Est Deus, on the crown in black letter
characters about % inch high, with prettily crowned
Lombardie initials. Encircling the haunch in black letter
characters and with crowned initial letters as before,
+ (cross)* Gabriel + (cross). Sancte Paule Ora Pro
Nobis; and immediately below, Ordo Virtutum Maria.
Diameter at the mouth, 30 inches.
5. Filius Est Deus on the crown; and below encircling the
haunch, + (cross) Raphael + (cross). Sancta Margareta
Ora Pro Nobis. Beneath the word ‘ Raphael,’ Ordo
Archangelorum. The text and initial letters are of the
same character as those on the fourth bell and the initials
have similar crowns. Diameter at the mouth, 33 inches.
6. Soli : Deo : Devter : Gloria : 1640 : OO : OOT: P:
In flat Roman capitals about an inch in height. The G
in “Gloria” is reversed. The four coin impressions are
irregular, and the legends on them difficult to decipher.
Dunkin thinks they are impressions from half-crowns of
Charles I. Diameter at the mouth, 352 inches. This bell
* For drawings of the crosses on the bells, see Dunkin’s ‘‘ Church Bells of
Cornwall,”’
944 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
is the only one hung. A bell at Gulval bears the same
date as this, and the peculiar shape of the figures suggests
that they were cast by the same man, probably John
Pennington, of Exeter, who did much good work in his
day.
There are in the chapel seven large silver altar candlesticks
said by those best able to judge to be of Spanish make and to
date from the end of the 17th century. There are also two of
the same date, but of English make, whose prickets have been
replaced by silver sockets. These latter are of exceptional
beauty, and I do not recall having ever seen any like them
elsewhere, and, indeed, Lord St. Levan tells me that competent
critics pronounce them to be unique. They carry no mark of
any kind, as is also the case with a large silver salver of similar
ornamentation. The Communion cup is a very pretty specimen of
the common Elizabethan type, six inches high, with the engraved
band of two fillets interlacing each other, the space between
being filled with a foliage scroll. Its date-marks are London,
1571-2. The sacred monogram has been engraved on this cup at
some more recent time. With the exception of this cup, which
was purchased by Lord St. Levan in recent years, as a thank-
offering in connection with an incident in his own family, the
whole of the chapel plate was placed here by a former Sir John
St. Aubyn, in 1811. In 1547 (as we learn from Chantry
Certificate, Roll 9) the chapel possessed ornaments valued at
30s., plate and jewels weighing 22 ozs., besides a chalice weighing
8 oz., and 2 ewt. of bells.
Behind the altar, inserted in the reredos erected by the
present Lord St. Levan, is a small alabaster bas-relief of
singular beauty and interest, representing the head of St. John
Baptist in a charger; on the returned sides of the reredos are
two others equally interesting, that on the south representing
Pilate washing his hands, that on the north the service of the
Mass. These three are probably 15th century work, and like
most work of that time full of spirit. On the central panel may
be seen very faintly inscribed the letters Sci Jofis, B¥* which
doubtless form part of the legend Caput Sci Johis Baptiste.
This panel is of especial interest, as an exceptionally fine
specimen of a class of objects, the intention of which is not
ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT. 245
known. The colouring is almost gone, but enough remains to
show that the ground was of dark green covered with little
groups of white spots arranged around a central spot of red, so
as to look like a large flower. This ground colouring is
characteristic of other somewhat similar panels of the same date,
and from this, and other reasons, Mr. St. John Hope (Archeologia
vol. Ji, pt. 2)* concludes that they came from the same workshop
at Nottingham, the alabaster being dug from the pits at
Chellaston, near Derby. Large numbers were made at Notting-
ham between 1491 and 1499, and the fact that the same ground-
colouring is found on the alabasters at Mabe may enable us to
also fix their date.
On the dexter side will be observed St. Peter and above him
St. Christopher, bearing Our Lord, with the right hand raised in
benediction, while the left carries the orb.
On the sinister side is an Archbishop with mitre, albe, gold
amice and cope with a gold border. Until recently, the gloves
showed traces of blue on the tassels. Above the archbishop is
St. James the Great, with pilgrim’s hat having the scallop shell
in front. He holds a book and staff (broken). Above the whole
are the three persons of the Trinity. Christ has the left hand
raised, while the right grasps a cross-staff (broken). Around his
brow is a torse, representing the crown of thorns. The left hand
of the Holy Ghost is missing, the right is raised in blessing.
The First Person carries the orb in the left hand, while the right
is broken but appears to have been formerly engaged in the act
of benediction.
Below the charger is the Virgin and Child, the head of the
latter, which was made in a separate piece and fastened on by a
peg, being absent.
This interesting little group (it is only 143 inches high by 93
wide) has several features worthy of note. It is unique among
the known specimens in having the three persons of the Trinity;
only one other specimen, now in the British Museum, has the
figure of St. James the Great.
*The whole of this paper, which is beautifully illustrated, should be studied
in this connection.
246 ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT.
On each side of the central panel are three other bas-reliefs
of the same material, but much more modern and of no especial
interest.
At the head of the steps leading into the chapel is a
finely sculptured cross of 14th century work, to which date also
I am inclined to ascribe the bracket which projects from the
north wall of the chapel, just above the broken tomb slab on
which are sculptured the trunk and legs of a man, with a cross
beneath. This latter is said to represent a former Prior, a
statement that may or may not be true.
The Mount still retains the privilege, granted to it by Pope
Gregory, of freedom from all episcopal jurisdiction, and is
consequently not within the Diocese of Truro. For Poor law
purposes it is a separate parish with its own overseers.
I am pleased to take this opportunity of commenting on the
taste and skill with which the latest alterations of, and additions
to, the Mount have been carried out by the late Mr. J. Piers St.
Aubyn. Asa rule, I confess that, I have no great admiration
for his work; and it is therefore all the greater pleasure to be
able to bear testimony to that with which no fault can be found.
Good illustrated accounts of the architectural features of the
Mount may be found in vol. 6 of the Exeter Diocesan
Architectural Society’s Transactions and in the number of the
British Architect for Christmas, 1887. My principal authorities
for the history of the Monastery are Oliver’s Monasticon, the
Episcopal Registers as far as published in Prebendary Hingeston-
Randolph’s edition and the various publications of the Rolls office.
Norr.—I have intentionally preserved the different spellings
of place names as being of value to those who endeavour to
trace their origin and meaning.
247
Obituary.
The late Edwin Dunkin, F.R.S., and President of the
Institution during the years 1890-1, was the third son of William
and Mary Elizabeth Dunkin, and was born at Truro, 19th
August, 1821, and baptised at St Mary’s Church 9th September
following. His father, William Dunkin, was a Cornishman by
birth, and was engaged for many years on the staff of the
‘‘ Nautical Almanac.”” His mother was the youngest daughter
of David Wise, of Redruth, surgeon, and an aunt of the Rev.
Canon Wise, of Ladock, whose liberality to the Cathedral and
its building fund will not soon be forgotten by the people of
Truro.
Mr. Dunkin was educated at private schools at Truro and
Camden Town, and finally he was sent to a school at Guines,
near Calais, to obtain a proficiency in the French language.
Through the interest of his father’s old friend, Davies Gilbert,
F.R.S., and Lieut. W. 8. Stratford, the Superintendent of the
‘Nautical Almanac,” Mr. Dunkin was introduced to the
Astronomer Royal, at Greenwich, and on 21st August, 1838, he
entered upon his duties at the Royal Observatory. In 1840 he
was appointed to assist in the work of the new Magnetical and
Meteorological Department, but in October, 1845, he was
transferred to the Astronomical Department, and from 1847 to
1870 he had the superintendence of the altazimuth and of all
the calculations connected therewith. In 1870 he was intrusted
with the general control of the reductions of all the astronomical
observations in the Observatory, a post he continued to occupy
until the retirement of the Astronomer Royal, Sir George
Biddell Airy, in 1881. The office of chief assistant then
becoming vacant by the promotion of Mr. Christie to that of
Astronomer Royal, Mr Dunkin was promoted to that responsible
position, which he held until his retirement on 25th August,
1884.
248 OBITUARY.
Mr. Dunkin formed one of the Admiralty party, who
proceeded to Norway and Sweden to observe the solar eclipse,
on 28th July, 1851. His station was at Christiania, near the
northern boundary of the shadow-path, where the duration of
totality was 24 minutes. The sky during the progress of the
eclipse was more or less cloudy, but at the critical moment the
clouds cleared away sufficiently to enable the observers to note
positions of three rose-coloured protuberances, and also faint
indications of the solar corona.
In 1853 and 1854 Mr. Dunkin was the Greenwich observer
in the determinations of the difference of longitude between the
Royal Observatory and the Observatories of Cambridge, Brussels,
and Paris; the opposite observers being, respectively, Mr. (now
Sir Charles) Todd, M. Bouvy, and M. Faye. Hach of the
operations was divided into two sections, in the second of which
the observers were interchanged. 1n 1862 an important and
far more difficult operation was arranged by the Astronomer
Royal for the determination of the difference of longitude
between the Royal Observatory and a station near Knightstown,
in the island of Valencia, co. Kerry, Ireland. Mr. Dunkin had
charge of the observations at the Irish station.
In the autumn of 1854, Mr. Dunkin had the control of the
Astronomer Royal’s pendulum experiments made in the Harton
Colliery, near South Shields. These observations were under-
taken with the object of determining the mean density of the
earth, by ascertaining the different effects of gravity on the
“Albanians of a free pendulum when mounted on the surface or
at the bottom of a deep mine.
Mr. Dunkin took a great interest in investigating the
relative values of the probable error of a transit of a star by
the eye-and-ear and chronographic methods, and of the various
kinds of personalty in astronomical observations, especially in
observing transits of the limbs of the sun and moon, and in
zenith distance observations. Several papers by him on these
subjects may be found in the ‘‘Memoirs”’ and ‘‘ Monthly Notices”
of the Royal Astronomical Society. An important paper ‘‘on
the Movement of the Solar System in Space, deduced from the
Proper Motions of 1167 Stars”? was presented to that society on
OBITUARY. 249
13th March, 1863, and printed in their ‘‘ Memoirs.”” Many other
papers by him on a variety of astronomical subjects are inserted
in the ‘‘ Monthly Notices.”
The astronomical observations made by several African
travellers were intrusted to Mr. Dunkin for systematic examina-
tion and reduction. They consisted principally of lunar distances
and meridian altitudes observed with a sextant. The resulting
longitudes and latitudes of the various stations are published in
the ‘‘ Journal” of the Royal Geographical Society.
In the ‘‘Companion to the British Almanac” for 1869 and
1870, Mr. Dunkin gave a full resumé of the results of the
observations of the great total solar eclipse of 17-18 August, 1868,
which was so successfully observed in India and Eastern Asia.
Between 1862 and 1880, he was a frequent contributor of
popular astronomical articles to various periodicals. A selection
of these papers under the title of ‘‘ The Midnight Sky” has been
published in book form, and this work has passed through several
editions. He also contributed papers to ‘‘The Observatory,”’
and the ‘‘ Journal” of the Royal Institution of Cornwall contains
his presidential addresses on the progress of astronomy delivered
in 1890 and 1891.
Mr. Dunkin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical
Society 14th March, 1845. He became a member of the council
in 1868, and, from November, 1870, to February, 1877, he filled
the post of Honorary Secretary. His duties were rendered more
than usually onerous, owing to the removal of the society in
1874 from Somerset House to Burlington House, and by the
death of the Assistant Secretary, Mr. Williams, in the same year.
In 1884 he was elected President of that Society. During the
two years of his Presidency he delivered the addresses on
presenting the gold medal, in 1885, to Sir William Huggins, for
his spectroscopic and photographic researches, and in 1886 to
Professor EK. C. Pickering and ©. Pritchard for their separate
works on Stellar photometry. Mr. Dunkin resigned his seat on
the Council in 1891. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society lst June, 1876, and served two years on the Council—
1879-81,
250 OBITUARY.
Mr. Dunkin first became a subscribing member to this
Institution in 1885, and in 1889 he accepted the office of
President, but his residence in London prevented him from
taking an active part in its affairs beyond presiding at the
Annual Meetings in 1890 and 1891, and delivering addresses on
his favourite science.
After an illness of about three months, Mr. Dunkin died at
his residence ‘‘ Kenwyn,” Kidbrooke Park Road, Blackheath,
26th November, 1898. He was buried in Charlton Cemetery,
1st December following.
251
PORTRAIT OF THE REV. WM. BORLASE, LL.D.
(As frontispiece).
By the kindness of Mr. J. D. Enys we are enabled to
present our members with a portrait of the Rev. Wm. Borlase,
LL.D., F.R.S., Rector of Ludgvan and Vicar of St. Just in
Penwith, and best known as the greatest of Cornish antiqua-
rians.
We have received the following letter from Mr. Enys.
To the Editors.
Dear Sirs,
As there is no published portrait of Dr. William Borlase,
the well known Cornish Antiquarian, I asked permission of the
Misses Borlase, of Castle Horneck, to have the portrait of Dr.
Borlase in their possession photographed. :
This they kindly went to the expense of having done by
R. H. Preston of Penzance.
From that photograph kindly given by them, I have had a
process block prepared, impressions from which I now present
for binding up with our Journal.
Yours very truly,
JOHN D. ENYS.
Enys, Sep. 30th, 1900.
Royal Bnstitation of Cornwall,
FOUNDED 1818.
Patron.
THE QUEEN.
é Vice=Patron.
H.R.H. tHE Prince oF WALES, DUKE oF CoRNWALL, K.G., &e.
Trustees.
Viscount CLIFDEN.
Sir C. B. Graves-Saw ez, Bart.
Mr. F. G. Envys.
Cot. TREMAYNE.
Council for the Year 1899-1900.
Presioent.
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAMS, Esq.
Vice=Presidents.
Rey. Canon Moor, M.A., F.R.G.S.| Tae Ricut Hon. Lronarp
: Regv.W. laco, B.A., L.Sne.8.A., Lox. CouRTNEY.
Mr. Joun Davirs Enys, F.G.S. Rev. S. Barine-Goup, M.A.
-
Treasurer.
Mr. A. P. Nix, Vruro.
Secretaries.
Masor PARKYN, E.G.8., Truro.
Rey. W. Iago, B.A., Bodmin.
Otber Members of Council,
VEN. ARCHDEACON CORNISH. CHANCELLOR PAvt, M.A.
Mr. Howarp Fox, F.G:8. _ Mr. Tuurstan C. Perse.
_ Mr. HAmiItron JAMES. Rev. S. RUNDLE, M A.
Mr. F. W. MicHE.L, C.E. Rev. D. G. WHITLEY.
Mr. J. Osporne, F.G.S. |
Corresponding Secretary for East Cotnvall.
Rev. W. aco, B.A,, Bodmin.
Joint Editors of the Journal.
Mr. TxHurstan C. PETER.
Magsor Parkyn, F.G.S.
Librarian and Curator of Museum.
Mr. GrorcE PenroseE, Royal Institution, Truro.
THE FOLLOWING WORKS
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY,
MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE CURATOR. Mr. G. PENROSE,
AT THE MUSEUM, TRURO.
HE CORNISH FAUNA: A Compendium of the Natural History of
T the County.
PART I.—Conataining the Vertebrate Animals and Crustaceans,
by JONATHAN COUCH, J. BROOKING ROWE, THOMAS
CORNISH, E. H. RODD, and OC. SPENCE BATE, F.R.S.
Price 3s.
PART II. — Containing the ‘‘Testaceous -Molluskevs byny
JONATHAN COUCH, E.L.S., &c. Price 3s.
- PART III.—Containing the Zoophytes and Calcareous Corallines,
by RICHARD Q. COUCH, M.R.C.8., &c. Price 3s.
HE SERIES OF REPORTS of the Proceedings of the Society, with
numerous Illustrations. (Some are out of print).
ae OF ANTIQUITIES in the West of Cornwall, with References and
Illustrations. By J. T. BLIGHT, F.S.A.
DDITIONS TO BORLASE’S NATURAL HISTORY OF CORN.
WALL. From MS. Annotations by the Author. Price 2s. 6d.
NPUBLISHED LETTERS of the Rev. Henry Martyn, B.D., of Truro,
edited with Prefaratory Notes by his Grand Nephew, Henry Martyn
Jeffery, M.A., F.R.S. Price ls.
ABEL LIST OF BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA, aes Henry Bee
F.R.M. Price 3d.
OURNAL OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CORNWALL,
except Nos. 1 to 4, and No. 20, which a are out of print.
USEUM GUIDES.
POZO STONE 000 tf 2 ee Beene
ANTHONY PAYNE... ... Yaglide
CATALOGUE or THE NON-METALLIC MINERALS, 53) LEOOe hy
CATALOGUE or tat METALLIC MINERALS _... Sy ede
CATALOGUE or tHe PROVINCIAL TOKENS OF |
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND... ... ... meade
N OTICE TO MEMBERS.
All Subscriptions become due in advance on the Ist of August in ok year,
Members whose Subscriptions are not paid before the 31st of December, will not
be supplied with the Journal after that date.
Members wishing to withdraw, must pay their Subscriptions for the current
year, and signify their intention in writing before the 31st of August of the —
year next ensuing, or they will be liable for the Subscription for that year also.
JOURNAL
OF THE
Roval {rstituion of {fornuall
VOLUME XIV.
Part 11.—1901. |
SSS
‘ TRURO:
: PRINTED BY LAKE AND LAKE, Ltrp, PRINCES STREET.
i Igol. :
Contents
Spring Meeting (1900)
President’s Address os
Cornish Dedications of Saints, Part Ur CH. to Ke), i
the Rey. 8. Baring-Gould, M.A... 23 oe
Annual Meeting (1900)
Balance Sheet a Hs oa
Comparison of Rainfall in the District (1900) .
Meteorological Tables (1900)
Notes on the Flora and Fauna of the Falkland Tae by
Rupert Vallentin (illustrated)
~The Romans in Cornwall, oe the late R. N. Worth,
F.G.S. ac
Additions tothe Flora of Conic: by F. Hamilton pee
The Stone Circles of Cornwall and Scotland—a compari-
son—by A. L. Lewis, F.C.A. (illustrated)
Cornish Chairs, by the Rev. 8. Rundle, M.A, (illustrated)
Notes on the Churches of 8. ale and Mabe eee
by Thurstan C. Peter : oa
On the Occurrence of Flint Flakes and Small Stone
Implements in Cornwall, by Francis Brent, F.S.A.
Macro- sae observed at So a A. J.
Spiller ;
370
384
394 —
A417
420
Also Plate (Altar and Reredos, 8. Just-in-Penwith) omitted from
last Journal.
JOURNAL
OF THE
{oval {ostituion of {ornwall.
VOLUME XIV.
Part 11.1901.
—__ —@—_—_—
TRURO:
PRINTED BY LAKE AND LAKE, Lrtp., PRINCES STREET.
19ol.
The Council of the Royal Institution of Cornwall desire
that it should be distinctly understood that the Institution as a
body is not responsible for any statements or opinions expressed
in the Journal; the Authors of the several communications being
alone answerable for the same.
Arora Ins
f oS $696 Y “May
\ AUG 6 1901.
Va
‘ a a\t 4,
SStional Muse
Seca
253
Roval Institution of Cornwall.
——_——__—__—_
SPRING MEETING, 1900.
——
The Spring Meeting was held at the rooms of the Institutien,
Truro, on Tuesday, May 29th, 1900, Mr. J. C. Williams
presiding. There were also present Archdeacon Cornish, Canon
A. P. Moor, Canon 8. R. Flint, the Revs. W. Iago (Hon. Sec.), 8.
H. Farwell Roe, A. A. Vawdrey, S. Rundle, T. Comyns, and
L. Peter, Sir George Smith, Messrs. J. C. Daubuz, J. D. Enys,
J..Osborne, T. C. Peter, T. F. Hodgson (Plymouth), W. H. T.
Shadwell, P. Jennings, G. Penrose, Professor Clark, W. J. Clyma,
Henry Barrett, T. Clark, F. Cozens, F. H. Davey, J. P. Paull,
W.N. Gill, W.G.N. Earthy, Hamilton James, W. N. Carne, A.
Blenkinsop, E. F. Whitley, J. Paul de Castro, E. Katto, T.
Worth, G. Dixon, R. Chipman (Colorado, U.S.A.), Major Parkyn
(Hon. Sec.), and R. A: Gregg (Curator). letters of regret
were received from the Earl of Mount Edgeumbe, the Bishop of
Truro, Chancellor Worlledge, Canon Donaldson, the Rev. D. G.
Whitley, Messrs. A. P. Vivian, Howard Fox, C. Upton Tripp,
and H. Michell Whitley.
Mr. Witttams, in his Presidential Address, said: I believe
it is generally the first duty of the President at this meeting to
pay a tribute to those members of the Institution who have
passed away during the last year. By the death of Mr. Edwin
Dunkin, F.R.S., the well-known astronomer, our society has lost
one of its most distinguished members and past presidents. Mr.
Dunkin was a native of Truro, and was born in 1821. He
always took a most lively interest in everything connected with
the Institution, and was in continual correspondence with some
of its members. We have also to regret the death of Mr. E.G.
Heard, of Truro, who was so well known in the county generally.
He was a very old member, and was ever ready to afford every
assistance in his power for the welfare of the society. By the
death of Mr. Samuel Pascoe the society lost another old and
generous friend, and one whose face was familiar at all our
ah
)
254 SPRING MEETING.
meetings. Lady Protheroe Smith, whose death was so widely
regretted, was a member of a family associated with the
Institution since its foundation in 1818. She was a frequent
attendant at the meetings, and shewed great interest in all its
proceedings. The interest in the Institution has been fully
maintained, and the loss of members by death and removal has
been fully compensated for by the accession of new members.
Handsome donations have been received for the museum and
library from friends dispersed over all parts of the world. The
interest in the museum is shown by the large number of visitors
it receives, over 3,000 having been admitted during the last year,
a fair proportion of whom have come for educational purposes,
the curator rendering them all possible assistance. On free days
there is an average attendance of 54, while in the summer and
autumn there are frequently from 100 to 130 during the day.
The visitors admitted by payment are chiefly tourists passing
through the county, and surprise is frequently expressed at the
value and arrangement of the collections. The interest is further
shewn by the valuable presents received from time to time.
Since the last meeting Mrs. Chamberlin, of Trenewth, Restronguet,
has presented a fine collection of stuffed foreign birds arranged
in cases. They are exceedingly well set up. and among them
are specimens of the Kiwi, the wingless bird of New Zealand,
and other rare birds. Mr. Rupert Vallentin has given a number
of shells collected by him in the Falkland Islands during his
recent visit, and an arrow, the head of which is a shaped piece
of bottle glass, made by a native of Terra del Fuego. Mr. John
D. Enys, to whom the Institution is so much indebted for his
many valuable presents, has given a set of fossils from the Tertiary
beds of the Broken River Basin, New Zealand, collected by
himself 2,000 feet above the sea level. He has also presented
egos of the Albatross and the Kiwi. Mr. W. Hosking, from
Namaqualand, who was shown over the museum some time since
by the curator, sent a number of specimens of copper ores from
the Cape Copper Mines at Ookiep, Namaqualand.
Mr. Gregg, the curator, is making fair progress in the work
of the museum, to which he devotes some hours daily, and is
ever ready to render assistance to visitors by pointing out and
explaining the many objects of interest in the collections.
SPRING MEETING. 255
The fourth Henwood gold medal was awarded to Mr. Rupert
Vallentin for his valuable papers on Pelagic Life in the Falmouth
neighbourhood. Mr. Vallentin has for some years been a
contributor to the journal of papers on his researches and
observations, the value of which may be seen from the U.S.
Commissioners having written to us about them. ‘To the Press
the Institution continues to be indebted for the excellent reports
of its meetings and for occasional notices of its progress. The
issue of No. 45 of the journal brings to a completion an interest-
ing volume, which fully sustains the reputation of our publication
and contains many papers of special interest.
Mr. WILLIAMS ON GARDENING.
At the conclusion of his formal address, the President said
he had been invited to speak about the daffodil. He had always
been rather shy of putting forward the plea of ignorance as one
for not doing something, because, in practice, it meant a statement
that one had murdered his opportunities. Looking back over
the Journals of the Institution he found that men had felt
themselves at liberty to speak on pretty nearly any subject that
had any real connection with things which were Cornish.
Speaking on the Narcissus he would rather generalise, and give
his reasons as a gardener, or as one who was fond of gardening,
for having followed that family in particular, its habits, and its
mode of growth. There were in Cornwall many modes of
earning a living, many ways of attempting to enjoy oneself, and
the two terms were intimately associated. They were coming in
Cornwall to be indebted to the money which was brought here
by those who came in search of enjoyment, more than,
perhaps, to any other set of people. There was no way of
enjoying oneself, or of seeking profit, coming more to the front
each year than the taking advantage of the readiness with which
men might, in this corner of England, follow the pursuit of
gardening. The profit was in some measure problematical, but
there were some men who had done well out of it, and he hoped
there would be many more, but the pleasure, if they set to work
in the right way, was certain to come to them. In the county
they had a climate for gardening purposes absolutely unequalled
in Great Britain. No less an authority than Mr. Chas. Robinson,
256 SPRING MEETING.
of “The Garden,” who had seen gardening in all parts of England
and Southern Europe, told him, that, if he was going to start
gardening again, he should prefer to all other places one of the
valleys running down to Falmouth, which was avery high tribute
to the climate of the south coast of Cornwall. As one looked over
the field of gardening one saw that there were certain opportunities
and also certain drawbacks to the position one occupied in living
in this county. The principal drawback to gardenimeg in the
West was the wind, practically the only drawback. But they
had the opportuuity of growing, and did grow in some measure,
but not to the extent they should do, a tree which grew faster
than other trees in this country, and reached maturity in the life
of any man who reached three-score years and ten, and which
would practically stand any wind. He referred to the prnus
msignis, which would in itself completely alter the climate of a
garden if planted judiciously in the early days of making up a
garden. He might be preaching to many who were already con-
verted, but the more he saw of gardening the more he saw that
they did not take advantage of that tree, particularly in stopping
their common enemy, the wind. In the Eastern Counties the wind,
which was far worse thaa in Cornwall, was seriously fought by
the aid of the Scotch fir. By the use of the pinis insignis the
climate in their Cornish gardens might be made even milder and
more favourable to the cultivation of plants than it now was.
One point which struck him most was their possibilities in climate.
If they:examined the climate more closely than they did in the
ordinary way of looking at it, and grumbling because there was
not enough of this or too much of that, they would find that they
had a more even climate than any other part of England. There
were fewer extremes, and he had always claimed that if the
gardens were properly and judiciously planted with the right
plants, in Cornwall the spring would begin in the middle of
December. They could have good flowers out of doors, supposing
they had not such extreme winters as those of 1894 and 1895,
and in gardens with reasonable shelter, from the middle of
December until the middle of May, and when they came to the
middle of May the garden would take care of itself. He found
that point presented to him, that they had the possibility of
making a very prolonged spring if they cultivated the right class
SPRING MEETING. 257
of plants, and as a consequence he found himself face to face
with the necessity of growing daffodils in variety before that of
. growing any other flower. In coming in contact with the
narcissus one became aware that it presented far larger possibili-
ties of improvement than any other which lay to their hands,
and it helped one in dealing with gardens at that period of the
year. Further, with regard to gardening in the spring, he held
they could get a greater measure of enjoyment out of it than
they could from gardening at any other time. In the first place
the eye was hungrier for flowers and their like, it had a better
appetite and the means of enjoying itself better, because they
could not really enjoy a flower on a sunny day. The eye was
then too much blurred by the sun to really appreciate colour, and
if they wished to really enjoy colour in flowers they would find
themselves drifting unconsciously into the habit of visiting them
when the sun went down. That difficulty did not present itself
in the longer spring he had referred to, because they had an
inordinate number of foggy days, and they had no need to dodge
the sun. That was one of the reasons that drove him to the
daffodil. He found that the principles and policy they adopted
in the management of their gardens were rather ‘‘hand-to-mouth,”’
and that they did not sit down to adopt a deliberate and calculated
policy as to how they might get the most out of the area at their
command. The daffodil, in common with many other plants,
lent itself to a vast amount of improvement. It was capable,
not only of improvement itself, but they could get the best kind
of flower, by dint of seedling raising, and hybridising, to bloom
at a time when it would be most valuable. Probably the most
valuable was the trumpet variety, but the trumpet varieties did
not flower until March. He had produced trumpets to flower in
January—late January, it was true, but there was no reason why
by a system of seedling raising there could not be produced
trumpet varieties that would flower in December. There were
many other plants which would help them as a gardening county
which must, more than it did now, go in for gardening. In
regard to rhododendrons in this county, they would give flowers
from December until May, but the varieties that flowered in
December and January were very few. There were in existence
in this county, in one or two private gardens, varieties which
258 SPRING MEETING.
flowered very early, for which they were largely indebted to the
late Mr. Shilson, who took considerable interest in his work.
But the work he did was only the work of one lifetime, and if
they got a certain amount of pleasure out of them they owed
something to posterity. It was very unwholesome to enjoy
anything and not exhibit a sense of gratitude in some direction,
and as their predecessors had done much, it remained for them
to do something for their successors. Mr. Shilson did a great
deal in that direction, and they might do a great deal more.
Another collection of plants with which very little had been done
in the way of hybridismg and improvement was that of the
irises, which flowered through November, December, and
January. There was no reason, except their own laziness, why
that plant should not be improved by seedling raising and
hybridising.
Mr. Tuurstan C. PETER moved a vote of thanks to the
President for his address, and ARcHDEACON CorNISH, in seconding,
said that Mr. Williams spoke as an authority on the subject, and
the value of his speech was not merely in the actual facts brought
before them, but in showing how much pleasure might be got
out of simple things. At the present there was a movement to
teach the children in schools something more about the country
in which they lived, and it wasa great encouragement to feel
that one like their President, who had seen so much of the world,
could come and tell them what an immense amount of pleasure
could be derived from watching the growth of flowers. Such a
speech was a great encouragement to them to try to get the
people to take more interest in simpler things. It had been said
that English people took their pleasure sadly, and did not know
what to do with a holiday, and it would be of great value if they
were taught to cultivate hobbies and home pleasures, and take
an interest in something besides the actual work they had to do.
The motion was heartily carried.
Mr. C. U. Tripp, of Altarnum, wrote suggesting that the
County Council should be petitioned to take the ancient
monuments of the county under its charge. Sir George Smith
and the Rev. W. Iago suggested that the various landowners
should be appealed to, and Mr, Thurstan Peter said that in Devon
SPRING MEETING. 259
the farmers had proved helpful. The law as now administered
was absolutely useless, and unless they took it into their own
hands they could accomplish very little.
The Rey. W. Taco explained the ‘‘ Luther Picture”? from
Place House, St. Anthony, lent by Mr. J. S. Spry, and exhibited
at the meeting. The picture contains the portraits of the
reformers, and shows a candle representing the light of the
Reformation which the enemies of the truth are unable to
extinguish. A print of a very similar description appears in an
old edition of Foxe’s “‘ Book of Martyrs.”
Papers were then read by Messrs. Spiller (on Cornish
Lepidoptera), F. H. Davey, P. Jennings, Rupert Vallentin, and
Thurstan C. Peter, most of which are printed in this number of
the Journal.
A vote of thanks was accorded those who had read papers
and the donors of gifts to the Museum, on the motion of Dr.
Clark and Mr. Carne.
Canon Moor, proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Williams
for presiding, said he was afraid flower growing for the land-
owner was more a matter of luxury and of kindly feeling for
those around him than of pecuniary profit. The Rev. A.
Vawdrey seconded. The vote was unanimously carried.
Mr. WIttIAMs, in response, said profit was not necessarily
cash. Hven if it were so, what was the good of cash unless it
brought something else? Cash was generally put to the purpose
of obtaining pleasure, and money was only the value of that
which it would bring in. If they obtained what they wanted
without the intervention of cash by the expenditure of their own
time and care, he thought that profit was obtainable in a wider
sense than was generally ascribed to it.
At the close tea was served to the visitors.
260
A CATALOGUE OF SAINTS CONNECTED WITH CORNWALL,
WITH AN EPITOME OF THEIR LIVES, AND LIST OF
CHURCHES AND CHAPELS DEDICATED TO THEM.
By The Rev. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A.
Part III. H—Ke.
8. Heten, Bishop, Confessor.
According to Leland, there was a Helena of the company of
S. Breaca. He probably meant Helen or Helan, the brother of
Germoc or German, who was one of her companions (see under
Germoc).
In the diocese of Léon 8. Helen is patron of a Church and
he is supposed to have been a bishop of that see, but his name
occurs in no authentic list of the bishops. Also of 8S. Helen in
Cotes du Nord, and the adjoining parish of Lanhelin.
In the Irish Martyrologies he is commemorated on October
8. In Brittany his day is popularly observed on the 19th or
26th July (Kerviler).
There were several chapels in West Cornwall dedicated to
S. Helen, one at 8. Just in Penwith and one in Burian. One
also in Landewednack, and another in Ruan Major. One also is
mentioned in B. Stafford’s Register, at Ingleby, in Crantock
Parish.
The 8. Helen, of Scilly, is a modern corruption of 8. Ilhid,
and we cannot be sure that some confusion may not have arisen
respecting the others.
Represented in 15th cent. stained glass at 8S. Helen, near
Dinan, as a bishop.
S. Heten, Queen, Widow.
Much difficulty exists relative to this Saint, on account of
her having been confounded with Helena, mother of Constantine
the Great. The latter was erroneously supposed to have been a
daughter of Coel, King of the Iceni, who lived in Hssex,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 261
whereas, actually, she was a native of Drepantum, in Asia Minor,
and is said to have been there a stabularia or female ostler whom
Constantius Chlorus took as his concubine or wife, it is not easy
to say which. Helen, the British Princess, was the daughter of
Eudaf (Octavius), a Welsh Prince, and wife of Maximus who
was raised to the purple by the legions in Britain in 383. He
was a Spaniard and had acquired great reputation under
Theodosius, in the war against the Picts and Scots (368).
According to Welsh tradition he was a humane and good
ruler who showed favour to the native Britons. Unfortunately for
himself and for Britain, Clemens Maximus did not content himself
with establishing himself as King in Britain, but aspired to be
Emperor of Rome. He assembled a large army of native Cymri,
prepared a fleet, and crossed the channel. His wife’s brother
Cynan Meiriadog, a ruler of North Wales, threw in his lot with
him, and led to his assistance the flower of the native youth.
On reaching Gallic soil, Maximus was joined by the troops
there placed, and he proceeded to attack the feeble Emperor
Gratian, then in Paris. Gratian fled with three hundred cavalry
with intent to join his brother, Theodosius the Younger, in Italy.
On his way, he found the gates of every city closed against him,
till he reached Lyons, where he was treacherously detained by
the governor, till the arrival of Andragathus, general of the
cavalry of Maximus, when he was assassinated. His death was
followed by that of Melobaudes, King of the Franks, but these
were the sole victims, and Maximus was able to boast that his
hands were unstained by Roman blood, except that which had
been shed in battle.
Theodosius now agreed to resign to Maximus the possession
of the countries beyond the Alps; nevertheless in his heart he
was resolved on revenge.
Gildas pours a flood of vulgar abuse over Maximus. He
says :—‘‘ The island retained the Roman name, but not by morals
and law. Nay, rather, casting forth a root of its own planting,
it sends forth Maximus to the two Gauls, accompanied by a great
host of followers, with an emperor’s ensigns in addition, which
he bore neither worthily nor legitimately, but as one elected after
the manner of a tyrant, amid a turbulent soldiery. This man,
262 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
through cunning rather than by valour, first of all attaches to
his guilty rule certain neighbouring countries or provinces,
against the Roman power, by acts of perjury and falsehood. He
then extends one wing to Spain, the other to Italy, fixing the
throne of his iniquitous empire at Tréves, and raged with such
madness against his lords that he drove the legitimate emperors,
the one from Rome, the other from a most pious life. Though
fortified by hazardous deeds of so dangerous a character, it was
not long ere he lost his accursed head at Aquileia, he who had,
in a way, cut off the crowned heads of the empire of the whole
world.”
Maximus had established himself at Tréves as the capital of
his portion of the Empire, and doubtless Helen was there with
him. ‘The tradition at Tréves is that the present cathedral was
the palace of the Empress Helena, which she gave up to the
Church. To this day it bears evidence of having been adapted
from a domestic purpose to sacred usages. The atrium, open to
the sky, was only domed over comparatively late in Medizeval
times. At Tréves, however, Helen the British Princess, wife of
Maximus, has been confounded with Helena the mother of
Constantine; but there is no historical evidence for asserting
that the more famous Helena was ever there, and this misconcep-
tion has been made to serve as a basis for the origin of the ‘‘Holy
Coat,” shown as a relic in the Cathedral.
Whilst Maximus was at Tréves, some Spanish bishops
appealed to him against Priscillian, Bishop of Avila, and others
who had been led away by his teaching, which was a fusion of
Manicheism with Christianity.
By the sentence of the preetorian prefect at Tréves, seven of
these heretics were tortured and executed. The first of these
were Priscillian himself, with two priests and two deacons. The
others were Latronian, a poet, and Kuchrocia, a noble widow.
Thus Maximus obtained the odious notoriety of having been the
first among Christian princes to wield the sword of religious
persecution. It is pleasing to learn that 8. Martin entreated the
Emperor to spare the lives of the victims. He insisted that
excommunication, pronounced against the heretics by episcopal
senteuce, sufficed. Under the impression that he had succeeded in
his suit, having received the imperial promise of pardon, he left
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 263
Treves. After his departure, however, the unworthy bishops
who had accused Priscillian, returned to the charge, and wrested
from Maximus an order for the execution. Informed of what
had been done, 8. Martin hurried back to Tréves to procure the
safety of the rest of the sect, and he refused communion with the
Spanish bishops who had brought about the death of Priscillian
and his six companions.
Maximus soon became dissatisfied with the government of
half the Empire of the West, and resolved on the conquest of
Italy. He accordingly collected an army, and marched into Italy.
He entered Milan in triumph, but was defeated, and lost his life
at Aquileia, in 388. His followers were dispersed and Cynan
Meiriadog and his Britons never again saw their native land.
“Britain,” says Gildas, ‘‘ was thus robbed of her armed soldiery,
of her military supplies, of her rulers, and of her vigorous
youth, who had followed the footsteps of the above mentioned
tyrant, and who never returned.”
What became of Helen after the death of Maximus is not
known. Probably she fled from Tréves to her native land to her
son Owen, who had been left there as regent.
She has been thought by the Welsh to have induced
Maximus to construct the paved Roman road, the Sarn Helen,
which traverses South Wales.
In Wales she is esteemed a Saint and has a chapel bearing
her name in her native Carnarvonshire.
By Maximus she was the mother of four sons, Owen, Peblig
(Publicolus), Ednyfed, and Constantine. Owen is said by Welsh
authorities to have refused to pay the annual tribute to Rome,
and to have made Britain independent.
Whether her son Constantine was made Prince of Dumnonia
we do not know. It is somewhat remarkable that she should
have more churches and chapels dedicated to her in Devon and
Cornwall, than in Wales.
To Helen are dedicated :—
The Parish Church of Helland (Llan Helen).
The Parish Church of Paracombe (N. Devon).
The Parish Church of Abbotsham (N. Devon).
A Chapel at Davidstowe, licenced by Bishop Lacy, Aug. 30,
1443.
264 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
A Chapel on Lundy Isle.
The chapels in the Land’s End and Lizard districts bearing
her name were probably named after Bishop Helen or Helan
and not after Helena.
In the Tavistock Calendar, ‘‘Sancta Elena, regina” was
commemorated on Aug. 25.
The Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, was not
introduced into Calendars till comparatively modern times, on
August 18. Her name is not found in any ancient Latin
Martyrologies, nor in any Welsh Calendars, nor in the Exeter
Calendar of the 12th cent., nor in that of Bishop Grandisson.
But she is inserted in Capgrave’s ‘‘Nova Legenda,”
compiled 1450 and published 1516, in Whytford’s Martyrologe,
1526, and in Wilson’s Martyrologies, 1608 and 1640.
There was a Helena, Virgo, of whom nothing is known,
commemorated in a Dol Calendar of the 15th cent., on May 22,
and in the modern Roman Martyrology, as of Auxerre, on this
day; there were two more, one at Troyes the other at Arcis,
commemorated on May 4, but of them also nothing is known.
William of Worcester says that ‘‘S* Elena, mater Constan-
tini imperatoris” was commemorated in the Church at Launceston,
but does not give the day. This shows that in the 15th Century
the cult of 8. Helen, wife of Maximus, had been transferred to
the widow of Constantius Chlorus.
The Church of S. Helen’s, Bishopsgate Street, London, was
a foundation of the 13th Century, and the dedication is to the
mother of Constantine. At this period, the fable of her having
been a British princess was accepted.
At Paracombe, the Revel with fair is held on Aug. 18.
At Abbotsham, the Feast is observed on the Sunday after
Midsummer Day.
At Helland, the Feast is kept on the first Sunday in October.
S. Hewie or Hertc, Virgin.
One of the children of Brychan and the reputed foundress of
Egloshayle.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 265
But Hayle is hal a salt marsh.
In all probability Helic is Hlecta, whech see.
S. Henry, Hermit, Confessor.
A Dane by birth who settled in Coquet Island, North-
umberland, and died in 1120.
A chapel bore his name at Wendron. How he came to be
commemorated in Cornwall is a puzzle.
His Feast is on January 16.
His life by John of Tynemouth is given by Capgrave,
S. Hermes, Martyr.
Hermes, the Martyr, has supplanted Arthmael or Erme, and
also Erbin, at S. Ervan.
There were several Martyrs of the name, the most important
were :—
Hermes, M., at Rome, cc. 182; August 28.
Hermes, Deacon and M., at Adrianople, 304; October 22.
_ A chapel to 8. Hermes, at 8. Hilary, was licensed by Bishop
Stapeldon, March -22, 1309. In 1318, July 16, he dedicated
‘‘ Majus altare ecclesie Sancti Ermetis.”—1.e. 8. Ervan.
S. Hira, Virgin.
One of the Ivish settlers in Penwith.
According to Leland she ‘‘ was a nobleman’s daughter, and
a disciple of 8. Barricius,” i.e. Finbar. He adds that she came
with S. Elwyn, and that ‘‘one Dinan, a great lord in Cornewaul
made a church at Pendinas at the request of Ia, as it is written
in 8. Té’s legend.”
Unhappily both the legends of 8. Hia and of S. Elwyn are
lost. Dinan is certainly not the name of the lord, it is dinas a
castle.
William of Worcester gives us the additional information
that she was the sister of S, Euny and of 8. Ere,
266 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Now Ere, the foster father of 8. Itha and 8. Brendan, died
in 514. According to the glossator on Oengus he was the father
of Hoghain or Euny, but was probably only his spiritual father,
as there is another account of Huny’s parentage. Hoghain of
Ardstraw died about 570. 8. Barr or Finbar is difficult to fix.
If, as is stated in his life, he was acquainted with 8. Senan, who
died in 544, then we may put his death as taking place about
550. Now it is interesting to find that he did have religious
women under his direction, and that one of the foundations in
Ireland by a disciple of his was Cull Ia, afterwards occupied by
Bishop Lidheadhan or Livan. In one of the Lives of 8. Barr,
a number of women are mentioned as having been under his
direction, but they are nearly all spoken of not by name, but as
daughters of so-and-so. One named is Her and with her Brigid.
It is probable that this Her is a mistake of the copyist for Hei,
and that she was the foundress of Cill-Ia, and identical with the
S. Hia who came to Cornwall. According to the story given by
Colgan, Hia resolved to be of the party of Fingar and Piala, but
they left Ireland without her. Thereupon she went after them
floating upon a leaf and arrived in Cornwall before them. The
myth of the leaf is due to a confusion between her and Hia or
Bega, the foundress of S. Bees. She is said to have been wafted
over on a sod of grass.
What is true in Capgrave’s story is that Hia was one of the
earlier settlers in West Cornwall, before the arrival of the swarm
under Fingar.
When this second body of Irish arrived, we are told by
Anselm, the author of the legend of Fingar, that they found
‘‘quoddam habitaculum non longe a litore....in quo Virgo
quaedam sancta manebat inclusa; et nolens 8. Guingnerus eam
inquietare, salutata virgine, ad alium locum transiere pransuri.”
Fingar and his party landed in Hayle mouth, and went to
Hia’s settlement hard by; she is the ‘virgo sancta.” But she
was illpleased at this arrival of fresh colonists and declined to
have anything to do with them. ‘This is the probable meaning
of the story as given by Anselm.
According to William of Worcester she died and was laid at
what is now called 8. Ives. This is likely enough, for she has
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 267
left no cult in Ireland, nor have several of Barr’s disciples, which
leads to the surmise that many migrated.
The name Hia is, of course, identical with that of Hieu who
received the habit from 8. Aidan and was placed at Hartlepool,
but she belongs to a later date.
Hia had a church, not only at Pendinas, but also at
Camborne.
Her feast, according to William of Worcester, was on
February 3. It is still so kept at S. Ives, but at Camborne on
October 22.
S. Hia’s well called Venton Kia (ffynnon Ia) is on the cliff
under the village of Ayr, overlooking Porthmeor. It was
formerly held in reverence, but has, of late, degenerated into a
‘“‘wishing well.” The spring is under the walls of the new
cemetery, and it is doubtful whether the water be now uncon-
taminated. :
There is a representation of 8. Hia on the churchyard cross,
and she with S. Levan and S. Senan are in a window of the
church erected in 1886.
It is significant that her cell in Ireland should have been
occupied after she had left it by a Levan.
In 1409 some parishoners of Lelant complained that they
were so distant from their Parish Church, that they found great
difficulty in attending service; and they prayed that the chapels
of 8S. Trewennoc, Confessor, and 8. Ya, the Virgin, which they
had rebuilt at their own cost might be dedicated, and provided
with fonts and cemeteries. Bulls from Popes Alexander V and
John XXIII were procured, and the chapels were consecrated on
October 9, 1411.
S. Hia should be represented, clothed in white wool, as an
Trish Abbess, with a white veil, and holding a leaf.*
* The passage relative to her voyage on the leaf runs as follows in Capgrave.
“ Paullulum jam altius navigando a terra discesserant, cum ecce virgo quedam,
nomine Hya, nobili sanguine procreata, pervenit ad littus, felici sanctorum
cupiens adunari collegio: cernensque procul a litore jam remotos, nimio anxiabatur
dolore; et fixis in terra genibus, manus et oculos ad sublimia erigens. mente
consilium e ccelo flagitabat devota. Et modicum inferius relaxans obtutum,
contemplatur super aquas folium parvum; et protensa virga, quam manu
gestabat, tangens illud, volebat probare an mergeretur. Ht ecce sub oculis ejus
coepit erescere et dilatari, ita ut dubitare non posset a Deo illud obsequium
missum. Et fide fortis folium audaciter conscendens, mirabiliter Dei virtute
prelata, alterum socios prevenit ad littus.”
268 CORNISH DEDICATIONS,
8. Hizrerna, Virgin, Abbess.
This saint had a shrine at Chittlehampton, in Devon.
Leland (Coll. iii, 408) says, ‘‘In vico qui Chitelhampton vocatur,
S* Hyeretha, virgo, quiescit.” The name is locally pronounced
Urith. I give an account of her here, as having in all likelihood
formed one of that party of Ivish settlers which made
ecclesiastical foundations throughout the West.
We must dismiss the idea that she is the same as Hereswith,
daughter of Hreric, and sister of 8. Hilda, and wife of Ethelhere,
King of the East Angles, who was killed in 655. Hereswitha
died at Chelles, in France, in 670. Leland says that Hieretha
was a Virgin, and I can find no ground for associating an
Anglian widowed Queen with Devonshire. Had Hieretha been
identified with Hereswitha, Grandisson would not have ignored
her in his Calendar and Legendarium, as the Roman-Saxon
Saints were persone yrate with the Latin Church.
I am inclined to think that she is Hered, or Airidh (the
worthy one), who, with the diminutive suffix nat, is known to
the Irish Martyrologists. She was the daughter of King
Cinnachta in the North of Iveland.
Hered is only known to us through the life of 8. Fintan of
Dunbleise. Fintan had established himself at Tulach Bennain,
in Limerick, a place that can not now be identified. His mother’s
sister was Fina, of Grian Cleach (the -Land of the Sun), in
Leinster, and Fina was the sister of 8. Itha who was settled at
Killeedy also in Munster. Seven British ecclesiastics came to
Tulach and drove Fintan away. ‘Thereupon he cursed them,
that their names should fall out of rememberance, and that
Tulach should be occupied by a holy woman from another part of
Ireland, who would honour his sanctity in that spot. The Saint
then departed, and after a while the British clergy, for some
reason unknown, got into trouble and had to decamp. Then
came Hered out of the North and settled at Tulach Bennain.
It is most probable that she had before this become a member of
the community of 8. Itha, and that when the site at Tulach was
again free, Itha sent her there to secure it for her community.
Now Itha had numerous daltha or daughter establishments
in Devon and Cornwall, If Bridget had hers there for the
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 269
education of the daughters of the Leinster settlers, so had Itha
to perform the same purpose for the colonists from Munster.
We have unhappily no further account of our Saint, save
that she was commemorated in Ireland on April 10.
The date of 8. Fintan, who was a disciple of S. Comgal at
Bangor, is the end of the 6th century, and his aunt Itha died in
570. We can in the case of Hieretha rest only on conjecture
and put her death at the beginning of the 7th century.
S. Mieretha, virgin, is invoked in the Litany that accompanies
the Psalter of Thomas Oldeston, Prior of Polton, 1521.
S. Hitary, Bishop, Confessor.
S. Hilary, of Poitiers, was held in high esteem in Britain.
In 358 he dedicated his book, De Synodis, to the Bishops in the
British Provinces. His hymn to Christ, ‘“‘ymnum dicat turba
fratrum,” is in the Irish Leber Hymnorum, and apparently formed
a portion of the daily monastic offices of the Celtic Church.
S. Hilary, of Poitiers, is commemorated on Jan. 18. As
Hllair, Abbot of Poitiers, he is found in the Feliré of Oengus.
There can, however, be no doubt that he has been confounded
with, and has supplanted, local Celtic Saints. In the ‘‘ Life of
S. Cuby” he has been mistaken for Elian. TIlar, ‘‘The Fisher-
man,’ was the founder of a Church in Cardiganshire, early in
the 6th century; he also has been supplanted by Hilary.
The feast at S. Hilary is observed on Jan. 13, and at
Marazion on the Sunday in the Octave.
8. Hueu, Bishop, Confessor.
The Church of Quethiock is dedicated to 8S. Hugh. The
feast is observed on November 2. This is not the day of any
known Saint of the name of Hugh.
Hugh, Bishop of Rouen (730), April 9.
Hugh, Abbot of Cluny (1109), April 29.
Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble (1142), July 5.
Fe “3 Auxerre (1135), August 10.
Af x Lincoln (1200), November 17.
», Boy martyred by the Jews (1255), August 27.
270 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
The true dedication of Quethiock is probably to 8. Aedh,
also called Aedan or Maidoe, the disciple of S. David. Aedh is
now generally rendered into English, Hugh. The Irish kings
of that name are given as Hugh. 8. Aedan’s church, Llan-aedan
or Llawhaden is now held to have 8. Hugh as patron, the pool
of the Clyddau, across which, according to the legend, he drove a
cart, is called 8. Hugh’s Pool at the present day.
The name Aedh, which signifies a Flame, was very common,
either as Aedan or Maidoc, two forms of diminutives. It is
difficult to escape the conclusion that there were two of the
same name, Bishops of Ferns, the one Welsh by origin and the
other Irish, separated from each other by full half a century.
The two lives have, however, in the extant legend, been fused
into one.
When we look at this legend we see that Aedh was a pupil
of 8S. David along with S. Scuthin and 8. Cadoe, and that he was
the contemporary of 8. Tighernach and 8. Molaisse. These saints
all belonged to the latter part of the 6th century. S. Molaisse
died in 564. Aedh was also associated with 8. Ruadhan of
Lothra in the cursing of King Diarmid, and the blasting of Tara,
in 554, At this date he was almost certainly advanced in age.
But from the “Life”? we learn that he was a boy hostage with
King Ainmire, 568-571, and that he was intimately associated
with Brandubh, King of Leinster, who died 601, and with
Guaire Aiahne, King of Connaught, who died in 662. The
Annals of the Four Masters put his death as occurring in 624,
but the Chronicon Scotorum makes him live to 656. When, more-
over, the Welsh and the Irish authorities give distinct accounts
of his origin, the conviction impresses itself on one that two men
living at different periods, both bearing the same name, were
Bishops of Ferns.
To make this more apparent the two pedigress are subjoined.
Caw ap Gereint . Setna Mac Ere
King in N. Britain of the sept of Colla Uais
| |
| |
Aneurin or Setna—Hithne, granddaughter of
Gildas Amalghaid K. Connaught.
d. CiVC 550
| ic
Aedan B. of Aedan B. of
Ferns Ferns
d. circ 580 d. 624—656.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 271
Now we know that Gildas and Cadoc and other British
clergy went to Ireland about 544 to restore religion which had
fallen into decay after the death of 8. Patrick and his band of
missionaries from Britain and Gaul. Aedan was the son of
Gildas, who had been educated at Menevia by 8. David, and it is
not at all improbable that Gildas took his son with him, and left
him in Ireland to carry on the work.
We will now take his life in order, putting aside all that
obviously refers to the second Aedan of Ferns, the son of Setna.
Aedh, as already said, had been sent to 8. David at Kall-
muine or Menevia, where he was trained for the ecclesiastical
life. But when the Ivish settlers were expelled from the portion
of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire that lies between Milford
Haven and the mouth of the Towey, S. David seems to have
been invited to make religious settlements there, and he took
with him his disciple, Aedan, who was still young. According
to the story, the steward of S. David entertained a lively dislike
for Aedan, and annoyed him in many ways. On one occasion,
when Dayid was building, probably Llandewi Velfrey, near
Narberth, he despatched Aed with a waggon and a pair of oxen
to bring back to him material he needed that was beyond the
Cleddau. The steward furnished him, out of spite, with a yoke
that did not fit the necks of the beasts; nevertheless, Aedan
succeeded in his task, and this is recorded as miraculous. He
did more, he discovered a ford across the eastern Cleddau,
namely that where now stands Llawhaden Bridge. Here Aedan
founded the church that, under the above corrupt form, still
bears his name. The steward next bribed one of Aedan’s fellow
students to murder him whilst they were together in the forest
felling trees.
David was privately informed of what was purposed, and
starting from his bed, ran with only one foot shod in the direction
taken by the woodfellers, and caught them up at the river, where
he sharply interrogated the companion of Aedan, and brought
him to confess his purpose. A cross was erected on the spot, and
it 1s possible that this may be the cross of an early character now
standing in the east wall of Llawhaden church.
Whilst Aedan was in these parts, and Cadoe was with him,
an invasion took place—the biographer says of Saxons—but it
272 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
is more probable that it was of Irish endeavouring to recover
the lands from which they had been expelled, though it is
possible enough that Saxon pirates may have assisted them.
Aedan and Cadoce gathered their countrymen together, and
surrounded the enemy, who were encamped in a valley, rolled
down stones upon them, and exterminated them to the last man.
After a while, probably summoned by his father, Aedan started
for Ireland to take a part in the revival of Christianity there,
and he took with him a hive of bees, as he was informed that
there were none in Ireland.
Apparently he took boat at Porth Mawr whence in the evening
light the mountains of Wexford are visible. He arrived off the
Trish coast at a critical moment, when the natives had seized on
some strangers who had just landed, were plundering them, and
threatened them with death. The arrival of Aedan with a large
number of men in the same vessel, awed the wreckers, who ran
away. Aedan at once proceeded to the chief, whose name was
Dima, and remonstrated with good effect. The chief gave him
lands on which to build churches.
Aedan’s principal field of labour was among the Hy
Cinnselach of Wexford, but he also penetrated into the country
of the Southern Deisi, Waterford, and founded a monastery
among them at Desert Mainbre, the situation of which has not
been satisfactorily determined. His headquarters were however at
Ferns. He became intimately attached to 8. Molaisse of Devenish.
When the latter saint had a mind to visit Rome, he passed
through Ferns. ‘‘ Maedoc (Aedh) went to meet him, and give
him welcome, and afterwards ministered to him with meat and
drink, with bed and intimate conversation. Soon these two high
saints agreed that when either of them in secret craved a boon
(from Heaven) the prayer of both should take the same direction ;
also that any whom Molaisse might bless should be blessed of
Maedoe also, and that whomsoever Molaisse should curse should
be cursed also of Maedoc, and likewise e contrarzo. All behests
whatever the one saint should ask, both were to cooperate to
their fulfilment.’’*
* Silva Gadelica, II, p.27. A prophecy of the coming of Maedoc is put into
the mouth of Finn MacCumhal. Ibid, II, p. 168.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 273
One day fifty British bishops crossed over from Wales to
visit the disciple of 8. David. They arrived in Lent, and were
taken into the guest house, thoroughly exhausted by their
journey. To them were brought fifty bannocks with leeks and
whey, for their dinner. But this did not please them, they
demanded meat—pork or beef. The steward reported the matter
to Aedan,. ‘‘Can this be permitted in Lent?’ he enquired
dubiously. ‘‘ Of course they shall have it”’ answered the bishop.
So they were supplied with butcher’s meat.
Presently, before they departed, these bishops deemed it
expedient to apologise and explain: ‘‘ You see,” said they, ‘‘that
bullock you killed for us had been suckled on milk, and ate grass
only, so that it was actually milk and vegetables in a condensed
form. But we felt conscientious scruples about those biscuits for
they were full of weevils.’ Aedan was too good and courteous a
man to make answer to this quibble.
The most important incident in his career in Ireland was his
association with S. Ruadhan of Lothra in the cursing of Tara.
It was customary for the chief king of Ireland to send his
herald through the country, and also that the herald should enter
a lis, the court of an under king with his spear held transversely.
Now Diarmid, son of Fergus Cearbhall, was king from 544
to 565, and on one occasion he sent his herald round to see
whether the law was everywhere duly observed. This man came
to the court of Aedh Guaire in Connaught, and because the
doorway was not of the requisite width, began insolently to
break it down. ‘This so incensed the king, that he felled the
man to the earth with a mortal stroke. Then, fearing the
consequences of his act, he took refuge with S. Ruadhan.
Diarmid broke the sanctuary and carried off Guaire.
Ruadhan was furious. He at once consulted Brendan of
Birr, and they summoned the principal saints of Ireland to
combined action to resent this infringement of their prerogative.
The saints who assembled were Aedan of Ferns, Fechin of Fore,
Columba, Cainnech, Tighernach of Clones, Molaisse of Devenish,
Mochta and Mochuda, Euan, Fraech, Becan, and Mac Carthen.
All proceeded to Tara, and planting themselves outside the
palace, fasted against Diarmid. Thereupon the king proceeded
274 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
to retaliate by fasting against them. It was winter, the snow
was on the ground, and the saints were suffering from cold as
well as famine. The king now sought to divide the saints, and
he entered into negociations in secret with Molaisse, who was
bought over to the king’s side by the promise of an annual
tribute to be paid to him and his coarbs for ever. Molaisse now
endeavoured to break the resolution of the eleven, but as he
failed to effect this, he left their company and retired in a sulk to
Devenish.
The king then met the eleven saints and remonstrated with
them. He is reported to have said:—‘ Hyil is that which ye
have worked, O Clerics,—it is the ruin of my kingdom. For in
the latter times Ireland shall not be better off than she is at
present. However it fall out, this shall come to you,—my chiefs
and their men shall quarter themselves in your churches, and
may you be forced to pull off. their brogues for them.”
The saints remained inexorable. They raised their voices
and cursed the king, that he might perish miserably, and Tara
they cursed as well, that it might never again be accepted as a
royal residence and a place of national assembly. There can be
little doubt that public feeling at the time, as it certainly did
later, pronounced emphatic condemnation on the eleven saints for
their conduct in this matter, and it is conceivable that it was due
to this feeling, possibly to self-reproach at having been drawn into
such an unseemly conspiracy, that Aedan was induced to leave
Ireland and return to Britain. The Life does not say that he
departed from Ferns, but from this point it goes on with the
story of the second Aedan, who was associated with princes
ruling long subsequently.
It is somewhat amusing to find Molaisse, who had made such
a solemn compact with Aedan, to bless all he blessed and curse
all he cursed, betraying him for a bribe.
Aedh, Aedan, or Maedoc of Ferns is commemorated in
Ireland on January 31, but this is probably the day on which
died the second Aedan at Ferns. We can not be sure that the
first did die in Ireland.
That he should have returned to Britain is not improbable,
and if so, that he should settle m Cornwall is likely, as he was
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 275
allied to the reigning family there and had many kinsmen settled
there as saints. His brother, Gwynog or Winnow, was planted
on the Fowey. His nephews, Filius at Phileigh and Uvellus at
S. Eval, would doubtless warmly welcome him. S&. Cadoe,* his:
old fellow pupil, was there off and on, and would speak of him
to his kinsman S. Petrock. His friend, Tighernach of Clones,
who had been associated with him in the cursing of Diarmid and.
Tara, was also for a while in Cornwall and founded Northill.
In Cornwall the only church that bears his name altered into
Hugh is Quethiock, and it is remarkable that there the feast is
observed on November 2, which in the Irish Calendars is the day
of another Aedan, who is thought to have had a church in
Monaghan.
He had a chapel at 8. Issey, where he was known as Maidoce;
and Smithick, the old name for Falmouth is supposed to be
derived from a chapel to S. Mithic, or Maidoe, but its existence
is not very certain. ;
In South Wales he is the patron, not only of Llawhaden,
but also of the churches of Nolton and West Haroldston.
The Finnion Vaidoe or Spring of S. Maidoe is on the way
from 8. David’s to Porth Mawr and Ty Gwyn. It is an unfailing
gush of cold water.
At Quethiock was formerly a well in the wall of the church ;
at the “restoration” of the building it was filled up and built
over, but it is to be hoped will shortly be reopened. The Welsh
call the saint Aedan Faedog, which is a reduplication of the
name, the m in Maedoc becoming f after the in Aedan.
In Art he should be represented as a bishop carrying a hive
of bees.
Life in the ‘‘Cambro British Saints,” 18538, another, longer,
in the Salamanca Codex, 1888. See also the life of S. Molaisse
in Sylva Gadelica, Lond., 1892.
* Aedan seems for a while to have been with S. Cadoc at Llancarvan, as he is
mentioned as having been employed by Cadoce in a negociation with King Arthur
relative to right of sanctuary.
276 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
8S. Hyproc, Hermit, Confessor.
Of Lanhydroc. William of Worcester says that he was a
hermit, and that his day, according to the Bodmin Calendar, was
May 5. The name leads to the supposition that he was of Irish
origin; it occurs in Irish Martyrologies as Huydhran, and this is
the same name as Odrhan, The Huy or Hy in Ivish becomes O.
An is a diminutive employed arbitrarily with oc. I suspect that
Hydroc is the Odrhan who was brother of 8. Medhran or
Madron, disciple of 8. Kieran of Saigir. Sve under Madron. In
the Irish Calendars his day is February 18, but as Odhran, the
name occurs in May on the 6th and 8th, on the latter day as a
Bishop. We may equate the Huydhran or Odran of May 6 with
Hydroe, May 5. Itis possible that William of Worcester wrote
vi and it has been incorrectly printed by Nasmith as vy.
S. Hyzpren, Bishop, Confessor.
Lansallos church is dedicated, according to Bishop Bytton’s
Register, to 8S“ Ildierna; and in Bishop Stapeldon’s Register the
patron is also given (1820) as S* Ildierna.
However, William of Worcester says, ‘‘Sanctus Hyldren,
episcopus, jacet in parochia Lansaulx juxta parochiam Lanteglys;
ejus festum agitur primo die Februarii, id est Vigilia Purificationis
Beate Mariee.”’
Keton, in his Thesaurus, gives 8. Alwys asthe patron. There
was a Welsh Saint Hlldeyrn, son of the infamous Vortigern, and
brother of Edeyrn, who was one of the congregation of 8. Cadoce.
Elldeyrn was founder of Llaniltern, a chapel under 8. Fagan’s, in
Glamorganshire. We have, however, no reason for supposing
that he came to and settled in Cornwall.
I am rather disposed to suspect that Lansalos or Lan
Salewys, as it was formerly written, takes its name from Selyf,
the King of Cornwall, father of 8. Cuby, and husband of 8S.
Wenn. That he must have been a munificent benefactor to the
Church would appear from the large grant of land to 8. Non at
Altarnon; she was his sister-in-law. It would be strange if he
founded no church himself. If Lansallos be his foundation, then
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 277
Ildiern or Hyldren may be a corruption of Selyf Tiern, or
Solomon the King. Siltiern soon became IItiern.* See under
Selyf.
S. Ipnz, Bishop, Confessor.
A chapel at Sennen bears this name. Idne is a corruption
of Euny.
8. Inprern, see Selyf and Hyldren.
S. Inuip, Bishop, Confessor,
According to William of Worcester, Illid, Ilid, or Elidius, a
Bishop, reposed in the island of Scilly. Elsewhere he calls the
island ‘‘Insula Seynt Lyde (fuit filius regis).” Leland says:
“Saynt Lide’s Isle, wher in tymes past at her Sepulchre was
grete superstition ”’ (Jt. 111, 9). Hither her isa misprint for his,
or else Leland confounded Lyde of Scilly with Lidgy of Egloscruck
or 8. Issey.
William of Worcester says that his day in the Tavistock
Calendar was August 8. As the Abbey of Tavistock had a cell in
Scilly, its calendar is likely to be correct in describing him as a
Bishop.
August 8 is the day of S. Ilog of Hirnant, in the Welsh
Calendars, and this goes far to establish the identity. At Hirnant
in Montgomeryshire, is his Holy Well and a tumulus called
Carnedd Illog.
A Manumission of 1372, by John Blanchminster, was made
out to Agnes de Landhillok, 7.¢. Llan Illog (Goulding: Blanch-
minster Charity Records, 1898). This was a Cornish woman
taking her name from, apparently, Lllogan.
I suspect that Illid is the same as INogan, which see.
S. Intogan, Priest, Confessor.
The Church of Illogan, near Redruth, is dedicated to a saint
of this name.
* There is a Capel Llaniltern in Glamorganshire.
278 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
In Bishop Bytton’s Register, the designation is ‘ Keclesia
S“ Elugani,” also Yllugani, 1309-10. So also in the Register of
Bishop Stapeldon, 1307-8. In that of Bishop Stafford, the
church is that of ‘Sancti Illogani de Logan,” and ‘‘ Sancti
Ilogani alias Illugani,” 1397-1403; but in the latter year, also
“Seynt Luganus.” In that of Bishop Grandission, 1352, ‘‘Sancti
Tlogani,” also 1360 and 1366.
S. Illogan is probably the same as the Illog of the Welsh
Calendars, and Illogan Parish is probably also the Landhillok
of the Blanchminster Manumissions. That Illog is the same as
Tllid is rendered probable by both being commemorated on the
same day. There ‘is no record of the parentage of Illog in the
Welsh pedigrees, and it is therefore possible that he may not
have been a native.
It will not do to insist on Illog and Illogan being identical—
the an is a diminutive. The Feast at Illogan seems against this,
as it is on October 18, whereas 8. Illog’s day is August 8. But
what does seem possible is that [logan is the same as the Irish
THadhan or Jolladhan, a native of that part of Southern Ireland
which poured so many saints into Cornwall. His father was
Cormac, King of Leinster. His aunts, Feidhlem and Mergain,
had been baptized by 8. Patrick, as had also his grandfather,
Ailill, King of Leinster, at Naas, in 460.
After the death of Cormac, his son, Cairbre the Black
succeeded, reigned eleven years and died in 546,
Tlladhan’s sisters were Hithni and Derchartain, whom I
identify with Stithiana of Stythians and Derve of Camborne.
Illadhan was a priest at Desert Iadhan, now Castle Dillon;
he was married, and was the father of 8. Criotan or Credan,
disciple of S. Petrock. He belongs to a later date than that of
the great migration, and his settlement in Cornwall must have
been due to some other cause.
In 548 occurred the plague called the Blefed, and this was
followed in 548 by the terrible Yellow Death, or Cron Chonaill,
that raged till 550. It swept Wales as well as Ireland. Many
saints fled across the sea with their disciples and families, under
the impression that they would escape infection if they put a
tract of sea between them and the afflicted region. This may
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 279
have been the occasion of the migration of 8. Illadhan. That
he went further is probable, for he seems to be the same as the
8. Ellocan, who was formerly regarded as the patron of S. Lery,
in the diocese of Vannes. He arrived there between 560-580,
when Judual was king, and received a grant of land from him.
He did not, however, remain long in Brittany, but vacated his
place there to S. Lery (Laurus), who seems to have been of noble,
perhaps royal birth, and connected with the Queen. Ellocan was
forced to abandon his cell with all its contents to the new comer.
He probably then left Brittany and returned to Cornwall, as
nothing further is heard of him on the continent.
Unhappily, no life of this saint has come down to us. In
Ireland he is known only as having been in priest’s orders, and
having led an eremitical life where is now Castle Dillon. That
he died there we do not know. William of Worcester says that
he was informed by the Dominicans of Truro that S. Illogan’s
body rested in the church that bears his name. In Illogan was
a chapel at Selligan (S. Illogan) that may have been his ancient
cell.
He had a chapel according to Lysons, at South Pool in
Hartland. It may, however, be doubted if the Iocan or
Helligan there be the same.
His death probably took place about 570.
S. Iolladhan is commemorated in Ireland on February 2;
but is not included in the Calendar of Oengus. Gorman desig-
nates him as ‘‘ venerable, greatfaced.”
8. Incunerr, Abbot, Confessor.
At Lanivet was a chapel with holy well, now called 8.
Ingunger. There can be little doubt that Congar or Cyngar is
meant. See Docwyn.
S. Inpracr, Martyr.
The story as given by William of Malmesbury is to this
effect :—Indract was the son of an Irish king, and he with his
sister, Dominica, and nine companions started on a pilgrimage
280 CORNISH DEDIOCATIONS.
across the sea. They got as far as the mouth of the Tamar,
where they settled, and lived together for some time in prayer and
strictness of life. Indract planted his staff in the ground, and it
took root, and becamea mighty oak. He also made a pond, from
which he daily drew fish, probably salmon, for his little
community.
One day he discovered that a member of his society had
privily carried off a fish for his private consumption, in addition
to the regular meals. After this the supply failed, and Indract
deemed it advisable to leave. What apparently took place was
a quarrel among the members over the weir in the Tamar, which
grew so hot that the congregation separated into factions, and
one under Indract left. He went on to Rome, visited the tomb
of the apostles, and then retraced his steps, and in course of time
reached the neighbourhood of Glastonbury.
The little party lodged at Shapwick, when one of the officials
of King Ina, named Horsa, supposing that the pilgrims had
money, fell on them by night, murdered the entire party, and
carried off whatever he could lay hands on.
King Ina at the time had his court at ‘ Pedrot.” Being
unable to sleep during the night, he went forth, and saw a
column of light standing over Shapwick. Probably Horsa had
set fire to the cottage of wattles in which were his victims.
Next day Ina heard of the tragedy and ordered the removal
of the bodies to Glastonbury, which he was refounding.: Whether
the murderer was punished we are not told. According to this
Jegend the event took place about 710.
There are difficulties in the story. How could the early part
of the history of the slaughtered men become known, as all had
been massacred? No such a person as Indract, son of a King in
Ireland, is known in Irish history.
The name is, however, found as that of the twenty-first
abbot of Iona, who was in office in 849, in which year he trans-
ported the relics of S. Columba to Ireland. The Annals of
Ulster state that he was killed by the Saxons on March 12, 854.*
* Annals of the Four Masters in 852. The Irish form of the name is
Indreachtach Hy Finachtain. Annals of Innisfallen, at date 840. It is thought
that Le was at one time Abbot of London-Derry.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 281
We are not informed where he was slain, and it is probable
that this is the Indract of William of Malmesbury’s Legend.
Nothing more likely than that after having been abbot for a
while, the desire came on him to visit the holy sites, and that for
this purpose he traversed Wessex, and halted in Cornwall where
the British tongue was spoken. The massacre can not have been
complete; some of the pilgrims must have escaped, and the
matter was brought to the ears, not of Ina, but of Ethelulf, the
father of Alfred the Great.
That Indract did visit Cornwall is shown by the church of
Landrake bearing his name (Llan Indract), and by the existence
of his chapel and holy well at Halton in his sister’s foundation,
on the Tamar. Some fragments of the chapel remain with some
fine ilex trees by it, conceivably scions of that tree which Wiliam
of Malmesbury tells us existed in his day, and was held to have
originated out of the staff of the saint. The Holy Well is in
good order, and, though possessing no architectural beauty, is
picturesquely situated under a large cherry tree. The water is
of excellent quality and is unfailing. Water for baptisms in 8.
Dominick is drawn from this well, although situated at a consider-
able distance from the parish church.
Dr. Oliver gives the chapel as dedicated to 8. Ilduict
(Monast, p. 438). This is one of his many blunders. The MS.
of Bishop Stafford’s Register from which he drew his information
gives the chapel as that “‘ Sancti Idracti.” Ildract is, of course,
Indract (March 6, 1418-9), but in this entry the mistake is made
by the Registrar of making the Saint a Confessor instead of a
Martyr.
Landrake in Bishop Stapeldon’s Register, 1327, is Lanracke.
In Domesday it is Riccan. It is now popularly called Larrick.
The church is supposed to be dedicated to 8. Peter, and the
village feast is held on June 29, 8. Peter’s day. The name,
however, and the situation, near S. Dominick, favour the idea that
it was a foundation of 8S. Indract. _
The day of SS. Indract and Dominica, according to Whytford
and Wilson, is May 8.
The Bollandists give February 5, on the worthless authority
of Challoner.
282 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
But May 8 is the day in the Altemps, 138th Century
Martyrology, and in the 15th Cent. Norwich Martyrology
(Cotton MSS., Julius, B. vir) and in Capgrave.
In Art, Indract should be figured as a pilgrim with a salmon
in his hand, and a staff that is putting forth oak leaves.
S. Ineextt,
At a place in Lanivet, now vulgarly corrupted into Stephen
Gelli, it is said that there stood a chapel to 8. Ingelli, possibly a
corruption for Sancti Angeli.
8. Irga, Virgin, Abbess.
This very remarkable woman was the Bridget of Munster,
and the spread of her cult in Devon and Cornwall shows that
there must have been communities of women in ancient Dumnonia
under her Rule, and affihated to the mother-house at Kileedy.
This leads to the surmise that a migration of the Hy Connail
may have led to a settlement in these parts, a surmise strengthened
by the fact of inscribed stones bearing Kerry names being found in
Devon.
According to William of Worcester, the body of 8. Ida lay
at S. Issey, and he adds that she was a martyr. It is probable
that this 15th century writer made hasty notes only during his
flying visit to Cornwall, and that he fell into an error through
carelessness in calling her a martyr. ‘That presumed relies of 8.
Issey may have been shewn at 8. Issey is probable enough, but
it is not probable that they were genuine.
In the Monasticon, Dr. Oliver was guilty of a mistake. He
misread, or misunderstood, Bishop Stafford’s entry relative to
Kgloscruck, or S. Issey, and supposed that it referred to
Kgloskerry, and accordingly made SS. Ida and Lidy patronesses
of the latter church, and further blundered in making 8. Filius
patron of 8S. Issey, in place of Philleigh, which was anciently
Kglosros. He has been followed by Mr. Copeland Borlase, who
had not the means of discovering the errors. These have been
pointed out by Prebendary Hingeston Randolph in his ‘“‘Stafford’s
Register,” p. 316. In Bishop Bronescombe’s Register for 1259
(p. 250), S. Issey is indicated as dedicated to 8, Ida. In Bishop
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 283
Grandisson’s Register, the church is ‘‘ Sancte Ide” and ‘Sancti
Ide de Egloscruke,” 1330-1, 1334-5, S* Ida, 1862. The church
when visited by the Bishop in 1331 possessed an ‘‘Antiphonarium,
cum Legenda ;” also ‘“Legenda Sanctorum competens preeterquam
in principio, quod est corruptum.”
Tda is the Latin form of Itha. Itha became corrupted into
Ithey, and then into Issey. The Manor, however, retained the
title unchanged as S. Ide, and extended through a part of the
parish, and also into those of Little Petherick, S. Ervan, 8.
Breock, Padstow, and Mawgan. Near the church of Little
Petherick, in Lysons’ time, were the ruins of a chapel of 8S. Ida.
S. Teath, pronounced 8. Teth, is another corruption of 8S.
Itha.
Itha was a daughter of the royal house of the Deisi, who
had been expelled from Meath in the 3rd century by Cormac
Mac Airt and obliged to find new homes. One portion of the
tribe, under Eochaid, crossed into South Wales and settled there,
but another migrated to the South of Ireland and occupied the
present county of Waterford.
Itha was the child of Cenfoelad Mac Cormac, and of Necht,
and was lineally descended from Conn of the Hundred Battles,
King of Ireland, 128-157.
Her birth took place about 480, and as her parents were
Christians, she was baptised, and given the name of Dairdre,
which was Latinised into Dorothea. She acquired the nick-name
of Ith later, on account of her ‘‘thirst” for the living water of
heavenly truth.
She had two sisters whose names have been preserved: Necht,
who married Beoan, and became the mother of 8. Mochoemog
or Pulcherius; and Fina, who is numbered among the saints.
In the Life of 8. Fintan of Dunbleise (Doone in Limerick) we
are told that his mother’s sister was 8S. Fina, but his mother and
Fina are said to have been daughters of Artgail.
From an early age Itha had made up her mind to embrace
the monastic life. This was not at all in accordance with her
father’s purpose, who had made arrangements for her marriage.
When Itha learned his intentions, she refused food, and ‘‘ fasted
against”? her own father, who was by this means compelled to
give way. :
284 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
She then received the veil at some church not specified, in
the present county of Waterford, and then departed into the
territory of the Hy Luachra or Hy Connaill, that is to say into
the present County of Limerick, where she settled under the
slopes of the Mullaghareick chain, at a place called Cluain-
Credhuel, that is now known as Killeedy or the Cell of Ida.
She had several devout women as companions, and there she
formed a college.
The “Life” passes abruptly from the early days of Itha
and her taking the veil to when she is an Abbess at Killeedy, but
from an incident that occurs in the narrative we conclude that for
a while she had been under the Abbess Cainreach at Clonburren
in Roscommon. ‘The incident is as follows:
One day Aengus, Abbot of Clonmacnois, sent a priest to
celebrate the Eucharist and communicate the congregation of 8.
Itha. Afterwards the holy woman bade her disciples fold up and
pack the vestments in which the priest had celebrated, and send
them with his baggage as a present toClonmacnois. The priest
demurred, he had been instructed by his Abbot to receive nothing
in return for the service rendered. Then Itha quieted his scruples
by saying :—‘‘ Long ago, your Abbot Oengus visited the convent
of the holy virgin, Chinreach. I was there at the time. Chin-
reach washed the feet of Oengus, and wiped them with a towel.
I at the time was by, kneeling and holding part of the towel,
and I helped todry his feet. ‘Tell himthat. He will be pleased,
and not reject the little present now offered with all my heart.”
This is the sole intimation that we have of Itha having passed
any time with S. Cainreach of Clonburren, who is meant by
Chinreach.
The district occupied by the Hy Connaill Gabhra, among
whom Itha made her abode, comprised the baronies of Conello
and Glenquin. She must have been invited thither, as the chief
of the clan at once gave her lands, and would have granted her
more, but she refused to receive them. She needed sufficient to
maintain her establishment in necessaries but not in wealth. The
Hy Connaill chose her to be their Tribal Saint, to bless their
undertakings, and to curse their enemies, as well as to undertake
the education of their daughters.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 285
To impress the imaginations of the rude natives, she had
recourse to great austerities, and acquired the repute of being
able to perform miracles, and to have the gift of prophecy.
Among those who lived with her was her sister Necht. Itha
had engaged a skilful carpender, Beoan, to construct a church for
her, and she soon perceived that a flirtation was in process
between the artificer and Necht. Like a sensible woman, she at
once favoured the mutual attachment, having satisfied herself
that her sister had no vocation for the monastic life, and she saw
that they were married respectably.
Itha was resolved not to yield to the temptation of making
the community wealthy, and she constantly refused presents made
to it. One day when a rich man pressed gold into her hands, she
rejected it, and sent for water wherewith to wash off the soil of
filthy lucre.
‘“ What ought I to do with the money ?” asked the man.
‘““Use it aright,” was her reply. ‘‘Gold may help you to
make a display, or, on the other hand, to relieve distress.”
She maintained an affectionate regard for 8. Ere, who placed
the little Brendan with her to be nursed, till he was five or six
years old. Brendan remained warmly attached to his foster
mother, and consulted her in his difficulties. One day, when she
was an old woman and he in vigorous manhood, he asked her
what three things, in her opinion, were most pleasing to God.
She promptly replied ‘‘Resignation to the Divine will, simplicity,
and large heartedness.”’
‘¢ And what,” asked Brendan further, ‘‘is most hateful to
God.” ‘‘Churlishness, a love of evil, and greed after gain,”
was her reply. i
There was another community of religious women at no
great distance. ‘This society was thrown-into confusion by the
fact of a theft having taken place among the maidens, and
suspicion rested on one of them, who steadfastly protested her
innocence. ‘The superior, unable to get at the bottom of the
mystery, proposed that all should goto Killeedy and visit S. Itha.
This they accordingly did, and on arriving kissed the saint, with
the exception of the girl who was accused of the theft, and who
shyly held back. Itha fixed her eyes intently on her and said :—
286 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
‘‘ Kiss me, my child, your face proclaims your innocence.” She
then privately informed the superior that her suspicions rested on
a bold, pert girl, who had already got into trouble about some
other matter. On investigation the stolen article was found in
the possession of her whom Itha had indicated.
A widow named Rethna lived somewhere in the plain of the
Liffey, near Kildare. She had a daughter in a condition of
chronic ill-health. She consulted her foster-son, S. Colman of
Oughval, and both agreed to ask Itha to cure the girl. On their
arrival at Killeedy, Itha was not a little embarassed by the
petition. She, however, extricated herself from the difficulty
with dexterity. She replied that, certainly, she could heal the
patient, if desired; but informed the mother that the damnation
of her daughter was assured, were she restored to robust health,
whereas the girl was certain to inherit heaven if she continued
infirm. The choice was left to Rethna, who could hardly do other
than accept eternal blessedness with its concomitant disadvantage
in this life. By this means Itha was released from the risk of
attempting and failing in the attempt to work a miracle.
One of her community deserted and wandered about the
country, and finally became servant to a Druid in Connaught.
Itha did not forget the girl, she continued to be anxious about
her, and induced 8. Brendan to find out where she was, and then
to induce the King of Connaught to effect her liberation. This
he did, and she received back with compassion the runaway
together with a child she had borne. It was by her advice that
Brendan took ship and sailed in quest of the Isles of the Blessed,
and probably discovered Madeira and the Canaries; and it was
she who recommended him, when about to undertake a second
voyage, to abandon the use of wickerwork boats covered with
hides, and to make vessels of oak plank.
A hymn to the infant Jesus is attributed to her by the
Scholiast on the Feliré of Oengus. It may be rendered thus :—
“« Jesuskin, whom I adore
Nursed by me in little cell,
Clerk may come with richest store,
I have Christ, and all is well,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 287
Nurseling rocked by me at home
Nursling of no vulgar clown,
Jesus with the host of heaven
To my bosom cometh down.
% % % %
Jesuskin of heavenly birth,
Endless good, of Hebrew maid,
Nobler than a Clerk of Earth,
Lowly on my lap is laid.
Sons of Princes, sons of Kings
Though they to my country come,
Not from them make I demands!
Jesus is my rest, my home.
Sing in chorus damsels pure,
Greatest tribute is his due,
High in heaven his Throne endure,
Though he comes to me and you.”’*
One day a basket was found suspended to a cross near the
convent, and in it was a newly-born babe. It was taken in,
baptised and nursed by 8. Itha. Afterwards it was discovered
that the child was one born to Fiachna, King of West Munster.
The origin of the infant was so scandalous that at first it was
proposed to kill it, but instead it was committed in the manner
aforesaid to the charge of Itha.| As it was found in a basket
(cummain) the name given the child was Cummain; he grew
up and was educated to the ecclesiastical profession, and is
known as 8. Cummain the Tall. He was the author of a hymn
in honour of the Apostles, included in the Irish Liber Hymnorum.
The chronology of 8. Cummain however shows that, although
he may have been left at Killeedy as described, it can not have
been during the lifetime of 8. Itha.
The hymn attributed to her served as a basis for the invention
of a story that she had prayed, and was given the infant Jesus to
nurse on her lap. Similar stories have been told of other Saints,
as 8. Catherine of Alexandria, 8. Frances of Rome, 8. Catherine
* A literal translation in Whitley Stoke’s Feliré of Oengus, p. xxxv. One
verse is obscure, and is omitted above.
¢ Liber Hymnorum, IT, p. 9.
288 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
of Bologna, 8. Rose of Lima; also of 8. Anthony of Padua and
S. Nicholas Tolentino. All grew out of a saying of Christ
(Matt. xxv, 40).
As already said, the clan of Hy Connaill held her in the
highest reverence, along with 8. Senan. The ‘“ Life” says ‘‘tota
gens Huaconaill Sanctam tam in matronem suam hic et in futuro
accepit,” and, ‘“‘Sancta Virgo, eandem gentem et terram suam
multis benedictionibus benedixit.”
When it went to war with another tribe, the Cinraidh
Luachra, or the Corea Duibhne, her aid was invoked to curse the
enemy. As the campaigns proved successful, her hold on the
respect and affections of the clan became doubly secure.
In her old age she was afflicted with cancer. This has heen
represented by legend as her suffering from a stag-beetle that
devoured her side, and grew to the size of a pig. Her last
illness was most painful, but was borne with extraordinary
patience. Before her death she blessed not her own community
only, but also the clergy of the tribe to which she was attached.
She died on January 15th, 569 or 570.
This is her day in the Martyrologies. _
In the Salisbury Calendar, on January 15th, as “‘S. Dorothea
also called Sith.”
Whytford gives heron Jan. 15, as ‘“‘Saynt Dorythy, that by
an other name is called Saynt Syth.”
In the Christ Church, Dublin, Martyrology, she is entered on
May 13, “‘Kodem die Sanctee Sithe, Virginis,” but these words
are added in the margin in a hand of the 16th cent. In the
Calendar prefixed to the Chained Book of the Corporation of
Dublin, on this same day, ‘‘Sancta Sitha, Virgo.” Ina MS.
Breviary of the 15th cent. in the Library of Trinity College,
Dublin, on the same day, ‘‘Scite Virginis 1x lect.” She is,
however, everywhere else set down on Jan. 15.
She is also called Mide, a contraction of Mo-Ith, Wy Jtha.
In an Indulgence granted by Bishop Stafford, Oct. 18, 1399,
to such as should pray for the soul of the Lady Mathilda
Chyverston, he speaks of the church of Egloscruc, ‘‘ Sanctorum
Idi et Lidi, Martirorum,”’ a clerical error, In anothar document,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 289
however, in 1400, the vicarage is described as that of ‘‘Sancte
Ide, alias Egloscruk.”” But Bishop Brantingham, 26 April, 1382,
makes the same blunder, calling the church that ‘‘Sanctorum
Ide et Lydi de EKgloscruk.”’
S. Ith or Itha can be regarded as a martyr only in consider-
ation of her painful final illness.
The question may be raised, how comes it that we have
dedications to her, or foundations bearing her name, in Devon
and Cornwall? Probably 8. Petrock had something to do with
this. §. Dagan, who was a disciple of 8. Petrock and of &.
Pulcherius, was nephew of 8. Itha. Petrock who had been trained
in Ireland, when settling in Cornwall, would wish to establish
communities for women there, and he would almost certainly send
to Ireland for some trained in the great female schools there to
undertake a similar work in Dumnonia.
Dedications to S. Itha are :—
The parish church of 8. Issey. Hcton gives Issye alias Ithy.
6 2 Mevagissey, according to Kcton is
dedicated conjointly to S. Mewan and 8. Issey.
The parish church of 8. Teath.
Be Ide, near Exeter.
A ruined chapel in Little Petherick.
” 4 Helsborough Camp, Michaelstow; where
she is known as 8. Sith.
Her life is in Colgan’s Acta Sanctorum Hibernie; she is
also mentioned in the Lives of 8. Brendan, S. Cieran of Clon-
macnois and 8. Pulcherius.
S. Issey Feast is on the Sunday nearest to November 20.
S. Teath Fairs are on the last Tuesday in February and the first
Tuesday in July.
In Art she should be represented in white as an Irish Abbess,
with a stag-beatle or crab at her side, or with an angel bearing
loaves, as it was fabled that she was fed with bread from heaven.
S. Ive of 8. Ive’s Bay, see Hia.
990 CORNISH DEDICATIONS:
S. Ivz, Bishop, Confessor.
S. Ive of the Deanery of East is quite another person from
8. Ive of Penwith.
In the Register of Bishop Bronescombe, the church is called
‘“‘Keclesia S“ Hivonis,” 1258, in those of Bishops Bytton and
Grandisson, 13814, 1388, 13849, ‘Sancti Ivonis.”’
On April 24, 1001, a labourer found a body incorrupt in
pontifical habits, at Slepe in Huntingdonshire. He pretended
that he had been informed in a dream that this was the body of a
Persian bishop Ivo, who had come to evangelise Mid England at
the same time that Augustive arrived in Kent. The Abbot of
Ramsey who was, undoubtedly, at the bottom of this scandalous
imputation, had the body enshrined, and a town sprang up on the
site, that is now called S. Ives. A Life was evolved out of his
internal consciousness and the lying story of the husbandman,
by one Andrew Whitman, Abbot of Dorchester, in 1020, and this
was re-written by Joscelin, monk of Ramsey, in 1088. It is
almost needless to say that 8. Ivo isa purely apocryphal saint,
fabricated out of sordid greed of gain.
The day attributed to him is June 10, and the translation
April 24. It is tolerably certain that the 8. Ive of the deanery
of Hast is not this person, as the parish feast coincides with
neither day held in his honour.
There was a Johannes as also a Jona accounted among the
sons of Brychan, according to William of Worcester, and it is
possible that this church was a foundation of the Brechnock
John. The fact that a John was regarded as one of the Brychan
clan and a founder in Cornwall points to this. There is no other
church in the county that can well be attributed to him, and the
adjoining parish is 8. Cleer, whom I identify with S. Clether,
and who was consequently a kinsman—in fact a nephew. S.
Keyne settled near by was his sister.
No John (in Welsh and Cornish Ewan) is known in the Welsh
accounts of the family of Brychan, but there is a Docfan
or Dyvan. Sanct in combination with Dyvan would speedily
become Sanct Ivan. Locally the pronunciation is Ewe. S. Ive’s
was made over to the preceptory of the Knight’s Hospitallers,
but the village feast has no relation to the festivals of 8. John
the Divine. It is on February 3
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 291
8. James, Apostle, Martyr.
The churches of Kilkhampton and Jacobstow are dedicated
to 8. James. Kilkhampton feast is on July 25, S. James the
Great.
Jacobstow feast is on August 5, O.S. 8S. James’ day.
Probably, in both cases, the apostle has taken the place of a
Celtic Saint. Kilkhampton, by its name, bears witness to its
having been originally a Gaelic Cill. Its original name may
have been Cilljacob.
S. James, Abbot, Confessor.
James, Jacob or Jacut, Gwethenoc and Winwaloe were all
three sons of Brychan or Fragan, a cousin of Cado, Duke of
Cornwall.
Their mother was Gwen of the Three Breasts, who had been
previously married to /ineas Lydewig, and by him had become
the mother of 8. Cadfan.
The story goes that Gwen actually had three breasts, and
that the three brothers were born and suckled together. There
was a daughter as well, but, as the author of the Life of S.
Winwaloe says, ‘‘she did not count,” and no special breast was
provided by nature for her. This nonsense springs out of a
misunderstanding. A woman was called Three or Four Breasted,
if she had been married more than once, and had reared a family
by each husband. This fabulous matter disappears from the
Life of SS. James and Gwethenoc, recovered by the Pére de
Smedt from a MS. in the National Library at Paris (Catalogus
Codicum hagiographicarum Latin., 1889, T. I. pp. 578—82).
This begins thus :—‘‘ Fuit in occiduis Britannici territorii partibus
vir quidam opulentus et inter convicaneos suos nominatissimus,
Fraganus nomine, habens, conjugem cozequibilem, lingua patria
Guen appellatam, quod Latine sonat Candida. Quibus divina
pietas trium sobolem filiorum largita est, quorum duos gemellos
uterus profudit in lucem, tertium vero deinde parturivit, his
duobus, juniorem. Gemelli quidam alter Gwethenocus, alter
Jacobus, tertius autem appellatus est Wingualoeus.”’
292 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
According to this, the family belonged to the West of
Britain, and Gwethenoc and James were twins, Winwaloe
being born somewhat later. The Life of S. Winwaloe is more
explicit. After describing the ravages of the Saxons and the
great plague which devastated Britain (446—47), it goes on to
mention the flight of many of the natives to Armorica. ‘‘ Inter
quas autem fuit vir quidam illustris—nomine Fracanus, Catovii
(Cadoi) regis Britannici, viri secundum sceculum famosissimi,
consobrinus....Cujus etiam preedicti regis erat terra Nomnize
(Dumnoniee).”’
Gwen Teirbron was the sister of Amwn Ddu, the father of
8. Samson, also of Pedredin, father of 8. Padarn. She was first
cousin to 8. Illtyd. This being so, it is quite impossible that the
plague described in the Life of S. Winwaloe should be the Yellow
Death, which raged from 547 to 550; but must be that earlier
plague spoken of by Gildas, and which swept the island in the 5th
century. The writer refers by name to Gildas, and the whole
passage is probably taken from him.
On reaching the north coast of Brittany, after Fragan and
his wife had formed their settlement, they committed their three
boys to 8. Budoc, who was living an eremitical life in the island
of Bréhat, but kept there a school for young Britons.
One day, as the twins left their class, and all the other lads
indulged in romps, they lighted on a blind beggar. Then one
annointed his eyes with spittle, and the other made the sign of
the cross over them. Then, the legend says, he recovered his
sight—probably the attempt failed egregiously, but the writer of
the biography could not admit this. The man made such an .
outcry, that a rabble of boys collected round him and drew him
and the twins before Budoc, who inquired into the matter.
Another day, when he was alone, James encountered a leper,
who extended his diseased hand for alms. James in an access of
compassion, stooped and kissed the loathsome palm.
After having spent several years under Budoc, the brothers
went to the peninsula of Landouart, and founded there a little
community, of which Gwethenoc undertook the direction.
On a certain day when they were harvesting, a harmless
grass-snake bit one of the brothers, in whose sheaf it lurked.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 293
He was in deadly alarm, not being aware that such snakes are
innocuous, and it was thought a miracle that he was none the
worse for the adventure.
At last the monastery became so crowded that the twins
yearned for a more quiet life, and they retired—the Life says
together, but according to the Life of S. Winwaloe, it was
Gwethenoc alone who departed, and confided the charge of the
Monastery to James.
There was an islet at no great distance from the settlement
that could be reached by boat. However, an unusually low tide
happening to occur, the brothers walked on the sand and waded
till they reached it, and found there a fresh-water spring.
Here they established another monastery, which also in time
became populous, and the brothers ruled it together as fellow
abbots.
They became so famous that, even whilst they were alive,
sailors invoked their aid, when in danger. When they did so,
suddenly the heavenly twins appeared in light upon the vessel,
one at the head, the other at the stern, and went about handling
various parts of the ship, ‘‘quasi curiosi,” and conducted the
vessel safely into port. They had obviously usurped the position
of Castor and Pollux.
The monastery founded by the brothers was afterwards
known as 8. Jacut-de-la-Mer, on a peninsula, near Ploubalay in
Cotes du Nord. It never was an island, but the islet of Ebihens
lies beyond it seawards.
It is said that the brothers one night dreamt that they saw
S. Patrick, who informed them that in heaven they would occupy
thrones on a level with his own.
The story is incomplete. It says nothing of their leaving
Brittany and visiting their native Cornwall. That they did so is
probable; for we have a foundation of 8S. Gwethenoc at Lewanick,
and this is near the Winwaloe foundations of Tresmere and
Tremaine, and the Jacobstow foundation is not far distant from
these latter. Hard by was the great Petherwin district of their
cousin 8. Padarn, and S. Samson’s was at Southill.
At 8. Breward were an ancient chapel and a cemetery of S.
James. Bones are still found there, and this seems to indicate
294 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
that it was once an ecclesiastical centre of some importance. A
mere chapelry would not have a graveyard around it.
There were chapels dedicated to 8. James at Camborne, at
Bollasize in Bradock, at Goldsithney in Perran-uthnoe, but it
is not possible, without knowing the date when they were founded
to say whether they are to be attributed to one of the Apostles
of the name, or to the brother of 8. Winwaloe.
The Calendars of 8. Méen and S. Malo give as his day
February 8, but the Calendar of the diocese of 8. Brieuc gives
June 3rd. The two brothers are, however, sometimes coupled
with S. Winwaloe, and commemorated on March 3. Albert-le-
Grand gives February 8, which is no doubt the correct day.
In Brittany he is patron of 8. Jacut du Mené, 8. Jacut sur
Mer, S. Jacut sur Aro, and was formerly patron of Giequelleau.
He has chapels at Dirinon and Plestin.
The Breton historians set down the migration of Fragan to
Brittany as taking place in 420. Thisis too early. We can not
place it and the birth of S. Winwalloe before 447. The three
brothers belonged to the same generation as S. Samson, who died
about 565, and S. Padarn, whose death was between 560 and 568.
Paul of Leon was another contemporary, and his death is set
down as occurring about 570. SS. Cadfan was the son of Gwen
Teirbron by her first husband, and he seems to have arrived in
Wales from Armorica “between the commencement of the
century (the 6th) and the Synod of Brefi,” (Rees, Welsh Saints,
p. 218). She was first cousin of 8. Illtyd, who belonged to the
close of the 5th century.
If we take 447 as the date of the birth of Winwaloe, then
we may put that of the twins at 445 or 446. A life of seventy
years would bring them down to 515, but this again is too early.
The plague mentioned by Gildas and the author of the Life of
S. Winwalloe can not be given a date, and it is much more
likely that the brothers died about the same time as their cousins
Samson and Padarn, and their contemporary Paul of Leon, and
that their birth can not be thrust back earlier than 480.
In Art, James should be represented as an Abbot, with a
ship in his hand, and with a star above his head to show that he
and his brother had inherited the attributes of the Dioscuri.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 995
S. JANE.
In Zennor parish, at Gurnard’s Head, are the remains of a
Chapel Jane. The saint is Koghain or Euny.
S. JuLiAn.
A holy well of 8. Julian, in good condition, is in the parish
of Maker, but as the chapel is dedicated to 8. Julitta, the
attribution to 8. Julian is a modern, popular error.
8S. Junirra, Widow.
The Saint Julitta of Tarsus, and her son Cyriacus, have
assumed undue prominence in Cornwall. Julitta of Tarsus has
displaced local saints.
Those whom she has supplanted are :—
1. S. Ilut, daughter of Brychan.
2. Julitta, mother of 8. Padarn.
3. Jutwara or Jutwell, sister of 8. Paul of Leon.
I. St. Juliot of N. Cornwall is Ilut, given in the Cognatio
as the 26th daughter of Brychan, and whom Leland renders
Juliana.
When the migration took place to N.H. Cornwall, she settled
near her brother Gwynws (Genes).
Tlid or Ilut is the Welsh form of Julitta; thus Llanilid, in
Glamorganshire, is dedicated to SS. Julitta and Cyriacus. The
feast at S. Juliot’s is on the nearest Sunday to June 29, probably
a mistake for June 27, O.S. Feast of Cyriacus and Julitta,
which is on June 16.
II. Albert-Le-Grand says that the mother of 8. Padarn was
Gwen-Julitta. The Latin life does not give the name other than
Gwen, but Le Grand took as his authority the lessons in the old
Breviaries of Leon, Vannes and Quimper.*
* The name Julitta is given in the Breviary of Leon. Julitta, however, was
the name of the mother of S. Paternus of Avranches, born at Poitiers.
296 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
In consequence of a family revolution, Pedredin and several
of his brothers were obliged to fly to Britain from Armorica, and
Pedredin went on to Ireland, where he embraced the monastic
life.
Julitta was left in Armorica with her infant son. One day
she had laid in the window the cloth, out of which she purposed
fashioning a garment for her boy, when an eagle swooped down,
carried it off, and employed it as a lining for his nest. At the
end of a twelve-month, the cloth was recovered, practically
uninjured, and was put to the use for which originally intended.
Forty years passed.
One day Padarn asked his mother why he so often saw tears
in her eyes, and when she told him that her heart ached to see
her husband again, he resolved on going in quest of his father.
He departed to Britain where was his uncle, Amwn the Black,
and then crossed into Ireland, where he discovered Pedredin,
but was unable to induce him to return to his wife and home
duties.
It is possible—we can hardly venture to say more—that
some of the Julitta foundations in Cornwall may have been
originally stations of the mother of 8. Padarn. He is likely to
have provided for his mother’s comforts, and to have established
her somewhere near himself.
The chapel at Tintagel, now in ruins, but still with its altar,
is said by Leland to have been dedicated to 8S. Ulitte or Uliane.
III. S. Jutwara shall be noticed presently.
Dedications in Brittany are:—a Chapel at Lanvein in
Plumergat, Morbihan, and the Parish Church of Remungol, in
the same department, with 8. Cyriacus, Molac. A Chapel of S.
Julitta is at Ambon in Morbihan, recently rebuilt.
S. Juncus, Confessor.
According to William of Worcester, the body of a saint of
this name rested at Pelynt. He can not be identified—I suspect
a misprint.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 297
S. Just, Deacon, Confessor.
There are in Cornwall two churches and parishes bearing the
name of S. Just, one in Roseland, and the other near the Land’s
End.
S. Just of Roseland is distinct from the other. In the
Roman Calendar there are twenty-three Justs and seven Justins.
The church and parish of 8. Just are in a district marked
with foundations and reminiscences of members of the royal
Dumnonian family, S. Geraint, and 8S. Cuby. It lies between
two royal palaces, Dingerein and Goodern. This would seem to
show that the locality was one that formed a portion of the
royal domain.
Jestyn, which is the Welsh form of Justin, was the son of
Geraint, and uncle of 8. Cuby. He may have been with the
latter in Carnarvonshire, but more probably preceded him, and
there founded the church of Llanestin. He was also in Anglesey
where he is supposed to have died, and in the last century a
stone was extant bearing an inscription purporting that he was
buried there.
His elder brother was Cado, Duke of Cornwall. He seems
to have visited Brittany, and occupied a cell where is now
Plestin. But he left it and went further on a pilgrimage.
Whilst he was absent, an Irish colonist, Efflam, arrived and took
possession of Justin’s cell.
When Justin returned from his travels he found his cell
occupied and the land around it appropriated by the Irishman.
According to a local legend, the controversy as to the right
to the habitation was settled amicably between them by this
means. Hach seated himself within the cabin, and they waited
to see on whose face the setting sun would shine through the tiny
window.
Presently the declining orb broke from its envelope of cloud,
and sent a golden ray in through the opening and irradiated the
countenance of Hfflam. Thereupon Justin arose, saluted him,
and seizing his staff, departed.* They would seem, however, to
have compromised matters, it was arranged that Efflam should
* Te Braz: Annales de Bretagne, T. XI, p. 184.
298 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
rule the ecclesiastical, and Justin the secular community. This
is obscurely related by the biographer of Efflam, a late writer,
who did not comprehend the tribal arrangements in vogue at an
earlier period. What he says is that Jestin gave his name to the
plou or plebs and that Efflam took the headship of the Jann; and
that they agreed to live at some distance apart.
The place were Justin settled is now by contraction called
Plestin (Plou-Jestin), and in the church 8. Justin is represented
as a priest.
Whether 8. Cuby summoned his uncle to him in Anglesey
we do not know, but it is remarkable that many churches of
the family of Cuby should be in the island.
The day on which he is popularly commemorated in Brittany
is April19; but churches bearing his name have been transferred
to 8. Just, Bishop of Lyons, who died in 390, and whose day is
September 2. |
The feast at S. Just-in-Roseland 1s August 14. If we deduct
eleven days we have August 3. There is no Just or Justin
commemorated in the Roman Calendar on either of these days.
In Art, Just should be represented as a hermit or pilgrim
with a staff.
His death would have taken place about 540.
S. Just, Priest, Confessor.
S. Just in Penwith is a different person from 8. Just in
Roseland, I take it, as the Land’s End district was exclusively
settled ecclesiastically by Irish. The only exceptions being the
intrusive foundations of S. Paul, Gulval, and Towednack.
Just is said to have been a son of Fergus, descended from
Bressal Belach, grandson of Cathair Mor, king of Leinster. He
lived at the same time as Dunlang, King of Leinster, who died
betore 460, and as Iollain, his successor, who was baptised at
Naas by S. Patrick.
S. Patrick took him into his missionary band, and ordained
him deacon,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 299
The glossator on the Calendar of Oengus says of him :—
““The Deacon Justinus, 7.e¢. Deaon Just, of Fidarta. It was he
who baptised Ciaran of Cluain (Clonmacnois), and of France was
he, ut quidem putant.” But against this hesitating opinion we
may set his recorded pedigree. It is, however, very probable
that he went to Gaul for his ecclesiastical education. It is
possible enough that there may have been two of the same name,
and at the same peried, one at Fidarta, and the other at
Ardbracean; but it is more likely that, as Just had a roving
commission, he founded both these churches.
Fidarta, where 8. Patrick placed him, at all events for a time,
1s Fuerty, i Roscommon, which was in the old territory of the
Hy Many. S. Patrick left his book of ritual and of baptism
with him. He was the preceptor of Kieran of Saighir, and in
his old age he baptised the other Kieran, the wheelwright’s son.
Unfortunately no life of this saint has been preserved. Although
known as Patvick’s Deacon, there is no reason to suppose that
he was not advanced later to priest’s orders.
William of Worcester calls 8S. Just a martyr, but this is
because the true 8. Just of Penwith had been supplanted by a
namesake who did suffer for the faith, and who was in the Roman
Calendar. At 8S. Just, the feast varies from October 30 to
November 8.
The rule seems to be that its observance is guided by the
Sunday preceding the nearest Wednesday in November, which
will give seven clear Sundays to Christmas.
Just or Justin, Patrick’s Deacon, is commemorated in the
Trish Calendars on May 5.
There is a Just or Justin given on September 2, in the ancient
Breviary of the Abbey of 8. Melanius of Rennes, where he was
supposed to have been a bishop, but this was mere conjecture.
The only Just whose day falls between October 30 and November
8, in the Roman Martyrology, is an obscure martyr at Trieste, on
November 2.
If Just, Patrick’s Deacon, had died in Ireland, it is probable
that Irish records would have given us more information concern-
ing him. |
300 CORNISH DEDIOATIONS.
It might serve to distinguish him, if in Art he were
represented as a Deacon, holding a book with Rtuale inscribed
thereon.
S. Jurwara, Virgin Martyr.
A sister of S. Sidwell, and consequently also of S. Paul of
Leon. Whytford in his ‘‘ Martyrologe,” says: ‘“‘Juthwara, a
virgyn, that by her step-moder was falsely accused unto her owne
broder of fornicacyon, for the whiche in a fury he stroke off her
heed, which heed she herself toke up before hym, and all his
people, and there sprange up a well and a green tree growing
therby; than bare she her heed into the chirche were after were
shewed many grete myracles.”’
The story is given more fully by Capgrave. He says that
Eadwara, Wilgitha, and Sidwell were her sisters; but I suspect
that Hadwara and Jutwara are one and the same.
In the Life of 8. Paul of Leon, we are told that he had three
sisters and two brothers, but that in consequence of the distance
of time at which the writer composed his biography, and the
space of sea intervening between him and Britain, he could
recover the name of only the third sister, Sicofolla, ¢.e. Sativola
or Sidwell, and of those of three brothers, Notalius and Potolius;
but that in all there were nine brothers.
The brother in the story of Jutwara, who plays so ill a part
is called Bana. Leland, who saw the Legend of 8. Sidwell at
Exeter, says the name of the father was Benna. According to
the Life of 8. Paul it was Porphius.
On the death of their mother, the father married again, and,
in time, he also died.
Jutwara grew pale as wax, and her step-mother asked her the
cause. She replied that she was suffering from pains in her
chest. The step-mother advised the application of a cream-
cheese; and then told Bana a scandalous story affecting his
sister; ‘‘atque in argumentum fidei interulam puellee a pectore
ejus extrahere suadit: dicens eam profluente de mamillis lacte
madidam fore.”” ‘The young man rushed to find his sister, and
meeting her as she was returning from church, charged her with
incontinence, She was staggered and speechless at this accusation,
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 301
‘“Tnterulam ejus, ut doctus fuerat, extraxit: quam madidam
inveniens—”’ in a blind fury, he drew his sword and cut off her
head. Not only did a fountain spring up on the spot, but a great
oak grew there as well. After many years the tree was over-
thrown by a gale, and fell against a house that was near, so that
the branches interfered with exit and entry. The owner of the
house and his boy set to work to hack the boughs away, when
the stump, relieved of the burden, righted itself, and carried up
the lad who was clinging to a branch uncut off.
It is possible that Lanteglos by Camelford may have been
dedicated originally to Jutwara, as Laneast, hard by, is to the
sisters Wulvella and Sidwell. Wulvella is she whom Capgrave
called Wilgitha. The church is now supposed to be dedicated to
8. Julitta.
There is a Holy Well, in fair preservation, with remains of
a chapel at Jutwells, which may be a contraction for Jutwara’s
well. The day of the Translation of the body of S. Jutwara to
Sherborne Abbey was observed on July 18.
This is the day given in the Sherborne Calendar and by
Whytford. What seems confirmatory of the identification is that
at Camelford, in Lanteglos parish, a fair is held on July 17 and
18, 2.e. within the week or octave of the feast of the Translation
of S. Jutwara.
The sequence for 8. Jutwara’s day is in the Sherborne Missal,
Liturgical notes on which have been issued by Dr. Wickham
Legg, for the S. Paul’s Heclesiological Society, 1896. It recites
the incidents of her legend. It concludes with the invocation :—
‘‘ Virgo sidus puellaris medicina salutaris, salva reos ab amaris,
sub mortis nubecula.”’
Assuming her to have been a sister of 8. Paul of Leon, we
must set her death at about 500.
In Art she should be represented holding a sword and with
an oak tree at her side.
S. Kea, Abbot, Confessor.
Unfortunately, we have of this saint only a very unsatisfac-
tory Life written late, based on the lections of the church of Cleder,
302 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
that are now lost. It was compiled by Maurice, Vicar of the
parish, and was taken into Albert Le Grand’s collection.
According to this, Kenan, otherwise called Colledoc, was a
native of Cambria, who abandoned his native land in quest of
some new country in which to establish himself.
At last he reached an estuary called Hirdrech, 7.e. The Long
Strath. As he lay in the grass, he heard men talking on the
further side of the water. Said one to the other, ‘‘ Have you
seen my cows anywhere?” To which the latter replied, ‘‘ Aye I
saw them yesterday at Rosinis.”’
Then Kenan, whose name is contracted to Kea, remembered
having on one occasion dreamed that he should settle at a place
so named. He at once crossed the estuary, and he and his
comrades constructed their habitations at a place afterwards
called Kresten-Kea, or the Beach of Kenan.
At no great distance was Gudrun, the palace of Tewdrig,
prince of that country, who, ill-pleased at having strange monks
settle on his land without permission asked and given, carried
off seven of their oxen and a milch cow.
Then, from the forest came seven stags and offered their
necks to the yoke, and ploughed with docility. Thenceforth the
place took the name of Kestell Karveth, or the Stag’s Castle.
Kenan then went boldly to the caer of the prince, and
entreated him to return the cattle. But, for reply, Tewdrig
struck him in the face with such violence that he broke one of
the saint’s teeth. As, shortly after, Tewdrig fell ill, he was
frightened, fancying that this was due to his harsh treatment of
the monks, and he hastily reconciled himself with them.
Kenan remained on his plantation for some time till an
accident occurred to Tewdrig, who was thrown from his horse
and died of the injuries he had received. Kenan then, fearing
lest this should be attributed to his ‘ill wishing’ the king,
deemed it advisable to leave Cornwall, and he went on board a
corn-ship at Landegu, and on this escaped to Brittany.
Kenan is probably the same as the Welsh Cynin, whose
mother’s name, Goleuddydd, has been latinised by the author
into Colledoc. Goleuddydd was a daughter of Brychan, and was
married to Bishop Tudwal Befr. Another son, Aldor, is known
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 303
as the father of Emyr Llydaw (the Armorican), and is the
Audrien of Breton history and legend. Aldor, this brother of
Cynin, married a sister of S. Germanus of Auxerre, and was the
father of Gwen Teirbron, mother of S. Winwaloe, and SS. James
and Gwethenoe, as also of S. Cadfan.
The Latin biographer of S. Kenan gives Tegu as the name
of his mother, confusing her with Tegu Eurfron, who became the
wife of Caradog Freichfras, and belongs to a later generation.
The reason why Cynin left South Wales, after founding
Llangynin near 8. Cleers, Carmarthenshire, is not stated by the
biographer frankly. It was due to the invasion by Dyfnwal and
and Urien Rheged, who drove the Irish and the semi-Irish family
of Brychan out of South Wales.
The localities can be fairly well established.
The Hirdrech is very descriptive of the long estuary of the
Fal. Rosinis is either Roseland or Enys.
The Stag’s Castle no longer bears that name, but is perhaps
what is now called Woodbury above Porth Kea.
Gudrun is Goodern, where still remain the earthworks of
Tewdrig’s castle. Tewdrig himself is known as having been the
murderer of 8. Fingar, and he occurs in the Legend of S. Petrock
as a tyrannical Cornish prince.
Landegu is Landege, the old name for 8. Kea, as given in
the Episcopal Registers, and is an abbreviation for Llan-ty-Kea.
According to the story, the well where S. Kenan washed his
mouth after Tewdrig had broken his tooth, ever after possessed
miraculous properties. The Holy Well still remains.
To return to the story. The Corn-ship in which Kenan left
the Fal arrived at Cleder, on the coast of Leon, and there the
saint remained and formed a monastic establishment.
When the discord broke out between Arthur and his nephew
Modred, Kenan, though very old, crossed over into Britain,
aud endeavoured to reconcile them. He failed, and after the
fatal battle of Camelot, 542, he sought Queen Guenever at Caer
Gwent or Winchester, and told her some salutary, though
unpleasant, home-truths, which she took to heart and ended her
days as a penitent. He returned to Cleder, where he buried his
304 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
faithful friend and companion, Kerian, and died the first Sunday
after his arrival of exhaustion and extreme old age.
Such is the legend based on the office books at Cleder.
Lobineau, however, identified him with Cianan of Duleek,
who was baptised by S. Patrick, about 433, and who died accord-
ing to the Irish records in 488, and whose body remained
incorrupt to the times of Adamnan. But there is nothing in the
Legend to support this arbitrary identification.
Moreover, Cianan of Duleek was the son of Cesnan Mac
Drona of the royal Irish family of Oiliol Olum.
The only confirmation of this identification, and it is very
thin, is that Kenan appears in the Llanthony calendar of the latter
part of the 14th cent. (Corp. Christi coll., Oxford) on November
24, the day of Cianan of Duleek.
What is conceivable is that Cynin, after his expulsion from
Wales, established himself in North Cornwall, and is the Conan
of the legend of S. Breoc, whom that saint converted. But
the change of vowels in the name, Cynin into Conan make this
improbable.
What helps out the identification of Kenan with Cynin, son
of Goleuddydd, is that, on reaching south-eastern Cornwall, he
would be among relatives. Kenwyn is a daughter church of 8.
Kea, and Kenwyn is the same as S. Keyn, his aunt, and a sister
of Goleuddydd. If Cynog be the saint of Boconnoe and the
same as 8. Pinnock, he was the uncle of Kenan. The coming of
Cynin to Cornwall would be no migration into a land among
strangers, but to one where his own people were settled.
S. Kea died on the first Sunday on October, and at 8. Kea
the feast is kept on the nearest Sunday to October 3.
In Brittany, however, he is commemorated on November 5,
for what reason is not apparent, but probably on account of a
Translation.
In Brittany he is regarded as patron of Cleder. There are
also dedications to him at Plogoff and Plouguerneau. S. Quay*
or Ké in Treguier has abandoned him, and adopted 8. Caius,
Pope, for patron, as being in the Roman Martyrology; and even
* There are two parishes of Saint Quay in Cotes du Nord; one at Etables,
the other near Perrosquirec.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 305
at Cleder he has been supplanted by S. Caraunus. He has
undergone a ‘posthumous martyrdom,” at Cleder as a blind
beggar told M. Le Braz. Said he:—‘‘ There is hardly a shabby
trick that has not been played on 8. Ké. He has been turned
out of his church, like a farmer who can not pay his rent. He
has had to take refuge above his Holy Well at Lezlao, where he
now remains. His lot has been a sad one. That is not all.
When he occupied the parish church, not a woman who expected
confinement, not a young mother, who did not make him hand-
some presents. In those days it was said that no saint was a
patch upon him for curing children’s disorders. His statue was
bonnetted with little baptismal caps of his tiny protégés. Troops
of small boys and girls were brought to him on the day of his
pardon. He was held, also, to watch over the prosperity of
houses, to take an interest in the harvest, for he himself had
been a cornfactor (a reference to his passage on the corn-ship).
He was considered also as powerful against the murrain. For
all his services he now-a-days does not even receive a Thank-you.
He is now thought to he no good at all save for watching over
pigs. He has sunk to being regarded as their patron—Sant ar
moc’h, His feast, his pardon are no more celebrated.”
His day may fairly be regarded as October 3.
His death took place—if we accept the date of the fatal
battle as given in the Cambrian Annals, in which fell Arthur—
in 549.* This does not quite agree with the calculation made
according to the Genealogies, but we cannot be sure that
Goleuddydd was not a grandchild instead of a daughter of
Brychan, and that Tudwal Befr in like manner did not belong
to a later generation.
* Taking Oct. 3 as the day, he may have died 538, 549, 555, or 560.
+The Licence for the performance of Divine Service at S. Kea, on the
re-building of the church in 1802 was dated September 29. In it is stated :—
‘*The church will be fit for the Celebration of Divine Service on or by the third
day of October next, on which day it is not only the desire of the said Petitioners,
but also (as is alleged) of the Parishioners of the said Parish in general, that the
same should be opened that day, being the day of their Saint, and the day on
which, it is understood their old church was dedicated.”” Undoubtedly Octoher 3
is S. Kea’s Day. It fell on the first Sunday in October, in the years named
above. Perhaps we may give the date as 549.
306 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
In Art, the Saint is represented with a stag at his side and
holding a bell.
8. Kenwyn, Virgin.
In Bishop Bronescombe’s Register, the church of Kenwin is
called Keynwen. He dedicated it on September 27, 1259. It is
a chapelry in the parish of 8. Kea or Landeghe. There was a
Cainwen, daughter or grand-daughter of Brychan, whom there
can be little doubt, is identical with 8S. Keyne. The festival of
Cainwen and of Ceneu (Keyne) was on the same day, October 8.
Keyne was often called Cainwyryf or Cain the Virgin, and
Cainwen signifies Cain the Spotless or White. See Keyne.
S. Kertan, see Kieran.
S. Kevern, Abbot, Confessor.
Kevern is a corruption of Aed Cobhran or Akebran. The
6h in Irish is pronounced v. Aed the Crooked, son of Bochra,
would seem to have come to Cornwall along with the party of
Breaca, and with his master Senan. If he be, as I have little
doubt, the Gobran, Govran, or Gibrian who led a large party of
Trish to Rheims and were received by S. Remigius in 509, then
he settled on the Célé that flows into the river Marne. His
brother, Tressan, planted himself near, but on the Marne itself.
The names of the party have been much altered in French
mouths from their original form in Gaelic. Tressan cannot be
easily traced to an Erse original. Helanisthe Helen, who formed
one of the party in Leland’s list. German isthe Cornish Germoc,
and was the son of Goil. Veran is probably Foran or Forannan.
Abran is possibly a reduplication of Aed Cobhran, Petran is
the diminutive form of Peter, and the holy woman of the
company Fracla is the Thecla of the list in Leland, Promptia is
probably Crewenna, and Possemna or Possenna is a corruption
of the feminine form of Croibsenaigh. In both these latter the
Gaelic hard C has been formed into P, as Ciaran and Ciara have
become Piran and Piala.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 307
Gobrian or Gibrian was in priest’s orders when he arrived at
Rheims. He is represented as the senior of the saintly band.
All settled in the region of Chalons-sur-Marne, but dispersed to
solitary spots, only assembling for the ministration of the
Eucharist at the oratory of Gobrian. He is said to have divided
his time between work and prayer, and to have died and been
buried in his oratory. This was destroyed by the Normans. The
body was translated to Rheims; it went in fact through several
translations, the last in 1114.
In the dioceses of Chalons and Rheims his day is May 8 and
11. In a Dol Calendar (Rawlinson, Lit. MSS.), on November 8rd,
Gobriani abbatis. There was a Bishop of Vannes called Gobrian
who died in 725; his day is November 10, 16, or 19.
S. Kewe or Kywe, Virgin, Abbess.
S. Kewe occurs as Kigwe in the Welsh Calendar (Bibl.
Cotton. Vesp. A. xtv) of the 12th century, and she occurs on the
same day, February 8, in the Exeter Martyrology.
The old name for the parish of S. Kewe was Lannou, and 8.
Kewe’s was a chapel in the church or cemetery. In 1372, owing
to both chapel and cemetery having been polluted, the Bishop
issued a commission to John Bishop of Comagene, acting as his
deputy, to reconcile both.
There is a church in Monmouthshire Llangiwa, but nothing
is there known of Ciwa, after whom it is named, either as to
origin or sex. Kigwe or Cygwe is but the Welsh form of Cuach.
I am inclined to suspect that Kigwe is none other than
Cuach, the nurse of 8S. Kieran, and a notable abbess in Ireland.
We have her in the south at Ladock. At 8. Teath, close by, we
have an Itha foundation, and it is possible that at 8S. Kewe we
may have another Irish foundation by a second great Irish Abbess.
In the Irish Calendars, Cuach is commemorated on January
8, instead of February 8.
8. Cuacha or Cuach was daughter of Talan, and her brother
Caiman is numbered among the saints. Her sister Atracta was
veiled by S. Patrick, and became more famous than Cuacha. She
was related to Ere (S. Hrth) of Slane. Her mother’s name was
Caemel.
308 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
They all belonged to the small tribe of Cliu Cathraighe,
which occupied the northern slopes of Mount Leinster. This
little clan was converted, about 430, by 8. Isserninus, and this
excited the suspicion and anger of Enna Cinnselach, king of the
district. He drove them from their possessions into exile, and
Isserninus accompanied the tribe into banishment. The perse-
cution lasted till after the death of Enna, who died in 444. The
accession of his son, Crimthan, did not bring peace and restoration
to the converts, as he, like his father, was a pagan. However,
in 458 8. Patrick succeeded in converting and baptising him, and
the apostle used the occasion to urge him to restore the exiles.
This he consented to do, after they had been in banishment near
on twenty years. Where they had tarried we are not told
precisely, only that it was somewhere in the south. As Cuacha
was the nurse or fostermother of 8. Kieran, she must have been
among the Corea Laidhe in Southern Munster.
We cannot set down Kieran as born later than 439 or before
436, and we may suppose that when the members of the Clan
Clu came among the Corea Laidhe, an intimacy sprang up
between them and those of the Hy Duach, who were there, as
well, in banishment from Ossory. In token of this amity, may
be, the newly born Kieran was put into the arms of the exiled
girl to nurse and to love.
Certainly Kieran was with her for longer than the period of
unremembering infancy, for he ever held Cuacha in the deepest
and tenderest affection.
He, himself, was not baptised till he was thirty, but she was
an exile for the faith, one of the first confessors for Christ that
the island produced, and she must have impressed the religious
character on Kieran’s mind.
The summons to return home came in 458 or perhaps a little
later, and then Kieran parted with his nurse. He was then not
over seventeen, and was destined not to see Cuacha again for many
years.
On her return to the land of her fathers, her two brothers
embraced the religious profession, as did also her sister. It is
probable that this had been part of the agreement; on these
terms only had Crimthan, king of the Hy Cinnselach, permitted
them to come back.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 309
For some reason, unknown, 8. Patrick did not veil Cuach,
but handed her over to Mac Tail, whom he consecrated Bishop
and placed at Kilcullen. Bishop Mac Tail was to instruct Cuach
in religion; but ugly reports circulated relative to his undue
intimacy with her, and his clergy denounced him for it—appar-
ently to Patrick; what was done is not recorded.
Cuach had a defect in one hand; the nail of one finger grew
like a wolf’s claw, and this originated the fable that she had been
suckled by a she-wolf, and obtained for her the nick-name of
Coiningen, or the daugher of a wolf.
Nothing further is known of Cuach till Kieran arrived at
Saighir, which was about 480, when she unreservedly placed
herself in his hands. It was probably he who placed her at the
head of two establishments for women, and the education of
young girls, one at Ross-Benchuir in Clare, and the other at
Kilcoagh (Cill-Cuach) near Donard, whence the order spread into
other parts of Ireland.
It was told that when ploughing time arrived, Kieran was
wont to lead forth a team, bless it, and send the oxen across
country to the settlement at Ross-Benchuir. They arrived
without a driver, and remained lowing outside Cuach’s walls till
she received them. Then as soon as her ploughing was accom-
plished, she said to the oxen :—‘‘ Depart to my foster-son again.”
Whereupon the beasts started of their own accord, and went
across country to Kieran. This they did every year. If we
translate this out of its fictional adornments into plain fact, it
resolves itself into a simple and natural transaction. Kieran
attended to Cuach’s farming arrangements and managed the
annual ploughing for her.
At Kilcoagh by Donard is her Holy Well, Tubbar-no-
chocha, at which stations were formerly made. The Cill is
mentioned in a grant of 1173 to the Abbey of Glendalough as
“Cell Chuachi.” §. Kevin (Coemgen) of Glendalough was
probably a nephew, though represented in a pedigree of the
saints as her half-brother, but this is chronologically impossible.
On Christmas Eve 8. Kieran said Mass at midnight, and at
once departed from his monastery, and walked to that of Cuach,
and communicated her and her nuns, and then returned in the
310 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
morning to Saighir. This would seem to shew that for a while
Cuach was superior of Killeen, a short way from Saighir, where
he had at first established his mother.
This religious house for women was in dangerous proximity,
and caused Kieran no httle trouble, first in his mother’s time, and
afterwards when under Cuach. We are told that one of his
pupils was carrying on a flirtation with one of Cuach’s damsels,
and they had made an appointment to meet in a wood between
the two houses. But whilst the girl was expecting the enamoured
student, a flash of lightning so frightened her, that she scampered
back to the convent, and promised not to be naughty again. One
of Kieran’s disciples who got into these scrapes was Carthagh,
and it led to his dismissal from Saighir.
Near Ross Benchuir was a rock in the sea to which Cuach
was wont to retire at times for prayer. 8S. Kieran is reported to
have stood on this stone and to have employed it as a boat on
which to cross the water. Here again, under a ridiculous fable,
a simple fact lies concealed, that he was wont to visit his old nurse
in her island hermitage, and there minister to her in holy things.
When 8. Kieran removed into Cornwall, where he died, we
do not know, but it was probably due to the protracted wars and
anarchy in Ossory, and it is almost certain that—were she alive—
he would take Cuach with him as the head of his colleges for
women, a necessary adjunct to his societies for men, so that he
might by her means organise the education of the girls in that
part of Cornwall over which he was about to exercise ecclesiastical
authority.
Ladock is probably Llan-ty-Cuach, and was one of her
houses, where the Feast of the Patron Saint is observed on the
first Thursday in January, and this fairly agrees with her festival
as marked in the Irish Calendars, January 8.
But if she be, as I have little doubt she is, the same as the
Welsh Kygwe and the Cornish Kewe, her feast in North Cornwall
is on February 8.
Her name recurs in some Irish Calendars on June 6, and
June 29, and as Coiningen, the Wolf-girl, on April 29.
She is thought to have been buried at Killeen Cormac, near
Dunlairn in Wicklow. The name Killeen, hke the other by
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 311
Saighir, points to a foundation by Liadhain, Kieran’s mother.
There are several churches in Ireland that look to Cuach as a
foundress, and she must have been very active as an auxiliary to
S. Kieran. Kilcock in Kildare was the most flourishing of these.
An interesting account of Killeen Cormac, with its ancient grave-
yard and Ogham inscriptions, is given in Shearman’s Loca
Patriciana, 1882. There are doubtless difficulties in identifying
Cuach with 8. Kew, due to the difference in day of commemora-
tion and the lack of any particulars relative to 8. Kew.
In favour of the identification is this: that Kew is the Welsh
Cygve which is but a Welsh form of Cuach, and that it is more
than probable that Kieran, when quitting Ireland for Cornwall,
would bring with him the head of his religious institutions for
women to organise similar houses in Cornwall. That he did
bring Buriena we know. ‘That Cygve or Kygwe was not a Welsh
Saint is apparent for she occurs in none of the Welsh saintly
pedigrees.
Bishop Mac Tail died about 470. Itis very difficult to fix
the date of the death of 8. Kieran. His migration to Cornwall
probably took place in 480, and we may set down his death as
occurring about 520. Probably Cuach died some years earlier.
At 8. Kewe there is a Holy Well, but whether it was referred
to her or to 8. Docwyn it is not now possible to say.
8. Keynez, Virgin.
This Saint was Ceneu, a daughter, or, more probably a
grand-daughter of Brychan, and is almost certainly the same as
Ceinwen or Kenwyn, of which the name is merely a contraction.
According to the legend, she abandoned her home in Brecknock-
shire, and directing her voyage across the Severn, settled at
Keynsham in Somersetshire, where she turned the reptiles into
stone. This is how the natives explained the existence of
ammonites found in the lias rocks.
After some years spent at Keynsham she returned to a certain
‘‘Monticulus”’ near her home, where she caused a spring to break
forth, that was of great virtue.
312 CORNISH DEDICATIONS.
Mr. Rees considers that the S. Michael’s Mount, to which 8.
Cadoc was travelling when he visited her on the way, is a hill
near Abergavenny, in the neighbourhood of which is the parish
of Llangenen, in which, according to Mr. Theophilus Jones, is to
be found the Well of the saint, ‘‘and the situation of the oratory
may yet be traced.” |
But as we are told that after she had been at Keynsham,
she tried to go back to her old home, but was not received there ;
it is more probable that she migrated to Cornwall, as most of her
family had been expelled Brecknockshire by Dyfnwall. The
legend says that S. Cadoe visited her on his way to 8. Michael’s
Mount. The cult of the archangel certainly did not invade the
Celtic church till the 8th century. At S. Keyne, near Liskeard,
she had relatives about her, 8. Cleer—S. Clether, S. Pinnock—
Cynog, and presently 8. Kea—Cynin, whom she probably followed
to the Fal, where she placed herself at Kenwyn under his
direction.
She was wont to sleep in her cell on a few branches laid on
the ground, but indeed, this was the usual bed of the period,
with heather or fern over the branches, and a skin thrown over
that.
According to the legend, when death approached angels
visited her. One divested her of her coarse shift, and another
invested her in a fine linen garment, over which he threw a
scarlet tunic woven with gold thread in stripes. 8S. Cadoce
ministered to her when she died and buried her in her oratory.
The legend is late, and like all such manufactured productions
devoid of historic details. It was not till 710 that 8. Michael
was supposed to have appeared on the ‘‘tumba”’ near Dol, and
the foundation on S8. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall, was not made
till 1044. The anachronism, therefore, of making 8. Cadoc in
the 6th century make a pilgrimage to S. Michael’s Mount, whether
that in Normandy or that in Cornwall, is obvious.
The dedications to 8. Keyne are :—
S. Keyne, by Liskeard, where is her famous Holy Well.
Kenwyn Chapel, now a Parish Church.
A Chapel at East Looe re-dedicated to 8. Anne.
CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 313
The legend of S. Keyne is in Capgrave’s ‘‘ Nova Legenda,”
1516.
The Feast of S. Keyne is on October 8.
In Art she should be represented, habited as a nun, and
bearing in her hand an ammonite.
314
Roval Institution of Cornwall.
—
82ND ANNUAL MEETING, Ig00.
—————
Notwithstanding a perfect deluge of rain on Friday
afternoon, as well as the High School distribution of prizes,
there was a fair attendance at the Annual Meeting of the Royal
Institution of Cornwall, held at the Institution Buildings, Truro.
Mr. J. C. Williams, the President, was in the Chair, and those
also present included Sir George Smith, the Mayor (Mr. R. Lean),
Major Rarkyny E- Gis Ma d= Ds Hnys, iiGeS.) the tkevanve
Tago, B.A., the Rey. D. G. Whitley, Archdeacon Cornish, the
Rey. 8. Rundle, Professor Clark, Professor O. V. Miller, Canon
J. H. Moore, the Rev. 8. W. Kingsford, Messrs. J. Osborn,
F.G.8., Hamilton James, W. N. Gill, R. M. Hill, Silvanus
Trevail, A. Jenkin, EH. Sharp, Robert Fox, A. Blenkinsop, F. A.
Cozens, 'T. L. Dorrington, J. Barrett, J. H. James, J. R. Collins,
F. Chown, R. A. Gregg, R. Vallentin, T. Worth, A. C. Dixon,
W. J. Clyma, H. Barrett, T. Clark, W. J. Oates, J. T. Letcher,
F. H. Davey, and G. Penrose (curator and librarian), Mrs. Clark,
Miss L. Smith, Miss Paull, Miss Miller, Miss Mabel Bryant,
Miss Snell, Miss Rudall, Miss Parkyn, Miss A. A. Rudall, Miss
Clyma, Miss Tomn, Miss M. Jenkin, Miss Henderson, Miss Share,
Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Blenkinsop, Miss Williams, Miss H. James,
Miss James, Miss T. James, and Miss Truran.
Letters regretting inability to attend were received from the
Bishop of Truro, Canon Donaldson, Messrs. J. H. Collins, T. C.
Peter, and R. M. Paul. Sir J. Langdon Bonython wrote from
London regretting his inability to be present, and stating that he
and his family would leave for Australia next week. He
remarked:—‘‘I have long felt the keenest interest in your
society, and it would have afforded me very great pleasure to
bear my testimony to the excellent work it has done and is doing.
Its Transactions are a valuable contribution to the literature of
ANNUAL MEETING. 315
~ Cornwall. In proof of this I need only point to the latest
volume, which reflects the highest credit on all concerned. I
hope that in the future the Society will do more than maintain
the present reputation, that the number of members will increase,
and that with more funds it will still further extend its sphere of
usefulness. I also hope that the Society will always possess
officers as zealous and enthusiastic as those who now manage its
affairs.”
The minutes of the Spring Meeting having been read and
coufirmed, Major Parkyn presented for the Council their Annual
Report.
82ND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL.
The Royal Institution of Cornwall and its Museum, so
valuable to the County, have continued to prosper during the
year which has elapsed since the last report was presented.
Perhaps never since the establishment of this Institution has it
found itself in a more prosperous condition. Founded in 1818,
it has a long record of usefulness such as any society might well
be proud of, and the series of volumes of its Transactions
contains papers of the greatest value to all those interested in the
past history of the County.
In presenting the 82nd Annual Report, the Council have
with much regret to record the loss, by death, of Lady Protheroe
Smith and Mr. 8. Pascoe.
Lady Protheroe Smith was a constant attendant at the
meetings of the Society and always showed great interest in its
welfare, and her husband, the late Sir Philip Protheroe Smith,
was a warm friend of the Society for over half a century.
Mr. Samuel Pascoe was also a very old member, his name
being found in the records of the Society so far back as 1859.
Mr. Pascoe was a generous friend to the Society and ever ready
to afford it every assistance in his power.
The Museum continues to attract a large number of persons,
Students frequently attend to study and compare the various
objects exhibited in connection with the sciences in which they
are interested, and every assistance is readily rendered them by
the Curator.
316 ANNUAL MEETING,
The number of admissions during the year were as follows :—
Admitted free oe sis 2,566
Members and Friends ae 307
Admitted on payment Lie 460
3,363
Mr. Gregg, the Curator, whose services have been most
valuable for many years, has been appointed Assistant Science
Master at the Central Technical Schools for Cornwall; and the
Committee, therefore, greatly regretting his departure from the
Institution, have had to select a qualified successor to his office.
They are fortunate in having secured the able assistance of Mr.
Geo. Penrose, who has now entered on his duties, and will
continue the important work which has hitherto been so well
carried on in connection with the Museum, the Library, and the
Meteorological Records, &c.
The interest in the Museum and Library is shown by the
valuable presents received from time to time. The thanks of the
Society are due to the many donors, the following being
especially worthy of mention.
Mrs. Chamberlin, of Trenewth, Restronguet, has made a
very valuable addition to the Museum by sending a beautiful
collection of foreign birds grouped in 10 cases. They are well
set up and are in an exceptionally fine state of preservation.
Many rare birds will be found in this collection, including the
Kiwi, the wingless bird from New Zealand. A very good
specimen of the Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus Anatinus)
also comes from the same donor.
Mr. Rupert Vallentin has given a number of shells collected
by him in the Falkland Islands during his recent visit there, and
an interesting arrow, the head of which is a shaped piece of
bottle glass, made by a native of Terra del Fuego.
Mr. John D. Enys, F.G.S., a munificent donor to this
Institution, has presented a set of fossils from the Tertiary beds
of the Broken River Basin, New Zealand, collected by himself
2000 feet above the sea level. Also eggs of the Albatross and
the Kiwi. Mr. J. D. Enys has further augmented the Library
by giving 9 volumes of the Proceedings, together with 4 volumes
ANNUAL MEETING. 317
of the Journal, of the Royal Colonial Institute. As usual he has
kept our set of the Reports of the British Association complete
by sending the current number.
Mr. W. Hosking, of Namaqualand, has sent a number of
very fine specimens of copper ores (chiefly Erubescite and Copper
Pyrites) from the Cape Copper Mines, at Ookiep, Namaqualand.
Mrs. Ford, of Pencarrow, has sent (through Sir George
Smith) a very valuable and interesting Tale figure from New
Zealand. ‘Tale figures of this kind are worn by the Maori
Natives, as symbolic portraits of their ancestors. This is not
only one of the finest of its kind, but is one of the first sent to
this country, having been sent home in 1841. It is in a perfect
state of preservation.
Mrs. Jago has enriched the Library by the valuable gift of
46 volumes of the Proceedings of the Royal Society, from the
library of the late Dr. Jago, F.RS., who was a great supporter
of this Institution and President in 1874-5.
The effort to complete the sets of volumes of Transactions
of the Societies with which we are in exchange frequently meets
with success. Our thanks are due to Canon Moor who has again
presented several parts of the Journal of the Royal Geographical
Society, and to the Rey. Sir Vyell Vyvyan, Bart. for several of
the back numbers of the Journal of the Royal Cornwall
Geological Society.
The contents of Chemical Laboratory having been removed
to the Central Technical Schools, the room is now available for
other purposes and it is proposed that it shall contain certain
sections of the Museum.
A scheme which is being prepared by the Curator, for the
re-arrangement of the exhibits, will shortly be submitted to the
Council for consideration, and it is hoped that during the coming
year the work will be taken in hand. This will give many of
the objects more advantageous display, which some of them
badly require in order that their beauty and other points of
interest may be fully appreciated.
Several of the Mammals and Birds are in a bad state, some
of them having been in the Museum for a period of over 60
years. The Council would gladly welcome fresh specimens,
318 ANNUAL MEETING.
especially such as will illustrate the Natural History of the
County.
The Meteorological Observations have been carefully made
during the past twelve months by the Curator, and reports
furnished to the Registrar General in connection with the Royal
Observatory at Greenwich, to the Sanitary Committee of the
Cornwall County Council, and to the local and Plymouth press.
Returns of the rainfall in the respective districts have been
supplied by Mr. J. C. Daubuz, Killiow; Mr. Lean, Truro
Waterworks; and Mr. H. Tresawna, Lamellyn. These are now
embodied in the Curator’s report to the press and in the annual
summary of Meteorological Observations published in our
Journal. The Curator would like to receive returns from other
observers in order that they may be embodied in his report.
A more general comparison might be then made of the Rainfall
in the different parts of the Truro district.
The 46th number of the Society’s Journal has just been
issued, and is of great value. The Rev. Baring-Gould’s valuable
paper on the Cornish Saints is being continued, and there are
papers of considerable archeological interest, well illustrated,
by Mr. Thurstan C. Peter and other writers.
The editing of the Journal is now conducted by Major
Parkyn and Mr. Thurstan C. Peter; the Rev. W. Iago having
found that his other numerous engagements prevented him from
being able to devote the necessary time to the editorship any
longer. The Council desire to place on record their indebtedness
to the Rey. W. Iago for the very able way in which he has
always carried out the important duties entrusted to him.
The Annual Excursion took place on Tuesday, the 14th
August, in ideal weather. The party assembled at Camborne
where conveyances were waiting to take them to the Wendron
district. -Crowan church was the first halting place. An
inspection was made of the building and information given by
Rey. St. A. H. M. St. Aubyn, and the Vicar, the Rev. C. R. W.
de Cergat. Hangman’s Barrow was viewed in the distance, and
a little farther on the party alighted at a farm to inspect the
granite blocks known as the ‘‘ Nine Maidens of Wendron.” At
Wendron lunch was provided, after which the party assembled
ANNUAL MEETING. 319
at the Church where Mr. H. M. Whitley, F.G.S8., secretary of
the Sussex Archeological Society and an honorary member of
our Society, explained its features. The Church Plate was
exhibited by the Rey. E. L. Kingsford. Merther Uni was the
next stopping place; here the Crosses and the ruins of the Chapel
were visited. Trelill Holy Well, which was found to be ina
capital state of preservation was next inspected. At this latter
place pins were duly dropped in and copious draughts taken of the
cool delicious water. The fine Elizabethan house, at Trenethick,
interested the party a great deal, and its external appearance was
much admired. Leaving this charming old house the party drove
direct to Camborne, passing Skewis the home of the notorious
Henry Rogers, pewterer. After tea, at the Commercial hotel,
Camborne, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Major
Parkyn for the excellent arrangements he had made. Major
Parkyn in replying referred to the valuable assistance rendered
by Mr. Thurstan C. Peter in arranging the excursion.
The eighth Annual Joint Meeting of the Cornish Scientific
Societies, was held at Falmouth, on Wednesday, the 22nd of
August, 1900, when the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
acted as host, entertaining the visitors at luncheon, taking them
for a water trip at the close of the meeting for the reading of
papers, and inviting them to an evening lecture on ‘Golden
Victoria,” by Mr. James Stirling, the mining representative of
that colony. At the afternoon meeting, held in one of the rooms
attached to the Polytechnic Hall, there was a crowded audience.
The following papers were read: ‘An outline of the Geology
and Mineral Resources of Victoria,” by Mr. James Stirling, on
behalt of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall; ‘‘ Capital
for Cornish Mines,” by Mr. J. H. Collins, F.G.S., on behalf of
the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society; ‘Notes on Victorian
Gold and Coal Mining,” by Mr. James Stirling, on behalf of the
Mining Association and Institute of Cornwali; and “Cornwall
and the Romans,” by Mr. A. T. Quiller-Couch, on behalf of
this Society.
An Antiquarian discovery of great interest and importance
was made in the month of August, at Harlyn Bay, near Padstow,
and is still being investigated. It consists of an ancient Burial-
Ground, in a sandy hill, near the seashore, on the North Coast of
320 ANNUAL MEETING.
Cornwall. It is prehistoric and was unexpectedly brought to
light by the owner of the land, Mr. Reddie Mallett, who had
purchased the site for the building of a dwelling house.
The Rev. W. Iago having inspected the find, and reported
upon it, this Society, and other institutions in Cornwall and
Devon, as well as the Society of Antiquaries, London, with such
friends as interested themselves in the matter, supplied funds for
the exploration.
The examination of the ground lasted for many weeks and
has yielded valuable results. More will probably be eventually
obtained.
The Rev. W. Iago having been entrusted with the manage-
ment, associated with himself the Rey. S. Baring-Gould, M.A.,
Mr. Robert Burnard, F.8.A., Prof. O. V. Miiller, M.A., and Mr.
Buddicom, B.A., F.G.S., all of whom personally attended and
helped to conduct the operations.
It will be remembered that a Celt and some valuable Gold
Ornaments (of crescent form) were found at Harlyn many years
ago,—the latter being now in this Museum,—also that a Cinerary
Urn, Bronze Dagger, &c., were found nearly adjacent, and have
been described in this Society’s Journal for 1890. The present
find, has yielded perhaps the greatest number of Stone Cists,
Skeletons, and their accompaniments, yet discovered in any one
spot in Britain.
The objects found with the skeletons, viz :—spindle-whorls,
rings, bracelets, beads, and brooches, have been submitted to
Sir Johr Evans, K.C.B., and to Mr. Read of the British Museum,
for their opinion as to age; and the skulls, &c., to the eminent
craniologist and anthropologist, Dr. John Beddoe, F.R.S.
Their reports will be included in the full account, photographically
illustrated, which Mr. Iago is about to communicate to this
Institution. He has also secured the ornaments and some typical
cists and skeletons for this Society’s museum, considering that
Truro is the most fitting place in which such objects found in
the County should be deposited.
Full details connected with the discovery will appear in due
course, meanwhile the thanks of the Society should be accorded
to Mr. Mallett, the owner of the ground, for the facilities he has
ANNUAL MEETING. 321
afforded for a scientific examination of the remains and to those
who co-operated with Mr. Iago in the work of investigation.
As the outcome of a suggestion by Mr. H. M. Whitley,
F.G.8., an esteemed honorary member of this Society, and one
who for many years did so much good work for the Institution
as Secretary and Editor of the Journal, to the effect that it would
be a valuable thing if the Institution took up the preparation of
a regular and complete catalogue of the Mural Paintings to be
found in Cornish Churches, the Council have pleasure in reporting
that after duly considering the matter at a meeting, the Ven.
Archdeacon Cornish and the Rev. 8. Rundle have undertaken to
arrange for the work to be carried out. Similar work has been
done by Mr. Whitley, at Sussex, with great success. Mr. Walter
H. Tregellas, formerly of Penzance, and now of Barnstaple, who
has interested himself in mural paintings, has kindly offered to
place his notes on the subject at the disposal of the gentlemen
who have undertaken the work.
The fifth Henwood Gold Medal will be ready for presentation,
according to the terms of the will of the late William Jory
Henwood, in 1902.
The President being elected for two years, has one year
more to serve and the Council recommend for approval the
following list of Executive Officers, for the ensuing years 1900-1.
President :—’*
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAMS, Ksqa.
Vice-Presidents :—
Mr. J. D. Enys, F.G.S.
Rr. Hon. LEonNarRD H. CoURTNEY.
Siz J. LANGDON BoNnyYTHON.
Rev. W. Iaqo, B.A.
krv. Canon Moor, M.A.,
F.R.G.S
REV. S. BaRING-GouLp, M.A.
Treasurer :—
Mr. A. P. Nix.
Secretaries :—
Mason Pargyy, F.G.S. | Rev. W. Iaao, B.A.
Other Members of Council :—
VEN. ARCHDEACON CORNISH. CHANCELLOR PAu, M.A.
Mr. Howard Fox, F.G.S. Mr. THURSTAN C. PETER.
Mr. Haminron JAMES. Rey. S. Runpur, M.A.
Mr. F. W. MicHeEutL, C.E. | Rev. D. G. WHITLEY.
Mr. J. OsBoRNE, F.G.S. |
322 ANNUAL MEETING.
Corresponding Secretary for East Cornwall :—
Rey. W. Iaao, B.A.
Joint Editors of the Journal :—
Mr, THursTAN C. PETER. | Major Parxyn, F.G.S.
Librarian and Curator of Museum :—
Mr. GEORGE PENROSE.
The Council cannot close their Report without referring to
the loss sustained by the Rev. W. Iago (one of the Hon.
Secretaries and one who has contributed greatly to the
success and prosperity of the Institution), by the death of his
wife. Mrs. Iago, for a long series of years, was a constant
attendant and a familiar figure at the meetings and generally
accompanied Mr. Iago, always showing a lively interest in the
proceedings of the meetings.
GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM.
Specimen of biltong, the sun-dried beef of the Boers. Mr. R. Thomas.
Stigmaria, from the Coal Measures Pe nee Mr. R. Billing.
10 Cases of Foreign Stuffed Birds Tins, (Cihearibyeraeon
Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus erate is
Shells from the Falkland Islands
a
vs
Arrow, tipped with glass, made By a native of Mr. Rupert Vallentin.
del-Fuego eh
Specimen ot strongly Macnee Tron ee ftom David- ite, 1. W. Wlllesn.
Bittern, shot at St Onan, Jan. 1900 Mr. F. King, M.R.C.S.
Specimen of Lepidolite, from the Graian roe ... Professor Clark.
5, 9 Syenite, from Cleopatra’s Needle ... ae } Mr. W. B. Morris.
a ,, Chalcedony
Collection of Fossils from the av feray “Beals of oe
Broken River District, New Zealand
Spurs and Bit from South America Hab 00 .. ¢ Mr. J.D. Enys,F.G.S.
Eggs of Albatross and Apterix Owenli a tke
Specimen of Wavy Agate from Praa Sands _... ed }
Rev. S. Rundle.
Rev. R. St. Aubyn
Rogers.
Copper Ores (chiefly Erubescite and Copper Fut) ) :
from the Cape Copper Mines, 8. Africa .. Mr. W. Hosking.
Common Grass Snake ai ues 500 dus .. Mr. W. Bray.
Roman Lamp from Palestine ei ne ae . Mr, J.S. Spry,
Brown Umber from Godolphin
99 39
Collection of East African Butterflies
ANNUAL MEETING. 3823
Rock Specimens from Cumberland ee dee iD Mr. Postlethwaite.
Guillemot and Rook, from Trenowth ... wa a Major Parkyn, F.G.S.
Red Shank, shot at St. Clements Bo re as Mr. A. E. Adams.
Tale Figure, worn by the Maori Natives of New } :
Zealand, as a symbolic portrait of their ancestors Dae ean 1
Crystals of Felspar (Oruoca?) from vik works, }
St. Austell... ae Mr. George Penrose.
Slickenside (2) on Gueterie onal Chiorite fon on
Polbreen Mine : ae Mr. F. H. Mitchell.
Stone Cists, Skeletons, Flints, Spindle-whorls, Rings, Obtained b "
Rracelets, Beads, Brooches, &e., found at ' fone with, een
Harlyn Bay, near Padstow ae of landowner, Mr.
J. Reddie Mallett.
GIFTS TO THE LIBRARY.
90 Vols. Calendars of State Papers San
The Controller H.M.
183 ,, Calendars and Memorials of meeiead’ Stetina Ofte.
61 ,, Other Record Works ”
Radiant Energy a working pone in the ite gene of y
\,
the Universe Mr. R. W. O. Kestle.
Biological Tee inentaGiart by Sir Benjamin Ward POneheBromna
ts)
Richardson Gea
Rev. C ALOR.
13 Numbers of the Geographical Journal a5 Bo 4 iGo, MALE RGS.
J
The Garden of Queensland with Maps ... iG al
Queensland and its Resources fc ie t The Coraamant 66
Catalogue of Exhibits in the Queensland Ghore, Earl’s Queensland.
Court, London, 1899 ; oe
The Queenslander
British Association Report for 1899
Mr. J.D. Enys, F.G.S.
9 vols. Proceedings Royal Colonial Institute
4 ,, Journal do. do.
Report of Meteorolgical Observations for 1899, ob ‘ihe
Fernley Observatory, Southport . Mr. Joseph Baxendale
Mr. J. H. Collins,
F.G.S.
bn ee Ge
Revival of Cornish Mining
Diocesan Kalendar from 1878 to 1898... Bes .. Rev. S. Rundle.
Victoria, its Mines and Minerals ae a aN
Reports on Victorian Goldfields ti ee 600 Mae eee
Underground Temperature at Bendigo ... tive of Victoria.
Petrography of Rocks of South Gippsland
46 Vols. of the Procecdings of the Royal Society .. Mrs. Jago.
Life of Sir Stamford Raffles, by H. E. Egerton Rev. canon E Flint,
ve
324 ANNUAL MEETING.
New South Wales Statistics, History and Resources ... } eeuh Generalor:
Parish Register of St. Breward bie af .. Rey. Thos. Taylor.
6 Numbers of the Journal of the poe Geological us Rev. Sir Vyell D.
Society of Cornwall Vyvyan, Bart.
Report on Mines and Quarries for 1899 ... “ids .. Dr. C. Le Neve Foster
In the course of his paper (printed in this number of the
Journal) on ‘‘ Cornish Chairs, &e.,” the Rev. 8. Rundle referred
to the figure recently found in the garden of St. Sithney Vicarage,
and raised a doubt as to whether it represented the Trinity or not,
not thinking that there was sufficient space for the third person.
At the close of his paper, Mr. J. D. Enys pointed out there was
at St. Mawgan an old cross, where there was a representation
undoubtedly of the Blessed Trinity, and it was very similar to
that now shown them. In that the Holy Ghost was represented
above by a dove.—The Rev. W. Iago: You see it on the tower of
St. Austell also.
Sir George J. Smith said Mrs, Ford, of Pencarrow, had
desired him to present to the Institution a Maori relic. In
forwarding it Mrs. Ford wrote stating that her great wish was
for Sir George to present the relic to the Royal Institution of
Cornwall. ‘‘It was sent to England,” she added, ‘‘by Francis
Alexander Molesworth to his and my mother, the Dowager Lady
Molesworth. He was her youngest son, and in 1840 went out to
New Zealand, and was amongst the first pioneers to the country.
He was accompanied by several men from this part of Cornwall
(Washaway). On his arrival he immediately set to work—in fact
he was the one who turned the first soil in this, his adopted
country. In 1841 he sent to my mother the small idol which, I
trust, you will receive with this letter. These Tale Idols were
greatly valued by the chieftains of the country (even in 1841 they
were difficult to obtain), and were worn by them as charms round
their necks. A friend of mine, who has recently been in New
Zealand, at Wellington, told me that my specimen was much
finer than any he had seen in the museum there.” Mr. Enys
said the present was a very valuable one. It was not an idol as
stated, but an ancestral portrait. The Maori natives were not
idolatrous, but they were in the habit of keeping symbolic
ANNUAL MEETING. 325
portraits of their ancestors. That produced was one of the
finest specimens he had ever seen, and consisted of a figure with
a very large head, the tongue protruding in a posture of derision
or defiance. There was no neck to speak of, and there were only
three fingers and one thumb on each hand. The legs were
curved round and joined together at the feet. These figures
were generally worn round the neck, and were considered as
ancestral memorials. An eminent gentleman told him quite
recently, with great glee, that he had captured one for which he
gave £6, but it was very small. The one given by Mrs. Ford
was not only one of the finest, but one of the first sent home.
It was not the least damaged. One of the amusements of the
natives was to polish these with oil until all the small carving
was obliterated. This was intact, and Mrs. Ford should be
sincerely thanked for the gift.
Papers were read by Mr. Lewis, Treasurer of the
Anthropological Society, and others, and are printed in the
Journal.
Mr. Enys exhibited the little MS. signal book used by Sir
George Gray, signal midshipman on the Victory, at the battle of
St. Vincent. This valuable relic belongs to Mr. Enys, and on its
front page appear the words ‘“‘ Day signals for the fleet in the
Mediterranean under the command of Admiral Sir John Jervis,
17 OG”?
THe Harityn ExpLorations.
The human bones and the relics found with them at Harlyn
were exhibited, and the Rev. W. Iago explained them in detail,
and gave some information concerning the work of investigation.
The burial place, he said, was covered with a superabundance of
sand which had to be removed. Beneath this sand was an old
brown hill with a tolerably flat top. On that hill, consisting of
sand resting upon rock, the ancient people whose heads they saw
upon the table made the cemetery. They dug their graves in
straight lines, one head to another, all running towards the north
or south. There were many lines of graves side by side, about
3 feet apart, and about 13 feet below the surface. Beneath these
were other rows of graves, They graves were lined with great
slate slabs, and the bodies therein were laid in a contracted pos-
3826 ANNUAL MEETING.
ture—the knees almost up to their faces, and the hands and arms
sometimes crossed, sometimes down and sometimes up. It wasa
very well-known attitude, and whatever the explanation, was the
fashionable one of the period, and of that which preceded it.
From the earliest time downward the burials were very sparse—
one here, one there, and no particular form of interment was
apparently observed. When they came to the neolithic time they
found a prevailing fashion of putting their dead into bent
positions, as if sitting—laid on one side with knees up to face,
with hands crossed or pointing up or down. That was how these
bodies had been laid in these slate-lined graves at Harlyn, and
even the little children when they died were placed in cists in
the same posture, and it appeared they spent as much care and
attention on the burial of the child as they did on the burial of
the adult. Sometimes the graves were enclosed in four slabs,
sometimes they were in a kind of enclosure, and in the case of
children, they curled round rather, forming a circular kind of
grave, so that the children looked like a cat asleep. In some
instances the children were placed at the end of a large grave,
sometimes at the side, and in some cases they made a partition in
the large grave and put the baby inside the little partition, and
the mother apparently in the large apartment. This kind of
burial was not confined to the Neolithic age. They buried in the
same way down to the Bronze times. It was not the proper way
of burying in the Bronze times—when it came to the proper
Bronze era they adopted a different method; they buried the
person in an urn, having previously burned the body. Now, at
Harlyn, after examining a hundred bodies, they had found no
weapon at all. They seemed to have been, therefore, not a war-
like tribe. Harlyn meant ‘“‘On the water.” The graveyard to-day
was nearer the sea than when in use, for the sea had encroached.
On the top of the hill containing the graves large quantities of
sand had been blown up by storms, and this, as he had already
said, had completely buried the brown hill cemetery. In order
to get at it they had had to dig down through the sand and carry
it away. This had proved to be very heavy work. They had to
remove about 80 tons per day for six weeks. In all they had
carried away about 2,000 tons of sand to get at the graves.
Then they had to clear the surface of the brown hill of the sand
ANNUAL MEETING. 327
and the covers which were placed upon the graves. On each
grave was a great slate slab. Some had fallen in, and in open-
ing these graves it took a long time, the bodies being completely
enveloped in sand. Several sharp pieces of slate in somewhat
the form of knives were found. They not only found these in
and around the graves, but similar pieces sea-washed and smooth
were brought up from the beach. In their rough state they
might have been used as stone blades, and would have proved
very serviceable. There was, however, no particular importance
attached to these. They were called slate spears and slate
knives, and could be used as such; whether purposely so made
he could not say. In excavating they kept a careful watch on
the sand for ornaments.
Coming down from the Neolithic into the Bronze period,
many of the graves had no ornaments beside the burial itself.
Some of those of later date were found to contain bronze and
sight traces of pottery—bronze bracelets, rings, and brooches.
In one grave at Harlyn, in which three persons were buried,
there were found a necklace and two bronzerings. Four spindle
whorls too, were unearthed—whorls used by women at the time
—while a bronze bracelet, going round the arm once and a half,
very much lke a modern bangle, was also found, There were
also earrings on one skull, and they found something of tin or
iron. One bracelet had two knobs at the ends, such as were
to be seen even at the present time. These things had not been
recently put there, because on the skeletons there was a distinct
trace of bronze discoloration. But the best find of all consisted
of two brooches of the well-known class and form, but superior
to nearly all that were known, and the British Museum con-
sidered them a very important find indeed, so important that they
would gladly have possessed them When he mentioned it to the
authorities they expressed a desire to purchase them for £20,
He said rather than have the £20 they would preserve them for
the Truro Museum (applause), where they had already two
lunettes worth more than £50 for the intrinsic value of the gold
only, and much more for their antiquity and workmanship.
These were given them by the Prince of Wales (although trea-
sure trove), who paid £50 to the finders, and handed them over
to-the Truro Museum (loud applause). He had been in corres-
328 ANNUAL MEETING.
pondence with Sir John Evans, an authority, and he showed him
some studs of a pattern exactly the same as these brooches. The
latter, he thinks, are 2,000 years old at all events. They had
been evidently used to fasten a shroud around the waist. They
rested upon the pelvis, which contained traces of discoloration in
consequence. He (Mr. Iago) had measured many of the skele-
tons as they lay upon the ground, and had come to the conclusion
that the people buried there were from about 5 feet and a few
inches up to 5 feet 8 inches. Dr. John Beddoe had measured
some of the skeletons and skulls also, and had tabulated the
results, and would supply them with a report. He said the
skulls represented people of a very old race, and were of the kind
which existed before the rounder head of the Bronze people.
Only one appeared to be of a different period. So they seemed
to be descended to the Bronze period, and kept up their old
Neolithic customs of burial. The Harlyn Cemetery, at all events,
showed one thing, that in the early times in which these people
lived, they did as people of modern times were doing—used the
same burial ground over and over again. Thus in some points
the graveyard earth had become full of bones, all mixed and
confused. Professor Miiller had made some valuable plans and
sections of some of the graves, which in some places were
four deep. One grave made with eight slabs contained various
bodies. Near the heads of the bodies, in most cases, had been
found a little pazcel of charcoal, flint, and felspar. At that
period there was no need for fire for cremation, but it might have
been thought that when persons were buried and left in the
cold they might find that for their journey to the next world a fire
would be nice, and, as in the case of the woman, they gave her
her spindle whorl to make thread with, so they gave the man a
little fuel as provision for the way.
The CuHarrman asked Professor Miller if he thought it
possible to produce fire by the use of the felspar and flint?
Mr. Taco said he had tried it, and struck a fine spark.
On the conclusion of Mr. Iago’s remarks, Mr. Trrvatn said
they had had a most interesting address, but he thought the dates
were rather confused. The date Mr. Iago putat 2,000 years ago
—100 years before Christ—and the Bronze before that. Mr,
ANNUAL MEETING. 329
Taco: Coming down to that.——Mr. Trevart said he was very
much struck with the sketch which had been exhibited with
regard to the contracted position of the burials. It was the
favourite way adopted by the Aztecs long before this. He had
lately been examining a great many examples of such burial just
brought to Paris (in the Trocadero), and these graves might show
a connection between the Huropean and American continents. He
imagined that the period to which he was referring was long
anterior to 2,000 yearsago. But after all, was it not an act of
vandalism to pull these graves about as they had been doing?
Would it not have been better to let these poor old people rest in
peace as, undoubtedly, their friends hoped they would, and as we
hoped our dead would when we buried them to-day ?
The Rey. D. G. Wurrtey said there were two great ques-
tions to decide—what was the age of the burials, and what was the
character of the human being buried there? There were several
tests that might be applied to pre-historic burials. The first was
the animal remains found with the burial. The test of weapons
was not so good. In this case he was afraid no animal remains
were found. (Mr. Iaco: Here they are.) Mr. Whitley said there
were one or two which could not be precisely determined. A
discovery had been made in France, at the top of a very barren
old hill, of various graves, some of which appeared to be of a
later period than others. There were bronze bracelets and a few
trinkets which might lead them to infer burials of later date,
while farther down were stone cists precisely like those of Harlyn.
In these graves the skeletons were in a contracted position.
Further down, only a few feet, there were others very roughly
enclosed in slabs of stone. The animal remains and the imple-
ments—the mammoth, the lion, the rhinoceros, the reindeer, the
wild horse, the fire and flint instruments of the oldest type—
showed it was the burial place of the old stone age. There were
children’s graves precisely like those at Harlyn, and it was
puzzling to know how men with such intellectual heads could
have lived in those ancient times. He thought with Mr. Iago
that the Harlyn Cemetery was a burial place of the Neolithic age
or the Bronze age, though they should not say it was of the
bronze age because a few bronze trinkets were found.
330 ANNUAL MEETING.
Mr. Enys said, as an old colonist, that if he was going to bury
a body, and he had no proper implements, he should choose sand
to bury in as being so easily excavated; and he should put the
body in a contracted form rather than in a recumbent posture both
for easy burial and easy carriage. He thought these considerations
pointed to contracted burial of older times.
Mr. Iaco said, with reference to Mr. Trevail’s remarks
regarding the disturbance of these burial places, he quite agreed
that it was a lamentable thing to have to interfere with them. He
would never do it from choice. He had been invited to go to the
digging of barrows, and had refused if it was a needless disturb-
ance of a burial; but if a person was going to take away the
burial and strew the earth all over the field, or if the builder was
going to put a house there, he always said ‘‘ Let us have the first
dig.” No doubt their ancestors put their dead in the ground with
the hope that they would rest there in peace, and he thought they
should remain in peace, as we hoped our dead would.
Professor MtziEer said he carried with him to Denmark
representations of the discovery at Harlyn, and he also inter-
viewed the British Museum authorities. But he could find no
trace at the British Museum or in the various museums at Copen-
hagen of fibulee exactly like those found at Harlyn. The learned
men with whom he talked were all of opinion that the fibulee or
bronze brooches were of the form known as the later La Téne
form. That helped to fix the date. They also found an iron
bracelet, which showed that the iron age had begun when these
burials were made, and, finally, he found in one grave, in the
sand, with bronze ornaments, some Roman pottery. The conclu-
sion he came to was that they had here the burial place of the
early iron age, though they still had ornaments of bronze, and
iron was so rare that they still made bracelets of it. The Romans
might have been in the country, and this single jar might have
been got in the course of trading. All the burials were in lines,
and in one place four lines were one above the other—one rather
below the general level, and another rather above the general
level. ‘The burial place had been in use for a very long time
evidently, and here and there they found burial places, as if
somebody had taken a body, dug a hole and thrust it in without
any proper cist; and the bones were higher than the ordinary
ANNUAL MEETING. jel
level. It seemed to him it had been a field of the dead for many
centuries, and he placed it between B.C. 500 and A.D. One grave,
five-sided, contained two grown-up skeletons and those of three
children. The family might have died in an epidemic and been
tumbled in with no properly arranged grave. In another there
were the skeletons of four men. Their postures were those of a
little boy sitting down in a tub; as if they had been thrown any-
how into a grave not big enough for them. As to the charcoal
and flint. He personally superintended the excavation of the
graves, and in each they found a piece of charcoal near the head
and generally a piece of flint. He went back and dug over a lot
of the graves previously explored and found similar pieces still
lying in the sand. He might in this connection refer to the
Roman Catholic custom of putting a candle into the coffin. Mr.
Trevail had pointed out that they had been desecrating this
cemetery. The place was acquired for a building site, and had
not these societies come forward, the bodies, cists, and everything
might have been carried down to the bottom of the field, and they
would have heard little or nothing about them; or if they had
been seen, everybody would haye been accusing Mr. Iago of
having neglected a ‘‘ grave” duty.
There was much of the field unexplored and many graves
seemed to be in position. This was one of the few finds relating
to the old British who inhabited the land at the time of the
Romans. He believed there was a burial ground at Crantock.
Once or twice he had heard, as a boy, of skeletons being found
there. He thought an effort should be made to preserve the
Harlyn field. Mr. Mallett had no further desire to build upon
the land. Few people had the desire to live on a cemetery
where, perhaps, two or more hundred people had been buried,
even though it was 2,000 years ago. Mr. Mallett was anxious to
meet that Institution or any other that would try to preserve the
field, and he could not help thinking that meeting should not
separate without some effort being made to take steps to secure
the preservation of that old Cemetery. If it could be acquired
by some public body, and whatever graves there were preserved
for posterity, covered in from the elements and from cattle and
tourists—who were the gréatest source of destruction they had
to contend with while excavating—it would be a wise thing
332 ANNUAL MEETING.
accomplished. It might be enclosed in some way in order that
all who visited that part of the county might see what the burials
of the Ancient Britons were like. When he showed the foreign
museum Officials the plans of Harlyn they all asked, ‘‘ Won’t the
State take it up?” for on the Continent the State took up
everything of this sort, and they asked, ‘‘Why does not the
State buy the field and preserve it?”
Mr. Robert Fox said he had been at several meetings of the
Institution, but never recollected one more full of interest than
that. He was glad Mr. Iago had stepped into the breach in this
case, and they were all lastingly indebted to him and his helpers
for what they had done. He thought everything should be done
that was possible to preserve places such as this for future
generations, and he hoped that the Institution would devote
special interest towards doing everything possible towards
carrying out the suggestion of Professor Miiller. He proposed a
hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Iago and those who had assisted
him in these excavations. Sir Geo. Smith seconded theresolution,
which was carried with acclamation. Mr. Blenkinsop proposed
that the best thanks of the meeting be given to Mr. Mallett for the
action he had taken in regard to the Harlyn discoveries. In
ninety-nine cases out of every hundred these bones would have
been strewn all over the land and they would have heard nothing
about them. Mr. Enys seconded the proposition, and the
resolution was carried with applause. Other votes of thanks
.included ‘‘ Donors to the Library and Museum,” proposed by
Sir Geo. Smith, seconded by the Mayor (Mr. Richard Lean);
‘Officers of the Institution,” proposed by Mr. 8S. Trevail (who
referred particularly to the services rendered by Major Parkyn),
seconded by Mr. K. Sharp; and ‘‘The President,” proposed by
Mr. T. L. Dorrington, seconded by Mr. R. Fox.
The officers mentioned in the report were also formally
elected.
5 8 gO a0 se S60 300 aoueleg
6 FL 91ee 6 PL ores
Ze 99 °° ies ise nee ods aouvleg c rege
© 0% e: ah i 600 SBS jeuamoe
oll of St ct wit a Ss sotapung “!
002 " ae 008 600 600 qoynjorug “
0 FL he ats gee aouBinsuy pus oq “‘
e 2 OL 666 Boh as 606 uoisanoxg “
Pop eo a om = i er 9 8 0 ie 500 600 00 400 sorapung “«
Z slr” con 60% ah soxey, puv soyey ‘ ® ® @ oo “* gaTBAA JO DOUNG “HW H “
OLfI9 500 499 an 000 sey pus jong “! 0s & a sie ae oe nO jeummor ‘
e 0let 00 ah ow ‘Surqutag p syoog “ 80 Gk a “ee es ne SAOFISIA ‘
Tego: H06 aon 600 + sosuodxq umosnyy *é 0 OL8 ay Se ge oh ee uorsimoxa “
0¢ 98°" 600 ont p60 00 a0 saredoyy 0 91 8FL i oC i suodrrosqnug “* “48T¢ Aine
00 ¢ a 060 00 00 900 qoqwang Lg bee 0ST
“qsTe Aue SSC ge he ee sonuld OL “4sTe Ame
SP 8 337 “0061 DS oF *668T.
A fy) semiicg po noynysUe yetoly of Gym yunotin m “sesig ‘nog “hed ig sf "1G
"SINOQOOOV JO LHHHS HONVIVE
SOL. OF LL1 80.SP L6I 16.99 |
9 P LIT | ¥8-9 1Z oe | ort | a9 || #2 P 08-T | 36-9
13 13 | ¥6. | 08.9 83 Nee | Otol |} 1-9) & 43 | 240.1 | 68-9
03 g 1G. |SS6% SI 91 | 98. | 10-8 1Z g 69. | 82.
ol I G8. | 66-1 8 i OL. | 18.1 el I 08. | 80-2
FI G OS. | 29.2 SI i) iro || RABE ST | Gin || Gate
OL 1g | 3. |SP9. 8 AL | Gio |} Bo OL WS || Geo |) Pe
LT ZL -| GOL | €9:¢ FL je || OME | Wee SI ZL | 66. | 16.8
IT j 04. |S3L-2 8 z 09. | 8.1 6 z 79. | 66.1
|
el € SP. | 00.2 IT ¢ Gino |) bee aL g as. || GOL
oI 61 | OL-L | 8-8 IT 61 | 20-1 | 26.2 FI 61 | 80-1] 62.
61 FL | 9.1 | 16.9 LT PL | OS-L | LP.9 LI rE | 29.1 | €8.9
Lz 9 L¥.1. | 8-9 GS 9 €P.1 | €8.9 FG 9 86.1 | LP.9
oyu |yydeq |seyouy ‘age lyydeq seyouy|) ‘aye |qQdeq | seqouy
TSF “TIS "TIOF
aiour io 10.| ‘sinoy vz ut |*q}dap |jatowr Io Io, ‘stnoy bz ut |'ydoep)||o10um Io 10.) ‘sinoy vz ut }*y}dap
Yor oO | [Tey ySeyetyH | TBJOT, || YoryM wo | [VF ysozyeoIyH | [ejJoOT, || Yor WO | Te} ysoZvory | [ej}OL,
skep JO ‘ON! SABP JO ‘ON a: sep JO ‘ON
*][BMULOD FO MOTFNITSUT [eAoy udyjoue'yT “SHIOMA 10IVAA OANAT,
‘HSOUNHd “OHD “bsq “VNMVSAU.L AH “bs ‘NVHT £ A
oiom 10 10.
86
‘Thos
YOIyM wo
skep JOON
os | 60.1
ST | 76.
é 16.
1 70-1
& GG.
Ié | Ié.
al 96.
& 6P-
v &F.-
06 | 06.1
ial 69.1
9 IS.T
‘oye 'yWdoq,
‘sInoy bz ur
TlBF FSo} Bot
§1-4
soqouy
‘yydap
TEIOL
SONTMDAL
“bsq “‘ZNFTNVG “OL
NOSTUVdINOO0
TVLOJ,
eas
"Taq UIaA0 NT
1940990)
Tequieydag
qsusny
Aine.
eune
key
Tady
Youvyl
Aren.1q2, 7
Arenue iy
TABLE No. 1.
*‘poyjdde moaq aavy ‘ainge1sduley puw "(490 x
AQ “Yormudo.y ‘A10yvArtosqQ [kAOY oY 4B 10JeTI0
=
Teg prespury
49 BSI posn ojo uOIBE OT, —"SUUV NAY
898-66
| 096.63 | 8F6.6%
7) vas aaoge 4nSstay ‘(eoT.o+) Aqteeytidep ‘(g00.0+) Ie4Y XOPUY AF SMOTJOOIIOD OUT, “AOUSTRID “TN
S 942 QI parvdu0o puv ‘Moairg Aq opeut “parvpue
696.66 | SUBETAL
0S. eg. | S60. €VL-1 I1€.6¢ GSV-0E | 9-966 | 60E- 700. | 996-66
0 3 61) F9- | 86) CP. | SPT: F6E-1 | 4% | 99-62 | OL | 09G-0€ | $49.62 | L6Z- | 676-62 | €00- B26.62 | 8S6.62 | $86.62 | $96-6z |t9q M09
9RG og. | 9L | Th. | SPL | 088-1 | 8% | 80-62 | ST | PLV-0€ | G8P.62 | G22. | 82-62 | 700- 1GL.66 ; 044-62 | GPL-6 | 092-66 |29 U9 AON
PRE oF. | FS} 16- | €80- S6L-L | 92% | OLF-6Z | 3B | 899-0E | 02-63 | ECE. 020-08 | 900- 9Z0-0€ | 280-0 | ST0-0E | €80-0 | 22949990
oY ES| OF- | Ss} GZ. | 960. 026-0 | 08 | 409.62 | ZI | 429-08 | 194.64 | S68. | OST.0€ | 100. | PST-O€ | ZST-0€ | 9PT-OF | TOT-0€ Joquraydag
OL 3 6 cg. | 6 61. | 090- 620-1 | 9 | 848-62) ST | OLP-0& | 489-66 | 968. 616-62 | P00- £86.62 | 000-08 | 826-62 | £46.62 |" suSNy
PRE og. | 9L | 9f- |090- | 289-0 | & | 149-63] 8 | 886-0€ | 969.66 | STP- 680-62 | 600- TF0-08 | 0F0-08 | 480-08 | 9F0-08 |" ATL
Go 1G| GE. | 66] 91. | 690. 009.0 | Iz | 149.62| 1 | 143-08 | 99¢.62 | 68&. | 996.62] 100. | 496-62 | 6F6.63 | 296-62 | 096-68 | euNL
VPS Ifivo || 8 Pp. | 190. | 0F6-0 | § | ISF-.62| 62 | L6E-0€ | 289.62 | 86d. 686-66 | 600- 86.62 | 66-62 | 286-68 | 616-66 |" ABW
PYE cg. | § cr. | 160- 9&I-L | & | 488-82] 6L | S2S-0E | $82.62 | FS. | SE0.0E | F00- 620-08 | 820-08 | £20 0g | €0-08 |" INV
9T 8ST) G9. |G ce. |€80. | 989-T | 6E | 801-62 | FI | PPL-08 | 628-62 | ZET- | 610-08 | 400. | 960-0€ | SE0-0E | PLO-0€ 180-08 | 498 TAL
PLYEL| 16. | 02) Lg. | SSI | 098-1 | 6 | 0B¢-8c | 8% | 080-0E | 6FE-62 | 9B. | B4S-66 | G00. | G4S.63 | PLE-68 LLS.6% | PLG-62 | Lrenaqay
SI VAT| 2. | 9 Gp. | 9ST. 8z-. | & | 088-62 | Gz | STS-08 | 24-63 | F493. | G46.62| PUO. | 446-62 | 186.6 | 896-62 86-6 Arenue pC
“UL ‘Ul Ul "SUL “SUL ‘SUI "SUI UL ‘SUL ‘al “SUL “SUL “SUI *guI
el [) Q Q Ss
ED ae S oe 8 re 3 g B
ae oa 8 5 2 2 at ong = 28 = ele eS Be ‘md g¢| ‘m'de¢ | ‘ue 6
ea (Own | |fae| so | Be |e lees |o leks) ee | ge | Be | ee | Be
g2 1 oaq (4) G52] ef | ge |S | dee |= | she) ey | ze | ge | Be | ge suo yy
ae | # oa s 8) 6 | Bs *B g Pig | me | PS ge tae | “[OA2
ane aes 4 = prog = = Fh Be et 5 wos 4e “AeA “Bop Ze 04
is co o © dl 9 y paq0ar109 oanssoid UBoyT
‘[OAIT BOS TVOM OAOGY Joo} EP UAO4SIN “WHLHNOUVA AHL FO SNVHW ATHINOW “0061
Nc a a a gla a ce ee
-g80dueg ‘00 ‘ay ‘A0jeang oy} Aq “[[emuUaog Jo uoTNIT}SUy [ehoy oY} 72 ydoy saoqSIFoY
Woda “QOGF ABO OY) OZ “MK fH .G ‘BUOT “N LE OG ‘FET Ul ‘oanay, 4% SuoWWeAAOSqO [eo1gofoaooj0y Jo Aaeurung
TABLE No, 2.
‘TOUSIRLD TN Aq paqoortoo usaq oAVT PUB “BAquILZ PUB IAJITSON Aq ory SQN
A pare yo BapzEHs ow PRE sossvd 11a out oat M Rinne Bee popog @ UL oe eae ou Jo food penEel ou rao) > DECE de ae StajemOoeny, ond
98 1g 19 |€-FL |8-1¢ €-0 |S-1¢ ev 1.86 | L-9 |$-SF 6.3 P-8F | 6-0 6) PIS | $1 1.86 1.29 |8-67 \6.08 9-99 |9.67 lo.ee ee cmt
16 | % | 08 2G ‘|IT-O1 |1-2% | 3-0 |€-4 8-GP |S-2¢ | €.F |8-Fh 0-6 Le 6-0 |P-LP |T-6P | 3-0 €.6F 9.9F 9.87 |4.8F |8-08 0.29 '2.8P | taqueoeq,
98 | 1% | & 19 |lz-et [9.97 | 1-0 |2.9 L-OF |6-€¢ | Gp [8-3 T-3 0-97 | $-0 |S-SP |L.2F | 90 4.2% ||-PP |9.9P [9-29 [4.08 |8-PF |0-4F |) toqureaon,
Ste | ie | 1 19 |l0.FL 18.2¢ | ¥-0 13-8 3-9F |2-09 | ¢.9 |0-2h | 0-€ G-0¢ | 9-0 |T-TG G.8¢ | 8-0 €-FS |/4.6F |8.1¢ /9-69 0-29 |0-TS |E.7G || 1940400
cra Omelecs 94, ||6-81 \6-8¢ | 8-0 |T-69 4.6F |9.89 | 0-9 [8-09 | BE |T-9¢ | 6-0 '0-9¢ @.8¢ | L-1. 0.09 ||¢.2¢ |6.8¢ |$-8¢ [8.79 |T-2¢ [8.19 || aqueydag
or |6 | & €8 ||4-8T |F-09 | €0 [2-09 8-TS |T-02 || #8 |$-29 | F-F 6.9 | ST [4-2 [6.09 | 0-6 6.69 ||P.9G [8-89 |6-6% (0.29 19.89 1-69 ~ qsnsny
GP NN ee 98 |/9-41 P29 .0 |L.€9 6.¥5 [9.24 9.6 8.86 | GF 8.96 | Z-T [0.09 |&-29 | 1-3 |F-99 |IP-8¢ 8-19 [4.19 |&-89 |8-09 [6.99 |] “-" ATae
&& | 62 | OF GL ||L-PI |8.8& 6-0 |9.89 |P-TS /&.99 || 8h |T-2G | 8.0 |T-FG | 4.1 /8-99 |6.99 | 6-6 (8.6% 0.96 [6.45 G.9¢ |S-T9 |0-9E {4-09 ||." eune
6& | 0% | SE ZL ||2-91 |2-1¢ | 8.0 |0.2¢ |$-€F |€-09 || 8.9 |6-PF | 9-8 |L.8F | F-T |S-6P [4.1 | €-2 |0-7S 0-8) 2.09 |2.06 |8.95 [8-67 4.79 || aN
OF | 24% | 0€ 04 |6-PI 6.8F | 1-0 \0.6h |¢-TF |¢.9¢ a8 L.0F | ¥-& |8.¢F | GT IL-LP |3-6P | 9-1 |8.0S ||P-GF |9-4F |2-8h |0-€¢ |8-27 |6 TS |] Tay
G& | SI | 3% L¢ |0-81 |Z.1p 3-0 |9.TF \9-SE |9-2F || T.2 |S-FE | 8-3 |S 8E | 9.0 |T-6E |€-TP | 0-1 |€-8P ||4-26 [0-07 |0-1P |8-97 [8-85 |8-TP |) MOTRIN
LE | | 02 yo \lp-et TP 1.0 [¢.1F \8-F8 I2-9P || z.@ [2-48 | 2-0 |3-68 | ¢.0 [4 6e [6-0F | 4-0 |9-LF ||0.8¢ |F-68 |-Th |9-PF |P-68 /0-TP || Szenzqaq
G@ | Te | 66 Fe |l¢-8 |6.pF 1-0 |0.¢h |4-0F |2-6P || ¢-F |4-0F | 8-L 3-Sh | 8-0 |S-SP |0.SP | 7.0 |F-SP |6-TP |F-SP [8- PY (2-27 |6-EP |8-S7 Arenwe p
ew ee Sanit O (0) oO (0) Oo fo} (0) oO oO (0) oO 10) leans (0) 10) (0) 10) 10) eos oO chy REE
S S 6 o| 2 Cre os
é ee | 2 efleelle|peigs| = |gs|eil2e8|e_/ ef 228 ]e.| 4/2) 2lelale
Blog || & Be [ee SS SS (SEI Se Se) 2 Se (se eelGeleeizq lar) & | aie i4iei4
® 5 B s “3 ae Be as ee el | [ag oe gS 58 ee a8 S28] & s | = S 5 S qquoy
ye ae] By Bi Sed eras 18S
¢ aEULOSay rs | ‘ONIMMLSIOUY ATES ‘MALUNOUDAH S.NOSVIN ‘urd 6 ‘ud ¢ UL 6
“0061
YALANOWYAHL AHL 40 SNVHW ATHLNOW
aac,
TABLE No. 3.
*UL40}8 YUSLOLA 04 WMI WOAT ‘9 09 () WLOAJ O[VOS B MO PAYBUITISIS1 PULM OY JO eoL0F ON,
oolttlor| 98 0.61 0.69 gce | 90h | 0.68 | ore | ost
9-1 LEI LI | SE | 82 | 92 6 | 2/3 |] 97 | 26 | 69 | 88, Ge | OF |] T9 | F4 | 24 || 8B | OF | EAT | He | Te|| 4 | 12 | 1
atleriotloltiololololrlele le loi» lerierjmlol+lel|rtleie|tilolo
HOMO SIS I alii IeI2 IO lei ie lo |o eli ie lle [ale ilo} o | 0
B0ILTIETIOlololle|elaiv iris lol|t|* lori] s |t|1/e Ile 12/2 0/0 Jo
rOlOT e091 1/2 ie it irio lls lorior|oOlols iv |21¢ lhe |oit iit ieee 9)
WMOiOr OLB IBIE lololriolsels I@lealelelelelelele lololo fio (i jo
GO/OT/OT/O/Olollolololi¢ |sittirioleiitigi¢eitigitiel|Fio)t iro
Glee OlOle hele le ir ie@ledelZlselalele he l4leilelely fo lo fo
LOler\erleisielol|zi/e|rleisizieie|rielolFlzlelaly|y lols \ey
LOB elOliWOleley lel ele lPISi2iPleiv I Tit le lelelelris je
BOM GOB IO ie8hrizialle els loli lolo solo ii |i [ole hele lets icp
Ore OI? |e WO} @ |e lee |e Ie |S |e 8 18 7 8 18 18 lo 1a |e jo | 6 ja
WOMOTIOLME LEO We lelp lA lorislelgisislelelels ololrielej«lo
Sp (ee eae ae ere ea ee alter ee ete Reet cata ce Veo sy ageleull acoilnee) | aco es || eile
sis [e isi sles le le iloluls isi sje lols |e iis |ale flog |o|e is igle
Se st ee ee ey el) EP) ees ts Be ie ich ye ye i ie ts
|
"“HOUOA AOVUAAV “HN 'N “M'N “M 4 “AS ut) bic Gi) "t
“ SUBOTA,
“Teg,
Taq ute0e (7
19 W9AON
** 190900
Taqurey deg
“ asndny
Ans sme
“Trad y
Aron. 9,7
Sivnue pe
"qqUoW
‘006T
TABLE 4,
*punor5 ay} WITT 490y OF Jog ye “moTYNATAsUT TeAor ON4 Fo Joor 4RY Oy4 WO paoerd st oanqy, 4V esnes-U1eLI ATL, ‘go. ‘bsa ‘shu “a'r
Ay paqyuasord ‘1apidoay ourysung o1ydersojoyg s,ueproe¢ v Aq Wayey St eULYSUMS sTL, *padnasqo aie esayg Jo AuvO MOY Surjou pue ‘sqtvd weq OFUL ANS oYy SULPIATp AC pazwuityse st ssouUTpnoTD
*s[e]o
a PS I TREE SE 290 aS AES 6 TE TS oa - neelite —
| | |,eTe % 0 era! e PAs 3 “ai | ee | @ |] SUBII\)
VL | 94 | 9-7 |x€1E |¥.T121 9-S6S) 18 | 80 | G& x61G |S9L-9V| ¥-9) 1-9] €-9 | 8G | IN
|
‘p Urey oqeyremay ‘62 ‘o[eA WwuIMT “FZ | { |
‘Ga GL ‘OL ‘OL ‘Som "S29 Treg ‘co‘o‘1‘ssora || 96 | 49 || 0.1 | PL ie-e8 |4-269| 86d-| 98 | 9.0 | ¥-S
ee ta 1 1G eur || VO| 99 || 7-6 | 7S |T-€2 j6.6co| S2e.| 98) G-0 | 2.8
GG 1G
93 | 8-9 18.4) 1-2) 8-4) P-4 | requrosd
12 | 08-9 | 8.9 | 9.9 | 9.¢ | 8.9 ||toqumeaoN,
02 |$86-2 | 0-9 | ¥-9 | 0-9 | 8-¢ ||’ 22409990
ZL | 66-1 |8¢|8.3| 9-8 | T-g ||teqmtezdeg
FL | 29-2 |9-212-3/ 2-8] @g ||" psusny
OL (SF9-0 | 2.6) 2-6)3-b) TS" Aloe
LT | $9-8 |¢.9]1-9] Z-2| 7-9 || eune
“TE “OL “WRH = “08 “6a “Ze
psumgqsry go 1 gsorr | OC | G4 || 4-6 | 86 |G.L1T |p-€2E| Gs-| OS | 6.0 | 9-€
‘g Surmquart |) GT | 84 || 9-G | 86 |T-89T |0-8TS) €6é- 18 | 0-1 | ¥-F
‘gorH wm 9 sumuTT Tepe |G | 7g | 0.4 | OS |T.6Te 6.STS| S68-| 94 | HL | FF
‘GC SumpySry puvrepunyy, “91 ‘Zi ‘te‘sepanyg | & | 06 || 0-8 | TS 9.95% T-8T¢ PIP-| G4 | 81 | 9-7
in want | ST) $4 | | 62 |8.2t [6.6Ts| 168-| 28 | 9-0 | F4
aquylwMey OZ “1epuuyy, “OLS ‘ore reUNT
6 | #8 || P-L | OF |6.1€B |9.¢2¢| 66-| 08 | 8-0 | F-E Il [S803 |¥-5/0-F |0-F] 6G | ARN
“96 ‘86 ‘U6 ‘FOR ZI | 84 | 0-9 | 9% |L-28T 0-829] $s3-| G4 | T-T | 6% eI | 00-2 | 0.9) F%-9 8-4 | 8h | Indy
SO ieee | tees 2 | 98 | 4:€ | 9% lo.ort [g.9e¢| 26T-| 22 | 2.0 | 8-2 ot | Fe-6 |0.9/69/29) #9 |) W92RW
BasomTy “OL OD "8a “Ie “ZL “FL “SE ‘AL ‘6
apts Gomag we UK O pean Naito : | i y V2 ; i 5 ; op || Aten..ga
esc a, CS OL AE OC STAT UL OF ie | PT | OL | TE | $6 |T-28 |L-288) 988-) G6 | 80 | 9-6 61 | 16-9 | ¥-¢| 6.9 | 9.9 | 8-6 qed
0G “GI “TL “Pom “8a ‘2c “Oa‘L1 TH “08 “asorm || 9B | LO || 6-L | G% {6.09 |%.ZES| Sd-| G8 | S-0 | 6% 13 | 66-9 | 7.9/2.9] 9.9] 6-9 || Sxenuee
WL ‘sad ar "sid Res} ‘Ul Se
| 1 se 2 = 3 Bi
Ux}
p|eo|2sl S8] S| Bikes! of 2°] 5 lees lees
q|/o™*| He BY OB [eB | 2a) oF SEol # =
a@}ot| es | 84/85 ge lees) 28 Eom] ¢ | 2 | | | ®
‘suuvIvaH lal 88)88| oo [Seq] o&lseiSae| Se laa | ge] © | P| ELE
ay | Go }]a2!] eo |ipok S42 i358 1o8 8) ae peace Ear "yqQuOyy
i 3 sh oo | BE HES! SOS |SEBae) 8g san0y 3
PO, SS | ad | S6) eS se lsgs| 25 loc arney | “soqour
: iz Sh 58. a a g g Sa ed ae qsoqvoty Ul [[BsUley ‘SSHNIGNOT0
| 3 2 gE) 8 S/ES"| Bs aS HOVUAAV
—— ie) ret
“CHA LVM “O06T
339
NOTES BY A NATURALIST ON HIS VOYAGE TO THE
FALKLANDS AND BACK, WITH REMARKS ON THE
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THOSE ISLANDS.
By RUPERT VALLENTIN.
It is some years since I had seen a school of flying-fish, or
admired the beautiful iridescence of a Portuguese man-of-war, or
even gazed on the Southern Cross, or the Magellanic clouds; so
that a little thrill of pleasurable anticipation was excusable when
I embarked on the steamship Zanis at Tilbury Docks, late on the
evening of 4th October, 1898. By breakfast time the next
morning we were well down the river; and about noon, having
landed our pilot at Dover, our course was shaped for Ushant.
I was anxious to examine the plankton over which we were
steaming, but our pace exceeded eight knots an hour. I tried
during the first few days the method first suggested by Sir John
Murray; viz., that of straining the sea-water, which circulated
over the ship, through a fine piece of silk bolting cloth. This
was only partially successful ; the copepods seeming to be stunned,
and in most instances damaged beyond recognition by the rush
of water through through the pump and pipes. Our engineer,
who took a great interest in my studies, kindly lent me a small
bucket holding about two quarts, to the handle of which I
fastened a light line; and with this I was able to dip water from
the sea, and pour it through a fine silk-net, the pelagic forms
being retained in a small test-tube fixed at the extremity. This
plan was most successful, especially in the Guinea current; and I
was able to examine almost daily my captures so obtained in a
coal-bunker, which was used as a fitting-shop, when any slight
repair became necessary to the vessel or engines.
Only those who have attempted microscopical work at sea in
a small steamer which seemed to illustrate perpetual motion in
in all directions, can form any idea of the difficulties one has to
contend with while examining minute pelagic forms under a
dissecting microscope, or even with an inch objective. Besides
the rolling, the light was very poor, being obtained from a bull’s-
eye about six feet distant from the bench to which my instru-
d40 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
ments were lashed. In spite of these drawbacks, I was able to
make a cursory examination of my gatherings, and to note
roughly the changes of the plankton as we steamed along.
Between Ushant and Finisterre, a common radiolarian
Acanthometra elastica, occurred in abundance ; afew Clausia elongata
being noticed with them. Drift specimens of /ucus serratus,
Zostera marina and Chorda filum were seen floating in large masses
ten miles due west of Ushant lighthouse; smaller clumps of the
same weeds being detected at intervals as much as twenty-four
hours after leaving that spot.
The barometer, from the day after our departure, remained
very steady at 30°00; but rose during the night of the 9th to
30°10.
The first flying-fish was seen in 41° 03’ N., and as we steamed
south, these attractive objects daily increased in numbers, till the
neighbourhood of Cape Frio near Rio de Janeiro was reached,
when they vanished.
I have frequently noticed in my previous voyages when in
the tropics, how soon cats discover the presence of fish on board,
and the pussie we had on this vessel was no exception
Instead of turning in to sleep as she had hitherto done
after nightfall, she prowled on the deck, and the moment one of
these fish came on board she promptly seized it.
On the morning of the 10th when about 250 miles north of
the Canaries, we began to realize that we had left winter behind
us, the air being much warmer. The sea, too, assumed that
beautiful cobalt blue, which those who have never been an ocean
voyage can but feebly imagine.
Early on the morning of the 11th the peak of Teneriffe was
seen rising out of a sea of mist and towering 12,000 feet into the
azure blue sky; and about mid-day our anchor was dropped in
the bay of Santa Cruz. On the same evening we resumed our
journey to Montevideo.
We were now well in the region of the north-east trade
winds. The temperature of the air was high, being 80°F. in
the shade on deck ten minutes after sunset on the 12th, and
during the next ten days from longitude 17° W. to about 38° W.
it varied but little. The barometer also varied very slightly
during the same period, ranging between 30°10 and 80-00.
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 341
The pelagic forms secured on the 12th were not of much
interest ; a few specimens of a species of Clausia and a spherical
alga, brown in colour, belonging probably to the genus Halos-
phera, were all the forms I obtained from several buckets of
water dipped from the sea.
Early on the morning of the 13th, in lat. 19°44’N., long.
20°25’ W. we steamed through several streaks of slightly dis-
coloured water of a reddish tint, due to the presence of a species
of Zrichodesmium. This alga was spherical in shape, almost 2
m.m. in diameter, and differed very much from that species as
observed along the coast of South America.
About this time I made an unpleasant discovery. I had
been taking the surface-temperature of the sea since leaving the
channel from a hydrant on the deck aft, which I was given to
understand descended directly into the sea. Owing to the very
high temperature recorded on the morning of the 14th, I made
further enquiry, and found that the sea-water which circulated
through the vessel was obtained from a pipe which passed through
the engine-room, and thence into the sea. The fact of this sup-
ply pipe passing through the hot engine-room was sufficient to
raise the sea-water at least 5°F. Subsequently, all surface
temperatures were taken from water dipped by a bucket from
the ship’s side; care being taken to rinse it well before recording
the temperature of a sample.
The average surface-temperature of the sea from Santa-Cruz
to the coast of Brazil was about 76°F. ; the highest, 79°6°F. pos
recorded in 0°19’ N., 28°50’W. :
In my many numerous gatherings made between Teneriffe
and Montevideo various species of Ceratium were most abundant ;
but not a single specimen belonging to the genus Peridinice was
secured during the whole voyage. The various species of cope-
pods were mostly bright blue in colour; one small species
belonging to the genus Coryceide formed a prominent object in
all my gatherings during the whole journey across the Atlantic.
This species was bright blue, and rivalled our English Anomalo-
cera Patersoniiin brilliancy. Curiously enough, a radiolarian very
similar to, if not identical with Acanthometra elastica was very
abundant in 0°19’ N., 28°50’ W. During the evenings of the
342 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
17th and 18th we had some beautiful displays of phosphorescence.
Flashes of light from two to three feet in length, probably
caused by Pyrosome were common; and the whole surface of the
sea for some little distance round the vessel was illuminated by
countless gleams of light; some of these being bright green in
colour, which greatly added to the beauty of the display. While
in this region, I was able to capture a few beautiful specimens of
various species of Globerina; and on more than one occasion,
I was fortunate enough to examine a species of Haliomina with
the protoplasm in a partially expanded condition.
The surface temperature of the sea fell to 77°F. on the
evening of the 20th, the position of the ship at noon on that day
being lat. 3°47’8., 30°40’ W., and with this decrease of tempera.
ture, we lost the beautiful displays of phosphorescence we had
enjoyed during the previous evenings.
Birds had been very scarce since leaving Ushant. Some
birds, known to sailors as ‘‘ Whale birds” (Prion desolatus), had
followed the steamer for some days after leaving Santa Cruz; but
with the exception of a few petrels, probably Procellaria pelagica,
and a single frigate bird (regata aquila) which hovered round the
ship in 16°0'S., 86°47'W., no birds were noticed during the
voyage to the South American coast.
On the morning of the 21st in 11°25’S. a few veliger larvee
were the most interesting forms noticed in the gathering made
just before noon. Besides these, a few specimens of a species
of Trichodesmium resembling in appearance microscopical bundles
of straw, were observed for the first time.
We all noticed a decided change in the atmosphere on the
morning of the 23rd, the sky being overcast, and the wind dead
against us. The sea too, which had been 77° F. at noon in
20°4’ §., fell to 74° F. at sunset; the temperature of the air at
that time being only 71° F.
Shortly after noon, in 23°44’8., the wind fell, and there was
a complete calm. As we steamed along, we passed through
long irregular streaks of discoloured water mostly of a dull-red
colour, due to the presence of the species of Zrzchodesmium already
referred to. According to my observations these streaks of algee
varied considerably both in shape and colour; some being light-
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 343
red, and others of a darker hue; but microscopical examination
shewed no difference in structure. I was unable to detect any
unpleasant smell in the sea-water containing this alga, although
some observers have recorded it. Perhaps this odour is only to
be noticed during certain times of the year. Species of Zricho-
desmium are to be found in tropical seas all over the world; a
species Z. erythreum occurring in vast patches in the Red Sea,
especially during the month of August, as I observed it some
years ago.
This alga appeared in all my gatherings, although it was not
visible on the surface of the sea till the 25th, our position being
27°4’S., after which no more was seen till the return voyage.
During the same afternoon I obtained a glimpse of several
small pieces of Gulf-weed (Sargassum bacciferum), the largest not
exceeding 20 em. in length, and on the next day afew more frag-
ments were seen.
On the morning of the 25th we ran into a cold current which
appeared to run at right angles to our course, the temperature
being 69°F. Here occurred vast shoals of various species of
Ceratium, and with them a few Ahizopods. The position of the
ship at noon was 27°4’S., 45°54°W.
_ During this afternoon the sea rose in temperature to 70°F.,
and the barometer to 30°30, both however falling after sunset;
the temperature of the sea to 67°F, and the barometer to 30°10.
We experienced during the 26th a great change both in wind
and weather. The surface temperature of the sea at noon in
30°30'S., 49°27 W. had fallen to 63°9°F., and at sunset there was
a still further decrease to 60° F., the temperature of the air
being 66°F. only.
Birds of various species began to abouud. Two Cape
Pigeons (Daption Capensis), and several Penguins were seen dur-
ing the morning; and for the first time, after a considerable
interval, a fine Albatross (Diomedea exultans) was noticed about a
quarter of a mile distant.
On the same evening the surface temperature of the sea had
fallen to 59°F., but the temperature of the air remained the
same as on the previous evening, viz.: 66°F. By noon on the
27th the depth of water was only fifteen fathoms, and the bottom
344 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
consisting of fine sand dark in colour, mixed with fragments of
shells. The position of the vessel at mid-day was 34°9’S.,
52°56’ W., and the surface temperature of the sea 55°F. At
sunset the surface temperature rose 1°, the temperature of the
air being 53°F., and the barometer 30°30.
At day-break on the 28th we anchored two miles from the
town of Montevideo in five fathoms of water ; the surface tem-
perature of the sea remaining at 56°6° F. during the next
twenty-four hours.
We left our anchorage and resumed our voyage during the
afternoon of the 29th, the barometer and the surface tempera-
ture of the sea remaining unaltered; but the air was cooler,
being only 54°F.
At noon on the 30th we were sixty miles due east of Cape
Corrientes, and during that afternoon we passed quantities of
Albatross (Diomeda exultans), Cape Pigeons (Daption Capensis),
and with these a few ‘ Nellys’ (Osszfraga gigantea) were noticed.
I am sure I never saw such numbers of Albatross before, and the
only explanation I can offer is that there must have been shoals
of fish in the immediate neighbourhood, the water being only
fifty fathoms in depth. During this afternoon a sheep which had
recently died was thrown overboard after its fleece had been
removed. It was a wonderful sight to see the Albatross and
‘Nellys’ swarm round the body as soon as it was clear of the
steamer, the small Cape Pigeons remaining some little distance
off till their superiors were satisfied. Our pace, however, did
not allow me to keep these birds long in view, even with the aid
of an excellent pair of binoculars.
During this time I noticed particularly the great variation
in the markings of both the wing and tail feathers of the Cape
Pigeons; the patterns being dark brown or black on a white
background. In some cases the darker markings were present as
two transverse bars on each wing; occasionally a_ star-like
pattern, or an irregular wavy line could be seen. In all instances
these markings appeared to be symmetrical. I had intended
making some further notes on these interesting variations, but
by the next morning the birds had vanished.
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 345
The last day of October gave unmistakable evidence that we
were nearing our destinaton. The air was chilly, the tempera-
ture at sunset being only 45°F., and the surface temperature of
the sea remained at 46°6°F. throughout the whole day.
Detached masses of floating sea-weed were noticed during
the afternoon, but all these were too far from the vessel for one
to identify. ‘The next morning these floating masses were fre-
quently seen, and all those close enough to be examined with any
degree of accuracy belonged to the genus Lessonie.
We sighted the Falklands at day-break on the 3rd Novem-
ber, and when I arrived on deck the steamer was near enough to
the shore for one to form some general idea of the coast-line.
The whole of the land could be seen broken up into innumerable
creeks and fiords, aad fringed with sea-weeds. Masses of grey
rocks were visible on the land, and some of these could be seen
‘winding up the side of the hills, reminding one of the stone-
walls so familiar to travellers in the northern parts of Scotland.
At 10 a.m. we entered Port Wiliam, and an hour later were
safely anchored in Stanley harbour opposite the town.
THE FALKLANDS.
Stanley harbour, which 1s in direct communication with Port
William by a passage some three hundred yards across, is about
four miles in length, and from half to three quarters of a mile
wide. The town contains about eight hundred inhabitants, and
is scattered along the middle of the southern shore. The houses
are mostly small, but as each has a garden, some large some
small, the settlement looks far more important than it really is.
The land in the immediate neighbourhood of Stanley is
slightly undulating, and in many places presents an irregular
rocky surface. The general colour of the surrounding country
varies from green to grey, nearly all the hills being surmounted
by masses of stones, and in some cases huge rocks piled up in the
most fantastic manner. One day, while collecting with a friend
near the summit of Mount Low, a hill about eight hundred feet
high, and about six miles from Stanley, I was forced to seek
shelter from a heavy squall of rain and wind, under a mass of
quartz-rock many tons in weight. The wind which invariably
accompanies these squalls is very strong, and the sounds pro-
346 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
duced as it rushed through and round these heaps of rocks was
very weird. In most instances these rocks were covered with a
single species of a beautiful lichen, which I believe to be Usnea
melaxantha, a native of the Arctic regions. ‘The entire absence of
trees from the archipelego, moreover, is a feature to which I
never became reconciled. One never failing source of interest to
me was to watch the beautiful effects of light and shade steal
over the land on a bright day, when the sun would occasionally
be obscured by a passing cloud. We enjoyed during my visit,
perhaps, half-a-dozen of the most beautiful sunsets it has ever
been my good fortune to see. On each occasion, as the sun sank
behind the range of hills to the westward of the town, the undu-
lating grassy land was flooded with golden light; and a little
later the peninsula at the eastern end of the harbour and Mount
Low were coloured with the richest shades of orange changing to
rose-colour, while the valleys were filled with a purple haze.
There was never any wind on these evenings, and the reflections
of the hills and vessels were perfectly reproduced on the still
surface of the sea. On one of these occasions, as I was collect-
ing wild flowers about two miles to the eastward of the town, my
attention was attracted by a beautiful rose-coloured cloud which
seemed stationary on the top of Mount Low, a hill about six
miles distant. As I returned, I noticed this cloud gradually
drifting towards Stanley, and about an hour later it must have
discharged its contents over the town; for the rain descended in
torrents for some hours afterwards.
After sunset, when the moon is absent and the sky cloudless,
the brilliancy of the stars in these latitudes is remarkable. They
seem literally to sparkle like liquid gems, the atmosphere bemg
so very pure, and in spite of a heavy rain-fall free from
moisture. The Southern Cross at the time of my visit was high
up in the sky, and during these fine evenings I could easily dis-
tinguish the starless spaces, so aptly termed by early navigators
the ‘‘ coal-sacks.”’ These cloudless nights, like the beautiful sun-
sets, were rare, and so perhaps have made a deeper impression
upon my mind than they would otherwise have done.
Among the greatest attractions to the naturalist who visits
these climes are the huge belts of sea-weeds which festoon the
rocks and shores. Under the euphonious name of “ Kelp,” two
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 347
species of Lessonie and Durville, and one of Macrocystis are
included. The two former sea-weeds flourish along the shores of
the open ocean, where they are swayed about inthe surge; while
the latter luxuriates in the many sheltered fiords, where it grows
to an almost incredible length.
Three objects that always attracts attention on these islands
are the ‘“‘ Tussock Grass” (Dactylis cespitosa,) the ‘‘ Bog Balsam”?
(Bolax glebaria) and the ‘‘ Stone Rivers,” all adequately described
in the ‘‘ Challenger ’’ publications.
A rough sketch of my daily life at Stanley may not be devoid
of interest to those whose travels have not taken them to such a
remote corner of the globe. My invariable plan was to look out
about 5 a.m., and if the weather seemed at all favourable, I
usually managed to get afloat in about half-an-hour ; for I soon
discovered that, provided there was little or no wind, I could
collect before breakfast sufficient material to keep me fully em-
ployed till lunch-time. Some of these early’ mornings were
singularly beantiful; the reflections of the vessels at anchor and
the surrounding hills being perfectly reproduced on the calm sur-
face of the water. At this hour the air was invariably cool, and
after dipping medusee from the surface of the sea for twenty
minutes, a spell at the oars would be necessary to restore circu-
lation. Examining the fronds and roots of Macrocystis for
specimens was always cold work; and some of the tangled roots
were so large that I found it quite impossible to lift them into my
boat for closer examination. Care had to be exercised during
this work, for a capsize into a bed of Macrocystis, even if one
could withstand the sudden shock of the icy water, would prob-
ably end fatally; the stems and fronds forming an almost
impenetrable barrier between the swimmer and the shore. One
haul with a tow-net or a small shrimp trawl, followed by a sharp
and welcome row home to my moorings would terminate the cruise.
Low-water spring tides invariably occurred from 11 to 11.30; so
provided it was fine, one could examine and preserve the collec-
tions made before breakfast previous to starting shore-collecting.
Gathering specimens within tidal limits was at times very trying ;
the wind would most probably be blowing, and as my hands were
always more or less constantly wet turning over stones, and
exploring the contents of the tidal pools, I never really relished
348 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
it. More than once during a spring tide, I was compelled to
retire before the icy south wind to the more genial atmosphere of
my work-room. I used to enjoy these excursions, however, not-
withstanding the physical discomfort ; for the variety and interest
to be found in the rock-pools afforded me ceaseless entertainment.
At rare intervals, I used to find a worm or a mollusk very similar
to, if not identical with a familiar English species; but this did
not happen very often.
On my return to my work-room from my many trips, I had
much to attend to—specimens to preserve, or notes to write up;
and I found it important to keep well up to date, for incidents
observed when out collecting, or briefly recorded in a pocket-book
at the time, soon slip from the memory, although at the time one
fondly imagines they will never be forgotten. These notes were
usually finished after dinner, so that from 8 p.m. to 9.80, if fine,
T could ramble along the shore to the eastward, observe the sun-
set, and attempt a forecast of the weather for the next twenty-four
hours, which was nearly always incorrect.
I always kept a small glass on my work-table filled with
various species of wild flowers which I collected during these
evening rambles, and some were very beautiful. Nearly all these
flowers were white, this being due I suppose to the absence of
continuous sunshine. Sir Joseph Banks,(:) over a century ago, has
recorded a similar fact relating to the flowers of Terra del Fuego.
A few isolated plants, widely separated, and resembling our
Cornish sea-pink, were found in flower during December. This
plant has also been found near Punta Arenas, in the Straits of
Magellan. A form of common dandelion (Leontodon taraxacum)
flourished on the cultivated ground in Stanley. It also abounds
in similar places at Punta Arenas. Another familiar plant,
reminding one of home, was the common furze (Ulex Huropeus /,
which seemed to take very kindly to these chilly climes. Great
bushes of it were in full flower soon after my arrival; the masses
of yellow forming a pleasant contrast to the universal greens and
greys when viewed from the north shore of the harbour.
By far the most interesting plant to me was a small species
of sun-dew, probably Drosera uniflora, which abounded in
certain places near the town. It is of almost microscopical dimen-
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 349
sions, and may be easily passed over by the pedestrian. It
flowered towards the end of December. I examined numberless
specimens, but never detected any insects adhering to the leaves.
INSECTA.
My friend, Mr. Herbert Mansel, who lived for thirteen years
in the Falklands, and to whom I am indebted for much valuable
information, tells me he has frequently seen a blue butterfly in
the east island near a place called “Italy,” a very sheltered spot
at the western extremity of the town of Stanley, and close to
Government house. I spent several hours on various occasions
when the sun was shining brightly searching for specimens of
this butterfly, but never saw one.
A moth, only seen when the sun was shining brightly, and
which flew with extreme rapidity, closely resembled both in form
and habits our English Plusia gamma, but I did not succeed in
securing a specimen.
Various species of moths belonging to the genus Znerdae
are fairly common on the undulating land round Stanley.
As I went quite unprepared to find either butterflies or moths
in such a windy locality, I did not include in my outfit the
necessary paraphanalia for catching or preserving them. I
managed, however, to collect a few Diptera and some beetles.
These last have been kindly identified for me by Mr. Charles J.
Gahan of the British Museum. Some specimens captured in a
moor-pool some miles from Stanley, he identifies as a variety of
Lancetes premorsus. Another specimen of the same species was
was dipped from the surface of the sea early one calm morning
during December, 1898.
A single example of the beetle known to the inhabitants as
the ‘‘ Peat beetle”? is described by Mr. Gahan as a species of
Cylindrorhinus, probably a variety of C. tessellatus (Guér.) 'This
was found in a peat cutting on the Murray Heights, and was the
only one seen during my visit.
A single larva of a water-beetle of the family Dytiscide,
was secured in a moor pool about four miles due east of Stanley.
REPTILIA.
There seems to be no doubt that a species of lizard is fairly
common in certain places in the East Island, but it is one of my
few regrets that I found it impossible to secure a specimen of it.
350 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
AVES.
The following fragmentary notes relating to the common
birds which were observed by me during my collecting trips in
Stanley harbour and elsewhere may be of interest. They are by
no means as exhaustive as I could wish, but this is due to pres-
sure of other work.
I was particularly struck on landing to notice the extreme
tameness of the Steamer-ducks (Zrachyeres cinereus) which abound
in Stanley harbour. Unfit to eat, and extremely difficult to kill,
these birds are hardly ever molested; and are in many instances
almost as tame as our domestic ducks. A pair of these birds
took up their permanent residence close to where my dinghey was
moored, and it was amusing to watch the male bird chase away
any intruder of the same species approaching within a radius of
about fifty yards of his head-quarters. During the early part of
December, the majority of these birds had hatched their eggs,
and were accompanied on the water by their young ones, usually
six in number ; seven being detected in only one instance. If
pursued in a boat at this time, the female usually made off with
the young birds; and if hard pressed, she would splash along the
surface of the water at an astonishing pace, and the chicks dive
off in various directions, none being capable of flight; but the
male bird would gallantly remain behind to dispute the approach
of the intruder, and attempt to frighten him by splashing the
water with his wings, and uttering his peculiar bull-frog note
very rapidly. This singular note was never uttered except on the
approach of danger, and appears to be made by the male bird
only.
During the early mornings these birds were almost always in
the middle of the harbour; but as soon as a boat appeared on the
water, they would at once take refuge amid the beds of Jacro-
cystis fringing the shores, where they seemed instinctively to know
pursuit was difficult. They appeared to subsist chiefly on the
numerous species of Mollusca found along the shores, and on the
fronds of Macrocystis.
Two other species of birds were almost equally abundant, the
Jackass Penguin (Spheniscus Magellanicus), and aspecies of shag,
probably Phalacrocorax verrucosus ; the nesting places, ‘ rookeries’
as they are called by the inhabitants of the Falklands, of both
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 351
being within easy walking distance of Stanley. In the majority
of instances both species were so fearless, that again and again I
nearly ran them down in my boat when out on the water in quest
of medusze. One specimen of S. IJagellanicus used to visit the
sheltered spot next the Hast pier regularly about high-water, in
pursuit of young mullet (Aleginus maclovinus) and smelts ( Galaxias
attenuatus). I used to watch this bird when swimming under
water gradually drive a shoal of these fish into a corner between
the hulks, and when they were well massed together, dash into
the middle of them and secure quantities. I was particularly
struck by its resemblance to the young porpoise when it was
Swimming in this way; and on the first occasion I saw one, it
was only after some moments of careful watching that I was able
to distinguish what it really was.
Only one bird was noticed that had any pretence to a song,
namely Turdus Halklandicus. A pair of these were nearly always
to be seen during the early mornings near Navy Point. The
notes uttered by the male bird were soft, slow, and very attractive ;
but in volume its song was not nearly equal to that of our
English thrush.
I have counted as many as five specimens of carrion hawks
(Utleago Australis) at one time perched in the early morning on
the masts and yards of the once famous steamship ‘‘ The Great
Britain,” which is now used asa store hulk in the harbour.
Fortunately on one occasion I was able to make a leisurely exami-
nation of a living specimen of this species, which had gorged
itself on a dead seal washed into a cove near Hooker’s Point
These birds, like many of the same class are best seen at a slight
distance, a close inspection being by no means agreeable to the
observer.
Another huge bird, known to sailors as ‘the Stinker,”
( Ossifraga gigantea) was only to be seen in the harbour when the
weather was stormy on the coast. All these birds were invariably
shy, and would never come close to the shores.
On one occasion when visiting a large ‘‘rookery’”’ of a
of a species of gull, probably Larus glaucodes, I was astonished
to find that the nestlings had an abundant supply of living and
partially decayed specimens of Patella ena and large Chiton setiger
placed beside the nests; evidently brought there by the adult
d02 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
birds. It is well known that both these species of mollusks
require some httle ingenuity to remove them intact from their
respective places on the sea-shore; and the question I failed
satisfactorily to explain was, ‘‘ How do these birds manage to
to dislodge them ?”’
About a mile distant from this Gull ‘‘rookery ” was another
large nesting place of a beautiful species of Tern, probably
Sterna hirundinacea. Numbers of the adult birds were frequently
seen in the harbour. The note uttered by this species resembled
exactly that produced by our common English S. fluviatilis.
Almost two miles due north-west of the nesting place of these
Terns was a very large ‘‘rookery”’ of a species of Penguin,
locally called the ‘‘ Jentoo”’ (Pygosceles taenvata) whence a large
supply of eggs are obtained every year. JI shall never forget
my visit to this spot during the height of the breeding season ;
the strong ammoniacal smell, dirt, and din, being simply
intolerable.
A very beautiful bird is the Kelp goose (Bernicla antartica)
usually seen in pairs along the shores fringing the ocean. The
male is pure white, while the female is dark and variously
speckled and barred. I saw several pairs of these handsome
birds during December, each being accompanied by a single
nestling.
Once, while collecting along the shores of Stanley harbour,
I managed to approach close to a bird new to me, but which I
afterwards identified as the night-heron (Wycticorax obscurus.)
This species has often been recorded from the Falklands, and
also from various localties in the Straits of Magellan. This bird
possessed the usual greyish-brown plumage, and when first seen
was instantly recognized as belonging to the family Are:de, owing
to the well-known meditative attitude the members of this group
assume when feeding along the shore. When disturbed, it flew
away with the usual heavy flight, uttering at the same time a
series of harsh croaks, which sounded most weird.
MamMattia.
No indigenous mammals are to be found on these islands.
The large ‘wolf-hke fox’ (Canis Antarcticus), mentioned by
Darwin,®) is quite extinct.
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 300
The Rat (Mus decumanus) abounds in the settlement, and
especially in the immediate vicinity of the two slaughter-houses
which are located at either extremity of the town. The common
house-mouse (J/us musculus) is also very abundant in the wooden
houses in Stanley. Both these species have been introduced hy
the many vessels which have from time to time visited this port,
and in many instances remained, having been irreparably damaged
off the Horn and elsewhere.
The indigenous field-mouse, whose presence was suspected
by Darwin, eluded my most careful search; neither did I ever
hear of one ever been seen by the inhabitants.
On more than one occasion I saw porpoises fairly close at
hand, but never near enough for certain identification of species.
On several occasions during my rambles along the shores
between Hooker’s Point and Port Harriet, about four miles to the
eastward of Stanley, I saw huge water-worn skulls of whales,
Otarie, and portions of seal. Once I found quite half-a-mile from
the shore, the right lower mandible of a cachalot (Physeter macro-
cephalus) in a very decayed condition, and consequently very old.
How it got there, unless by human agency, I cannot tell. Can
the land be rising ?
A stray specimen of Otariajubata and hair-seal may occasion-
ally be seen on the shores or on one. of the numerous islets
near Stanley.
I was fortunate to see a very fine male specimen of Jacror-
hinus elephantinus, which was discovered stranded on the southern
shore of Stanley harbour early on the 6th February, 1899.
Lantern sides and photographs of this mammal in various
positions were exhibited at a meeting of the Linnean Society
early in June, and copies of two of the photographs were repro-
duced in ‘‘ The Field” of 30th September, 1899.
After a most diligent search, I have only been able to find
one other authenticated instance of the elephant-seal having been
seen alive on the Falkland archipelago since the islands passed
into British hands, although on the first colonizatian those
creatures were common.
When Dom Pernettys) landed at the head of Berkley Sound
in the Hast Falklands, and the settlement of Port Louis was
304 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
founded by Bougainville, the members of the expedition found
elephant-seals, which Pernetty calls *‘ loup-marims”’ and sea-lons
in numbers amid the tussack-grass on Hog island, and also on the
main-land. On one oceasion upwards of thirty elephant-seals
were found at one time reposing in depressions they had made in
the peaty soil along the shore.
M. de Saint Simon, one of the members of the expedition
wheats ‘‘en tua onze successivement.” These animals were
slaughtered for the oil obtamed from the blubber, for use on
board the vessels. Much to his eredit, this gentleman .....
‘‘choisit ceux qui étoient couchés a sec, afin d’avoir plus de
facilité ales en retirer aprés qu’ils seroient morts, et moius de peine
ad les écorcher, et 4 en tirer la graisse ou le lard pour en faire de
Vhuile....” and so needless slaughter was avoided.
It is to be regretted that the crews of the whalers who made
these islands their rendezvous during the early part of the 19th
century, by their promiscuous slaughter of these interesting quad-
rupeds, have reduced them to practical extinction.
About twenty years ago, a male specimen of this species was
found stranded on the sea-shore, about 45 miles from Stanley, by
Mr. Herbert Mansel, and the skull of this specimen was brought
by him to England. A little later, the remainder of the skeleton
was collected, and the whole is now in the museum of the Royal
College of Surgeons, London. This skull formed the subject of
an important paper by the late Professor W. H. Flower, (4) read
at a meeting of the Zoological Society, in January, 1881. Three
years before this, a notice by Captain C. C. Abbott (s) was
communicated to the same Society by Mr. P. L. Slater.
Mr. Mansel wrote a brief account of the circumstances under
which he found his specimen, and this was incorporated by the
Professor in his communication. It runs as follows :—‘‘I cannot
now give you the exact date when the Elephant was killed, but
it was sometime in 1879. ‘The particulars of the capture are
these. I was riding one afternoon along the south coast of the
east island, about 45 miles west of Stanley, the principal settle-
ment, when I perceived what I took to be a long boat turned
upside down on the beach. On approaching nearer, I discovered
it was an enormous Seal asleep. I thought at first it was dead;
Pee:
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 300
but while watching, I saw it half-open one eye. I then threw
a stone at it, and when struck, it suddenly reared itself up on its
flippers to the height I should think, of eight or ten feet, opening
its enormous mouth to its widest extent. After this, I kept at a
respectful distance, pelting him until he thought he had had
enough of it, and he made slowly for the water, making as much
fuss as alarge steamer. On going back to the house, I mentioned
what I had seen to one of my men (an old inhabitant), who said
it must have been an Hlephant. He had never seen one, but said
he had heard old sealers say they killed them by finding them
asleep, giving them a poke in the side, and on their rearing up in
the manner described, firing into their mouth. He went out the
next morning with his gun, and found the animal in the same
place, and despatched him in the manner I have mentioned. I
have been living in the Falkland Islands upwards of five years,
and during that time never saw or heard of one having been
seen. I may safely say one has not been seen in the islands for
the last ten or twelve years. They were never, I believe, plenti-
ful, and now are extremely rare, as they were much sought after
by sealers on account of the quantity of oil they produced, and
the value of it, as it brought a much higher price than the oil
procured from other seals. The elephant in question measured a
little over 21 feet, and must have weighed several tons....’’ In
response to further enquiries, Mr. Mansel adds—‘‘I did not
notice the proboscis while the animal was asleep, but when roused
it was inflated and very distinct, about a foot in length. The
colour was the same as that of most Phocide, a dirty blue-black.”
Captain Abbott, loc. cit. writes as follows :—‘‘ It—the ‘sea-
elephant’—is not at all common in this group of islands, and
comparatively few skins are brought in by the sealers, it is,
however, frequently seen in one or two of the bays on the north
shore of the East Falkland, where it is little disturbed, owing to
the sealing-boats being unable to approach the shore. In these
bays the Sea-elephants breed in some of the many caverns, the
only entrances to which are by water. I have never met with this
seal alive...... 8
The conditions under which the specimen of Elephant-seal
T had the opportunity of examining, was found, are as follows :—
This quadruped was found stranded on the beach in Stanley
306 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
harbour early in the morning of the 6th February by a shepherd
who was returning home along the south side of the harbour,
the tide at that time having ebbed about three hours. This man
was good enough to send his lad who was with him at once to
inform me of his discovery; and ina very short time I was on
the spot with my camera.
On my arrival, I found this huge beast lying absolutely
motionless on the beach, the high-water mark being easily
distinguished by a line of Macrocystis just level with the left
flipper. Sg. 1. A side view of the anterior half of the animal
shewing several old wounds, and one in the neck of recent date
still suppurating can be easily seen. /%g. 2. At the moment
when this photograph was taken, the creature was in the act of
emptying its lungs, the trunk being very slightly inflated.
Being anxious to obtain one or more photographs of this
beast with its trunk in an inflated condition, I requested the man
to cautiously give it a violent blow on the nose with a stick he
held in his hand, and /2g. 3 was the result. After a brief inter-
val, during which the animal tried to bite everyone, I cautiously
stood in front of this creature, and had the operation repeated,
and wg. 4 was taken. The flecks of white on the chest are
masses of saliva which streamed from the corners of the mouth
during the rage of the animal, owing to the rough handling it
it had undergone. The last photograph, Fig 5, is a view of the
animal in an exhausted condition.
When killed, this specimen was found to measure (with a
tape) 17 feet 8 inches in length, from the tip of the trunk to the |
caudal extremity ; and 18 feet 114 inches from the end of the
trunk to a straight line between the two hinder extremities.
This specimen was killed with a whale-lance. The amount
of blood which drained from the creature was immense, and
coloured the rising tide bright crimson for many yards round. It
was singular to notice the great shrinkage of the body after
death; the animal when alive, had every appearance of being
plump and well nourished ; but after death the skin was quite
flaccid.
While the owner of this Seal was removing the hide, he
kindly allowed me to examine the stomach, and as in many pre-
Fic. 3.
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 307
vious instances the whole gut was quite empty. I also failed to
find any trace of the green slime in the stomach, but I noticed
the whole of that organ to be filled with a nematode worm, which
has been kindly identified for me by a gentleman at the British
Museum as Ascaris Patagonia.
The skin was very thick, and the fur of a uniform mouse-
colour, being perhaps a trifle lighter in tint on the under surface
of the body. The fur itself was short and stubby.
What the pelt weighed I cannot tell, but it required the
united efforts of two men and myself to lift it into a cart.
The flesh was coarse in texture, and looked very much like
inferior beef. :
About three miles due east of Stanley a small rivulet known
to the inhabitants as Rookery stream empties itself into the sea.
Till within recent times, this locality was one of the favourite
resorts of the Jackass Penguin (Spheniscus Magellanicus); and
although the ‘‘rookery”’ has sadly decreased in numbers during
the past ten years, still a fair number of burrows are occupied
by these birds during the breeding season. On the north side of
the spot where this stream joins the shore, are several circular
depressions, averaging about ten feet in diameter and from three
to four feet in depth. I often wondered how these singular
depressions have been formed. Since my return I believe I have
found a satisfactory solution. Quite recently, while reading
‘‘Goodridge’s Narrative” (6 I came across the following
sentence :—‘‘ There was another kind of danger to which we
were exposed, namely bog-holes; these were sometimes ten feet
over and eight or ten feet deep, filled with soft slimy mud; and
we conjectured they were formed by Sea-Elephants near marshy
places, as we frequently found these animals in them.” I have
no doubt that these depressions were used long before these
islands were inhabited as wallowing-holes by sea-elephants, and
owing to lapse of time have now become lined with the finest
grass. Located as they are close to fresh water and surrounded
by marshy ground, this place seems in every way most suitable
as aresort for these mammals. May we conclude that the words
‘Rookery Stream’ were intended as a resort for sea-elephants as
well as Penguins ?
308 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
Tue Rerurn Voyace.
T left the Falklands on the return voyage on the morning of
the 19th February with a strong south-westerly wind, the
barometer being 30°10.
As soon as we were clear of the harbour, we were surrounded
by numbers of Gulls (Larus glaucordes) and ‘‘Nellys” ( Osstfraga
gigantea), As we increased our distance from land the gulls
gradually deserted us, till at 38 p.m. as we lost sight of land not
one was left. <A little latter, numbers of Albatross began to
appear, but by the next morning our solitary companion was a
single Whale bird (Prion desolatus) which followed our track a
long way astern. .
During the outward passage, when not far from Montevideo,
I detected a sudden variation in the surface temperature of the
sea in about 38°40'8., 56°15’W.; and it struck me afterwards
that we had crossed a stream of cold water, a sudden upheaval
from the bottom of the sea, similar to, if not identical with, that
encountered by the ‘‘Challenger”’ in about 41°54’S., 54°48’W..,
when the surface temperature of the sea suddenly fell from
59°F. to 56°F. and then rose to 64°F. On my return voyage
from Stanley to Montevideo I determined to pay great attention
to this interesting subject, and try to discover how far to the
westward this cold water extended. My results were as follows:—
The surface temperature of the sea at the time of my departure
from Stanley was 51°6°F.; and as we steamed northward it
steadily rose, being 60°F. in 43°36’S., 56°36'W. It then fell a
trifle at 6 p.m. on the 21st, to 59°9°F. and remained unchanged
till 9 a.m. the following day, when it suddenly rose to 61°6°F.
the position of the ship being 39°39’S., 57°23'W. At 6 p.m. on
the same day, 22nd, there was a still further rise to 65°9°F. and
at sunset, 7 p.m. ship’s time, to 68°6°F. We sighted Cape
Corrientes towards dusk on that day and slightly altered our
course towards the land. At midnight the surface temperature
had fallen to 54°3°F., but four hours later had risen to 57°3°F.
At 8am, 23rd, 70°6°F. was recorded, and at noon 71:9°F. in
35°27'8., 56°27'W. ; the steamer at that time being 33 sea-miles
from Montevideo. At our anchorage at 5 p.m. about two miles
distant from that town, the surface temperature of the sea was
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 309
72°3°F, and the temperature of the air, ten minutes after sunset,
65°6°R.
During this part of the voyage I was fortunate in enjoying
the society of a gentleman, whose name I have unfortunately
forgotten, who had spent several years travelling in Patagonia,
Chili, and Brazil; and who gave me much information relating
to the Zoology of Patagonia. On hearing I was interested in
natural history, he kindly gave me some shells and stones he
had picked up on the shores along the mouth of the river
Chupat. On examining this collection, I was pleased to find
several specimens of Chione albida, a common bivalue of the
Falklands, and some large water-worn specimens of TZrophon
gervevsinus another well-known Falkland mollusk. The remaining
shells were unrecognizable, being hopelessly damaged.
Amongst other interesting particulars, this gentleman told
me that Cape Pigeons (Daption Capensis) never range even to
the north of the Falkland archipelago during the summer and
autumn; as they invariably frequent the Horn for breeding
purposes during these times.
The morning of the 24th being fine, and as the coals could
not all be taken on board till the afternoon, I spent the greater
part of the day on shore, mostly in the market and botanical
gardens, both of which are near the landing stages. I was
astonished to see boxes of snails, probably Helix hortensis, in
the market. These mollusks are not indigenous to Uruguay,
but were introduced many years ago, and now abound in the
gardens round Montevideo. There was not much variety of fruit.
on sale. The apples were very poor and without a single
exception were penetrated by one or more grubs. The pears
were excellent, being juicy and well flavoured, and were quite
free from this pest.
I quite enjoyed a ramble in the small but well kept botanical
garden; the only flowers in full bloom being some oleanders.
It was odd to see in grocers’ shops, dried specimens of a
large Octopus, probably Octopus rugosus. I was told that these
mollusks are caught in numbers by the fishermen and afterwards
being split and dried are sold thus for domestic use with tea,
sugar, and other groceries.
360 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
We left Montevideo that evening, the 24th, and shaped our
course to St. Vincent, our next coaling station. The barometer
was inclined to rise a little during that evening being 30°10.
The surface temperature of the sea rose rapidly after we
left our anchorage, being 70°3°F. in 34°19’S8., 53°23’W., and at
sunset on the same day 73°F.; the temperature of the air at the
same time being 71:9°F.
The following three days were mild, with fresh easterly
winds, heavy seas constantly washing over the vessel. The
morning of the 28th was fine, bright, and calm, and we were
once more able to resume our walks along the decks, enjoy the
sunshine, and almost live in the open air. At noon on this day,
when I could resume taking surface temperatures, a still further
rise was noticed, 80°6°F. being recorded in 27°16'8., 45°27 W.,
and during that afternoon we steamed through large patches of
discoloured water which microscopical examination shewed to be
full of the same Zrichodesmium as was seen during the outward
voyage.
This species of alga must extend over a vast area along the
coast of South America, for I found it present in all my gather-
ings till we reach 21°52’S., after which no more was seen.
On 1st March the surface temperature of the sea at noon
was 79°3°F., the position of the ship being at that time
24°26’8., 42°59°W. At sunset the surface temperature had
fallen to 75°F. The next day, the 2nd, at noon in 21°52’S.,
40°31'W., the surface temperature was only 76°F., but at sun-
down it had risen to 81°6°F., the temperature of the air at the
same time being only 79°6°F. During the previous few days we
experienced north-easterly winds of varying force, a most
unusual circumstance so far south of the equator.
The first Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia) was seen in Lat.
21°528., and for some time later these beautiful siphonophores
formed one of the commonest objects on the sea. I was
astonished to notice that about 90°/, of these had their
pneumatophores coloured orange instead of violet, a most unusual
variation I believe. With these medusz were shoals of flying-
fish, which seemed to be present in thousands. It was most
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 361
tantalizing to steam through such numbers of delicious fish and
yet to be unable to secure any beyond an odd specimen or two
which chanced to come on board.
A little later, and we were able to walk like Peter Schlemihl
without shadows during the mid-day; and in spite of the
thermometer registering about 85°F. in the shade I found the
heat most agreeable, although many of the passengers found the
change very trying.
Our Captain had intimated to us in the saloon that if we
passed St. Paul’s Rocks during the day-time he would stop the
ship for an hour to enable us to catch some of the fine fish which
abound round this rocky island. I was also gratified to be able
to extract a promise from him that in the event of this happy
combination of circumstances being realized he would lower his
gig and let me ramble over the island.
This cluster of rocks, situated about 550 miles from the
nearest main-land, and about 50 feet above the surrounding
ocean, was visited by Darwinin 1832. The scientific staff of the
‘“Challenger’”’ spent about two days in 1873 examining the fauna
of this remote spot; since then, no one seems to have landed on
them. Nor did we, to our great disappointment. After taking
the sun on the morning of the 8th our Captain decided to give
them a wide berth, seeing we should pass them about 2 a.m. if
we continued on the same course, so our proposed visit came to
nothing.
From Lat. 8°11’S. to Lat. 2°6’N. the sky remained more or
less cloudy, and occasionally we had tropical downpours of rain.
The atmosphere was loaded with moisture; the average
temperature of both sea and air was the same, namely 82°F. We
experienced a decided change when we reached Lat. 5°54’/N., the
surface temperature of the sea falling to 78°3°F.; a pleasant
northerly breeze brought home to our minds the agreeable fact
that we had passed the doldrums.
There was a still further decrease in the surface temperature
of the sea following day at noon, our position being 9°20/N,,
28°14’W., when only 75°6°F. was recorded, which was lowered
1° at sunset; the temperature of the air being 70°6°F,
362 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
The barometer shewed the same changes as during the
outward voyage, remaining almost stationary at 30°10; slightly
rising during the morning and falling a fraction after about
4 p.m.
At noon in 16°17'N., 25°25’W., the surface temperature of
the sea was 71°F. and during that afternoon, the 13th, we made
out the picturesque outline of the Cape Verde Islands, and
about sunset anchored off St. Vincent. I had hoped to have
spent a few hours on shore the next day, but as our ship was one
day overdue, coaling was commenced at once.
At 4 a.m. the next day the dawn was just breaking over the
undulating hills beyond the straggling town of St. Vincent as I
stepped from the saloon; and a few minutes later we had a most
beautiful sunrise. The high hills of the island of St. Antonio,
which formed the western boundary to our anchorage, were
tinted purple and rose-colour; and as the sun rose higher, the
mists which had hitherto hung like a thick cloud over the sea
rose and drifted away, leaving sparkling waves of the most
beautiful ultramarine blue. The transparency of the sea was
most striking. We were surrounded by numbers of rowing
boats the occupants of which were busily engaged dredging for
stray lumps of coal, which had been dropped overboard during
the coaling operations either by accident or design. Indeed the
water was so clear that at 6 a.m. I could easily trace our cable
hanging from the starboard bow, descend into the sea and
winding along the bottom like a serpent; the anchor being
plainly seen, but very distorted, in six fathoms of water.
By 6.30 a.m. on the 14th we weighed anchor and resumed
our journey. The surface temperature of the sea at our
anchorage was 70°9°F., and about fifty miles north of the island
of St. Antonia at noon was 69:9°F.; the temperature of the air
being 1° lower at the same time. The surface temperature of
the sea during the three following days fell as near as possible
1°F. every twenty four hours; the barometer rising during that
time to 30°40.
The weather on the 17th was delightfully fine and calm and
I spent several hours during that morning reclining in the bows
of the steamer and watching the shoals of medusze. Physalize
FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS. 3638
were very numerous, and occasionally I fancied I could get an
oceasional glimpse of a Porpita and a Cestus as we steamed along.
I again tried to catch several of these with a canvas bucket
which I had made to take samples of water, but in no case was
I successful.
Several of the passengers, myself included, were struck by
the coolness of the air as we came on deck on the morning of
the 18th to take our constitutional walk after early coffee. On
taking the surface temperature of the sea I found it had fallen
to 60°F., but by noon in 31°36’N., 16°58’W., it had risen to 64°F.
During this afternoon we steamed between two islands
Bugio and Deserta Grande. At the extremity of the latter
stands a peculiar isolated rocky peak called “sail rock.”
Although absolutely devoid of vegetation, these uninhabited
islands possess a strange beauty of their own; the vertical sides
of both towering nearly fifteen hundred feet into the sky from
the sea-shore.
On the 19th the surface temperature of the sea at 8 a.m.
was 60°F. During this day the colour of the sea changed to a
dark green, and the temperature was further reduced to 58°6°F.,
at sunset, the air being only 65°F. at the same time. The
position of the ship at noon on this day was 38°34’N., 12°41/W.
The barometer had kept very high since our departure from
St. Vincent, being 30°30; but the sunset and sky had every
appearance of unsettled weather being not far off.
The weather during the 21st was most singular. While
taking my morning walk, the wind suddenly shifted from South
to North-west and we ran into a thick bank of mist and rain.
The surface temperature of the sea at noon was only 57°6°F. in
41°48/N., 10°4’W. and 56°3°F. at sunset; the temperature of the
air being 53:9°F,
At the approach of this unsettled weather we had numbers
of birds round the ship. They were all one species and I believe
were Terns (Sterna fluviatilis), but they did not approach near
enough for me to examine any of them closely.
The weather now turned very cold, and we passed through
several hail-storms which reminded one very much of the
Falklands. ‘The temperature of the sea was only 52°F, at noon,
our position at that time being 47°40'N., 5°54’W.
364 FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLANDS.
Ushant was passed on the 23rd at 4.30 p.m. and we hada
good view of the rocky shore between two very severe hail
squalls. The temperature of the sea about two miles from land
was only 49°6°F. and the air 40°9°F. The weather continued
very wild during the whole night, but the two following days
were fine, bright, and uneventful. :
On the morning of the 26th all but completing six months
since I left her shores, the dim outline of Dover Castle was seen
and we arrived at Tilbury Docks a little later, and the journey
was ended.
REFERENCES.
1. Banks, Sir Joseph. Journal of, during Captain Cook’s first
voyage in H.M.S. Endeavour in 1768-71. Edited by Sir
J. D. Hooker.
2. Darwin, Charles. Journal of Researches into the Natural
History and Geology of the countries visited during the
voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the World.
3. Pernetty Dom. Histoire d’un voyage aux isles Malouines
fait en 1763 and 1764 avec des observations sur le detroit
de Magellan, &c.
4. Flower, William Henry. On the Elephant-seal (Macrorhinus
leoninus, Linn). Proceedings of the Zoological Society,
1881.
5. Abbott, C. C. On the Seals of The Falkland Islands,
communicated with notes by P. L. Sclater. Proceed.
Zool. Society, 1868.
6. Goodridge, Charles M. Narrative of a voyage to the South
Seas and Shipwreck of ‘‘The Princess of Wales” cutter,
London, 1838.
365
THE ROMANS IN CORNWALL.*
By the late R. N. WORTH, F.G.S., Corresponding Member.
In the course of the discussion upon my paper, ‘The
Romans at Tamar Mouth,” read to this Society at the
annual meeting in 1888, my friend the Rey. W. Iago referred to
the ancient use of the word street ‘‘ wherever the Romans had a
road’”’; while my friends Mr. H. M. Jeffery and Mr. Howard
Fox, with Mr. Iago, spoke of the contents of ‘‘ military chests”
as having been found in the county. And I seem somewhat to
have been misunderstood, since while I denied the existence of
Roman stations in Cornwall, and held that there was no proof of
the presence in the county of Roman roads, I held also that there
was ample evidence that ‘‘ the Romans not only visited Cornwall,
but that there was some amount of occupation by them, probably
in the form of trading ports,’”’ while I went so far even as to
suggest that we had a very imperfect knowledge of the vestiges
of their intercourse and presence among us.
And in fact the main object of the paper was to put on
record the existence of what were probably structural relics of
the Romans on the Cornish border, at Stonehouse.
It can hardly be suggested, therefore, that my scepticism
went beyond that of my friend Mr. N. Whitley, who, in 1875,
came to the conclusion ‘“‘ that the occupation of Cornwall by the
Romans, slight as it appears to be, was rather that of
friendly intercourse for the purpose of trade than that of
conquest and dominion”’; or than his other deduction ‘the great
military roads of our Roman conquerors extended no further west
than Exeter.”
The chief topic suggested for consideration in these few
remarks is the evidence of the existence of Roman roads in
Cornwall, which, of course, materially affects any conclusion we
* In view of the interest in this question re-awakened by Mr. Quiller-Couch’s
paper, read at the Joint Meeting at Falmouth in 1900, the Editors have printed
this paper read at a meeting of R.I.C. in 1888, but not then published in the
Journal.
366 THE ROMANS IN CORNWALL.
may form as to the character of the Roman occupation. That
there was some sort of association or occupation all are agreed—
the points to be solved are its extent and nature.
Now, at the first blush of the question, we see what an
enormous difference there is between Cornwall and such a
thoroughly Romanized county as Somerset, where Roman
remains have been found, according to Prebendary Scarth, in
108 places out of 488 parishes—stations, baths, villas, pottery
kilns, interments, inscriptions, defences. Devon is far, very far,
behind Somerset in such matters, but Devon has the relics of a
Roman station at Exeter, while the only Roman stations in
Cornwall are to be found in the pages of the forgery fathered
on Richard of Cirencester.
And thus, when we come to sum up the evidence for the
presence of the Romans in Cornwall it comes simply to this—
that Roman coins have been found at some twenty localities, in
some half dozen cases only taking the dimensions of hoards;
that there have been very few instances of personal ornaments; *
that there are earthworks which may be Roman (I cannot accept
the idea that rectangularity of plan is conclusive); that on the
estuary of the Camel the occurrence of pottery of Roman date
with other relics seems noteworthy; that there was a similar
association at Bosence, St. Hilary; and that there are two so-
called miliary stones in the county, that at St. Hilary, and that
recently discovered by the Rev. W. Iago, at Tintagel.
The full weight of this will be seen, as I have suggested, if
Cornwall is compared with such counties as Somerset or
Gloucester, or even, so far as Exeter and the country north and
east of that city is concerned, with Devon.
It would be a great point then if Cornwall could claim the
possession of Roman roads. Mr. Whitley, in 1875, held that it
could not; Dr. Barham, in 1877, reasoning from the assumed
miliary character of the St. Hilary stone, held that it could.
Mr. Iago makes a similar deduction from the use of the word
“street ’’ as in Stratton, though I presume he would not argue
that that word is applied to every so-called Roman road. Now I
* The so-called Romano-British relics from Trelan are pre-Roman. So with
the so-called Roman celts.
THE ROMANS IN CORNWALL. 367
know that the St. Hilary stone was pronounced to be miliary by
no less an authority than Professor Hiibner, and that the Tintagel
stone must be placed in the same category, whatever that may
be. But what I have never been able to understand is this—
why a stone which is simply inscribed to an emperor and which
has no indication whatever of serving any useful purpose, in
connection with any road, should be unhesitatingly dubbed a
mile stone. These stones bear nothing whatever upon them to
indicate their supposed intention, and a traveller on a Roman
road would have been never a whit the better for them, so far as
the knowledge of distances is concerned. Such stones may very
well have been erected here and there on well known and
accustomed lnes of communication as indications of loyalty or
attachment, or as memorials. There are probably hundreds of
legionary and other inscriptions in this kingdom, many on pillars,
to which no one dreams of attaching a miliary significance; and
it seems to me that such inscribed stones as those at St. Hilary
and Tintagel cannot be prayed in aid of the Roman road theory,
without some definite foundation. They cannot be called in to
prove a Roman road of which no trace exists; though I grant
that if they were found on a Roman road there might be a more
definite show of argument for their miliary character. As it is
they lack the one thing which would establish this object—the
presence of a single feature which would adapt them to their
assumed purpose. And yet we say the Romans were a practical
people!
The assumption that the word ‘street’? in reference to
ancient lines of communication indicates a Roman road is one of
the many debts we owe to the elder antiquaries, which have proved
such hindrances to the progress of archeology. They started
with the idea that before the Romans came the Britons were an
utterly barbarous uncivilised people, quite incapable of making
a road, and that perforce the ancient roads must be Roman.
Well, we know better now.* We know that in some parts of the
kingdom at least, and certainly in this west of England,
pre-Roman civilisation reached a fairly high standard; and we
recognise the fact that when the Romans came they found great
lines of communication existing which to a large extent they no
* Witness the bronzes of Trelan and Staddon,
368 THE ROMANS IN CORNWALL.
doubt improved, but which as certainly they did not originate.
To reason from the use of the word “street” is to argue from
the name instead of the thing; and the mere existence of such
names as ‘‘Ickneild street’? and ‘‘ Watling street” ought to
show the danger of that method of procedure. ‘‘ Streets’ were
well known to the Saxons, as paved or formed roadways; and
the cognates of the word “street”? are found in all the Teutonic
languages, to go no further. To say then that a place is called
Stratton because it is on a street is not the same thing by any
means as to say that the ‘street’? is of Roman origin. All you
can say is that the Saxons either founded or renamed a place—
‘a ton’’—on a pre-existing duly-formed line of thoroughfare ;
and that helps you not one whit to the origin of the said thorough-
fare. If you insist that the ‘‘street”’ is Roman, as history is quite
silent on the point you must assume that up to the time when the
particular Stratton in question was founded (there are of course
several) no one in England had been competent to make a
‘<street”’ in this ancient sense, but the Romans. That was the
assumption of the elder antiquaries, but they never adduced a
scintilla of evidence in its support, and all the evidence we have
obtained since their time leads the other way.
And this brings me to a local consideration of great
importance. In my ‘Notes on the ancient Topography of
Cornwall,” published in the Journal of the Institution for 1885,
I expressed an opinion that the route of the ancient Fosseway
had nothing to do with the modern Totnes, but that it came into
Cornwall at a low, probably the lowest, ford on the Tamar, and
kept the higher ground to or by Bodmin, Truro, and Marazion,
along a line in which there are yet ample traces of the
characteristic British ‘“‘ridgeway.”’ I suggested then that the
Fosseway continued on from Exeter to Tamara, which I placed
near Tavistock, across Dartmoor; and I pointed out that in the
centre of Dartmoor there were the remains of an ancient road
that could not have been made for merely local traffic—known as
the “great central trackway ”’—and I identified that road with the
Fosseway. When I wrote only a small portion of its course was
known in the vicinity of Post Bridge. This year, (1889) however,
Mr. Robert Burnard has succeeded in tracing it some seventeen
miles—right into the cultivated land, heading for Tavistock in
THE ROMANS IN CORNWALL. 369
one direction; and right away over Hameldon to the verge of
the cultivated land, heading for Exeter through Chudleigh in
the other. Along this deserted trackway there is therefore now
no doubt that the bulk of the traffic to and from Cornwall
passed. J have called it a “trackway” in the modern phrase,
but it is a genuine ‘‘street”’ in the older sense, a causeway
formed of stones, some 10 feet in width, the layer being 2% feet
in depth—a work therefore of no httle magnitude but one with
which there is not the smallest reason for suggesting the Romans
had anything to do. Its origin is lost in the mists of antiquity.
History has nothing to say to it. And there it remains, a
monument of the ability of the Keits to make a great road even
over such a waste as Dartmoor.
Touching the suggestion that some of the hoards of Roman
coins found in Cornwall may be the remains of military chests,
I will only point out that it is after all only a suggestion; and
that, whether it be bad or good, we are not entitled on the one
hand to say it was not so, nor on the other hand, as some of my
friends seem disposed to do, to treat it as an established fact.
How do the contents of a Roman military chest differ from the
capital stock of a trading settlement, when either consists only
of coins?
Perhaps we shall never know to what extent Cornwall was
ethnically Romanized. It is certain that we shall not unless we
make our ground somewhat clearer than it seems to be at present.
370
ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF CORNWALL.
BY FRED. HAMILTON DAVEY.
If the alacrity with which botanists from all parts of the
country have responded to the appeal made in this room twelve
months ago for co-operation in gathering material for my
proposed handbook of the flora of Cornwall, and the gratifying
results which have accrued therefrom, may be accepted as
conclusive evidence, an important work had long been erying
aloud for attention. Early in the present year trustworthy
correspondents were established in all parts of the country, and
as days and weeks went by, bringing with them the results of
the patient investigations of my co-workers, it became more and
more evident that, notwithstanding the attention which Cornwall
has received at the hands of a continuous line of botanists since
Ray’s visit, in the year 1662, many good things have been
lurking unknown in comparatively unexplored districts. With
the close of the season I am able to give you a bird’s-eye view
of our work, which, it will be seen, includes the discovery of
several plants uow recorded for Cornwall for the first time, and
of a few quite new to the West of England. As the vandal is still
abroad seeking what he may destroy, I shall mention districts
rather than give exact localities.
In August I found between Liskeard and Looe Ranunculus
trichophyllus, Web., one of the Batrachian Ranunculi, hitherto
unrecorded for Cornwall, and, as far as I have been able to
ascertain, not yet found in Devon. Surprises generally come in
bunches. Mentioning my discovery to Mr. R. V. Tellam, I
found he had dredged the plant in Mawgan East, and a little
later Dr. C. C. Vigurs, of Newquay, sent the welcome news that
it occurs within the boundaries of Cubert. There is yet a deal of
work to be done in Cornwall in connection with that section of
Ranunculus to which this particular species belongs.
In the neighbourhood of Looe Mr. A. O. Hume discovered
a number of fine flowering specimens of Delphinium -Ajacis,
Reichb, a charming plant rarely found in the west, and for which
THE FLORA OF CORNWALL. 371
records are wanting for the sister county. Previous to Mr.
Hume’s stroke of fortune, a colony at Newquay, discovered by
Mr. J. V. S. Miller, a few stray plants on the ballast at Par, the
record of Mr. Tellam, and a single specimen found near
Cardinham half a century ago, by Mrs. T. Grylls, made up the
Cornish roll of this species.
From Miss M. L. Collins, of Bodmin, I have received
information of the occurrence of the Yellow Water Lily
(Vymphea lutea, Linn.) on the moors between Par and Newquay,
the only place where I am aware of it as growing in a genuinely
wild state west of the Tamar. In Devon it may be found in
several localities.
The first good thing on the list sent me by Canon Rogers is
Arabis Turrita, Linn., a Crucifer new to our county and wanting
from the flora of the adjoining county. It was found near
Hayle, and, like many of our recent discoveries, is in all
probability an introduction. Among other places in Great
Britain, it has long established itself at Cambridge, Cont, and
Cleish Castle, Kinross-shire.
In a paper read before the Penzance Natural History and
Antiquarian Society, January 10th, 1890, Mr. W. A. Glasson
mentioned the finding of Srsymbrium altissimum, Linn. on the
EKastern Green. Like most of the casuals which have appeared
on that happy hunting ground of the botanist as the result of
the large amount of winnowing formerly done there, its stay was
a brief one. I am glad to say, however, it will not be necessary
to expunge it from our flora. During the past season I saw a
great many flowering and fruiting plants at the head of one of
the creeks on the Fal. This plant is not only unknown in
Devonshire, but at the time of publication of the Supplementary
volume to English Botany (1893) was supposed to have become
naturalised only in the neighbourhood of Crosby, Lancashire.
Mr. W. N. Winn, of Kew Gardens, has added Silene conica,
Linn. to the Cornish flora, and thereby has increased the good
things known to lurk over the Lizard area. Devon is still
waiting for its first record for this interesting Catchfly.
Claytonia perfoliata, Donn, as yet unknown to the county
lying east of the Tamar, has been reported from the parish of
3812 THE FLORA OF CORNWALL.
Gwennap, by Mr. W. Rowe, and from near Perranporth, by
Mrs. EH. Pierson. A native of western North America, it has
long shown permanency in several of the eastern and northern
counties, but has been very tardy in extending its range
westward.
At Hayle, Canon Rogers has also found the Hispid Mallow
(Althea hirsuta, Linn), one of the rarest items in the British
flora. In common with some of the other plants already
mentioned, it has not yet honoured the soil of Devon.
To the same indefatigable worker must the next plant on
my list be credited. Long known to occur in Devon, it was not
until Canon Rogers found it west of Carbis Bay that anyone
suspected the presence in Cornwall of Medicago minima, Desr. It
is very probable it has been overlooked in other parts of the
county, and a diligent search should be made for it.
Between Penzance and Gulval Messrs. E. 8. and C. E.
Salmon, of Reigate, have gathered Melilotus indica, All., a plant
said to have occurred near Liverpool, and to be not uncommon
about Battersea and Wandsworth. No one has yet found it in
Devon, and this is a welcome confirmation of Mr. W. A.
Glasson’s record for the Eastern Green twelve years ago.
As is the case with Penzance, Hayle, Par, Looe, and other
sea-port towns, many agents contribute to swell the richness of
the flora of Falmouth. For the latest addition we are indebted
to Mr. J. Lawson. In May last Mr. Lawson sent me for
identification a plant which he said was not uncommon at one
place on the outskirts of the town. Careful examination proved
it to be a Trifolium, allied to ochroleucon and squamosum, but its
specific identify is still uncertain. Nothing like it can be found
in the herbariums at Kew and South Kensington Natural History
Museum, where it was taken for comparison.
As ballast plants, Mr. Tellam reports Zathyrus /irsutus,
Linn., and JZ, tuberosus, Linn., from Par. Both are new to
Cornwall and both have yet to be found in the adjacent county.
The first plant to be noticed under the Natural Order
Rosacee is Spirea salicifolia, Linn. In a paper on ‘The Botany
of Polperro and its neighbourhood,” in the Annual Report of the
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society for 1848, Mr. T. Q. Couch
THE FLORA OF CORNWALL. 38738
mentions this plant as ‘“‘ growing by a well, on the road to Looe,
apparently in a wild state.” However true that statement may
have been fifty years ago, the habitat has long been destroyed ;
and, but for the discovery, by Mr. J. D. Enys, of one colony in
the Upper Fowey Valley and another near Liskeard, and by Mr.
W. Wise of a batch near Launceston, Spirea salicifolia would
have to be dropped from our county’s flora. It has long
established itself in Devon.
Between Gunwalloe and Poldhu, and again between Looe
and Polperro, Mr. Hume has gathered Poteriwm polygamum,
Waldst. and Kit. This record brings Cornwall into line with
Devon.
In many respects the most interesting addition to our flora
is Hryngium campestre, Linn. Ray appears to have been the first
to discover it in Great Britain, the place being “‘ on a rock which
you descend to the Ferry, from Plymouth over into Cornwall,”
and the date, July 7th, 1662. In this instance Devon got the
start of the sister county by over two centuries. Who was the
first to find it on Cornish soil, I am unable to ascertain. Suffice
it to say its presence has been known to a discreet few for nearly
thirty years, and with a commendable solicitude for its welfare
they managed to keep the secret until this summer, when the
peregrinations of Mr. Hume brought it to light. It would be
madness to give information of its whereabouts other than that
it is somewhere in the neighbourhood of Looe. Not long after
sharing the secret of this discovery with our industrious
co-worker, Mr. Tellam, we were delighted to hear that he had
unearthed another colony fifteen miles or so further west.
Not far from the Looe habitat of the preceding plant I have
made an addition to our flora in the form of @nanthe silaifolia,
Biberstein. This completes the western chain in the
geographical distribution of this species.
At Bodmin Mr. Tellam has found <Archangelica officinalis,
Hoffm., and during the past summer I saw a fine plant of this
species at Portscatho. This, and Corcandrum sativum, Linn., a
discovery of Mr. Tellam’s at St. Blazey, are new to Cornwall,
and have yet to be recorded from Devon.
374 THE FLORA OF CORNWALL.
From the ‘‘ Cornish Moneywort Club,” a body of young and
enthusiastic lady botanists, whose head quarter is at Trevillis,
Liskeard, I have received information concerning Mewm
Athamanticum, Jacq., and Peucedanum Ostruthium, Koch., at
Lostwithiel.
In 1896 I found on the cliff at Newquay a Scabious which
at the time I could not refer to either of the three British
species. This summer I have been able to settle its identity.
It proves to be Scabiosa maritima, Linn.; and, until my record in
the Journal of Botany for September last, it was regarded, as far
as the British flora is concerned, as being limited to the Channel
Islands.
A few interesting items come under the extensive Natural
Order Composite. First we have Mr. Winn adding J/%lago
apiculata, G. KE. Sm., which he has found in the parishes of
Perranzabuloe and St. Columb. Found in nineteen of the 112
vice-counties into which Great Britain has been divided for
botanical purposes, records of it are still awaited from Devon.
Through the kindness of Messrs. Salmon, who here again
have verified a record of Mr. Glasson’s, I am able to include
Centaurea solstitialis, Linn. in our flora. This plant was found
between Penzance and Gulval church. In this respect also
Cornwall is richer than Devon.
Gwennap parish has given Mr. Winn Hieraciwm crocatum,
Fr., and Cornwall a plant which its neighbour has not within its
border.
Continuing his investigations into the flora of Perranporth
district, Canon Rogers has been rewarded with Sonchus palustris,
Linn., a rare species long since recorded from the other side of
the Tamar.
Cyclamen hederefolium, Ait., beyond doubt an escape, is
struggling for a permanency in a wood in the parish of Gwennap,
where it was discovered by Mr. Rowe. This is new to Cornwall
and unrecorded from Devon.
Asperugo procumbens, Linn. has been gathered at Newquay
by Mr. Miiller and Miss B. Martyn, and at Penzance by Mr.
Tellam. Alsoan addition to Cornwall and of doubtful occurrence
in Devon.
THE FLORA OF CORNWALL. 375
At Par Mr. Tellam has happened upon Zinaria Pelisseriana,
Mill., and at Bodmin he has found J/entha alopecuroides, Hull.
For these no record can be traced for Devon.
Galeopsis versicolor, Lam. has crept over from Devon into the
parish of Northill, from whence it is reported by Mr. Wise.
By no means uncommon in many parts of the country, its
distribution throughout the ‘‘ Peninsular province,” which
includes Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, is very restricted
Polygonum dumetorum, Linn., for which records are wanted
for Devon, has been found by Mr. Hume and myself at Looe,
Portscatho, Swanpool, Portreath, Lizard, Kennack Sands and
Porthleven.
The Sea Buckthorn (Wippophie rhamnoides, Linn.), found at
several places along the coast of Devon, is another discovery of
the past summer. At about the same time it was found near St.
Erth, by Dr. E. G. Gilbert, of Tunbridge Wells, and by myself
about three miles east of Ponsanooth. A third locality, near
Newquay, is mentioned by Mr. Miller.
The Purple Willow (Salix purpurea, Linn.) is, I daresay, one
of those widely diffused things which has been overlooked in
Cornwall through absence of specialization on the part of those
who have been investigating our flora. The returns for it for
Great Britain run to 76 out of the 112 vice-counties, and it would
be surprising if it were entirely absent from a _ county
comparatively rich in Willows. In Devon it is not unfrequent ;
at present it appears to be not known in Cornwall outside the
parish of Gwennap.
St. David’s plant (Allium Ampeloprasum, Linn.) now grows
in two parishes. Mr. Tellam sends particulars of its presence in
St. Kew, and I have had several plants under observation near
Portscatho. In both places it appears to be perfectly wild. It
has yet to be searched out in Devon.
The finding of Habenaria viridis, R. Br., by Mr. Wise, near
Otterham Station, places Cornwall for the first time in touch with
its neighbour.
In grasses I am able to offer two additions. At Par Mr.
Tellam has made acquaintance with the Annual Beard Grass
Polypogon monspeliensis, Desf.,); and the Greater Nodding Grass
376 THE FLORA OF CORNWALL.
(Briza maxima, Linn), has been found near Truro, by Mr. Lawson,
and near Falmouth, by myself. We have records for the first
for Devon, but none for the second.
One addition has been made to our fern flora, bringing the
number of species to thirty-one, or seventeen short of the total
for Great Britain, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. The new
species is Cryptogramme crispa, R. Br., the fortunate finder, Mr.
Winn, and the locality, West Cornwall.
A few foreigners remain to be noticed. Matricaria discordea,
DC., a North American and Asiatic plant, obtained its first
footing on British soil at Falmouth Docks a few years ago. It
is now the commonest weed around the Docks, and has wandered
south, west and north, into the parishes of Budock, Mabe, St.
Gluvias, Stithians, Perranarworthal, Gwennap and Mylor, in
each being a frequent object by the wayside. This summer I
have found it by the score quite eight miles north of Falmouth.
Its claim to a place in the next edition of the London Catalogue of
British Plants cannot be neglected.
In the Looe district Mr. Hume has found Aster Novi-Belqu,
Linn. (non Aiton), for the identification of which we are indebted
to Messrs. J. Britten, F.L.S., and E. G. Baker, F.L.S., of the
Natural History Department of the British Museum. To all
appearance the plant has taken a firm hold of the valley in which
it was discovered.
Omphalodes verna, Moench., from South Kurope, has found a
home in one wood in Gwennap, its acre of blue flowers
outrivalling the hyacinth. It may also be seen by the roadside
between Devoran and Truro.
Mimulus Langsdorffii, Donn, a native of North America,
grows in great profusion at Trebarwith and Bodmin, and more
sparingly at Hessenford and the Loe Pool. But perhaps it is
most at home in a ravine near St. Ives. Gigantic plants have
been sent me from that place, together with photographs of the
Mimulus-decked ravine, accompanied by a letter explaining that
the plant swarms there by tens of thousands.
Impatiens Royle’, concerning which an _ interesting
correspondence has been going on in the Journal of Botany, has
taken a permanent stand in a valley between Liskeard and Looe,
THE FLORA OF CORNWALL. BIETL
where thousands of beautiful plants flowered this season, and at
Trebarwith, where it is equally abundant. Without mention of
this ‘“‘arrival,”’ future handbooks of the British flora will be
incomplete.
In June last I found a strange grass at Falmouth.
Specimens were sent to Mr. James Britten with a note suggesting
that it was a foreign species of Phalaris. In a few days Mr.
Britten wrote asking for more typical plants, and when his
request was complied with he was able to tell me my discovery
was Phalaris aquatica, Desf., a native of South Europe. A week
or two later, when botanizing seven miles north of Falmouth, in
the parish of Perranarworthal, I came upon another and much
more extensive group.
THE STONE CIRCLES OF CORNWALL AND OF SCOTLAND.
A COMPARISON.
By A. L. LEWIS, F.C.A., Treasurer Anthropological Institute.
The Cornish circles are all single rings of greater or less
diameter, even when grouped together like the ‘‘ Hurlers,” or
like the two near St. Just, on the moor on the south side of Carn
Kenidjack, they are not concentric, but are separate single rings.
Dr. Borlase indeed figured a strange group as existing in his
time at St. Just,* which he called the Botallek Circles, but it is
almost certain from his own plan that they were either a natural
outcrop or the remains of a cluster of circular huts—which we
cannot now tell, as they have long since disappeared. At
Boscawen-un, and perhaps at the Stripple Stones, stones stood
within the ring, but there is no other specially distinguishing
feature about the construction of the circles themselves, though,
as I have pointed out on other occasions, there is much in the
arrangement of some of them with regard to others and to the
hills near them which is worthy of notice.}
In Scotland the case is different. The circles in the south-
west and up the west coast of Scotland generally are not very
different from those of Cornwall, except that they sometimes
have an inner concentric ring, and that the stones are mostly not
so regular in shape and size. The principal exception is the very
remarkable monument at Callernish, on the west side of the
island of Lewis, which consists of a circle 42 feet in diameter,
with a stone 17 feet high in the centre, by the side of which is a
tomb, which is probably of later date than the circle; single
lines of 4 or 5 stones each extend east, south, and west from
outside the circle, and somewhat east of north there are two
longer lines, one of nine and the other of ten stones; the ends of
these lines are 294 feet from the centre of the circle, that is to
say just seven diameters of the circle, which can hardly be the
result of chance, especially as similar proportions exist elsewhere.
* “ Antiquities of Cornwall,’ 1769.
+ Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, vol. XIII, page 107.
THE STONE CIRCLES OF CORNWALL AND SCOTLAND. 319
Tt has been pointed out that an observer on a clear night, looking
along the tops of the southern line of stones to the top of the
great central stone, will find it exactly in line with the polestar,
~~-—--and there is also another stone which may indicate the point of
sunrise at Midsummer.
In Orkney, at the Ring of Brogar and the Stenness Circle,
the alignments of outlying stones, &c., appear to be connected
with the position of the sun at different periods of the year, so
that these and the Callernish monument may be classed with
Abury, Stonehenge, Stanton Drew, and other English circles as
‘<Sun and Star Circles.” *
In the north east of Scotland, however, the circles are
strikingly different from those of the west of Scotland, and from
those of Cornwall, or any other locality.
Inverness is the centre of a large number (perhaps not less
than forty originally) of circles of a special type, many of which
now present the appearance of two concentric circles or circular
walls of stones, about three feet high and wide, surrounded by
an open circle of larger pillar stones, the highest of which is
almost always at the south-west. ‘The inner circles are in fact
the outer and inner walls of a chambered cairn, which is shown
in many instances by the walls of a passage connecting them
(nearly always on the south side) and by the masses of stones
between them, which are the remains of the cairn itself, and
which have sometimes overflowed the second circle or retaining
wall and choked up the chamber and passage. The few instances
* Standing Stones and Maeshowe of Stennes, by Magnus Spence. (Gardner,
26 Paternoster Square.
Mr. Spence gives the following particulars :-—
From Maeshowe to the Barnhouse Stone is 42 chains, directly in the line
from the chamber of Maeshowe through the passage, which line is also that of
the midwinter sunset 19 days before the midwinter solstice. From the Barn-
house stone to Maeshowe the line is that of the midsummer sunrise,
From the Barnhouse Stone to the Watchstone is 42 chains also, and from
the Watchstone to the Ring of Brogar is 63 chains further in the same line,
which in one direction is that of the midwinter sunrise, and in the reverse
direction that of the sunset at Beltane.
From the Watchstone to Maeshowe is also 63 chains in the line of the
equinoctial sunrise and sunset. (see plan).
—
ZEEE _—_—La
eae
=
yale z=
CIRCLE Ane LINES Ar. CALBDERNISH) Inacmiclem
? Az iets Ora f Se ye)
—_ Ny Eu ‘aa Sage oe a A Re es
a = Mn Os an , f ; a e Ser pe
Polen Sea a Bk ee a Ge eM
Agee NW EA
Pease Whess So
Son Es SUM Sea
oO: — = tax Ip Sait
aA~, ee
Poned mn, fin — i 1
SE au SV AWS
One Nye » ers eS
- . WAS: aac
n S Za SEN Se nVin} o
oy eA WSN GY! 3) aa
VIEW FROM TOP OF N.E.
THE STONE CIRCLES OF CORNWALL AND SCOTLAND. 381
of this type of circle which are to be found outside the district
immediately round Inverness are in easy communication with it
by water, so that, while smaller and simpler circles are to be
found mixed with these in the Inverness district, this type 1s
peculiar to it, and may be called the ‘‘ Inverness type.”
Aberdeen is the centre of another group of circles as
numerous as those surrounding Inverness, but differing from
them and from all others, though here again circles of other
types may be found mixed with them. The special Aberdeen
type which is not found elsewhere is a single ring of large pillar
stones, between the two highest of which a great cbiong stone is
set on one of its long edges, occupying all the space between
them, and sometimes kept in place by four smaller stones set in
the ground, one at each end of each side; this is locally called
the ‘‘altar-stone,’’ though it could never have been what we
understand by an altar; in the middle of the ring there is
usually a low tumulus with a kist, and sometimes a continuous
circle of small stones round the tumulus. Dr. Garden, of
Aberdeen University, writing to Aubrey more than two hundred
years ago, said the immemorial tradition was that these circles
were places of worship in heathen times, a tradition which it
appears to me should not be put aside lightly, although, having
regard to the number of these circles and the fact that they
usually have cists in the middle, I imagine that the ceremonies
which probably took place in front of the ‘‘altar-stone’’ were
more in the nature of ancestor-worship than of sun or star
observance or worship. The ‘‘altar-stone” is usually at the
south of the circle facing north.
As the distance between the nearest points of the Aberdeen
and Inverness districts is probably not more than fifty miles, it
would seem that there must have been a considerable separation,
either of race or time, between the tribes who erected monuments
of such different construction in districts so near together, and
this is a poimt which should be taken into consideration in
attempting to unravel the early history of that part of the
country. It has also been observed that the inscribed stones and
the brochs, which however probably belong to periods different
from each other and from the circles, seem to have their centre
| CENTRE OF
q \) THIS CIRGLE WAS 7 |
— > DUG OVT SOME YEARS ~ @
—~ AGO AND USED AS ~~
-~ AN ENCLOSURE —
FOR CATTLE. ~™»
SOUTH AV ESTA CIRELE, CIRCLE at DYCE,
CLAVA, INVERNESS. ABERDEENSHIRE.
CIRCLE .
AND
LINES
AT
| CALLER NISH.
1
SCALE i280
( THE STONES
SLIGHTLY a
LARGER.)
ONE INCH TO
ONE MILE
ES TENNESS
_—————————s
A. RING OF BROGAR.
B. MAESHOWE.
lc. WATCH-STONE
D. BRIDGE OF BROGAR.
E. BARNHOUSE STONE.
F. ROAD FROM KIRKWALL
TO STROMNESS,
G. REMAINS OF STENNESS
CIRCLE.
THE STONE CIRCLES OF CORNWALL AND SCOTLAND. 3838
and place of origin in the north-east of Scotland, a district which
would seem therefore to have had strongly marked individual
characteristics from a very early period.
Such circles as formerly existed in the south-east and centre
of Scotland have been destroyed without any trustworthy account
of them having been preserved. In this respect the comparison
which I have ventured to make between the circles of Scotland
and of Cornwall turns in favour of the latter, though even in
Cornwall vigilance is still necessary, for on revisiting the
“Stripple Stones” last summer I found that a wall which I did
not remember to have seen on my first visit had taken the place
of a great part of the ditch and of two of the quite unique
projections from it, which are figured in Mr. Lukis’ plan
published by the Society of Antiquaries.
384
CORNISH CHAIRS.
By THE REv. S. RUNDLE, M.A.
When a Cornishman is asked in stereotyped phrase,
‘““What cheer, un?” the stereotyped joke in reply is ‘‘ Au, no
cheer toall, like a cricket,” which is a three-legged stool. Of
some of the articles styled chairs in Cornwall we shall be apt to
say that they are no chairs at all, but something quite different,
as in the case of St. Mawnan’s Chair, which is a simple rock,
and St. Michael’s Chair, which was most likely used for the
support of a lantern.
Cornish Chairs seem naturally to fall under the heads of
‘“Nature’s Chairs,” as St. Mawnan’s Chair and the Lizard
Chair, now, alas! demolished; ‘‘ Giant’s Chairs,” which really
ought to fall into the first class as in every case they owe their
being to nature’s hands; ‘‘ Church Chairs,” of which there are
two divisions, misereres and chairs that have had a prior
existence either as belonging to some secular person, or as
having been fashioned out of church furniture; ‘‘ Historic
Chairs,”’ which have been connected with famous persons, and
‘“Saint’s Chairs,”’ with which class it is perhaps wrong to reckon
St. Michael’s Chair.
NATURAL.
1. St. Mawnan’s Chair is merely a rock on the sea-coast,
not far from the church.
2. The Lizard Chair—demolished about twenty five years
ago—was close to the Signal Station. It was of serpentine,
probably the only historic chair of that material, and resembled
in shape an oblong bench.
Giant’s CHAIRS.
These are in every case naturally formed out of rock.
Giant’s Chair, near Hugh Town, St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly.
Near the edge of the cliff is a rock named the Giant’s Chair, so
called from its shape being that of an old-fashioned arm-chair.
CORNISH CHAIRS, 3885
It is one solid stone, the back being about five feet high, and the
seat—which is very comfortable to sit on—about two feet from
the ground. It looks like a work of art, rather than of nature,
and according to tradition it was here that the Arch-Druid was
wont to watch the rising sun. ‘Tonkin and Row, Lyonesse, 59.
2. Giant’s Chair, Trencrom Hill, St. Ives. ‘‘On the largest
of these carns are rock-basins, | one of which is] known as the
Giant’s Chair.” Matthews, St. Ives, p. 17.
3. Giant’s Chair, Godolphin Hill. On the S.W. slope of
this hill is a very fine mass of rock, which has naturally
assumed the shape of a chair. The back gradually slants off
into a angle and surmounts the seat, which is much smoothed by
attrition from the frequent use to which it has been put for
sitting purposes by the neighbouring inhabitants. ‘The seat is
large enough to hold three persons, comfortably, and therefore
we may reasonably suppose that the giant from whom it takes
its name was three times as large as an ordinary human being.
And he must have been at least as large as this, if, as the legend
tells, he were able to hurl huge blocks of granite as far as
Prospidnick, (where they formed the staple of the adjoining
granite quarries, ) a distance of close upon four miles, as the crow
flies. He chose this rock as his chair to repose his wearied
limbs after his exertions. The chair faces the hill so that there
was no prospect to distract the giant’s attention from sleep.
4. Mr. Halliwell mentions another Guiant’s Chair on
Church Town Hill, Zennor.
CuurRcH CHAIRS.
Misereres. These were seats of wood, moving on pivots, and
were often elaborately carved. They were intended as a
merciful provision for the rest of the occupant of the stall
during the recitation of the choir office. I have only heard of
six in the County, one at Bodmin, of which I can give no
particulars; four at St. Burian; and the other at St. Germans.
I take the account of the misereres at St. Burian from Mr.
Peter’s valuable paper, published in the Cornish Magazine.
St. Buryan Misereres. One was no doubt intended for the
Dean, and the others for the prebendaries of Respernell,
386 CORNISH CHAIRS.
Trithing, and the ‘‘Prebenda Parva.” The seats are now fixed
(a foolish proceeding, which was quite unnecessary and greatly .
detracts from their interest); formerly they could be raised as
required, the small underledge serving the useful purpose of
enabling a priest to half sit and rest during the long choir
offices. They have, moreover, been removed from their ancient
position as returned stalls and shifted round to face north and
south, another unnecessary proceeding. Peter.—The Church of
St. Buryan, Cornish Magazine, vol. 1, page 231.
St. Germans. In the aisle of St. Germans Church there is a
carved Miserere Chair, on which is represented a hunter with
game slung over his shoulder on the stock of a cross-bow,
preceded and followed by his dogs. For many years an oblong
piece of oak, with carved face, as above described, having a pivot
at each end, had lain in the vestry. Several years ago there was
found built into a wall a chair devoid of a seat; and the carved
wood was found to fit exactly into it, and to turn upon its pivots
for a sitting, or kneeling rest, and thus this chair was reformed.
The chair measures about three feet in height and eighteen
inches in breadth. Locally it was called ‘‘ Dando and his dogs.”
Lake: sub St. Germans.
St. Goran. There is a carved chair preserved in the Church.
The carving, which has been restored, represents St. Goran at
full length, with long hair, and his hands clasped on his breast.
On one side of the saint the church with a steeple is represented,
and on the other an open book and a human skull. Lake: sud
Gorran. With regard to the above description it may be noted
that the carved figure probably represented the founder, which
personage in religious art is represented always with a model of
the church, which he or she founded. It belonged to an old
woman at Gorran Haven, who gave it to the former vicar (Rev.
D. Jenkins). It was set up and repaired by Mr. Willimott, who
was once Rector of St. Michael Carhayes. The former possessor
said that there were originally two chairs, one of which was “ scat
up” for fire-wood, so that we may think ourselves very
fortunate that this fine specimen of antique workmanship has
found a suitable resting-place in St. Goran’s Sanctuary.
Photo by Geo. Penrose.
CHAIR IN LADOCK CHURCH.
CORNISH CHAIRS. 387
Chair formerly in Lanlivery Church. This is a carved oak
chair, without arms. I base the following account on a picture
that appeared some years ago in
one of the illustrated papers. ‘The
back has a frame with conventional
foliage. This frame encloses a
large panel, on which is carved a
round arch with cable mouldings
supported by two pillars with the
same mouldings. In the centre is
the sacred lily on a stalk, which
ends in a sword-blade, with flam-
boyant decoration on either side.
The sides of the
seat are also car-
ved. The symbol-
ism of the lily with
the sword-blade
piercing through
its midst is very
beautiful, and un-
doubtedly refers to
the Blessed Virgin
Mary, whose em-
blem is a lily and
of whom S&t.
Simeon prophesied that ‘‘a sword should pierce her own soul
also.” (St. Luke 2, 35). I regret to say that this beautiful chair
is now lost to the church, as it has been removed.
St. Ladock. Within the sacrarium of St. Ladock church is a
very fine carved oak chair previously in the possession of the
famous seaman Lord Rodney, which was purchased by the former
Rector, Rey. Canon Wise, from one of his parishioners and
presented to the Church. The back of the chair is surmounted
by an oblong piece of carved wood, which projects beyond the
sides, and these enclose a sunken panel forming the back. On
this panel is carved a round arch, the middle of which is raised.
The arch rests on two projecting abaci, and. these on two pillars
of spiral work. The spandrels are filled with conventional fern-
6S | eX :
—
STMT Wea et
A
i=
NP
4
:
388 CORNISH CHAIRS.
leaves. Within the centre of the arch rises a tree with two side
branches, whilst the bole ends in three large masses of foliage,
which ascend together. A border of cable-moulding forms the
base both of the chair and the pillars. The arms and legs of the
chair are massively carved with arm-rests, and various mouldings,
and swells. The seat has a carved underledge. Iam indebted to
Mr. Penrose for the accompanying photograph. Upon a com-
parison of the two chairs at St. Ladock and Lanlivery, it is
impossible to avoid noticing the identity of the arches in each
case, though the carving is different. The pillars and capitals
also preserve the same outline, though at Lanlivery the latter are
carved, whereas at St. Ladock they are plain. In both instances
the shafts possess carving of very similar character.. In
the Lanlivery Chair, however, the folds do not contain a
Tudor rose, as we notice in the one at St. Ladock. It will be
observed, too, that the chair at St. Ladock is endowed with arms,
and both the arms and legs are enriched with frets, and swells,
and rests, whereas the Lanlivery Chair has no arms and its legs
are of a plainer type altogether. There is the further difference
that the side underledges at Lanlvery are carved, whilst those
at St. Ladock are not.
Historic CHAIRS.
At Boconnoe House, in Drew and Hichens’ time, 1824, there
were two small chairs of ebony said to have been made out of
the cradle of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I. They
have been removed and are said to be at Dropmore.
Chairs of Charles I. There are three chairs of similar
character, one at Clowance, one at Penrose, and one whose
locality is unknown. It is very curious as well as interesting
that in three portraits of Charles I, preserved at Clowance,
Pendarves, and at Anthony, he is represented as sitting in a
chair similar to the Penrose one. For these particulars I am
indebted to one whose knowledge of Cornwall is encyclopzedic,
Mr. John Enys. With regard to the Penrose Chair, it may be
said that it is decorated with relief painting, and has its seat
covered with tapestry. It was originally at Godolphin, and is
said to have been intended for the use of Charles the second and
not the_first.
Photo by F. C. Burrow, fF R.P.S.
S. GERMOE’S CHAIR.
Amat tea ee
MOUs) Seis eat
x
CORNISH CHAIRS. 389
At Holy Vale, St. Mary’s, Scilly, in the house at the end of
the row is an old-fashioned arm-chair which belonged to
Charles I, when he was at the Star Castle, in 1645. Our present
King, when Prince of Wales, visited the house and sat in the
chair, in 1865. ‘‘ Lyonesse,” p. 66.
A set of old fashioned high-backed chairs—older than the
time of Bp. Trelawney, to whom probably they belonged—was
purchased ata sale at Trelown, by Thomas Bond, of East Looe.
One is at Enys, others are at Trelissick.
At Cothele, two chairs have brass-plates affixed to them with
the following inscriptions :—‘‘On Tuesday, August 25th, 1789,
His Majesty King George the 3d honoured this old mansion
with his presence, and sate in this chair, while he condescended
to take a breakfast with the Karl and Countess of Mount
Edgeumbe. Their Royal Highnesses, Princess Royal, Princess
Augusta, and Princess Elizabeth, also honoured them at the
same time with their presence.”’
‘On Tuesday, August 25th, 1789, Her Majesty Queen
Charlotte honoured this old mansion with her presence and sate in
this chair, while she condescended to take a breakfast with the
Earl and Countess of Mount Edgcumbe.”’ Lake: sub Calstock.
Saints’ CHAIRS.
Of this class of chairs I am acquainted with but three in the
British Isles, two of which are in Cornwall; the third, St.
Maughold’s, is in the Isle of Man, but of this I can procure no
particulars except those given in Butler’s Lives of the Saints
(Dublin, 1833). Ihave also given under this class the chair at
St. Michael’s Mount, though in accuracy it ought to occupy a
place of its own.
St. Germo’s Chair. In the north-eastern part of St. Germo’s
churchyard stands a weather-beaten, time-worn structure. It is
about ten feet high by six feet and a half long approximately
by about six feet wide. The exterior is of somewhat crumbling
masonry, surmounted by a dilapidated slate roof. The front is
divided into two parts by a central pillar four feet one in height
and having a girth beneath the plain moulded capital of 34 inches.
This granite pillar seems to be in its correct perpendicular
position, but the two exterior ones are made of odd portions of
390 CORNISH CHAIRS.
pillars; the upper portion ends in a capital in its proper place,
this is fixed on a lower limb ending in a capital upside down.
And the same thing occurs in the left pillar, only here the
capital, turned upside down, forms the base. Both these pillars
are hewn from blocks of granite which are squared evidently with
the intention of being built into a wall, or forming exterior
angle-stones. Under the apex of the roof is a carved head. The
interior ground-plan is a parallelogram, within which is a stone
bench 6 feet 5 inches in length, a foot wide, and 14 inches
above the ground. The seat is divided into three compartments.
The wall on each side composes the sides of the exterior arches.
The arches and pillars are of debased early English style. The
pillars are disengaged from the wall, on which the capitals rest.
These capitals are superimposed on shafts which are upside down
with capitals also upside down used as pediments. The central
seat has its back shghtly rounded. There is a crowned head
over the central arch. Dimensions can be found in Lake’s
Parochial History of Cornwall.
The fact that some of the pillars are subverted seems to
haye entirely escaped attention, and adds additional difficulty as
to the date and meaning of the building. Though the shafts
and capitals are turned the wrong way, yet they seem to fit into
their place, and to have been made for it. There is a tradition
that the chair once emulated the tower in the height, but the
size of the present pillars and seat, and their completeness,
forbids the idea that they have been rudely cast together from the
ruins of a more stately edifice.
The chair cannot be St. Germo’s tomb, though confounded
with it by Tonkin, as Leland makes mention of both as distinet
objects at St. Germo. His words are ‘“ S. Germochus, a chirche
3 miles from St. Michael’s Mount....his tumbe yet seen there
(the tomb seems to have been in the church from this expression)
St. Germoke’s Chair in the churchyard.” C. Gilbert is inaccurate
when he says that the present structure cannot be the chair
mentioned by Leland, because it does not stand in the churchyard,
as it does stand in the N. E. corner. That it does not cover the
bones of St. Germo, or anyone else, has been convincingly
proved by the present Vicar, who had the chair undermined, but
nothing was discovered.
CORNISH CHAIRS. 391
There have been countless surmises and guesses at its
origin, all of which seem wide of the mark. The following
practice, formerly occurrent in the Isle of Man, seems to afford
a clue to the mystery. ‘‘In the churchyard of St. Maughold
is St. Maughold’s well.. .The chair, as it is called, is placed
above, in which a person was formerly seated to drink a glass
of water for the cure of several disorders, especially from
poison.” (Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Vol. 1, April 25th.)
St. Germo’s Chair may have been used for a similar practice,
especially as here also there is a well of clear water at
no great distance, which was anciently known as St. Germo’s
well. The tradition that offermgs were placed upon the chair
may be explained by the reasonable supposition that thank-
offerings were laid upon the seat, where the whilom sufferer had
received his cure.
Hichens and Drew’s History of Cornwall (1824), states that
the chair was then in excellent condition. It is not in so good a
state at present, though there is no danger imminent to this
interesting relic of antiquity. The above authors also state that
in their time the spot where the chair stood was then unconsecrated
but I think that they must have been mistaken. Probably
when they wrote the graves had not extended in this direction
and hence probably arose the theory that the spot was not holy
ground.
St. IWawes’ Chair is now lost, as it has been built into, or
under, the sea wall. A booklet was written by the Rey.
W. E. Heygate, the well-known ecclesiastical author, when he
was assistant curate of St. Gerrans, called ‘‘the Chair of St.
Mawe,”’ and was published by James R. Netherton, of Truro, in
1849. In this publication Mr. Heygate says, ‘‘ Long after [ St.
Mawe’s | death his well, his chair, his chapel bare him witness... .
At the Reformation his picture and a stone chair, said to be his,
were in the chapel. This chair has been seen by living men
(1849), and I can show you what I believe to be one side of it,
now forming the side support of some stone work at the foot of
the house beside his well. Clearly it is an ancient work.” Op.
Cit. Pp. 3.
St, Michaels Mount. From the body of the chapel a spiral
stair-case leads to the top of the tower, where may be seen the
392 CORNISH CHAIRS.
. mysterious ‘‘Cader of St. Michael.” It is a chair composed of
two stones projecting from the two sides of the tower battlements
and uniting into a sort of seat, just at the south-western angle,
but elevated above the battlements on each side, and overhanging
the rocky precipice beneath. ‘‘ Opinions are divided, as some
contend that it is the remains of a stone lantern, in which a light
was kept by night, and during foggy weather, for the direction
of shipping; whilst others believe that it had some connection-
ship with the pilgrims.” Lake: sub St. Hilary.
In the Pall Mall Magazine, the Hon. John St. Aubyn thus
writes: ‘‘At the south-western corner of the tower are the
remains of a stone lantern, which probably served as a beacon—
perhaps the earliest specimon of a light-house in these seas.
The outer part is broken away, and is reputed to have the power
of conferring supremacy in domestic affairs on the husband or
wife who succeeds in sitting in it first. As it is not easy to get
in, and still more difficult to get out, and when you are there
your legs hang over the face of the tower wall at a giddy height,
a lady who attempts the adventure is considerably handicapped.”
And this giddy height is magnified to a degree almost impossible
to conceive by a man of such superlative imaginative powers as
Charles Dickens, who describes it as being three thousand feet
(just fancy it) above the fathomless (!) ocean (John Forster’s Lite
of Charles Dickens, p. 206), thereby making the extraordinary
height to be counter balanced by illimitable depth—38000 height
versus fathomless profundity. Robert Southey in his visits to
Derwent Coleridge, the poet’s son, who lived at Helston, became
acquainted with the extraordinary virtues of the chair, and wrote
a poem on the subject.
CHAIR MADE FROM THE TRUNK OF A TREE.
At Trenwheal, about 14 miles from Godolphin, is preserved
a chair formed out of the trunk of a tree. It appears that,
about seventy or eighty years ago, miners dug out of the land
belonging to the Vicarage of St. Hilary an immense tree-bole,
which must have lain buried there for many years. The trunk
was divided into three portions, one of which was given to the
then Vicar of St. Hilary, in acknowledgment of his right as
possessor of the land where it was found, and a second was
Photo by F. Chown, M.B.
Photo by F.C. Burrow, F.R.P.S.
Chair at Trenwheal, tormed from the Trunk of a Tree.
BURYAN MISERERE STALLS.
Ss.
4
Mi
CORNISH CHAIRS. 3938
fashioned by one of the finders into the present chair. Its height
is 83 inches and its girth is 64 inches. The seat is 19 inches
above the ground, and the diameter of this seat is also 19 inches.
The upper portion of the trunk has been hollowed out and cut
away so as to form a back, which is covered with leather, studded
at the edges by brass nails. The seat rests upon the trunk,
which is hollow, and has two large apertures, one on either side.
The chair is of oak and very heavy for its size. The photograph
was kindly taken by Mr. F. Chown, M.B., Townshend.
In conclusion, I must point out that this paper must by no
means be taken as a conclusive account of the chairs of interest
in Cornwall. There must be many which have escaped my
notice, and I should be very glad to have an account of them.
Ti is interesting to observe that comparatively few have been
destroyed, or lost, and amongst these must be reckoned the
Lizard Chair and the chair at Lanlivery Church. To prevent
such a loss as the last mentioned, a preventitive might be taken
by the compulsory formation of a schedule of church movables
to be exhibited yearly to the Rural Dean at his visitation.
Amongst the interesting notitia connected with the subject
of Cornish Chairs may be mentioned the purloining of one of a
set of Chippendale chairs, belonging to a Cornish squire, by his
butler, who removed it to the public house, where he set up his
abode after his departure from service. Long years after it was
discovered by a son of the real owner and recognised by the
erest and its similarity to the set which was in his possession.
It was only by purchase that he could restore it to its original
companions. Dickens, in his ‘‘ Boots at the Holly-tree Inn,”
gives a very mirth-provoking account of his having to eat his
supper at a chair maker’s house in a Cornish village, who could
provide nothing but a bottomless chair to sit upon, which was
constantly causing the wretched occupant to topple over and
measure his length on the ground. Probably no more uncom-
fortable ‘“‘seat”’ can be imagined than the edge of a “‘seatless
chair.”
394
NOTES ON THE CHURCHES OF ST. MYLOR AND MABE.
By THURSTAN C. PETER.
Mylor (or, as it sometimes more correctly, though rarely,
called, St. Mylor) is one of the most prettily situated churches in
Cornwall, and one of the most frequently visited. Standing by the
side of the beautiful river Fal, it is so far down the slope of the
hill and so thickly surrounded by trees, that, as you stand on the
hill above and look across the water where formerly floated the
training-ship ‘‘Ganges,” or up the river to King Harry’s Ferry
and the pleasantly situated mansion of Trelissick, you cannot
see the church though it is so close to you as to be within a stone’s
throw. Most of these trees are in the church-yard itsclf, and
notable amongst them are two mighty yews, ‘‘dismal yews” as
Shakespeare calls them, which may well have served the village
archers in Tudor times for making bows with which to try their
skill around the walls of the church; and, probably, the
villagers held many a meeting under their spreading boughs, in
spite of the forbiddal by the Exeter Synod of 1287 of the
transaction of any secular business in churchyards. Beneath
their ‘“‘shade, where heaves the turf in many a mouldering
heap,” are many records of the forgotten dead, none the less
pathetic for the simplicity of the language in which the “‘ village
muse’ has recorded their history. One stone is of the kind so
sadly frequent in Cornish churchyards. It is inscribed ‘‘ To the
memory of the warriors, women, and children, who, on their
return to England from the coast of Spain, unhappily perished
in the wreck of the ‘‘Queen” transport, on Trefusis Point,
January 14th, 1814.” Nearly two hundred lives are said to
have been lost, of whom the parish registers record the burial of
one hundred and thirty six. All who know how thoroughly
medieval are still the views of Cornishmen on the subjects of
smuggling and piracy, will appreciate the reference on a stone
dated 1814, over the grave of a man who was (no doubt properly)
shot by a preventive officer, but whose friends looked on the
Ss. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 399
whole preventive system as an unjust interference with natural
liberty :—
“ We have not a moment we can call our own—-
Officious zeal, in luckless hour, laid wait,
And, wilful, sent the murderous ball of fate!
James to his home, which late in health he left,
Wounded returns—of life is soon bereft !”’
There is a world of meaning in the words ‘“ wilful” and
‘‘ officious zeal.” This may be compared with a stone in the
churchyard of All Saints, Hastings, in memory of Thomas
Noakes, who was shot by a custom house officer in the discharge
of his duty, where in his epitaph, the dead man is made to say :—
‘May it be known, tho’ I am clay,
A base man took my life away.”
Another stone commemorates a wheelwright, and is dated 1770 :-—
““Alass Frend Joseph. His end war Allmost Sudden,
As thou the Mandate came Express from heaven.
his foot it Slip. And he did fall
help help he cries—& that was all.”
which 1s evidently the loving tribute of some friendly and pious,
though unlettered, muse. Quaint and simple pathos such as
this far less deserves our ridicule than the vulgar monstrosities
of the professional stone-mason, who combines trite eulogy with
a stock text or two, and a few heathen symbols, suggestive of
the absence of faith in a resurrection, and of other things
abhorrent to the Christian mind.
Perhaps, however, the object which attracts, and deserves,
most attention in the churchyard is the fine cross by the south
door, which was found during the restoration of 1869, serving
as a buttress against the south wall. In Langdon’s Cornish
Crosses it is admirably illustrated, but as it should be and not as
it 7s, for he has drawn it with its full 17 feet 6 inches above
ground, whereas those who erected it have planted it nearly
seven feet in the ground, thereby concealing its principal
characteristic of being the tallest cross in the county. Another
very unusual feature of this splendid round-headed cross is its
square shaft, which measures 16 inches at the bottom, and about
15 inches at the top.
396 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
The Church itself is most interesting. It was restored in
1869, or, rather we should say, was, with the exception of the
western tower, then rebuilt; but so lovingly, and with such
reverence for all that was of the past, that every ancient feature
was preserved. Previous restorations had not always been so
well done, as when, in 1845, the waggon roof of the north aisle
was removed. The building consists of nave with chancel, south
aisle with chancel aisle, a northern transept known as the
Carclew chapel, south porch, vestry, and western engaged tower.
The north wall is Norman. In the 14th century, or, perhaps,
earlier, the church was apparently cruciform, the north wall
being pierced as we see it to-day. ‘The south half of the
transept was removed (as in so many of our Cornish Churches)
in the 15th century, and replaced by an aisle, with south porch.*
The transeptal projection on this side is modern, as is also the
vestry which is placed between this projection and the porch.
The Norman north wall is of especial interest, though a
good deal of its character has been lost by the introduction of
narrow-jointed masonry at the rebuilding. Its chief feature is
the door-way, three feet wide, with its round arch spanned by a
snake having its wide open jaws to the west, and keyed with a
grotesque head. The lintel and jambs are decorated with zig-
zag bead-moulding and half-balls, in good preservation, as are
also the capitals of the side pillars and the round detached
shafts. The bases of the pillars are so worn and broken that it
is not easy to judge their character. The tympanum displays a
cross in a circular panel. The fact that this tympanum is not
large enough to fill its space, and has had to be pieced with
cement, might lead to the conclusion that it does not belong here,
but the almost perfect way in which it fits on to the jambs
satisfies us that it is in position. On each side of this door a
window has been inserted to accord with its character.
Another Norman doorway is found in the west face of the
tower. Its several pieces were found in different parts of the
church at the time of the restoration, except some stones of the
relieving arch which being im stu led to the doorway being
* It is stated in the ‘* Western Antiquary,’’ vol. i., p. 167, that prior to
1869 the south aisle contained windows of the 17th century.
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 397
completed in this position. The tympanum, which formerly
served as a lintel to the priest’s door, contains a cross and circle
very effectively combined. The lower edge of this stone has a
bead-moulding which is continued down the jambs. The
detached shafts are new, and not very satisfactory. The
Norman bases were found at the south doorway, but are more
appropriately placed here. The southern base represents three
faces on one head, and is, no doubt, a symbol of the Trinity; the
other pourtrays some beast apparently munching a bone. As
rebuilt, there is nothing Norman about the base of the tower,
and its upper portion is distinctly Perpendicular. The windows
are very pretty specimens of the work of that date. The door-
way was no doubt preserved from the older work when the
tower was rebuilt in the 14th, or 15th, century. In the middle of
the west face is a small slit in which has been inserted coloured
glass to form across. This glass was, we are informed, found
at the restoration. The tower is wholly built within the church,
but dead walls now carry it on the north and south, where
probably there were formerly arches, as at St. Keverne, and the
beauty of the arrangement is entirely concealed by walls having
also been built across the aisles in continuation of the eastern
face of the tower. Moreover, a considerable portion of the
church is by this arrangement now shut off and rendered useless. -
Whether this had to be done as a means of strengthening the
tower, or whatever else may have been the reason, it is very
regrettable that what must have been a very beautiful west end
should thus have been destroyed.
The south porch has an outer arch of Caen stone, with
panelled jambs. This arch is of much superior workmanship to
its setting, and it has been conjectured that it and the pillars and
capitals of the arcade to which we shall refer directly, were
brought from Glasney after its destruction, that is, at some time
subsequent to 1537. Very possibly this was so; and, perhaps,
the Caen stone stoup, formerly in the porch, was brought from
the same place. This stoup having been cracked has been
recently replaced by a brand-new one set in the old arch. Other
entrances to the building are by a priest’s door, and a door in the
eastern side of the Carclew chapel.
398 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
The other objects of interest on the exterior of the building
are the figure,* now set in a niche in the east wall of the Carclew
Chapel, representing a crucifixion under a canopy. It is so worn
and mutilated as to be very difficult to trace. There are also
several interesting heads and gargoyles of very early date in
different parts, the best being a square gutter basin with a
human face, now serving as a receiver for the water from the
roof at the angle of the Carclew chapel and the nave. This we
think is Norman.
The chief interest of the church within is found in the carved
wood-work of the chancel screen (which was discovered in use as
joists and otherwise), in two bench ends, and in the pulpit. The
screen is of 15th century work and very good of its kind. Much
of its rich colouring remains, and on four of the panels are the
words Iarys Ionat Iesw Crest in late letters of that century. A
late vicar, the Rev. J. W. Murray, read this as Carws ADoNnaI
Gusu Grist, and interpreted it as Cornish for ‘‘The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ.”” Mr. Murray’s learning entitles him to
respect, but we are confident that he was mislead here, as the
letters, whatever they may mean, are quite clear and distinct.
The two bench-ends are of no especial beauty. They now form
part of the reading desks on the north and south sides of the
choir. The pulpit is a beautiful piece of carved wood; it is
Spanish in feeling, and there may be some ground for the theory
which we have heard put forward, that it is an ‘‘ Armada
pulpit,” that is, one of those said to have been brought over by
Philip of Spain from which to preach the true faith to the Enghsh,
and which were involuntarily left behind. But we confess that
we have not much belief in this story of the Armada pulpits,
though so often told. The mosaic reredos is by the Italian artist
Salviati.
The north wall is pierced by a wide pointed arch giving
access to the Carclew chapel. On the inner side of the arch
there has been placed a modern screen of stone serving no
ostensible purpose except that of supporting some monuments of
the Lemon family. In the east wall of this chapel are the rood-
stairs, and close by them, but no longer serving its original
* Tllustrated in Vol. 3 of Journal R.I.C.
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 399
purpose, is the arch that formerly gave access to them, now
serving to carry the flue of the heating apparatus. It is very
“narrow, with Norman jambs, capitals having been formed for
them out of what was once apparently part of a Norman capital,
ornamented with a very neat diaper pattern. While speaking
of the rood-stairs, it is worth noting that the opening still
remains over the arcade and is only twelve inches wide. In the
north wall of this transept are two curious looking niches, one of
them 53 inches wide and 83 inches high, and the other slightly
smaller. These, we are informed, are two out of four openings
that were formerly in this wall, all carefully built, as are these
two, of Norman fragments. The use of these openings has been
much discussed, but nothing has yet been contributed to the
discussion except a variety of unfounded guesses.
In the chancel are a credence on the south side, and a pillar
piscina, now fixed beneath a shelf and to a great extent hidden
from view. Itis two inches higher and two inches wider across
the top than the one at Bodmin, which is so much better known,
but is otherwise its counterpart. Its height is 2 feet 5 inches.
In the south wall of the chancel a hagioscope has been formed
in modern days. In the chancel aisle is a small aumbrie, and in
the east wall are two Caen stone corbels, one plain and the other
in the form of an angel holding a shield on which is figured the
eross of St. George, the whole still retaining traces of the
colouring that once covered it. These corbels were found during
the restoration of the church and placed here. Against the splay
of the east window of this aisle is a monument of Francis
Trefusis ‘‘ Natus, 8th July, 1650, Denatus, 5th November, 1680,”
the inscription being throughout in a mixture of Greek, Latin,
and English, and the kneeling effigy of the deceased being no
better and no worse than many others of the same period.
The font is more curious than elegant. It has on its faces, in
circular panels, Greek crosses, and different heraldic symbols,
such as chevrons, saltires, &c. It is said by some to be late
Norman, but is just one of those fonts which might be of any
age. The various panels are figured by Mr. Iago, in the Journal
of the Royal Institution of Cornwall (vol. 3). The pillar
money-box is worth noticing.
400 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
For a good account of the St. Christopher and other wall-
paintings which, prior to the restoration of 1869, adorned the
interior of this church, we must refer to the Journal of this
Institution, vols. 3 and 4. The rebuilding of the wall, of course,
rendered their preservation impossible.
The three bells, which are hung in a wooden campanile a
few feet to the west of the church, were all recast in 1888 in
memory of the late Vicar, J. W. Murray. The two first retain
their old legends. 1.—This was one of the few medieval bells in
Kerrier. Its legend is IN HONORE SANTI GEORGII. 2.—
EGO ME PRECO SE CLAMANDO CONTERIMVS AVDITE
VENITE, 1637. 3.—This bell formerly bore only the date 1664.
It is now inscribed “RECAST BY JOHN WARNER AND
SON. LONDON, 1888.”
In the tower of the church is a single bell dated 1767, which,
it is alleged, formerly hung in a chapel at Trefusis. It was
presented to Mylor by Lord Clinton.
The Parish Registers begin in 1673, but the early years are
very irregular, especially in the case of the baptisms The
burials for 1703 to 1706 are missing altogether. Burials in
“woollen occur in the years 1701 and 1702.
The church plate is all modern, but good. It consists of :—
(1) An alms-dish of silver, weighing 31-ozs. 18-dwts. 03-grs. with
a coat of arms (unrecognised) on the upper surface, and inscribed
on the under surface ‘‘A gift to the Parish Church of Mylor,
18th September, 1743.” (2) Another Alms-dish weighing 45-oz.
11-dwt. 11-grs. with the sacred monogram in a glory on the front,
and on the under surface the Clinton arms, and the inscribed date
1762. (3) Asilver fagon weighing 43-oz. 6-dwt. 214-grs. with the
I.H.S. as No. 2, and the Clinton arms twice on the sides, and the
inscribed date 1762. (4) A silver Communion Cup, with stem
and foot, weighing 26-o0z, 19-dwt. 123-grs. Monogram, arms
and date as No. 2. (5) A silver paten, weighing 5-oz. 0-dwt.
61-grs. Monogram, arms and date as No. 2. In the case of No.
3 the inscribed date is also that of the date letter, whilst Nos.
2, 4, and 5 bear the date letters of 1761. (6) A small paten of
base metal plated,
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 401
The earliest rector of this parish of whom we have know-
ledge was Walter Manclerc, who was collated in the reign of
King John.* The next whom we have come across is Thomas
de Wyndesore, clerk, who on the 22nd of June, 1258, resigued
all his right to the rectory, the Bishop on the same day collating
Sir Walter de Fermesham (7.¢. of Felmersham in Bedfordshire),
charging him with the payment of twenty marks a year to
Master John de Agnavia, who was, of course, a former rector.
At the same time a letter was addressed by the Bishop to
Wyndesore, authorising him to receive ten marks a year from
the Hpiscopal treasury, until he, or some suitable nominee of his,
should be provided for in a competent benefice. This was an
instance of the custom which bound every Bishop on entering on
the emoluments of his see ‘‘ratione novee creationis” to allow a
fitting pension to any clerk recommended by the crown until he
had provided a suitable benefice for him. Bronescombe had
just entered on the emoluments of the see of Exeter.
In the early part of 1277 (the MSS. is undated, but is
entered between 10th March and 21st April in that year), Bishop
Bronescombe addressed a mandate to the Archdeacon of Exeter
to the effect that all clergy, collegiate and parochial, should
publish in manner therein provided a list of the offences which
subjected those guilty of them to excommunication, because he
had found that many persons, in sheer ignorance of what was
written on the subject, especially the Statutes of the Canons and
the Traditions of the Holy Fathers, fell under sentence of
excommunication. On the 14th of August in the same year, the
Bishop addressed a letter from Glasney to his four archdeacons,
in which he first quotes the substances of this mandate, and
concludes ‘“‘ Wherefore you shall denounce as being ipso facto
fallen under the said sentence of excommunication William de
Tayistoke, Thomas Noel, Osbert Marck, Noel de Trevilla,t+
Peter de Marscalle, John de Sicca Villa,t and John le Portel,
* This appears from the list of documents in the Exeter Treasury, which
includes “‘ Carta Johannis Regis de Collacione Heclesie Sancti Melori Waltero
Manclere”’ (Reg. Bronescombe, fo. 134; Edn. Hingeston Randolph, p. 290).
+ In 1264 one of the patrons of St. Feock (Reg. Bronescombe, 31.
{ At different times this John Sachville held prebends in Glasney, Crediton
and St, Crantock.
402 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
who, after legal warning, had removed, and still were removing,
some of the actual soil of the sanctuary of St. Milor Church,
thereby diminishing the said sanctuary and doing wrong and
injury to the right and liberty of the said church. We suspect
that this was part of the dispute between the Bishop and
Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, concerning their respective rights in
the foreshore. On the 12th November, 1278, the Bishop, being
himself in failing health, appointed Sir Ralph de Hengham and
John [de Pontisara], Archdeacon of Exeter, his proctors in all
causes between himself and the Earl. The appointment is
followed in the Register by a long document in Norman-French,
dated the same day. This recites that disputes and dissensions
having arisen between the noble lord, Sir Edmund, Earl of
Cornwall, and Sir Walter, by the grace of God, Bishop of Exeter,
the same had been arranged by, mutual friends. The Bishop
was to account for the amounts exacted from the people of
Cornwall against their will, or by the Bishop’s distress, and to
undertake not to enforce such obligations in the future, and to
release all oaths obtained by force, and it was ordered that
William de Moneketone* be assoiled in form of Holy Church,
and that the Bishop give him a full release out of deference to
the Karl; and, if any others had been excommunicated, or so
denounced, for any temporal cause, they were to be assoiled in
like form. And as to the sands of St. Milor, it was provided
that three knights, men of experience, on behalf of the Earl, and
a like number on behalf of the Bishop, should visit the place,
and on their oaths lay down the limits between that which
appertained to the church of St. Milor, and that which was
common to all; so that none should thenceforth take of the one
without due payment made to the Parson, and the remainder
should be common. If the Bishop had taken excessive ransoms,
fines, or reprises, from the people of Cornwall, he should return
them to those from whom he had taken them, the amount to be
settled by one clerk on behalf of the Earl, and another on behalf
of the Bishop. If these referees could not agree, they were to
* He was Seneschal of Cornwall, and a very troublesome fellow. There are
several complaints against him in the Registers. In July, 1282, for instance,
the Archbishop wrote to the Karl, complaining of his conduct, and that he
should proceed against him in spite of the success with which he had so far
escaped punishment by taking shelter behind his employer (Peckham, fol. 186 b).
Saya ‘molting ‘2 &) ‘(ygndg 9047 wWoay) HONNHD AOTAW ‘S [49 004g
betes
LOSES TRS,
eae’
'
ak
vi
Sd Wa ‘01ing “D°£) *QS9A 942 Wo1) HOUNHD AOTAW ‘S [49 0,047
‘Sd Wa ‘mosing “D°*&) “(AvMsJ00q Y34JON) ‘HOANHD AOTAW °‘S [49 0,047
fae
Bre
See
*
Photo by F. C. Burrow, F.R.P.S.
S. MYLOR CHURCH.—West Doorway.
a
Pall
S.
Photo by F.C. Burrow, F.R.P.
MYLOR CHURCH.—South Porch.
Ss.
wars
LR.P.S
,
“02
7
. Bur
C
Photo by F
Pillar P
ina, &c.
isc
MYLOR CHURCH.
Ss
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 403
choose a third clerk as umpire. This matter was to be completed
between the date of the agreement and Pentecost, and the Earl
was to give reasonable notice to the Bishop to have his clerk
ready. None of the Karl’s friends, whether clerics or laymen,
who were engaged in this matter, and none of the people of
Cornwall were to be molested or aggrieved on the part of the
Bishop or of anyone belonging to him, by penalty, at any time,
or by reason of any article exhibited by the Bishop against
William de Moneketone on account of any distress levied by him
by the King’s orders, or for defamation, or for any cause or
action which the Bishop had, or could have instituted up to the
present time. And that this settlement might be strictly and
without default adhered to, the aforesaid Bishop gave his
promise in good faith. And as to the distress he holds the
Archbishop of Canterbury, or his Official, harmless in matters
touching the spirituality ; and matters affecting the Earl and his
belongings which could be and ought to be, tried and determined
in the King’s courts, were to be entered on the rolls of the Chief
Justices, so that he could proceed with the distress without
dispute or disturbance to the permanent accomplishment and
settlement of the whole of this business. In witness whereof the
Bishop set his seal to this deed, together with the seals of
Master John de Pontisara, Archdeacon of Exeter, and Sir Ralph
de Engham, the King’s Justice, at London on the morrow of St.
Martin in the sixth year of King Edward (7.e November 119).
1278). On the 17th of April, 1283, by an ordinance in which he
recited that his predecessor Walter (Bronescombe) had planted a
garden at Glasney desiring his successors to water it, and that it
was difficult to carry out properly the wish of Bishop
Bronescombe on account of the distance of Glasney from Exeter
which prevented efficient personal government, Bishop Quivil,
with the consent of the Chapter of Exeter, ordered the appoint-
ment of a resident Provost of Glasney. And since, as it is
written, it is not lawful to muzzle the ox that treadeth out the
corn, and to him who sows spiritual things the temporal are but
a just tribute, the Bishop annexed to the Provostship the Church
of Probus. Difficulties seem to have arisen over this appropria-
tion, and on the 23rd day of February, 1288, the Bishop gave a
decision against the College. On the same day the church of St,
404 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
Milor was appropriated to Glasney College, evidently as a
compensation. The deed of appropriation contains the same
recitals as in the deed that had granted Probus, and the profits
were similarly annexed to the office of Provost.
Thenceforward we have, of course, to deal with vicars only.
By ordinance dated the 9th of May, 13538, Bishop Grandisson,
with the consent of the Provost of Glasney, Sir Richard de
Gomersale, assigned to the Vicar for the time being a messuage
adjoining the cemetery of the church, with a garden, a croft and
a plot of land measuring together at least ten acres. He was,
moreover, to receive the entire altilage and the small tithes, both
real and personal, as well of the said parish church as of the
dependent chapel of St. Laud, together with the tithe of hay
and of the fishery, and the mortuaries of the whole parish, as
well as every kind of obvention pertaining to the altilage of the
said church. The Vicar was also to receive without let the tithe
of the garb of Kerygou (hodie, the Creggoes). The whole of
which the Bishop estimated as worth by the year £10 sterling.
The great tithes, except so far as assigned to the Vicar, were to
remain the property of the Provost. The Provost was to bear
all burdens, ordinary and extraordinary, except the duties of the
deanery of the Bishop’s Peculiar Jurisdiction of Penryn, which
duties were to be performed by the Vicar whenever it should be
the duty of the Church of St. Melor to discharge them. The
Vicar was at his own costs to cause the celebration of the Divine
Offices as well in the said church of St. Melor as in the chapel of
St. Laud. The Bishop made the usual reservation of a right to
alter this ordinance as and when occasion should require. At
the date of the Tithe Commutation ‘‘the corn and grain tithes
arising from lands called part of the Creygoes”’ still belonged to
the Vicar, and were so treated in assessing the amount payable
to him. We do not find that any of the Vicars have been
especially remarkable. Perhaps, however, the following extract
from the will of one of them is worth quoting as a specimen of
those documents at a time when it was very usual, especially
amongst men of a puritanical turn of mind, to insert words at
the commencement recognising that the disposition by a man of
his property after death was a solemn and serious act. Thomas
Peters was apparently a member of a Fowey family of that name,
Ss. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 405
to which the more celebrated Hugh Peters, Cromwell’s chaplain,
was related.* ‘‘In the name of the everlasting God, Amen, the
twenty sixth of October one thousand six hundred fifty foure. I
Thomas Peters Preacher of the Gospell of Jesus Christ for
twentie yeares att Myloure in Cornwall though with little success
to soules, being in good and perfect memory (blessed be my
Lord Jesus), though haying some of deathes sentences upon my
body, Doe hereby constitute this my last Will and Testament as
followeth: Item, I bequeath my eternall soule unto the bosome
of the Lord Jesus Christ, my never fayleing advocate and
Redeemer, who hath opened a fountaine of his bloued to washe
it from all sinne and all uncleanness, .. .. And my body to
be interred over against my studdy window neare the brow of the
hill neare the pathway to the diall.”” Then follow provisions for
his children, legacies, &c., and a declaration that the will was
written by one Thomas Deacon ‘ from Mr. Peters his own mouth
and by his desire.” He died just afterwards at the age of 57
years. ‘The exact position of the grave is not known. Thomas
Tregosse, son of William Tregosse, of St. Ives, in Cornwall (by
Priscilla, eldest daughter of Wm. Ceely of that place) took his
B.A degree at Exeter College, Oxford, in 1655. From 1657 to
1659 he was curate of his native town. In October of the latter
year he became Vicar of Mylor and Mabe, from which he was
ejected on the 24th of August, 1662. In September of the
following year he preached in his own house at Kergilliack in
Budock. He founded Baptist chapels at Trelevah near Penryn,
and at Falmouth. He seems to have been a man of strong
convictions, as a result of which he was in gaol at Launceston
and Bodmin no less than three times during the years 1665, 1666,
and 1667, the total period of his imprisonment being about
twelve months. He died at Penryn, 18th January, 1671, and
was buried at Mabe. His misfortunes, which seem to have
arisen entirely from his having been properly ejected from a
* Though related to the family, Hugh’s name was not originally Peters,
which name he assumed. He was the son of Thomas Dirkwood by his wife
Martha, formerly 'Treffry. The Fowey Parish Register contains an entry—
‘Hugh son of Thomas Dirkwood was baptised the 27th June, 1598,’’ and in the
margin some later hand has written ‘“‘ Otherwise Hugh Peters, Chaplain and
adviser of Oliver Cromwell, beheaded by Charles II. on Tower Hill.”
406 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
church whose doctines he did not hold, earned him the reputation
of a martyr, and, as such, worthy of a biography, which was
accordingly written by one Theophilus Gale, and published in
London in the year of his death.* | Wesley refers to him in his
Jdurnal under date 4th September, 1775: ‘“‘ The people in general
here (7.¢. at St. Ives), excepting the rich, seem almost persuaded
to be Christians. Perhaps the prayer of their old pastor, Mr.
Tregoss, 1s answered even to the fourth generation.”’
Mylor was one of the Bishop’s Peculiars, which, with all
other exempt jurisdictions in the Diocese of Exeter, were
abolished by order in Council of the 22nd of February, 1848.
Of the chapels in this parish we have not discovered
as much as we expected. In 1412 (18th Feb.) William Bodrugan
and Joan his wife were granted a licence for an oratory in their
manor of Restranget (hodie Restronguet). There is still a field
on the estate measuring about half an acre, known as the
Chapel field, and on which graves have been found, suggesting
that this was a chapel of sufficient importance to have its
cemetery. It is tithe free. Some of the popular histories refer
to this burial ground as haying belonged to a religious house
and as having been in some way connected with a chapel in
Feock. ‘This apparently has no foundation in fact; certainly
there was not a religious house here at any time.
There is still a private chapel in the mansion of Carclew,
and we have little doubt that there was one there from very early
times; but we have been unable to trace the licence. According
to Hals, Carclew passed in the time of Henry IV. to Richard
Bonithon, second son of Simon Bonithon, of Bonithon, by
marriage with Isabella D’Angers, one of the co-heiresses of
James D’Angers. Just before this time, viz., on the 5th of June,
1397, Simon Bonithon and Eurinus his son obtained licence for
an oratory, but where is not stated. On the 15th of November,
1402, licence was granted to Eurinus Bonithon and Sarah his
wife, for all their mansions in the diocese. But we cannot find
that either Simon or Eurinus, who were probably the father and
brother respectively of Richard Bonithon, ever held Carclew.
* See Bibliotheca Cornub., p. 759, and the numerous authorities there
referred to,
Ss. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 407
There is said to have been a chapel at Trefusis in what is
known as Kersey Field, but we can find no trace of it except in
tradition. ‘The presumption is, of course, strong for the existence
of a chapel in such an important manor. As already mentioned,
the bell in the parish church is stated to have come from here.
The church of St. Peter at Flushing with nave, apse, north
porch, and small western turret, all in imitation of Norman work,
was erected in 1841, opened on the 2nd of February in the
following year, and consecrated in the ensuing August. Flushing
was constituted a separate district in July, 1884. Its registers
date only from 1873. The Vicar of Mylor for the time being is
the patron.
At Mylor Bridge is a very pretty little Mission Room erected
in 1892, a former Mission Church having been at the same time
converted into a schoolroom.
But the most interesting and important chapel connected
with Mylor is the present church of Mabe. It was a Parochial
Chapelry dependent on St. Mylor, from which it was only
separated in 1868. In the Taxacio of Pope Nicholas IV. we
find ‘“‘The Church of Saint Milor with its sanctuary,” taxed at
£6 13s. 4d. Apparently there was here, as at St. Buryan, a
sanctuary which was not merely the sanctuary commonly so
called, namely the portion of the Glebe on which the church and
the rectorial buildings stood. However, Hals read the word
Sanctuario as Sacello and tells us that it meant the church or
chapel of Mabe. There is, as a matter of fact, no mention of
Mabe in the Taxacio at all, though it was no doubt included in
the value. The Taxacio, as a rule, did not name the chapelries,
but in the Lnguisitio Nonarum of 1840, we find the church of St.
Mylor and its dependent chapel of St. Zaud commissioned
together... This dedication is, as far as I am aware, the only one
recognised in the earlier records. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of
Henry VIII. and other comparatively late documents, it is called
Lavape, which word, and that of Mabe, have from the time of
Hals to the present been productive of more wild guessing than
almost any other, and when all have said their say, we are no
nearer a conclusion than before. The most frequent explanation
is that the name means the Holy Son, that is St. Mylor, son of
408 Ss. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
St. Melyan, and that gradually the patronage of St. Mylor got
transferred to the present church of that name, which the
supporters of this story gratuitously assume to have been
previously dedicated to his father. St. Melyan. None, as far as
I am aware, offer the slightest evidence in support of this dedica-
tion, or of St. Mylor ever having been known by the fanciful
name of the ‘‘ Holy Son.” Possibly it means no more than that
this is a daughter church to Mylor.
From Bishop Stapeldon’s Register we learn that on the 9th
of March, 1309, he ordained several youths to First Tonsure.
It is unlikely that the Bishop would have held an ordination at
so remote and small a parish unless something more important
had taken him there, and what that was we learn from a
document of Bishop Stapledon’s time copied on a blank page at
the end of Bishop Brantyngham’s Register. It is headed
‘* Respecting the Chapel of St. Laud, near Penryn, in Cornwall.”
It proceeds to recite the appointment by deed dated at Penryn
on the 8th of March, 1309, and sealed with the seal of the Peculiar
of Penryn, of Walter de Carnduyou, as Proctor of John de
Trenewytha, Geoffry de Anter, Nicholas de Tremoghe, and the
other parishioners of the chapelry of St. Laud, which was
dependent on the parish church of St. Melor, and had been so
time out of mind, to negociate on their behalf for the dedication
of their chapel and its cemetery. It then recites that Walter de
Carnduyou had attended in his capacity of Proctor before the
Bishop when conducting a visitation in the county, and had
humbly prayed that he would deign to consecrate their chapel
and cemetery, assigning many reasons why such a course was
proper. Carnduyou pointed out that the chapel was four miles
from the parish church, and that many dangers threatened and
occurred to those who carried bodies thither to be buried, as well
from the foundrous condition of the roads as from the frequent
floods. The Bishop having asked the Provost of Glasney, the rector
of St. Melor, if he saw any valid objection to the course proposed,
was advised that it might be properly carried through, provided
the subjection of the Chapelry to St. Melor was not interfered
with. Which subjection was to be acknowledged by the yearly
payment of 12d. to St. Melor on the feast day of its patron saint,
and for which payment twelve responsible men of the Chapelry
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 409
were to bind themselves and their heirs, and which obligation
might be enforced by the Official of the Peculiar Jurisdiction of
Penryn without legal process. The parishioners of St. Laud
were bound to the maintenance of their own church including
the Chancel, while, at the same time, they were left still liable
for the cost of keeping up their part of the cemetery at Milor,
to which church their mortuaries were still to be paid as before.
The Bishop granted the parishioners’ prayer on these conditions,
and executed the deed at Penryn, on the Sunday next after the
Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felcitas (7.¢., 11th March 1309).
It was no doubt to carry out this consecration that he had been
at Mabe two days previously.
Although situate inland, the prospect from this church is in
its way as lovely as that which can be seen from its parent-church
of St. Mylor. Entering by a pretty shaded lane, from the high
road, as soon as you have gained the churchyard you have a
distant and uninterrupted view of (and beyond) Falmouth
Harbour and away up the valley of the Fal. The building itself
is not of any especial interest having been, with the exception of
the tower and porch, rebuilt in 1869 after serious injury by a
thunder-storm in 1866. A very good description of the church
as it was before this unfortunate accident may be found in the
second volume of the Journal of this Institution. The rebuilding
has been carried out on the lines of the former building, except
that the great buttresses which formerly stood against the wall,
have not been replaced, being no longer necessary, and that the
north doorway has been omitted.* The former windows have
been repaired and replaced, the east window of the Chancel
being a small three-light, with tracery consisting of two quatre-
foils having ornamented cusps, those of the south aisle being
three-light Perpendicular windows, those of the north being two-
light Perpendicular windows varying alternately in height and
design.
The south porch is of interest, though of little beauty. Its
outer arch is of granite, four-centred under a square head, the
arch and jambs being ornamented on the outside with a rude
* ‘This doorway had a low pointed arch, arch and jambs being moulded with
broad hollow chamfer, ending near the bottom in a pyramid stop. it is now ~
preserved in a garden near by.
410 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
cable moulding, and on the inside with a series of large
(apparently) fleurs-de-lys in vases. The inner door is of Caen
stone, and is said by tradition to have come from Glasney
College. It is segmental under a square head, with I.H.S. in the
western spandril, and in the other a Greek cross within a circle.
Both arch and jambs are enriched with mouldings of cable and
foliage. Over the outer arch is a rectangular niche for a saint
(or sun dial), and over the inner doorway is a saint’s niche with
a foot-bracket. In the south east corner is a mutilated
rectangular stoup.
The interior of the church is disappointing, owing largely
to the fact that the two aisles extend to nearly the full
length of the nave and chancel, and that there is, now, no screen,
as of old—nothing to break the square appearance which this gives
to the building. The aisles are each separated from the centre
of the church by an arcade of six lofty four-centred arches each
of two orders formed of squares, the angles of which have been
cut into cavettos, and all carried on slight and plain octangular
pillars. There are, however, a few objects of interest still
remaining. In the south wall of the chancel is a pretty piscina
with credence-shelf above, under a segmental arch within a
square head; and just west of this an aumbrie,* in which were
found the alabaster fragments referred to elsewhere in this paper.
In the north wall is a sedile under a four-centred granite
arch, arch and jambs being moulded with a single cavetto, with
a pyramid stop at the foot of each jamb.
The rood-stairs still remain in the second bay of the south
wall, and the opening remains over the south arcade.t In the
east wall of the north aisle, between the window and the south
corner, is a niche containing what is apparently a fragment of the
canopy of some tomb and below it a small piece of a shaft.
* The measurements are, piscina recess 20 in. high, 14% in. wile and 16
in. deep, the credence shelf 53 in. from the top. ‘The aumbrie is 163 high, 15}
wide and 14 in. deep. The sedile 473 in, high and 37 in. wide.
+ The curious shape of the rood-loft opening over the arcade which is
commented on and illustrated by Mr. Whitley, in vol. 2 of the Journal of this
Institution, arose apparently merely from the plastering. It is a frequent mistake
to suppose that these openings always gave access to the loft; its measurements
often are such as to make this impossible, as, say, in the case of St. Mylor.
*(yx0} ur S y “e “% ‘I sIoqUInN)
‘HOUNHD JAVW LV SLNAWDVad AALSVAV IV
‘£ tq 0204
A a
‘Sd Mf ‘@RoLing *2D
*‘(}xXo} UL CI 3 ‘21 ‘by siequinn)
HOUNHD SJaVW LV SLNAWDVAA AALSVAVTIV
sp rom tom ar en SSE EIS
‘(}x0} UL br wy ‘II ‘2 ‘o stequinN)
‘HOUNHD AAVW LV SLNAWDVad AALSVAV IV
“Sd Mo ‘mosing 2D °& £@q 0704
x
y ied Me
Bch ec
a
ey
‘Sd Ma ‘moting “9 °£) (‘a*s woiy) HOYNHD FAvVW [49 0204
vei
Toye
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 411
The whole of the furniture of the church is of the very
plainest description; the benches are of pine, the open roof is of
pine, and the floor is laid with common kitchen tiles. Seeing
how little of beauty and interest has been left in the building,
we cannot too much deplore the fantastic piety which has led to
the burial of the former font beneath the chancel, and the
substitution for it of a plain piece of octagonal granite. Our
regret at finding so little left of the old ornaments and furniture
is increased by the great beauty and interest of that little. In
the vicarage are preserved a most interesting collection of twenty-
two small fragments of alabaster which are probably portions of
the reredos. ‘They were discovered built into the aumbrie, and
are now carefully preserved until opportunity shall occur of
properly mounting them.* ‘These fragments when pieced together
represent :— ;
1. A Bishop being put to death. The cauldron in which
the Bishop stands is red on the outside and black within, the
ladle is filled with a black fluid (probably representing pitch) a
stream of which falls on the victim’s body where it has left
several patches, making his skin resemble the ermine cloak of
the King, the spots on which are also black. The Bishop’s
mitre is of white and gold with a green lining, his hair is gold;
the King’s hair is black as is also that of the (?) notary, while
that of the torturers is red. The King’s sword-hilt still retains
its gilt, and his cloak, as also the notary’s gown, show that they
were once edged with gold and lined with red. The costumes of
the executioners have gold edgings and pale blue linings. In
no case is any trace left of colour on the outer surface of any of
the garments except the gilt edging already referred to. On the
(spectator’s) left a torturer is holding the Bishop down with a
sort of shovel (coloured-red). The back ground of this piece is
gilt. This probably represents the tormenting of St. Erasmus
under Diocletian by whose orders he ‘“‘ was beten with staves and
with plummettes of lede, and after rosyne, brymstone, pytch,
lede, waxe, and oyle were all boyled togyder and cast upon his
body, and than was he put to many varyaunt and horrible
torments, whiche all in Chryst he vanquysshed”’ (The Martiloge
* This affords an admirable opportunity for some munificent person.
412 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
of Sion (Henry Bradshaw Society) 87).* Height, 11 inches;
width, 8 inches. Two wires.t
2, A female saint (probably St. Genevieve) with casquette
nimbus, and some sheep. Here again the background is gilt,
except on the hill on which are the sheep This is dark green
sprinkled with an ornament formed of five white spots encircling
ared spot. This last-named background is of interest as being
identical with that which is characteristic of the heads of the
Baptist, which Mr. St. John Hope (Archeologia, vol. li, part 2)
has shown to have been produced at Nottingham between 1491
and 1499. Probably these Mabe alabasters are cotemporary
with the beautiful head of St. John at St. Michael’s Mount.
Height, 5} inches; width, 64 inches.
3. The Scourging of Christ. This is formed of two
fragments (formerly three, but two have been clumsily joined, as
may be seen in the illustration). The background of this is
partly gilt, ornamented with groups of dots, sometimes in circles
of five with a central dot, and sometimes in circles of six without
any central dot, and partly green with groups of white and red
dots asin No. 2. It may well be that in every case the central
dot was once red, and that the colour has rubbed off. The
colour on the figures has all disappeared, except that gilt still
adheres to the hair and beard of Christ, and that the garments
of the scourgers have red linings and traces of gilt edgings.
The nimbus of Christ is casquette-shaped, with an ornamentation
of white lines on a grey ground, and a general background of
red. Height, 11 inches; width, 6 inches. One wire (in lower
fragment).
4. A saint with nimbus in a doorway. (?) Raising of
Lazarus. The background is red, the door and hinges brown,
the nails and the line dividing its timbers being a very dark
brown with a distinct metallic sheen that suggests that they were
once bronze colour. The door is opened back against a wall of
salmon-coloured stones divided by lines of pale yellow, which
* T am indebted to Mr. St. John Hope for this reference and for many
suggestions respecting these fragments generally.
+ 7.e, There is that number of latten wire loops affixed to the back.
{See article on S. Michael’s Mount in the last number of this Journal.
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 413
were probably once white. The roof was divided by white
lines. The only other colour remaining is the black in the saint’s
hood. Height, 8} inches; width, 6? inches. One wire.
5. A building. This is formed of two fragments. The
roof is covered with red ivy-shaped leaves, the supports red,
yellow andgold. Height, 42 inches, width 11 inches. One wire
in each fragment.
6. Woman with hands clasped. Background red, the
woman’s cloak has a blue collar and lining, with a gold brooch
and edging. Her hair is gold. Bere 52 iches, width 43
inches. One wire.
7. Priest in pulpit. Thisis formed of two fragments. The
wall behind the priest is uncoloured, but there are white lines
between the stones, and a gilt string-course. Behind the pulpit
is a background of red drapery, with gilt edges. The pulpit has
no colour, except traces of a black star-like ornament on the
sides and base. The extreme base has the green ground and
spot ornament already described under No. 2, but the red of the
central dot is very faint. The pulpit is much hollowed out at
the back. The priest has a red cap with gold four-leaved
diamond-shaped flowers on each side, and gold braid down the
centre and round the bottom edge. ‘There is no colour on the
vestment except red on the inside of the sleeve (if it is a sleeve),
and across the breast and down the front of the outer vestment
(? name). This scene may perhaps represent The Presentation
of Our Lord in the Temple on Candlemas Day. Height, 94
inches; width, 4 inches. One wire (behind pulpit).
8. Two fragments, of which apparently the bottom and
side were outside edges. Red with grey lines crossing each other
diagonally. The moulded respond on the right has traces of
brown and green. Height, 3 inches; width, 6 inches.
9. Two fragments, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide,
without colour.
10. A fragment having no colour and apparently the back
only of a thicker stone.
11. Priest in pulpit at head of flight of nine steps, with the
headless bodies of three listeners.
414 Ss. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
The wall behind the priest in black ; the trefoil in the gable
above his head is green with white lines running the long way of
the foils. The roof shows traces of red tiles. The wall is
salmon-colour with white lines between the stones. The right
side of this piece was an outside edge, and its gable is ornamented
to correspond with the front gable. The priest’s head-gear is
similar to that in No. 7, except that the ornament on each side 1s
a large daisy-like flower with white petals, and having the eye
formed of a gold dot with a surrounding circle of black. There
are traces of gold on the collar of his garment, and the inside of
the (?) sleeve shows traces of red. The steps leading to the
pulpit show red and white splashes, but the rest of the ornament
is gone. It apparently represented a carpet. The robe of the
figure to the (spectator’s) left was light blue with guilt edge.
The next figure had a robe with gilt edge and gilt ornament-
ations; indeed, its outer surface was possibly all gilt. The
inner side of the robe was red.
The figure on the (spectator’s) right was dressed like the
central figure, but there is much less of the colour remaining.
One foot is on the stairs.
This scene is in 3 fragments, there being 1 wire in the top
fragment and 2 in the bottom. Qu. the presentation of the
B.V.M. in the Temple. Height, 163 inches; width, 114 inches.
12. Fragment of a female saint, having a red robe with
gilt edge, gilt shoes reaching half way back over top of feet.
The ground is ornamented with groups of small gilt dots. The
cords hanging in front are tasselled. Height, 64 inches. Hole
for a wire, but wire gone.
13. Four fragments. Red divided by cross diagonals with
white ornamentation. Front of parapet and respond and pillars
green and gilt.
The piece when whole was a separate stone having an outer
edge on each side. Height, 43 inches; width, 11 inches. A
wire in each of outside fragments. |
14. St. Stephen in albe, amice, dalmatic and fanon. Fanon
dark green. Dalmatic, apparently green with gilt border. The
lower edge of dalmatic beautifully embroidered below the gilt
border, but the colouring gone.
S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES. 415
Whatever the motive which led to the treasuring up of these
pieces of stone, we have very good reason to be grateful for
their preservation.
The plate used in the services of St. Mabe is good of its
kind, but quite recent. Preserved in the vicarage, however,
are some older vessels of peculiar interest. The first to notice is
an Hlizabethan Communion Cup with paten cover, of the
ordinary shape and design of that period, with narrow fillets
interlaced and enclosing a scroll of foliage, the knop of the cup
having a series of the well-known hyphen marks, and the foot of
the paten bearing the legend ‘‘Anno Domine 1576” (sic). These
two beautiful vessels are worn to an extreme thinness, and have,
moreover, been very badly served. Another very beautiful
vessel is a tazza dated 1577, and which I do not remember to
have ever seen referred to in any notice of Mabe Church. The
bowl is engraved on the outside with the legend, ‘“‘I. Worth to
the Church of Mabe,” in characters of the 18th century and
with his arms. Probably, I. Worth was the man of that name
who purchased Tremough, in this parish, in 1703. On this
vessel are the easily recognised fillet and scroll of Elizabeth’s
day. In the centre of the bowl is what is probably a head of
Medusa. On this vessel, Mr. Wilfred Cripps writes: ‘‘The
tazza is a very interesting specimen. I cannot quite make out
the maker’s mark, but I think there is no doubt about the date
of it being 1577. I know of several just of that period, and all
very much alike,—the style a little Dutch—I know of quite a
number of such tazze in Holland.” Mr. Cripps names in his
letter other churches where these secular vessels are used as
chalices, and adds that the Duke of Cambridge has one dated
1579, almost exactly like this of Mabe.* ‘The only remaining
vessel other than the recent set already referred to is an old
flagon, bearing the Exeter stamp of 1750, and inscribed:
‘‘ Given to the Church of Mabe by Iohn Taylder, Gent., 1751.”
The detached granite tower at the west end of this church
is one of three in West Cornwall (St. Mawgan and St. Anthony
being the others) which have the same peculiarity as those of
* The weights of these three vessels are: T'azza 11 oz. 6 dwts.; Communion
Cup 6 0z. 12 dwt.; Paten Cover 2 oz. 63 dwts.
416 S. MYLOR AND MABE CHURCHES.
the Lizard district, of being broader North to South than they
are East to West, but, unlike the Lizard towers, they are of
three stages, each receding slightly from the one below it. The
belfry windows are each of three lights with quatre-foils in the
head, the window above the door of four ights, of Perpendicular
date, but of no great beauty. The western doorway consists of
a four-centred arch under a square label, finished off with poorly-
cut human heads. ‘The spandrils are ornamented with sprigs,
and the mouldings of the arch and the jambs are filled with
knobs. The best part of the tower is the pinnacles, which are
very prettily crocketed, with four sub-pinnacles also crocketed
and curving gracefully outwards. The pinnacle shafts are also
effectively moulded.
There are five bells, all of them recast during the last few
years.
The tower arch is carried on slender shafts with badly-
carved heads as capitals, the work probably of the same man as
the heads on the label of the tower-doorway.
417
ON THE OCCURRENCE OF FLINT FLAKES, AND SMALL
STONE IMLPEMENTS IN CORNWALL.
By FRANCIS BRENT, F.S.A.
[Continued from the Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, No. xxxii.,
Vol. 9, 1886.]
Prapanack Moor, near Mutton, Lizarp.—Here are traces of
very many hut circles indicating the presence in former
years ofa large village, or encampment. The stones forming
the walls of the circles have, in almost all cases, been
carried away to construct new walls, but the marks or
scars where the circles stood are still distinctly visible:
many hundreds of flint flakes have been picked up on the
Moor, and I also have found many good and perfect flakes.
Ponurrian Hrap, NEAR Muuiion.—An ancient camp once was
situated on this headland, similar to that at the Logan—the
ditches marking off the enclosure are still to be seen—the
cliff on all sides towards the sea is perpendicular and
inaccessible for assault—on the land side, and from the
adjoining fields flakes and cores and pieces have been
collected by myself in considerable quantity, the cores
and fragments indicating that the flakes and arrow-heads—
for some of these have been found—were manufactured on
the spot from stones brought from a distance, mostly from
the greensand district.
St. Ives.—Near the old Battery rock, in Portreath Bay, I have
met with a few broken flakes and pieces.
Letant Towans.—A more unlikely place than this for flakes can
scarcely be conceived, the Towans of blown sand covering
nearly the whole coast from Carbis Bay to Lelant, at one
spot. However, near Lelant Church, the sand has been
blown away, leaving the bare rock exposed, having only a
slight sprinkling of coarser sand. I found very many flakes
and pieces on this spot, and under somewhat similar
circumstances.
418 FLINT FLAKES IN CORNWALL.
Sr. Enopoc, NEAR Papstow.—Near the ancient church of St.
Enodoc, at Rock, and amongst similar Towans, I met with
many flakes.
OxseLisk Hinn, Trevosr Heap, Trevonn, Prentyrn, SToprer
Hap NEAR Papsrow.—On the hills and adjoining fields
many scrapers of flint, flakes, cores and pieces have been
found, mostly composed of flint from the greensand.
ConsTANTINE.—On bare spots near the old church I have found
cores and pieces of flint.
Bupz.—Along the cliffs on the coast, and extending almost from
Widemouth Bay to Hartland Point, are the remains of
numerous barrows. ‘They are all, more or less, in a ruinous
condition, as the cliffs are crumbling away, and the barrows,
with their contents, are falling down their sides. Amongst
the remaining soil of the barrows, and in the crevices of the
clifis, where accessible, I have found very many flakes and
pieces, and when, spite of their ruinous condition, I
could obtain access to the interior, I have found many
specimens, indicating, I think, that these flakes were buried
with the remains of the dead. From the beach below I
obtained many flint pebbles, probably the unused stock of
the prehistoric artificer of the neighbourbood—very few of
these showed signs of having come under man’s hand,
although some had been broken as if in preparation for
flakes to be struck off from them.
A few years since a large stone-lined cavern was
discovered by the quarrymen working on the cliff above the
sea, it was composed of square flat stones, but contained no
relics of any kind, as far as I have been able to ascertain.
Most of the stones were removed to the churchyard of
Poughill, where they have been erected and form a monu-
ment near the porch of the churchyard.
BoscawEN-Un.—Near the great Circle, and where the rock,
known as the Treasure Stone, once stood Git has now been
removed, and probably destroyed), I have found some good
and perfect flakes, and these were in the matrix or hollow
which once contained the stone. ‘These possibly may have
STONE IMPLEMENTS IN CORNWALL. 419:
slipped down by the side of the stone, and so become buried
and probably were never immediately under the stone. The
flakes were composed of flint from the greensand, but one
was a pretty yellow flint, resembling calcedomy and semi
transparent.
Kynance Down (FURTHER).—On Kynance Down I found two
almost perfect arrow-heads, one of these is of an unusual
form. The large Barrow which once stood on this Down has
been torn down and the stones removed.
The material of which the flakes from Kynance as
well as from Goonhilly and Pradannack mostly consists, is
cherk, probably drawn from the valley of the Axe, Devon,
and is of a brown colour, and opaque.
420
MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA OBSERVED AT GODOLPHIN.
By A. J. SPILLER.
This list is very incomplete as I am more of an observer than
a collector, but I should think the district is rich in Noctuz, but
very poor in Bombyces. The absence of woodlands accounts for
the scarcity of many species, notably amongst the butterflies.
Only the most interesting species observed are here mentioned,
but as I know all the species of British Macro-Lepidoptera, the
statements that follow may be accepted as strictly accurate.
Argynnis Paphia:—Occasional specimens in lanes, &c., having
possibly wandered from its head-quarters Trevarno Wood,
Sithney, where it is fairly common. Common in a small
wood at Cury Cross.
A, Aglaia:—Rare on Tregoning Hill. One at Nancegollan.
Common at the Lizard.
A. Selene:—Tregoning Hill, rare. Also at Tremearne Clifts.
Satyrus Semele:—Common on all the heaths.
Pyrarge Aigeria:—Plentiful in all the lanes; triple brooded; seen
frequently in March.
P. Megaera:—Al\so triple brooded here, which is very remarkable.
Double brooded up-country. Broods found (1) early May,
(2) July, (3) October.
Vanessa Cardui :—Breeds here every year; in 1894 I noticed at
Tremearne Cliffs hundreds that had just made the passage
of the Channel; they were exhausted and had a washed-out
appearance and were easily picked from the grass-stems
without resistance. Occasional stragglers were flying in
from the sea; they seemed to rest as well on water as on
land. °
Lycaena Argiolus:—Fairly common; earliest date March 24th.
L. Aigon:—Common on heaths; very extraordinary vars. of
the females occur here.
MARCO-LEPIDOPTERA OBSERVED AT GODOLPHIN,. 421
LI. Agestis:—Not very common here; most plentiful at Praa
Green.
Thecla Quercus:—Rare. Fly round oaks at Godolphin.
T. Rubi :—Seen two.
Colias Hdusa:—Occurs every year; and like V. Cardui I believe
breeds here regularly, but is occasionally reinforced by
immigrants from the Continent. Very plentiful in 1897,
when I took 40 in one morning at Praa Green. Last year it
was quite common in clover fields in this parish.
Smerinthus Ocellata, S. Populi and Sphinx Ligustri:—Seen larvee
of all three.
Acherontia Atropos:—lLarvee seemed to be plentiful in Potato
fields, 1899.
Macroglossa Stellatarum:—Very common 1899; doubtless many
were descended from immigrants to this country in June, at
_ which time I noticed very many new arrivals in the shape of
worn specimens.
Trochilium Apiformis:—Only seen one moth, but judging from
the galleries in the trunks of poplars I should think it very
common.
Ino statices :—Seen a few in the meadows.
Zygena trifolii:—This local and gregarious species is abundant
in a field at Kirton, in the parish of Crowan.
Z. filipendulae :—All over the district.
Lithosia griseola:—A few.
Diacrisia Mendica:—Females occasionally seen; they fly (after.
impregnation) in the afternoon and deposit ova after their
flight.
Arctia Villica:—Found here every year.
Bombyx Roboris :—Very common.
B. Rubi:—Very plentiful on Godolphin Hill. The larve in
Sept. and Oct.; the moths at the end of May.
Saturnia pavonia:—Moths may be seen flying on May afternoons;
they are not very common; the larve occur on Tregoning
Hill.
Leucania Conigera:—Common.
422 MARCO-LEPIDOPTERA OBSERVED AT GODOLPHIN.
Neurona popularis:—Very plentiful in August at light.
Melanchra cespitis :—Rare.
M. serena :—-Common ; resting on tree trunks in June.
Luperina Testacea :—Abundant.
Epunda Nigra, E. Lichenea:—These two scarce moths are fairly
common here.
Panolis Piniperda:—Amongst the Scotch fir at Godolphin; the
moths come to Sallow blossom in that neighbourhood.
Taeniocampa rubricosa :—Common.
T. Munda :—At Godolphin.
Orthosia Xerampelina:—Took one, settled on ash-trunk, Sept.,
1898.
Amphydasis betularia :—Several.
Tephroclystis pulchellata :—Larvee abundant in flowers of foxglove,
June. Moths in July and a few in the following May.
T. Succentureata, T. Centaureata, T. Venosata, T. Nanata, T.
Vulgata, T. Absyntheata, and Gymnoscelis Punulata occur.
Mysticoptera sexalisata:—A very scarce species most parts of
England; here flies end of June just before dusk, rapidly
around and in the neighbourhood of Sallow bushes.
Trichopterix Viretata:—A scarce insect. Feeds on holly. Here
occasionally found at rest on tree-trunks the beginning of
May.
Hydriomena unangutata :—Plentiful end of June.
Acidalia promutata:—Rests on granite stones with which its
colour closely assimilates. June: again in Sept.
Harmodia carpophaga \
33 cucubalr | All occur. Larvee in seed pods of Cam-
a capsincola pions (Silene and Lychnis). —
a nana
423
Journal of the Roval Institution of Cornwall.
Vou. XIV.
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.
58, line 2, for ‘‘ Pettyman,”’ read ‘‘ Pettman.”
74, line 8, for ‘‘ after,” read ‘‘ before.”
76, line 6, for “‘ tentatiously,” read ‘‘ tentatively.”
77, line 3, for ‘‘ Eastern to Western,” read ‘‘ Hastern and
Western.”
82, line 8 from bottom, delete?
98, line 12, for ‘‘ Edward Tudor,” read ‘‘ Edmund Tudor.”
100, line 7 from bottom, for ‘‘ Scythe,” read ‘‘ Spade.”
100, Note, for ‘‘ Ducange....fauche,” read ‘ Misprint in
Capgrave for vanga=sarcula.”
104, line 24, for ‘‘ Grandission,” read ‘‘ Grandisson.”’
109, lines 12, 13, 14, cancel “S. Gwen....S. Elwyn.”
110, line 14, for ‘‘ Broegan,”’ read ‘‘ Brocagni.”’
112, cancel paragraph ‘‘in Brittany....at Ploumelin.”
120, line 3 from bottom, for ‘‘Winian,” read ‘‘ Winiau.”’
121, line 10, for ‘‘fonnded,” read ‘‘ founded.”
123, line 3 from bottom, for ‘‘ Haelgoal,” read ‘‘ Huelgoet.”’
130, lines 1 and 2 from bottom, for ‘‘ Wythiel....him,”
read ‘‘ Wythiel Parish Church was likewise dedicated
to him, but changed to S. Clement, whose day comes
near that of S. Eval.”
132, line 7 from bottom, for ‘‘ Bangor ys y Cold,” read
‘‘ Bangor ys y Coed.”
)
133, line 3 from bottom, for ‘‘ grandfather,’
grandfather.”
read *‘ great-
141, line 6 from bottom, for ‘‘ his life,” read ‘‘ their lives.”
424
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.
Page 141, line 5 from bottom, for ‘his patronage,” read ‘the
patronage of S. Filius.”
143, lines 9, 10, and 11 from bottom, cancel “possibly by
555 oeeoullenael,”
» line 8 from bottom, cancel ‘‘ however much more.”
146, line 21, for ‘‘myrtyrologies,” read ‘‘ martyrologies.”
148, line 5, for ‘‘anticedently,” read ‘‘ antecedently.”
», penult line, for ‘‘leurs,” read “‘ leur.”
150, line 5 from bottom, for ‘‘ purist,” read ‘ purest.”
160, line 18, for ‘‘ Myrrian,” read ‘‘ Myvrian.”’
167, line 1, for “‘ Aelran,” read ‘‘ Abran.”’
168, line 2 from bottom, for ‘‘ Welvelve de Langstly,” read
‘‘Welvele de Lanystly.”
pliner tor woatne: mec case
» line penult, for ‘‘ Langstly,” read ‘‘ Lanystly.”
170, lines 2, 3, and 4 from bottom, cancel ‘His feast....
person,” and read ‘‘ His feast is put by Wilson on
April 4, but arbitrarily.”
188, line 9 from bottom, for ‘‘ Earp, Water-colour artist, of
Kallarney,” read ‘‘ EK. Sedding.”
194, line 7, for ‘‘promintory,” read ‘‘ promontory.”
270, in pedigree, for date of Gildas, 550, read 570.
276, lines 8 and 9 from bottom, for ‘‘ We have....Corn-
wall,” read ‘‘and he may have been a second founder.
His brother, Edeyrn, went on into Brittany, and is
buried there.”
277, lines 1, 2, and 3, cancel and read ‘‘ secondary foundations
did take place; thus Lanhern, probably taking its
name from 8. Aelhaiarn, now recognises S. Mawgan
as patron.”
277, line 7, cancel “Selyf and.”
> read ‘‘ another.”’
288, last line, for ‘“‘ anothar,’
290, line 10, for ‘‘ Augustive,” read ‘‘ Augustine.”
», line 25, for ‘‘ Brechnock,” read ‘‘ Brecknock.”
303, line 3, cancel ‘‘of Auxerre.”
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. 425.
Page 304, line 15, cancel paragraph ‘‘ What is conceivable....
improbable.’
Kewe.”’
307, line 10 from bottom, for ‘‘ close by,” read “close to S.
325, line 5 from bottom, for ‘‘one head to another,” read
“one end to another.”’
Pages 420 to 422.
395, line 15, for ‘‘ wheelwright,” read ‘‘ shipwright.”’
408, line 14, for ‘“‘Stapledon,” read ‘‘ Stapeldon.”
The following English names of the Macro-lepidoptera in
Mr. Spiller’s list are supplied by him. Mr. Spiller points out
that the English names of the smaller moths are rarely, if ever,
used.
Argynnis Paphia
A, Aglava
A, Selene
Satyrus Semele
Pyrarge Aygerva
P. Megaera
Vanessa Cardut
Lycaena Argiolus
L. Afgon
L. Agestis
Thecla Quercus
T. Rubi
Colias Kdusa
Smerinthus ocellata
ie populr
Sphine Ligustra
Acherontia Atropos
Macroglossa Stellatarum
Trochilium Apiformes
Ino statices
Zygaend trifolie
BUTTERFLIES.
Silver Washed Fritillary.
Dark Green Fritillary.
Small Pearl Border Fritillary.
Grayling.
Speckled Wood.
Wall.
Painted Lady.
Holly Blue.
Silver Studded Blue.
Brown Argus.
Purple Hair-Streak.
Green Hair-Streak.
Clouded Yellow.
MOTHS.
Kyed Hawk.
Poplar Hawk.
Privet Hawk.
Death’s Head.
Humming Bird Hawk.
Poplar Clear-wing.
Forester.
Five-spot Burnet.
426
Z. filipendule
Lithosia griseola
Diacrisia Mendica
Aretia Vallica
Bombyx Roboris
B. Rubi
Saturnia pavonia
Leucama Conigera
Neuronia popularis
Melanchra cespitis
M. Serena
Luperina Testacea
Epunda Nigra
FE. Lichenea
Panolis Piniperda
Taeniocampa rubricosa
T. Munda
Orthosia Xerampelina
Amphydasis betularia
Tephroclystis pulchellata
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.
Six-spot Burnet.
Grey Footman.
Muslin.
Cream-spot Tiger.
Oak Eggar. —
Fox.
Emperor.
Brown-line Bright-eye.
Feathered Gothic.
Hedge-Rustie.
Broad-barred White.
Flounced Rustic.
Black Rustic.
Feathered Ranunculus.
Pine Beauty.
Red Chestnut.
Twin-spotted Quaker.
Centre-barred Jallow.
Peppered.
Fox-glove Pug.
The other six species of Tephroclystis and Gymnoscelis
Pumilata are all Pug Moths.
Uysticoptera sexalisata
Tricopteriz Viretata
Hydriomena unangutata
Acidalia promutata
Harmodia carpophaga
ss cucubala
= capsincola
43 nana
Small Seraphim.
FElollly 5,
Bedstraw Carpet.
Mullin Wave.
Light Coronet.
Campion.
Lychnis.
Marbled Coronet.
FURTHER CORRIGENDA.
Page
85, line 7 from bottom, cancel ‘‘and....Mobai.”
», 158, lines 22, 24, 25, and 26, for ‘‘Senan read Setna.”’
9 ”
? ?
lines 25 and 26, caneel ‘‘Senan died. .in 522.”
line 27, cancel ‘‘ Senan is the Sennan of Land’s End. ’
eS
HENWOOD MEDAL
ee
Prize for Scientific Literature in Cornwall.
——__—$—o—
fy GOLD MEDAL, intrinsically worth more than Ten
Guineas, is offered for competition every third year
by the Royat Instrrution or Cornwatt, which
ine its head-quarters and Museum at Truro.
Four such Medals have been conferred, viz:
MEDALS. AWARDED PRESENTED, RECIPIENTS; SUBJECTS.
No. 1. | 1890, June16.| Nov. 25. |Rev. W. Iago, B.A. Archeology.
No. 2. | 1893, June 29.| Nov. 28. |Mr.J.H.Collins,F.G.S.| Geology.
'No. 3. | 1896, Aug. 6. | Nov. 17.. |Mr. T. C. Peter Archeology
No. 4, | 1899, Oct. 5. | Nov. 21. |Mr. Rupert Vallentin. | Ichthyology.
The next medal will be ready for bestowal in 1902.
Members and Non-Members may alike compete for it.
The written composition which is to win the Prize must
relate to one or other of Hight given subjects, viz:—Geology,
Mineralogy, Mining Operations, Botany, Ornithology, Ichthy-
ology, Conchology, or Antiquities, of Cornwall. It may be
illustrated if necessary, and must be forwarded to the Council
of the Institution in time for publication in some number of the
Society’s Journal to be issued within the 8 years next following
the last award.
The terms of the Award are fully set forth in the Will of
the donor, Wini1am Jory Henwoon, F.R.S., the eminent
geologist and writer on Metalliferous deposits, who for two
years was President of the Institution, and died in 1875 leaving
certain bequests to its funds. The following is an abstract from
his will:—...... ‘To the President, Vice-presidents, ‘Treasurer,
Secretaries, and Council of the Royal Institution of Cornwall
of them present at a Sate eeaeeneal ie the purpose, hay
contributed the best treatise or paper on the
GROLOGY!) Pm ]
MINERALOGY, |
MINING OPERATIONS,
BOTANY,
- ORNITHOLOGY,
ICHTHYOLOGY,
CONCHOLOGY, or
ANTIQUITIES.
(but on no other subject whatsoever) published in any Jou:
Proceedings or Transactions of the said Institution ee
|
bag}
| ;
1s CORNWA
three years next preceding the date of such award.
. And I further direct that no award shall be siete exc e
a Meeting regularly convened by a notice in writing issued by
the Secretaries, stating the object of. such Meeting, and to
delivered to the President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and th
ana unless seven at least of the Officers and Members of
”?
basa shall be. eae a such Meeting. Provision is ee
Roval Institution of Cornwall,
FOUNDED 1818.
7 Patron,
: THe Kine.
..
a Vice=Patron.
.
S Trustees.
= VISCOUNT CLIFDEN.
4 Sir C. B. Graves-Saw_s, Bart.
Mr. F. G. Enys.
Cou. TREMAYNE.
BS. Council for the Year 1900-1901.
President.
JOHN CHARLES WiLLiAMs, Esa.
ms Vice=Presidents.
Rev. Canox Moor, M.A., F.R.G.S. | Tur Ricut Hon. L. H. Courtney.
Rev.W. Iago, B.A., L.Src.8.A.,Lox. | Rey. 8. Barinc-Gounp, M.A.
Mr. JoHn Davixs Enys, F.G.S. Str Lancpon BoxyrHon. ~
| Treasurer.
Bets Mr. A. P. Nix, Vruro.
Secretaries:
Mason Parxkyn, F.G.8., Truro.
Rev. W. [Aco, B.A., Bodmin.
Other Members of Council,
VEN. ARCHDEACON CORNISH. CHANCELLOR Pavt, M.A.
a ; Mr. Howarp Fox, F.G.8. ~ Mr. THuRsTAN C. PETER.
Mr. HAamMiILtTron JAMES. Rev. S. RunDLE, M A.
Mr. F. W. MicueE 1, C. E. | Rev. D. G. WHITLEY.
Mr. J Osporne, F.G.S. | :
Joint Editors of the Fournal.
Mr. Tuurstan C. PETER.
Magor Parkyn, F.G.S.
Pibravian and Curator of Museum.
Mr. Grorce Penrose, Royal Institution, Truro.
THE FOLLOWING WORKS
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY,
MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE CURATOR, Mr. G. PENROSE,
AT THE MUSEUM, TRURO.
HE CORNISH FAUNA: A Compendium of the Natural History of
the County.
PART I.—Containing the Vertebrate Animals and Crustaceans,
by JONATHAN COUCH, J. BROOKING ROWE, THOMAS
CORNISH, E. H. RODD, and C. SPENCE BATE, F.R.S.
Price 3s.
PART II. — Containing the Testaceous Mollusks, by
JONATHAN COUCH, F.L.S., &c. Price 3s.
PART III.—Containing the Zoophytes and Calcareous Corallines,
by RICHARD Q. COUCH, M.R.C.S., &c. Price 3s.
HE SERIES OF REPORTS of the Proceedings of the Society, with
numerous Illustrations. (Some are out of print).
IST OF ANTIQUITIES in the West of Cornwall, with References and
Illustrations. By J. T. BLIGHT, F.8.A.
DDITIONS TO BORLASE’S NATURAL HISTORY OF CORN-
WALL. From MS. Annotations by the Author. Price 2s. 6d.
NPUBLISHED LETTERS of the Rev. Henry Martyn, B.D., of Truro,
edited with Prefaratory Notes by his Grand Nephew, Henry Martyn
Jeffery, M.A., F.R.S. Price 1s.
fee LIST OF BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA, by Henry Crowther,
F.R.M.S. Price 3d.
OURNAL OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CORNWALL,
except Nos. 1 to 4, and No. 20, which are out of print.
USEUM GUIDES. : .
POZO2 SLONE eRe aa Ses A oie ae es oe Priomrade
PASI EET OINGYESOPACY ING eset trae eh tage eee Soe lak
CATALOGUE or tHe NON-METALLIC MINERALS, .. 3d.
CATALOGUE oF THE METALLIC MINERALS |... ee 10
. CATALOGUE or raz PROVINCIAL TOKENS OF —
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND... eos
NOTICE TO MEMBERS.
All Subscriptions become due in advance on the 1st of August in each year.
Members whose Subscriptions are not paid before the 31st of December, will not
be supplied with the Journal after that date.
Members wishing to withdraw, must pay their Subscriptions for the current
year, and signify their intention in writing before the 3lst of August of the
year next ensuing, or they will be liable for the Subscription for that year also.
1821
;
|
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES
|— LU
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11