Part 9
The remains of _Trematon Castle_ are situated on a commanding eminence on the northern bank of the river Lynher, just below Saltash, but the carriage road to it, a very pleasing ride, extends at least two miles from the town. Proceeding in the latter direction, about half way, the tower of _St. Stephen’s Church_ has a conspicuous appearance. It is remarkable as containing a variety of antient memorials, but many of them are much defaced. Carew relates, that in the church of St. Stephen’s a leaden coffin was found about the middle of the sixteenth century; but the grounds on which he supposes it to have been that of _Orgarius, Duke of Cornwall_, are very weak; for it appears that all he learned from his informant, who had been an eye-witness of the discovery fourscore years before, was, that an inscription on the lead imported it to contain the body of a Duke, whose heiress married a Prince. One of the monuments in this church, is for _Master_ Hechins, as Carew calls him, lessee of the great tithes in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The church was given to Windsor College by Edward the Black Prince.
On approaching the _Castle_, its venerable _Keep_ arises majestically amidst the surrounding foliage, and with the little bridge and cottages in the valley, forms altogether a very picturesque subject. The entrance is through a small arch on the north side, and a circular road, leading to it, has been lately cut through the hill on which it stands. The site of the area covers more than an acre of ground, and is enclosed by embattled walls, six feet in thickness. The keep stands on the summit of a conical mound at the north-west angle, embattled with walls 10 feet thick and 30 high. The space enclosed is of an oval form, and was formerly divided into apartments, but as there are no marks of windows, they would appear to have been lighted from the top. The entrance to it was through a circular arched doorway on the western side, from whence an irregular path leads to a small sally-port; but the most perfect part of the building is the principal gateway, composed of three strong arches, with grooves for portcullises between them. These arches support a square tower, embattled, containing an apartment, which has been fitted up as a museum for natural curiosities. The walls are decorated with some of the finest tapestry in England, the colours being as bright as if it had only lately been finished.
Regarding the origin of this antient fortress, little is known, that may be deemed authentic; but it is generally believed, like most other buildings of a like nature, to have been originally erected prior to the Conquest. Afterwards it was given to Robert, Earl of Moreteyne and Cornwall, and in subsequent reigns was annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall. During the civil wars of the eighteenth century, we find no account of this castle’s having been occupied by either of the contending parties: but Carew relates, that during the Cornish commotions in 1549, Sir Richard Grenville held Trematon for a while against the rebels; but that having been induced to quit it, for the purpose of holding a parly with the beseigers, they intercepted his return, seized on the castle, sent him a prisoner to Launceston gaol, and plundered and ill-treated his lady and her attendants.—A few years ago it was leased to Benjamin Tucker, Esq. Surveyor General of the Duchy of Cornwall, and who was for many years Secretary to the gallant Admiral, Earl St. Vincent. This gentleman has erected a very comfortable residence within the area, and embellished it with a great variety of choice paintings and other works of art. Among the most valuable is “La fameuse Aurore de Natier,” a picture well known on the Continent, besides the Twelve Cæsars, by Goltzius. There is also the celebrated organ which was made by Mr. Moore, of Ipswich, for the Empress of Russia, at the price of _£_16,000, and a most beautiful specimen of shell-work, which was formed in the Brazils, and the construction of which is said to have occupied two nuns the whole of their lives. The garden round the house, is laid out with great taste, and embellished with a good hot-house. In one part of it, on a marble slab, is a bust of Admiral St. Vincent, with the following inscription from the eclogues of Virgil.
O Melibœe, Deus hæc nobis otia fecit Namque erit ille mihi semper Deus, illius aram Sæpe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus.
A short distance from the castle, near the ferry across Anthoney Passage, are some small remains of an antient _Chapel_, called Shillingham, which is richly over-grown with ivy.
The manor of _Ashe-torre_, or _Esses-torre_, the site of which is a rock at the bottom of Saltash town, abutting on the water, has an extensive jurisdiction, although it was itself held as seven fees under the honor of Trematon. Carew speaks of this rock as “invested with the jurisdiction of a manor, and that it claymed the suites of many gentlemen as his freeholders in knights’ service.” This manor, which extends its jurisdiction into several parishes in Cornwall and Devonshire, belonged to the ancient family of Fleming of Devonshire, Barons of Slane in Ireland: it was sold in the sixteenth century, by Nicholas and Robert Dillon, sons and heirs of Anne, one of the sisters and co-heiresses of Christopher Fleming, Baron of Slane, to Thomas Wyvell, Esq. from whose family it passed, by a female heir, to the ancestor of Francis Wills, Esq. of Saltash. The site of this manor is thus described in old papers:—“All that messuage, dwellinghouse, palace, &c. and waste ground in and nigh Ashe-torre Rock, with the remains of houses, on which premises manor-courts were held, all unconnected with any other person’s land, and forming a peninsula, situated at the bottom of Fore street or road, in the borough of Saltash, on a rock, part of which abutteth into the sea.”—A record of the year 1620 is said to have claimed _Wadsworthy_ as parcel of the demesne of the manor of Ashe-torre.
_Ince Castle_, the seat of Edward Smith, Esq. is an interesting building, situated on the banks of the Lynher, and forms a conspicuous object in this part of the county.
Returning to the high road at the distance of three miles, is LANDRAKE, the _Church_ of which is remarkable for its high tower, which is visible for many miles round. In the interior is a curious brass plate, dated 1509, with an effigy of Edward Courtenay, Esq., and a monument to the memory of Nicholas Wylls, Gent., who died in the year 1607.
_Wootton_, an antient seat in this parish, has long since gone entirely to decay.
Near Landrake is _Stockton_, the seat of Admiral de Courcy, a modern mansion, commanding many interesting views. The interior contains a number of war-like instruments, and a variety of natural curiosities.
From Landrake to ST. GERMAINS, a decayed market and Borough-town, the distance is three miles. This place is remarkable as having been in early time, the seat of the episcopal government of the diocese of the county; and it takes its name from St. Germain, Bishop of Auxerre, who is said to have resided here for a time, during his visit to England. It is situated in a very romantic dell, on the borders of a creek formed by the river Lynher, about nine miles from Plymouth and eight from Liskeard; but is one of the largest parishes in the county, being 20 miles in circumference. It has been represented in Parliament since the year 1562; the right of electing the members being vested in the inhabitant householders, who have resided 12 months within the Borough. The town, as it is called, which contains less than 100 dwellings, is governed by a Portreve, chosen annually at the Court Leet. Leland spoke of it as “a poor fischar town,” and he adds, that “the glory of it stood by the priory.” Carew observed, “the church-towne mustereth many inhabitants and sundry ruines, but little wealth, occasioned eyther through abandoning their fishing trade, as some conceive, or by their being abandoned of the religious people, as the greater sort imagine.” Its market scarcely existed even when the survey of Domesday was taken; having been reduced almost to nothing in consequence of the Earl of Moreton’s market (most probably Saltash) then lately established in the neighbourhood. This market was at that time held on Sundays; but the day was afterwards altered to Friday: in Browne Willis’s time it was very inconsiderable, and has long been wholly discontinued. There are two cattle fairs, held May 28, and August 1.
Whitaker supposes the bishop’s see to have been established at this place, so early as the year 614. That St. Germains was the episcopal see as long as an episcopal see existed in the county of Cornwall, he has proved in the most satisfactory manner; but of its existence at that early period, his learned volumes on the subject of the Cathedral of Cornwall afford no _proof_; nor have we any intimation from history of any Bishop of St. Germains before the year 910, when Athelstan was appointed to that see. King Athelstan, who founded a college of Seculars here, made Conan Bishop of St. Germains in 936. After the death of Bishop Burwold, Livingus, Bishop of Crediton, procured this bishopric to be annexed to his own, and his successor Leofric made interest to have them both united to that of Exeter. Leland says, that Bartholomew (Iscanus) Bishop of Exeter, who died in 1172, changed the Monks of St. Germains into Canons Regular, on account of the laxity of their lives. At the suppression of this monastery in 1535, it was valued at £227. 4s. 8d. clear yearly income. King Henry VIII. leased the site of the priory and other lands to John Campernown and others; relative to which grant, Carew has the following story. “John Champernowne, sonne and heir apparent to Sir Philip of Devon, in Henry the Eighth’s time, followed the court, and through his pleasant conceits, of which much might be spoken, wan some good grace with the King. Now when the golden showre of the dissolved abbey lands rayned wellnere into every gaper’s mouth, some two or three gentlemen (the King’s servants,) and Master Champernowne’s acquaintance, waited at a doore where the King was to passe forth, with purpose to beg such a matter at his hands: our gentleman became inquisitive to know their suit; they made strange to impart it. This while, out comes the King: they kneel down; so doth Master Champernowne. They preferre their petition; the King grants it: they render humble thanks; and so doth Master Champernowne. Afterwards, he requireth his share; they deny it: he appeals to the King: the King avoweth his equal meaning in the largesse; whereon, the overtaken companions were fayne to allot him this priory for his partage.” Norden has strangely mistaken this story, and says, that King Henry VIII. bestowed the priory of St. Germains upon an ancestor of the Eliots, “being full of pleasant conceytes wherewith the Kinge was delited.” It is certain that the Champernownes became sole possessors of the priory estate, and that in 1565 they conveyed it to Richard Eliot, Esq., of Coteland, in Devonshire, in exchange for that manor. Sir John Eliot, son of Richard, was a distinguished patriot in the reign of James I., and an active opposer of the Duke of Buckingham and the court measures, particularly that of raising taxes without the consent of Parliament: for some bold speeches on this subject he was committed to the tower, where he died in the year 1632. Daniel Eliot, his grandson, left an only daughter, married to Browne Willis, the celebrated antiquary, by whom we are informed that his father-in-law, in order to keep up the family name, bequeathed his estates of Edward Eliot, grandson of Nicholas, fourth son of Sir John above-mentioned, from whom they descended to the present possessor.
It appears that the _Cathedral_, now the Parish Church, was first built in the reign of Athelstan, when it formed a part of the _Priory_, founded at the same time for Secular Canons. On the removal of the diocese to Exeter, the manor of St. Germains was divided between the Bishop and the Prior of the convent. On the Priory site a spacious mansion has been erected for the residence of the Eliot family, and is now the property of the Right Hon. the Earl of St. Germains. It is called _Port-Eliot_, but was formerly called _Porth-Prior_. The exterior is not very striking; perhaps “its simplicity,” says a late writer, “is more correspondent to the scenery by which it is surrounded, and which is rather to be called pleasing than picturesque or grand.” The interior, however, is embellished with some fine portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Rembrant, Opie, &c.
The _Church_ almost adjoins Port Eliot House, and in point of architectural beauty, is equal, if not superior to any in the county.
At the west end are two towers, both of which are said formerly to have been octagonal, but the south one is now of a square form, and contains the clock. Between the towers is a remarkably fine entrance doorway, or circular receding arch, 20 feet wide, with four pillars on each side, having plain square bases and capitals. The arch contains seven mouldings, with alternate zig-zag ornaments, which is also continued between the pillars. Over the arch is a pediment, with a cross at the top resembling an heraldic cross. Above are three narrow round-headed windows, and as great part of the edifice is richly mantled with ivy, it forms a very interesting and beautiful subject for the pencil. The interior is spacious; and the capitals of the pillars which divide the aisles from the nave, are curiously ornamented with Saxon sculpture. It contains a great variety of memorials, but the most remarkable are those for the learned Walter Moyle, who died at the age of 49, in the year 1721, and the superb monument by Rysbrack, in memory of Edward Eliot, Esq. who died in the following year. A white marble tablet, to the memory of Elizabeth, wife of John Glanville, Esq., has the following beautiful lines inscribed on it.
While faithful earth doth thy oold relics keep, And soft as was thy nature is thy sleep, Let here the pious, humble, placed above, Witness an husband’s grief, an husband’s love; Grief that no rolling years can e’er efface, And love, that only with himself must cease; And let it bear for thee this heartfelt boast— ’Twas he that knew thee best, that loved thee most.
In the south aisle is a low ornamented recess, said to have contained the effigy of an abbot of the convent. Another recess is called the Bishop’s throne; and among other relics of antiquity, is preserved a curious carved oaken chair, supposed to have belonged to one of the monks.—“A great part of the chauncell” of this church, as Carew relates, “fell suddenly downe upon a Friday, very shortly after the publick service was ended, which heavenly favour, of so little respite, saved many persons’ lives, with whom immediately before it had been stuffed; and the devout charges of the well-disposed parishioners quickly repayred this ruine.”
_Cuddenbeck_ the antient seat of the Bishops, has long been occupied as a farm, and now exhibits but little of its ancient episcopal grandeur.
Quitting St. Germains, at the distance of about a mile, is the direct coach road from Tor Point, and within four miles of Liskeard is _Catchfrench_, the seat of Francis Glanville, Esq., which being built on an eminence, has a commanding effect; although it is a very comfortable and spacious building, yet it does not possess much architectural beauty. The west front is embattled and faced with slate, and at a distance, with the surrounding scenery, has a pleasing effect.
The road from Tor Point to Liskeard is extremely hilly, and in many places even dangerous.
_Coledrimick_, another spacious mansion like Catchfrench, is also in the parish of St. Germains. It stands about a mile from the road, and within three miles of Liskeard.
Near this also on the right, is the village of MENHENIOT, the _Church_ of which is a very large edifice with a lofty spire, visible at a considerable distance. This building contains memorials for the families of Carminow and Burell; J. Trelawney, of Coldrinnick, Dean of Exeter; and Lady Charlotte, daughter of James, Earl of Errol, Lord High Constable of Scotland, and wife of William Holwell Carr, B. D., incumbent of the parish, who died in 1801. The vicarage is one of the most valuable benefices in Cornwall, being endowed with the great tithes, subject only to an annual payment of £20 to Exeter College, Oxford. The Dean and Chapter of Exeter are patrons, but pursuant to the directions of Bishop Courtenay, must nominate a fellow of Exeter College. William of Wykham was vicar of this parish: and Dr. Moreman, a learned divine, who was instituted to the vicarage in the reign of Henry VIII., is said to have been the first in these parts who taught and catechised his parishioners in the English language.
The parish of Menheniot abounds with beautiful scenery; its numerous vallies being pleasingly diversified with rock and wood.
Here is a very antient and curious building called _Pool_, now occupied by the poor of the parish; but remarkable as having been the seat of the ancestors of the present Sir Harry Trelawny; though Carew speaks of it as being far beneath the worth and calling of its then possessor, Sir Jonathan Trelawny. It is now fast mouldering to decay, but displays some very interesting specimens of antient architecture. On the south front, which was the principal entrance, (and exhibited in the accompanying view) is a massive chimney, which age and other circumstances have inclined three feet from its perpendicular; and at this time perhaps, it is chiefly, if not wholly, supported by the ivy which grows about it.
LISKEARD is a large and populous market town, situated on rocky hills, and partly in a bottom, about 16 miles from Plymouth, and 223 from London. This place ranks as one of the oldest towns in the county; and it had once a Castle, supposed to have been erected by one of the Earls of Cornwall. It stood on the north side of the town, and its site is still called the Castle Hill; but, even in Leland’s time, it was little more than a heap of ruinous walls. The manor of Liskeard formed a part of their ancient possessions; Liskeard having been made a free borough in 1240, by Richard Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans, who bestowed on the burgesses the same privileges which he had already granted to those of Launceston and Helston. His son Edmund, in 1275, granted them the fee of the borough, with the profits arising from the markets, fairs, &c., subject to a rent of £18 per annum, which rent King William III. granted to Lord Somers: it is now paid to Lord Eliot, who purchased it of the late Lord Somers.
The _Church_ is a spacious edifice, standing on an eminence at the eastern entrance to the town. It is composed of three aisles, with a low embattled tower at the west end, on which are some curious grotesque heads. The southern part of the building is the most handsome, and over the porch are three Gothic niches. It contains but few monuments worthy of notice.—In the south aisle, is a neat cenotaph to the memory of Lieut. Joseph Hawkey, who was killed in action with some gun boats in the Gulph of Finland, in July 1809, in the 23rd year of his age. There is another for Joseph Wadham, who died in 1707, “being the last of that family, whose ancestors were the founders of Wadham College in Oxford.”
Liskeard has returned members to Parliament, since the reign of Edward the I.; the right of election being vested in the corporation and freemen. The former, according to the charter of Elizabeth, consists of a Mayor, Recorder, eight capital Burgesses, and 15 Assistants.[40] In the list of representatives for this borough, we find the name of Lord Chief Justice Coke.
Leland speaks of the _Market_ at Liskeard as “the best in Cornwall, savyng Bodmyn.” In his time the market was held on Monday, and there are still three great markets on that day; Shrove-Monday, the Monday after Palm Sunday, and the Monday after St. Nicholas’s Day. Browne Willis tells us that this market much exceeded that of Bodmin: it was then held, as it now is, on Saturday. It is most amply supplied with all sorts of provisions; a great portion of which is purchased for the supply of the market at Plymouth Dock. There are three large cattle-fairs; upon Holy Thursday, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and St. Matthew’s Day. Liskeard is one of the four towns for the coinage of tin; but there has been no coinage held there of late years.
The _Town Hall_ was erected about the year 1707, at the expense of Mr. Dolben, one of the representatives for the borough. It is a curious structure supported by granite columns; and the meat market is held in the space between them.
A new _Market House_ is about to be erected on a very commodious plan.
The trade of the town is not of any particular description; but such as most country towns enjoy, where the neighbouring agriculturists carry on the farming business to a great extent. There is, however, a _Paper Mill_ in the neighbourhood, which perhaps does not so particularly affect the place.
The population of the town, according to the late census, amounts to 1896, being an increase of but 101 persons, since the year 1811. Browne Willis speaks of Liskeard as the largest town in Cornwall, containing as he was informed, 1000 houses. He must have been much misinformed; as the population appears, by the parish-register, to have been considerably increased within the last century, and in 1801 there were but 323 houses, and 1860 inhabitants.
The town consists of several streets very irregularly built; still the houses are in general substantial, and slate-roofed. It has two good Inns, called the Bell, and the King’s Arms.
Here was formerly a Nunnery of _Poor Clares_, founded and endowed by Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans, but of which we have not been able to obtain any further account. A great part of the conventual buildings, known by the name of the _Great Place_, yet remains, converted into dwelling-houses; and the Chapel is now a bake-house.
A battle was fought near Liskeard on the 19th of January, 1643, between Sir Ralph Hopton, and the Parliamentary forces, in which the latter were defeated; Sir Ralph marching into the town with his army that night. King Charles, on his entrance into Cornwall in 1644, halted at Liskeard on the 2nd of August, and stayed there till the 7th.
A survey of the year 1337, in the Treasurer’s Remembrancer’s Office, speaks of a new _Park_ at this place, in which were then 200 deer: it was disparked by Henry VIII., and the land which it comprised (still called the Park) is now held on lease by Lord Eliot. There was formerly a chapel in this park, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to which there was a great resort of pilgrims.—There are three _Meeting-houses_ in the town, belonging to the Independents, Quakers, and Methodists: the former was originally built by the Johnson family, for the Presbyterians. Defoe, in his Tour through Great Britain in the early part of the last century, speaks of it as a large new-built meeting-house; and observes, that there were only three more in Cornwall. A volume of Poems by the Rev. Henry Moore, some time minister of this Meeting, was published after his death, under the superintendance of Dr. Aikin.—The _Grammar-School_ here is supported by the corporation, with a salary of _£_30 per annum: Dean Prideaux, and Walter Moyle, were educated at this school. A CHARITY-SCHOOL for poor children, in which 10 girls are now taught, was founded by the trustees of the charitable donation of the Rev. St. John Eliot, who died in 1760, and endowed by them with _£_5 per annum.