The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 4 (of 4) by Davies Gilbert et al.

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English
Okay, so you think you know Cornwall? Think again. This isn't just a dusty list of church dates. It's the weird, wild, and wonderful stuff they left out of the official pamphlets. We're talking about forgotten saints, ghostly ship sightings in the fog, and the real stories behind the standing stones. The 'mystery' here is the hidden life of a place—the everyday magic and strange history that shaped a whole culture. It’s like finding a secret diary of the Cornish landscape itself.
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SOMETIME PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY, F.A.S. F.R.S.E. M.R.I.A. &c. &c. AND D.C.L. BY DIPLOMA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. _IN FOUR VOLUMES._ VOL. IV. LONDON: PUBLISHED BY J. B. NICHOLS AND SON; AND SOLD BY J. LIDDELL, BODMIN; J. LAKE, FALMOUTH; O. MATTHEWS, HELSTON; MESSRS. BRAY AND ROWE, LAUNCESTON; T. VIGURS, PENZANCE; MRS. HEARD, TRURO; W. H. ROBERTS, EXETER; J. B. ROWE, PLYMOUTH; AND ALL OTHER BOOKSELLERS IN CORNWALL AND DEVON. 1838. HISTORY OF THE PARISHES OF CORNWALL. STITHIANS. HALS. Stithians is situate in the hundred of Kerrier, and hath upon the north Gwenap, west Gwendron, east Gluvias and Peran-well, south Mabe. I take it to be the same place taxed in the Domesday Book 1087, by the corrupt name of Stachenue.[1] At the time of the first inquisition into the value of Cornish Benefices this church was not endowed if extant, nor its daughter church Peranwell; but in Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, it was rated by the name of Stedians, £14. 0_s._ 8_d._ The patronage formerly, as I am informed, either in the rector and fellows of the College of Regular Priests at Glasnith, or the Governor of St. John’s Hospital at Sithney, now in Boscawen; the incumbent ―――― Hillman, and the parish rated to the four shillings per pound Land Tax, for one year 1696, £104. 4_s._ 0_d._; the rectory in ―――― Boscawen. This church is dedicated to St. Thomas à Beckett, and accordingly their parish festival is kept on St. Thomas’s Day, July 7th, as was its superior collegiate church of Glasnith, founded by Walter Branscomb, Bishop of Exeter, A. D. 1256. The barton and manor of Penalmicke, id est, the head or chief coat of mail armour, so called for that such armour was made or lodged in this place in former ages by the possessors or proprietors thereof; which place gave name and original to an old family of gentlemen from thence surnamed de Penalmick; from whose heirs it passed to Skewish, tempore Queen Mary, of whose posterity Collan Skewish, gent. tempore 3d of James I. sold the same to Sir Nicholas Hals of Fentongollan, knight, whose son John Hals, esq. sold the same to Pendarves, now in possession thereof as I am informed. Tretheage, alias Tredeage, in this parish, is the dwelling of John Morton, gent. that married ―――― Wilton. On the south-west part of this parish towards Gwendron, near the highway, are still to be seen nine stones perpendicularly erected in the earth, in a direct manner, called the Nine Maids or Sisters, probably set up there in memory of nine religious sisters or nuns in that place, before the fifth century (See St. Colomb Major and Buryan); not women turned into stones as the English name implies, and as the country people thereabout will tell you. See also Gwendron. This parish is enriched with streams and lodes of tin in abundance. TONKIN. Stithians is in the hundred of Kerrier, and hath to the west Gwendron, to the north Gwenap, to the east St. Piran Arwothall, and to the south Constanton and Mabe. This parish takes its name from its guardian saint St. Stithians [rather Stithian. But who was he? W.] It is a vicarage, valued together with St. Piran Arwothall in the King’s Book [see Piran Arwothall before], and hath the same patron, impropriator, and incumbent with that. I shall begin with the chief estate in it, THE MANOR OF TRETHEAGE, ――the fair town or dwelling. [The fair house. W.] And so it may be well called, considering the country it lies in, as being for that pleasantly situated on the river...

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Forget a single plot. This book is a grand tour, parish by parish, through the heart of 19th-century Cornwall. It's a collection of everything the authors could find: family histories, descriptions of old manor houses, notes on local industry, and, best of all, the folklore and legends that people actually told. It pieces together the character of a region from thousands of little fragments.

Why You Should Read It

This is where the book comes alive. It’s not dry facts; it’s the voice of the place. You get the stubborn pride of old families, the superstitions of fishermen, and the quiet drama of villages weathering centuries. Reading it feels like sitting with a wonderfully knowledgeable, slightly eccentric local who points to a field and says, 'See that? A giant is buried there,' or nods at a cove and whispers about smuggler's gold. The themes are timeless: memory, belonging, and how stories become part of the land.

Final Verdict

This is a treasure for a specific reader. Perfect for anyone with Cornish roots, lovers of deep-dive local history, or writers looking for authentic folklore. It’s not a page-turner in the usual sense, but a book to wander through. If you enjoy getting lost in the rich, gritty details of a place and its people, you'll find this fourth volume utterly absorbing.



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Betty Lewis
2 months ago

In my opinion, the balance between theory and practice is exceptionally well done. A true masterpiece of its kind.

James Brown
1 month ago

I needed a solid reference and the interplay between the protagonists drives the story forward beautifully. An unexpectedly enjoyable experience.

Sandra Young
5 months ago

I stumbled upon this by accident and the author clearly understands the subject matter in depth. I couldn't put it down until the very end.

Donna Davis
3 months ago

From an academic standpoint, it challenges the reader's perspective in the most intellectual way. This turned out to be a great decision.

Lisa King
4 months ago

I approached this with an open mind and the writing remains engaging even during complex sections. I learned so much from this.

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