County Geography Recorded, Being an Antiquarian Account of Cornwall


CORNWALL.

CHAPTER X.

CORNWALL (as Matthew of Westminster affirmeth) is so named partly from the forme, and partly from her people: for shooting it selfe into the Sea like a Horne (which the Britaines call Kerne) and inhabited by them whom the Saxons named Wallia; of these two compounded words it became Cornwallia. Not to trouble the Reader with the Fable of Corineus, cousin to King Brute, who in free gift received this Countie in reward of his prowesse, for wrastling with the Giant Gogmagog, and breaking his necke from the Cliffe of Dover, as he of Monmouth hath fabuled.
(2) Touching the temperature of this Countie, the ayre thereof is cleansed as with Bellowes, by the Bellowes that ever worke from off her environing Seas, where-thorow it becommeth pure and subtill, and is made thereby very healthfull, but withall so piercing and sharpe, that it is apter to preserve then to to recover health. The spring is not so early as in the more Eastern parts; yet the Summer with a temperate heat recompenceth his slow softering of the fruits, with their most kindly ripening. The Autumne bringeth a somewhat late harvest: and the Winter, by reason of the Seas warme breath maketh the cold milder then else where. Notwithstanding that Countrey is much subject to stormy blasts, whose violence hath freedome from the open waves, to beat upon the dwellers at Land, leaving many times their houses uncovered.
(3) The Soile for the most part is lifted up into many hilles, parted asunder with narrow and short vallies, and a shallow earth doth cover their out-side, which by a Sea-weede called Oreweed, and a certaine kinde of fruitfull Sea-sand, they make so ranke and barren as is yncredible. But more are the riches that out of those hilles are gotten from the Mines of Copper and Tinne; which Countrey was the first, and continueth the best stored in that Merchandize, of any in the world. Timaus the Historian in Plinie reporteth, that the Britaines fetched their Tinne in wicker-boats, stitched about with Leather. And Diodorus Siculus of Augustus Casars time writeth, that the Britaines in this part digged Tinne out of stony ground, which by Merchants was carried into Gallia, and thence to Narborne, as it were to a Mart. Which howsoever the English-Saxons neglected, yet the Normans made great benefit thereof, especially Richard brother to King Henry the third, who was Earle of Cornwall, and by those Tinne-workes became exceedingly rich: for the incursions of the Moores having stopped up the Tinne-Mines in Spaine, and them in Germany not discovered before the yeare of Christ 1240. these in Cornwall supplyed the want in all parts of the world. This Earle made certaine Tinne-Lawes, which with liberties and priviledges were confirmed by Earle Edmund his sonne. And in the dayes of King Edward the third, the Common-weale of Tinne-workes from one body was divided into foure, and a Lord Warden of the Stanniers appointed their Judge.
(4) The Borders of this Shire on all parts but the East is bound in with the Sea: and had Tamer drawne his course but foure miles further to the North, betwixt this Countie and Devonshire, it might have been rather accounted an Iland, then stood with the Mayne. Her length is from Launston to the Lands-end, containing by measure 60. miles: and the broadest part, stretching along by the Tamer, is fully fortie, lessening thence full lesser like a horne.
(5) The ancient Inhabitants knowne to the Romans, were the Danmonii, that spread themselves further into Devonshire also, by the report of Diodorus Siculus, a most courteous and civill people: and by Michael their Poet extolled for valour and strength of limnes: nor therein doth he take the libertie that Poets are allowed, to adde to the subject whereof they write, but truly reporteth what we see by them performed, who in activitie surmount many other people.
When the Heathen Saxons had seared themselves in the best of this Land, and forced the Christian Britaines into these rockie parts, then did Cornwall abound in Saints, unto whose honor most of the Churches were erected, by whose names they are yet knowne and called. To speake nothing of Ursula that Counties Dukes daughter, with her company of canonized Virgin-Saints, that are now reputed but to double the Calendar. These Britaines in Cornwall so fenced the Countrey, and defended themselves, that to the raigne of King Athelstane they held out against the Saxons, who subduing those Westerne Parts, made Tamar the Bounder betwixt them and his English, whose last Earle of the British Bloud was called Candorus.
(6) But William the Bastard created Robert (his halfe-brother by Herloisa their mother) the first Earle of the Normans race and Edward the Black Prince, the ninth from him, was by his Father King Edward the third invested the first Duke of Cornwall, which Title ever since hath continued in the Crowne.
(7) The commodities of this Shire, ministred both by Sea and Saile, are many and great; for besides the abundance of Fish that doe suffice the Inhabitants, the Pilchard is taken, who in great skuls swarme about the Coast, whence being transported to France, Spaine, and Italie, yeeld a yearely revenew of gaine unto Cornwall: wherein also Copper and Tinne so plentifully grow in the utmost part of this Promontory, that at a low water the veynes thereof lie bare, and are seene: and what gaine that commoditie begets, is vulgarly knowne. Neither are these Rockes destitute of Gold nor Silver, yea and Diamonds shaped and pointed Angle-wise, and smoothed by Nature her selfe, whereof some are as bigge as Walnuts, inferiour to the Orient onely in blacknesse and hardnesse.
Many are the Ports, Bayes, and Havens that open into this Shire, both safe for arrivage, and commodious transport whereof Falmouth is so copious, that an hundred Ships may therein ride at Anchor apart by themselves, so that from the tops of their highest Masts, they shall not see each other, and lie most safely under the winds.
(8) This Countie is fruitfull in Corne, Cattle, Sea-fish, and Fowles: all which, with other provisions for pleasure and life, are traded thorow twentie-two Market-Townes in this Shire, whereof Launston and Bodman are the best: from which last, being the middle of the Shire, the Pole is elevated to the degree of Latitude 50. 35. minutes, and for Longitude from the first West point, 15. 13. minutes, as Mercator hath measured them.
(9) Memorable matters both for antiquitie and strangenesse of sight, are there: At Boskenna upon the South-west of her Promontorie, is a Trophy erected, which are eighteene Stones placed round in compasse, and pitched twelve foot each from others, with another farre bigger in the very center. These doe shew some Victory there attained, either by the Romans, or els King Athelstane. At the foot of the Rockes neere unto S. Michaels Mount, in the memory of our fathers, were digged up Speare-heads, Axes, and Swords of Brass, wrapped in linnen, the weapons that the Cimbrians and ancient Britaines anciently used.
At Camelford likewise pieces of Armours both for horse and man, are many times found in digging of the ground, imputed to be the signes of that fight wherein Mordred was slaine, and wherein great Arthur received his deaths wound. And at Castle-Dennys are the Trenches wherein the Danes lodged when they first minded to subdue the Land, In the Parish S. Clare, two stones are pitched, one of them inscribed with a strange Character, and the other called the other halfe stone. The Hurlers also, fabuled to be men metamorphosed into stones; but in truth shew a note of some Victory, or else are so set for Land-markes Bounders. There also the Wring-cheese doth shew it selfe, which are huge Rockes heaped one upon another, and the lowest of them the least, fashioned like a Cheese, lying pressed under the rest of those Hils, which seemeth very dangerous to be passed under But neere to Pensans, and unto Mounts-bay, a farre more strange Rocke standeth, namely, Main Amber, which lyeth mounted upon others of meaner size, with so equall a counterpoize, that a man may move it with the push of his finger, but no strength remove it out of his place.
(10) Religious houses built, and suppressed within the limits of Cornwall, the fairest and greatest for account, were Launston, S. Neotes, S. Buriens, S. Michaels Mount, and S. Germans a Bishops See: so was Bodman also, from whence King Edward the Confessor removed it unto the Citie of Excester.
(11) The division of this Shire is into nine Hundreds, wherein are seated twentie-two Market-Townes, and 161. Parish-Churches.




This is the complete transcript of a section removed from a printed book at some time in the distant past. The book was probably of twelvemo size, the pages being approximately 6 inches wide and 4 inches high, and the text is accompanied by a map of Cornwall. A modern endorsement reads "County Geography Recorded, Being an Antiquarian Account of Cornwall Petrius Karrius 1599", and it seems highly likely that the map is by Petrus Kærius, also known as Peter van den Keere, who is known to have engraved plates for 44 of the English and Welsh counties, and also the regions of Scotland and Ireland, about the year 1599. It is said that "these maps were not published at once in book form, but there is evidence which suggests a date of issue (in Amsterdam) between 1605 and 1610 although at least one authority believes they existed only in proof form until 1617 when Willem Blaeu issued them with a Latin edition of Camden's Britannia" (Pierre Joppen). The original text of this book is in English and, in the section available to me, the author is not named, though it is likely to be taken from 'England Wales Scotland and Ireland Described and Abridged with ye Historic Relation of things Worthy memory from a farr larger Voulume Done by John Speed', published in 1620 and 1662. The given spelling of 'Falmouth' is generally thought to have appeared about the middle of the 17th century, although it must be noted that the author is probably referring to the Fal estuary rather than the town itself, and this was given as 'Falmouthe' in 1602. This chapter on Cornwall is numbered 10, and so it does seem evident that these pages were part of a larger topographical volume.