Nooks And Corners Of Cornwall - free ebook by C. A. (Catharine Amy) Dawson Scott

IN THE SAME SERIES

By J. S. Fletcher...

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IN PREPARATION

By C. A. Dawson Scott By Douglas Goldring Price 2s. 6d. net each (with map)...

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LONDON: EVELEIGH NASH

At first sight it seems incongruous to speak of the Nooks and Corners to be found in so rugged a land as Cornwall. The masses of rock at Tintagel, Tol-Pedn, and the Lizard, the sheer drop of the High Cliff and the Dodman, the moors, the cromlechs, and the granite tors, are so impressive that we are apt to overlook the fertile valleys that intersect the country, the coves, coombes, and "pills" in which the hillside vegetation is often semi-tropical, and where the houses are embowered in flowering

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Warnings

"You can only see Cornwall by walking through it," said George Borrow, but the traveller must bear in mind that a name, large on the map, is apt to materialise into a few cottages, a lonely farmhouse, or a rocky gorge with never an inhabitant. Nor though the voice of the tourist has now for several years been heard in the land has the response, in hotels, been great; while there are not as many country inns as might be expected. The cheerful, pleasure-loving Cornishman has another aspect to his

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The Crosses and Churches

A word with regard to the innumerable crosses and churches. At an early date in the history of Christianity, saints from the neighbouring countries of Brittany, Ireland and Wales appear to have poured into Cornwall. Some floated over on their altar-stones—a poetical way of saying they brought the said stones with them—others on a miraculous leaf, i.e. , a coracle, while yet others appear to have walked! On arrival they found a large number of upright slabs and boulders, relics of an earlier cree

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The Churches

When Cornwall built her innumerable small but beautiful churches, that is to say from the thirteenth (and earlier) to the sixteenth century, she showed that an ornate and vivid ritual was to her taste. She objected to and resisted the Reformation, and on its becoming an established fact went peacefully to sleep, as far as religion was concerned, until the arrival of John Wesley. As a consequence very few of the churches are modern, and most of them have Norman remains—some antiquarians even say

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The Plan of the Book

The roads from Launceston and from Saltash to the Land's End—and the main roads of Cornwall are excellent, as good as any in England—go as far as possible by way of the towns. The rivers, too, are no great matter, in fact precisians have maintained that there are none. The Tamar, which best deserves the name, was fixed as the eastern boundary by Athelstane in 926, while the Fal and Helford Rivers are mainly sea creeks, and the Camel and Fowey which until they become estuaries are never wider tha

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CHAPTER I NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE EXTREME NORTH

The Boundary between Devon and Cornwall on the north: Kilkhampton and its Association with the Grenvilles: Morwenstow and the Rev. R. Hawker: Tonacombe and Kingsley: Stowe: the Battles of Stamford Hill and Lansdowne: Tennyson and Bude: the Neighbouring Churches: a Female Dick Whittington...

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CHAPTER II NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM WIDEMOUTH BAY TO ST. TEATH

The Great Cliffs: Boscastle and an Ancient Form of Tenure: Otterham and Warbstow Barrows: Trevalga and Bossiney: the Legend of St. Nechtan's Kieve: Tintagel: Arthur: The Castle: The Beach and Barras Head: The Roman Occupation: Quarries: Camelford and its Battle: Arthur's Hall: Lanteglos: Henlistone and the Brewers: The Camel: The Delabole Slate: St. Teath...

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CHAPTER III NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM PORT ISAAC TO THE VALE OF LANHERNE

Port Isaac and the Fishing: Pentire: St. Enodoc and the Sand: Lovebond's Bridge: Wadebridge and Egloshayle: Jan Tergeagle : Menhirs: Padstow and the Hobby Horse: Prehistoric Inhabitants: Harlyn Bay: Trevose Head: Constantine: A Fogou: Bedruthan: The Vale of Lanherne...

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CHAPTER IV NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM THE VALE OF LANHERNE TO HAYLE TOWANS

Hurling and St. Columb Major: Colan: The Gratitude of the Stuarts: Trevalgue: A Good Centre for Crantock, St. Cubert, and Trerice: St. Agnes and the Giant: Portreath: the Bassets: Godrevy: Gwithian: The Pilchards...

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CHAPTER V NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM LELANT TO PENZANCE

Gold in Cornwall: Knill's Monument: The Antiquities of the Extreme West: Cliff Castles: Fogous: Menhirs: Dolmens: Oratories: Superstitions: St. Ives: Wesley: Irving: A Ripe Old Age: The Mines: Sancreed and St. Buryan: Lighthouses: Whitesand Bay: The Land's End: Mousehole and Dolly Pentreath: Newlyn: Penzance...

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CHAPTER VI NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM THE SCILLY ISLES TO ROSELAND

The Land of Lyonesse: The Scillies: The Law of Wrecks: Mr. Smith: The Admiral's Honour: Ding Dong Mine: St. Michael's Mount: An Old Ceremony: China Clay: Wrecks: Germoe and Breage: Pengersick: Flora Day: The Loe Pool: Serpentine: Gunwalloe and Mullion: The Lizard: Bells: The Helford River: Mawgan: Roseland...

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CHAPTER VII NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM FALMOUTH TO TRURO

The Rise of Pendennis Castle: Sir John Arundel: The Killigrews: Sir Walter Raleigh: The General Post Office and Falmouth: Penryn: The Fal: The Stannary Courts: Old Truro: Foote and Lowry...

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CHAPTER VIII NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM ST. MAWES TO LISKEARD

St. Mawes and Gerrans: Tregony and Probus: Cornish Mutton: A Story of Cornish Vengeance: Mevagissey: Antiquarian Finds: The Capital of Clayland: Cock's and Hen's Barrow: Carglaze Mine: Luxulyan: The Civil Wars: Lostwithiel: Lanhydrock House and Restormel Castle: The Fight on St. Winnow's Downs: The Gallants of Fowey: Place: Lanteglos: Polperro: Stories of Talland, Killigarth, and Trelawne: The Giant's Hedge: Boconnoc: Liskeard...

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CHAPTER IX NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM LISKEARD TO LAUNCESTON

King Dungarth and King Alfred: Menheniot: St. Keyne: Looe: A Cage for Scolds: Looe Island and the Smugglers: The Armada: Sheviock: The Eddystone: Mount Edgcumbe: The Tamar: Trematon Castle: Markets: Saltash: Moditonham: Paleologus: Pentillie: Cotehele: Hingston Down: Polyfant: Launceston...

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CHAPTER X NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM LAUNCESTON TO DOZMARÉ

The Upper Reaches of the Tamar: Launceston: The Old Highways: St. Clether: Altarnon: Trebartha: The Trethevy Dolmen: The Cheesewring: St. Cleer: St. Neot: Dozmaré: Tregeagle: Lake Dwellings...

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CHAPTER XI NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM BROWN WILLY TO CAMBORNE

Brown Willy and Row Tor: Michaelstow, St. Tudy and St. Mabyn: St. Breward and Blisland: Holland: Bodmin: Lanivet: Mitchell; Cornish Names: Blackwater and Illogan: Redruth and St. Day: Carn Brea: Camborne: A Word in Farewell...

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HOTELS ACCORDING TO THE ROUTE

Stratton. The Tree Inn. Bude. The Falcon; Grenville. Boscastle. Wellington. Tintagel. Wharncliffe; King Arthur's Castle; Clifton House. Camelford. King's Arms. Wadebridge. Molesworth Arms. Padstow. South-Western; St. Petrock's. Newquay. Atlantic; Victoria; Headland; Great Western. Perranporth. Perranporth; Tywarnhale. Portreath. Portreath Hotel; by Gurnard's Head, the Treryn Hotel. St. Ives. Tregenna Castle; Western; Queen's. Lelant. Lelant Hotel. Land's End. First and Last. Penzance. Queen's; R

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NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE EXTREME NORTH

The Boundary between Devon and Cornwall on the north: Kilkhampton and its Association with the Grenvilles: Morwenstow and the Rev. R. Hawker: Tonacombe and Kingsley: Stowe: the Battles of Stamford Hill and Lansdowne: Tennyson and Bude: the Neighbouring Churches: a Female Dick Whittington. The coach-road from Clovelly Dykes to Bude crosses Woolley Downs, but the border on the north is the little stream that runs into Marsland Mouth. The cliff paths with their fine views and the wonderful colour o

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM WIDEMOUTH BAY TO ST. TEATH

The cliffs from Marsland Mouth to Trevose Head are fine, much finer than those on the better known south coast. The seas also are wilder, these shores seeming to suffer from fiercer onslaughts of the Atlantic. On a blustery day it is nothing to see the tortured waves break into a spray that is flung full forty feet into the air, while except in sheltered dips and coves—of which there are none too many in this part—neither tree nor shrub can live. This gives the headlands a barren look, the bold

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM PORT ISAAC TO THE VALE OF LANHERNE

Port Isaac and the Fishing: Pentire: St. Enodoc and the Sand: Lovebond's Bridge: Wadebridge and Egloshayle: "Jan Tergeagle": Menhirs: Padstow and the Hobby Horse: Prehistoric Inhabitants: Harlyn Bay: Trevose Head: Constantine: A Fogou: Bedruthan: The Vale of Lanherne. So long and so steep is the hill between Port Gavernoe and Port Isaac that the Cornishman, though not noted for kindness to animals, does not often ask his horse to negotiate it, and indeed these Cornish hills are a sovereign speci

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM THE VALE OF LANHERNE TO HAYLE TOWANS

Hurling and St. Columb Major: Colan: The Gratitude of the Stuarts: Trevalgue: A Good Centre for Crantoch, St. Cubert, and Trerice: St. Agnes and the Giant: Portreath: the Bassets: Godrevy: Gwithian: The Pilchards. At the head of the lovely Vale of Lanherne is a district which has long been the centre for the old game of "hurling," and although football has largely taken its place, it is still sometimes played on Shrove Tuesday. The ball is smaller than that used for cricket, is light to handle,

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM LELANT TO PENZANCE

Gold in Cornwall: Knill's Monument: The Antiquities of the Extreme West: Cliff Castles: Fogous: Menhirs: Dolmens: Oratories: Superstitions: St. Ives: Wesley: Irving: A Ripe Old Age: The Mines: Sancreed and St. Buryan: Lighthouses: Whitesand Bay: The Land's End: Mousehole and Dolly Pentreath: Newlyn: Penzance. From Hayle to Marazion on the south coast is four miles—the narrowest part of the peninsula—and a railway runs from sea to sea. With a deep curve, however, the road goes on to low-lying Lel

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM THE SCILLY ISLES TO ROSELAND

The Land of Lyonesse: The Scillies: The Law of Wrecks: Mr. Smith: The Admiral's Honour: Ding Dong Mine: St. Michael's Mount: An Old Ceremony: China Clay: Wrecks: Germoe and Breage: Pengersick: Flora Day: The Loe Pool: Serpentine: Gunwalloe and Mullion: The Lizard: Bells: The Helford River: Mawgan: Roseland. If you ask the people they will tell you that without doubt the piece of water between the south of Cornwall and the Scillies was once dry land. If you ask the educated stranger he will hum a

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM FALMOUTH TO TRURO

The Rise of Pendennis Castle: Sir John Arundel: The Killigrews: Sir Walter Raleigh: The General Post Office and Falmouth: Penryn: The Fal: The Stannary Courts: Old Truro: Foote and Lowry. When Henry VIII. took thought for the coast defences of his semi-island, Falmouth was one of the places that benefited. At St. Mawes and Pendennis batteries were erected and in Budock Church is the brass of John Killigrew, with this pertinent inscription: "Heere lyeth John Killigrew Esquier of Arwenack ... he w

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM ST MAWES TO LISKEARD

St. Mawes and Gerrans: Tregony and Probus: Cornish Mutton: A Story of Cornish Vengeance: Mevagissey: Antiquarian Finds: The Capital of Clayland: Cock's and Hen's Barrow: Carglaze Mine: Luxulyan: The Civil Wars: Lostwithiel: Lanhydrock House and Restormel Castle: The Fight on St. Winnow's Downs: The Gallants of Fowey: Place: Lanteglos: Polperro: Stories of Talland, Killigarth, and Trelawne: The Giant's Hedge: Boconnoc: Liskeard. The "free and sworn burgesses" of St. Mawes, numbering about twenty,

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM LISKEARD TO LAUNCESTON

King Dungarth and King Alfred: Menheniot: St. Keyne: Looe: A Cage for Scolds: Looe Island and the Smugglers: The Armada: Sheviock: The Eddystone: Mount Edgcumbe: The Tamar: Trematon Castle: Markets: Saltash: Moditonham: Paleologus: Pentillie: Cotehele: Hingston Down: Polyfant: Launceston. It is pleasant, after following the footsteps of an English king so foolish that his people out of sheer exasperation presently rose up and slew him, to come upon traces of one whom the nation, from his day eve

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM LAUNCESTON TO DOZMARÉ

The Upper Reaches of the Tamar: Launceston: The Old Highways: St. Clether: Altarnun: Trebartha: The Trethevy Dolmen: The Cheesewring: St. Cleer: St. Neot: Dozmaré: Tregeagle: Lake Dwellings. Above Launceston, the Tamar soon has a companion in the shape of the Bude Canal, which was built at great cost, but is no longer worked. At Werrington, the river of that name joins the mother stream, after forming an artificial lake, and Werrington is also interesting as a place to which several bequests wer

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NOOKS AND CORNERS FROM BROWN WILLY TO CAMBORNE

Brown Willy and Row Tor: Michaelstow, St. Tudy and St. Mabyn: St. Breward and Blisland: Helland: Bodmin: Lanivet: Mitchell: Cornish Names: Blackwater and Illogan: Redruth and St. Day: Carn Brea: Camborne: A Word in Farewell. Dozmaré Pool is only a short distance from the main road on the further side of which lie the chief heights of this moorland district, Row Tor (1296 ft.) and Brown Willy (1375 ft.). From Tintagel these hills look like gently rounded brown masses on the skyline, but on nearer

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The Green Book of St. Columb

In olden days the parish as distinct from the church was an entity with the power not only of appointing a sort of select vestry of twelve (was this number chosen because of the Apostles?) with wardens for the parish, for the poor, for the coffer, and for the pews, but of holding property such as sheep, cattle, and land. It lent money, sometimes at interest, sometimes gratis, it kept ladders, charging for their hire, and, above all, it encouraged Morris dancing and Robin Hood entertainments. For

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St. Michael's Mount

It is a place of historic and prehistoric interest. Here is the well by which " Jack the valiant Cornishman Did slay the giant Cormoran. " Jack being the Cornish variant of the better known Peredur of Wales and Ian MacAnnheil of Ireland. 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,"

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