The Survey of Cornwall Part 18

Few words, but folding vp a mult.i.tude of inconueniences to her Maiestie, & the whole Commonwealth.

Wherefore the Cornish Iustices of the peace, became humble suiters to the Lords of her Highnes priuy Councell, for a necessary and speedy redresse herein: and through the neuer fayling forwardnesse, and backing of Sir Walter Ralegh, obtayned a reuocation. Howbeit, this ill weed, rather cut off by the ground, then plucked vp by the roote, once, yea twice or thrice grew forth againe, but yet, maugre the warmers and waterers, hath by her Maiesties gracious breath beene euer parched vp, and (as is hoped) will neuer shoote out heereafter, at least it shall still finde an vnited resistance, of most earnest suit, and pregnant reasons, to beat it downe.

The Earles had foure houses, builded Castle-wise for their residence, viz. Trematon, Launceston, Restormel, and Liskerd. But since the princ.i.p.ality of Wales and this Duchy became united in one person, the larger scope, and greater commaund of that, hath robbed this of his Lords presence, & by consequence, the strength of these Castles could not so gard them, against the battery of time, and neglect, but that, from faire buildings, they fell into foule reparations, and from foule reparations, are now sunke into vtter ruine.

King H. the 8. affecting his honour of Newelm, & respecting the commodities, which Wallingford Castle might afford it, tooke this last by act of Parl. from the Duchy, & in lieu thereof, annexed certain manners lying in Corn.falne [81] to the Crowne, through the Marques of Excesters attainder: which Queene Marie afterwards restored in tayle to his sonne, the Earle of Deuon, and vpon his issueles decease receiued them againe.

It were against duetie to make question, whether in this exchange, the kings meaning went with his pretence; and yet wee finde it an ordinary policy amongst Princes, to send their successours, with a kinde of libera, or honoraria legatio, into the remoter quarters of their dominions, as if they would shunne occasions of ielousie, springing from an ouer-neere neighbourhood.

Howsoeuer, the same King, not long after, pa.s.sed away, this Castle, vnto Christs Colledge in Oxford, who vse it as a place of retrayt, when the Vniuersitie is visited with any contagious sicknes.

I haue vnderstood, that question is made amongst men of knowledge, what is become of this Duchy. Some holding it altogether extinct, for want of the kings issue male: some auerring, that it is suspended in nubibus (as they say) pro tempore: and some supposing, that it continueth in full power, and that her Maiestie hath onely custodiam ducatus, as of Bishop.r.i.c.ks, sede vacante. Penes Iudicem lis sit.

Once, euery Sheriffe is summoned to enter his account in the Duchy Exchequer, at Lostwithyel, and from thence, referred ouer to the Exchequer above.

Cornwall considered as a part of the Realme, sorteth her gouernment into two kindes; spirituall, and temporall.

Touching the spirituall: In ancient times this Shire had his particular Bishop: and I find, how in the yeere, 905. Forinosus the Pope sent a sharpe letter to Edward the sonne of Alfride, reproouing him, for suffering the West Saxons to be dest.i.tute of Bishops seuen yeeres together. Whereon, by the aduice of his Councell, and Arch-bishop Pleymund, he ordayned seuen bishops in one day; amongst whome Herstane was consecrated to Cornwall, and Eadwolfe to Crediton, which last had three townes in Cornwall, a.s.signed him, to wit, Pontium, Coelling, and Landwhitton, that thence he might yeerely visit the people, to root out (as mine author sayth) their errours: for before, as much as in them lay, they withstood the truth, and obeyed not the Apostolike decrees. Whereon I ground two collections: the first, that the light of the Gospell tooke not his originall shining into these parts, from the Romish Bishop: the other that the Cornish (like their cousins the Welsh] could not bee soone or easily induced to acknowledge his iurisdiction. The Bishops see was formerly at S. Petrocks in Bodmyn; but by reason the Danes burned there his Church and palace, [979.] the same remooued to S. Germanes.

After that, Lumigius, from a Monke of Winchester, elected Abbot of Tavistoke, [1031.] and from that Abbey, aduanced to the Bishop.r.i.c.k of Creditune, by his grace with Canutus King of the Angles, obtayned an annexion of Cornwall (lately fallen voyd) and so made one Dioces of that and Deuon, as it hath euer since continued. This Bishop.r.i.c.k had diuers faire houses and large reuenues in Cornwall: but one Veyzy, Bishop of the dioces in King H. the 8. time, coniecturing (as it is conceyued) that the Cathedrall Churches should not long ouer-liue the suppressed Monasteries, made hauock of those liuings before-hand, some by long leasing, and some by flat selling, so as he left a poore remainder to his successours.

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It oweth subiection to the Metropolitane of Canterbury, and hath one onely Archdeaconry, which place is now supplied by master Thomas Sumaster, who adorneth the Gentility of his birth, with the honestie of his life, and by both sorts of feeding, approueth himselfe a liberall and commendable pastor.

Certaine Peculiars there are, some appertaining to the dignities of the Cathedrall Church at Exon, to wit, S. Probuss, and S. Peran: and some to priuate persons, as Burien and Temple.

[Anno Mundi 3172.] For religious houses, I read, that in the time of Paganisme, Cunedag builded a Temple in Cornwall to Apollo, but where it stood I know not. Since it made roome to Christianity, my (not ouer-curious) enquiry hath learned out these:

Pryories, at S. Germaines, Bodmyn, Tywardreth.

Nunries, at S. Martine.

Fryeries, at Launceston, Truro, Bodmyn.

Colledges, at Peryn, Crantock, Buryen.

Hospitals, at Helston.

Of parishes, the County hath 161. as master Camden noteth, and as others haue, about 180.

Doubtles, the Hierarchy of our English Church, if it were kept fast to his first inst.i.tution, might with his far better effects, close vp their mouthes, who would thrust vpon vs their often varying discipline. But albeit neither our time can well brooke it, nor the succeeding would long hold it: yet it shal not do much amisse, to look vpon the originall beauty thereof, if (at least) I be able to tricke the same truly out, & doe not blemish it with my pensil.

At the planting of Christian religion, Monasteries & cathedral Churches were likewise founded, which serued for seed plots of the ministery, & sent them abroad in yerely progresses, to labour the Lords vineyard. Afterwards, about the time of our last conquest, the country was sorted by a more orderly maner into parishes, & euery parish committed to a spirituall father, called their Parson, who stept into that roome, not by election (as some imagine) but mostly, by the nomination of him that eyther built the Church, or endowed the same with some liuelyhood, or was L. of the soyle where it stood. As for Vicarages, those daies knew few, for they grew vp in more corrupt ages, by the religious houses encrochments.

Besides this Inc.u.mbent, euery parish had certaine officers, as Churchwardens, Sidemen, and 8. men, whose duety bound them to see the buildings & ornaments appertaining to G.o.ds seruice, decently maintayned, & good order there reuerently obserued. And lest negligence, ignorance, or partiality, might admit or foist in abuses, & corruption, an Archdeacon was appointed to take account of their doings by an yerely visitation, & they there sworn duly to make it.

He & they againe had their Ordinary, the Bishop, euery 3. yere to ouerlook their actions, & to examine, allow, & admit the ministers, as they and the Bishop were semblably subiect to the Metropolitanes suruey euery 7. yere. For warning the Clergy, & imparting their superiours directions, the Curats chose yerely their Deanes rurall.

The Bishop, in his cathedrall church, was a.s.sociated with certaine Prebendaries, some resident, who serued as his ghostly counsel in points of his charge, & others not bound to ordinary residence, who were called to consultation, vpon things of greater consequence: & for matters of princ.i.p.al importance, the Archbishop had his prouincial Sinod, & the whole clergy their national.

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Now then, if euery one thus entrusted, would remember that he had a soule to saue or lose, by the well or ill discharging of so waighty a function, and did accordingly from time to time bestowe his requisite endeauour, what the least fault could escape the espiall of so many eyes, or the righting amongst so many hands? But I haue thrust my sickle ouer-farre into anothers haruest: let my mistaking be corrected, and in regard of my good meaning, pardoned.

The Temporal gouernment of Cornwall, shooteth out also into two branches, Martiall, and Ciuill.

For martiall affaires, master Camden noteth out of Iohannes Sarisburiensis, that the Cornish mens valiancy purchased them such reputation amongst our ancestours, as they (together with those of Deuon and Wiltshire) were wont to be entrusted, for the Subsidiary Cohort, or band of supply. An honour equall to the Romanes Triarii, and the shoot-anker of the battell. With which concurreth the ancient, if not authenticall testimony of Michael Cornubiensis, who had good reason to knowe the same, being that Countryman, and more to report it: his verses, for which I haue also beene beholding to M. Camden, are these:

--Rex Arcturus nos primos Cornubienses Bellum facturus vocat, vt puta Caesaris enses n.o.bis non alijs, reliquis, dat primitus ictum Per quem pax lisque, n.o.bis sit vtrumq; relictum Quid nos deterret, si firmiter in pede stemus, Fraus ni nos superet, nihil est quod non superemus.

I will now set downe the princ.i.p.all Commaunders & Officers, touching these martiall causes, together with the forces of the shire.

Lord Lieutenant generall, Sir Walter Ralegh.

| Sir Frauncis G.o.dolphin, | | Sir Nicholas Parker, | | Sir Reignald Mohun, | Deputie | Peter Edgec.u.mb, | or any 3.

Lieutenants | Bernard Greinuile, | of them.

| Christopher Harris, | | Richard Carew, |

Colonell generall, Sir Nicholas Parker.

Marshall, Bernard Greinuile.

Treasurer, Richard Carew.

Master of the Ordinance, Will. Treffry.

Colonell of the horse, Iohn Arundell of Trerise.

Sergeant maior, Humphrey Parcks.

Quarter Master, William Carnsew.

Prouost Marshall, Iohn Harris.

Scowt Master, Otwell Hill.

| Osburne.

| Rusall.

Corporals of the field, | Rattenbury.

| Sled

Ammunition Master, Leon. Blackdon.

Trench Master, Cooke.

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Regiments. Companies, Numbers, Arm.Pikes, Muskets, Caliueri -------------------------------------------------- Sir Fra. G.o.dol. | 12. | 1200. | 470. | 490. | 240. | Sir Will. Beuil | 6. | 670. | 225. | 315. | 130. | Sir Rei. Mohun | 6. | 600. | 200. | 210. | 190. | Ber. Greinuile | 10. | 1000. | 370. | 390. | 240. | Ri. Carew | 5. | 500. | 170. | 300. | 30. |*1 Antony Rouse | 6. | 760. | 270. | 320. | 170. | Ch. Treuanion | 5. | 500. | 180. | 190. | 130. | Will. Treffry | 4. | 400. | 140. | 130. | 130. |*2 Sir Nic. Parker | 2. | 200. | 60. | 80. | 60. |*3 Ha. Viuian | 1. | 100. | 40. | 40. | 20. |*4 Ar. Harris | 1. | 100. | 40. | 40. | 20. |*5 Summa, | 58. | 6030. | 2165. | 2535. | 1330. | --------------------------------------------------

[*1 For Causam Bay]

[*2 For Foy]

[*3 Fpr Pendennis]

[*4 For S. Mawes]

[*5 For the Mount]

This may serue for a generall estimat of the Cornish forces, which I haue gathered, partly out of our certificate made to the Lords 1599.

partly by information from the Sargeant maior, & partly through mine own knowledge. There are many more vnarmed pikes, which I omit, as better fitting a supply vpon necessitie, then to bee exposed (for opposed) to an enemie. The number as it standeth, much exceedeth the shires proportion, if the same he compared with Deuon and other Counties: which groweth, for that their neerenesse on all quarters to the enemy, and their farnesse from timely succour by their friends, haue forced the Commaunders, to call forth the vttermost number of able hands to fight, and rather by perswasion then authority, procured them to arme themselues beyond lawe and theirability. Which commendable indeuour shall not, I hope, ought not, I am sure, turne them to the preiudice of any vnwonted charge hereafter.

They are all prouided of powder, bullet, & match in competent sort, & order taken for furnishing of victuals, and mounting a third part of the shot (at least) vpon cause of seruice.

Light horses, the Lords in their directions, enioyne for orders sake, and the Lieutenants excuse it by insufficiency. Hitherto neither hath the commaundement bin reuoked, nor the omission controlled.

In the yeere 1588. when the Spanish floting Babel pretended the conquest of our Iland (which like Iosuahs armie they compa.s.sed, but vnlike him could not with their blasting threats ouerthrow our walles) it pleased her Maiestie of her prouident and gracious care, to furnish Cornwall with ordinance and munition, from her owne store, as followeth: