Parishes: Mabe - Maddern

Mabe

MABE, in the deanery and in the east division of the hundred of Kirrier, lies four miles and a half west from Falmouth, and two miles and a half north-west from Penryn, which is the post-office town. The only village in this parish, besides the church-town, is Lower-Spargo.

The manor of Carnsew, in this parish, belonged to an ancient family of that name, who removed to Bokelly, in St. Kew. One of the Carnsew family conveyed the barton, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to William Thomas, son of Thomas Hary, of Roscrow, which William took the name of Carnsew: this family soon afterwards removed to Trewoone in Budock. The manor of Carnsew appears to have been annihilated: the barton, on which is a farm-house, is now the property of Mr. T. Reed. The manor of Eathorn, now the property of Wearn Nicholas, Esq., was formerly in the family of Serjeaux, from whom it passed, by a coheiress, to the Veres, Earls of Oxford. The barton of Carveth was the seat of a family of that name, one of whose ancestors had married a coheiress of Otho Penaluna: Henry Carveth sold this barton, in the reign of Charles I., to Thomas Melhuish. The Carveths removed to Mewdon in Mawnan, and afterwards to Cosaws in Gluvias. The barton of Carveth, on which is now a farm-house, belongs to Mr. J. Gwennap, of Falmouth.

The barton of Tremogh was in ancient times the seat of a family of that name, from whom it passed, by a female heir, to that of Blois of Penryn. It was sold by the latter, in 1703, to John Worth, Esq., (sheriff of the county in 1712,) who inclosed a park, and built a large mansion, now converted into a farm-house. This estate is the property of Mr. Robert Crow, by purchase from Dr. Hooper, who married the heiress of Worth. Spargo, in this parish, is described by Norden as a seat of the Randolls or Rundles; but we are informed, that although that barton was their property, their seat was not there, but at Trewoon, now a farm-house.

This parish, called in ancient ecclesiastical records Lavabe or Lavapper, forms, together with Milor, an united vicarage. The great tithes, which were appropriated to the college of Glaseney, are now vested in John Hext, Esq. The Bishop of Exeter is patron of the vicarage.

There is a life extant of Thomas Tregose, a Presbyterian divine, who was ejected from the vicarage of Mabe and Milor by the Bartholomew act. He appears to have been much esteemed by his contemporaries, but has left nothing to be known by, to posterity.

St. Mabyn

ST. MABYN, in the hundred of Trigg and deanery of Trigg-Minor, lies about five miles north-north-west from Bodmin, which is the post-office town, and about eight miles south-south-west from Camelford. The only village in this parish, except the church-town, is Trevisquite.

The manor of Trevisquite, called in the survey of Domesday, Trawiscoit, was held by Richard, under Robert Earl of Moreton and Cornwall: it has long been in the family of the present proprietor, Lord Viscount Falmouth. The manor and some of the lands of Tresarrat, which belonged to the family of Treise, and was inherited by the Morsheads, was sold, by the late Sir John Morshead, Bart., to John Wallis, Esq., of Bodmin, the present proprietor: the remainder of the estate was sold in lots. Perhaps this was the Treserret which was a seat of Sir John Trelawney, a distinguished military character in the reign of Henry V., and was inherited by one of his younger sons.

Treblethick was for many generations the seat of the ancient family of Hamley, in whom it continued when Hals made his collections, early in the last century; it soon afterwards became the property of the Treises, and having passed with Trevisquite to the Morsheads, was sold by the late Sir John Morshead to A. Hambley, Esq., of Endellion. The present representative of the Hamley family is Mr. Richard Hamley, of St. Columb. (fn. n1)

Tregarden or Tregarne, formerly a seat of the Beres, passed, by successive female heirs, to the Barrets and Godolphins: it was afterwards a seat of the Mitchells, and is now a farm-house, the property and residence of Mr. John Andrew. Trequite, some time a seat of the Parkers, is now a farm-house, the property and residence of Mr. Hooper. Tregaddock, formerly a seat of the Bakes, is now the property of the Rev. J. Kempe; another barton of Tregaddock is the property of Mr. Joseph Harry.

Kilquite, Colcoit or Colquite, belonged to Sir Richard Serjeaux, one of whose coheiresses brought it to the Marneys. Sir Henry Marney was created Lord Marney in 1524; his son John, Lord Marney, built the old mansion at Colquite: one of his coheiresses brought this barton to the Hoblyns. It is now the property and seat of Deeble Peter, Esq. The old mansion has been pulled down, and a new house built by the present proprietor.

Heligan belonged formerly to the Hills, and seems to have been acquired by marriage with the heiress of Fantleroy, who married the heiress of Thomas Flamank. About the middle of the seventeenth century, Heligan, which is now a farmhouse, was the seat of the family of Silly. It was sold by Miss Julia Silly (now wife of William Lyddon, Esq.) to E. J. Glynn, Esq., the present proprietor. Tredethy, some time the seat of the families of May and Lang, is now the property and residence of Francis John Hext, Esq. Penwyn, some time a seat of the Porters, is now the property and residence of Mr. William Cole, whose family have possessed it for a considerable time.

In the parish-church, which has a handsome lofty tower, with solid pinnacles, are memorials for the family of Hamley (1637-1717); Grace, Lady Carnsew, of Bokelly, 1656, &c. There was an ancient chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, at a place called Helygrave (fn. n2) : its site is not known. Lord Falmouth is patron of the rectory. The Rev. Charles Peters, rector of St. Mabyn, published a differtation on the book of Job, in which he controverts the opinions of Bishop Warburton.

There is an alms-house at St. Mabyn, built with the sum of 200l., being the accumulation of a legacy of 100l. bequeathed for that purpose, by William Parker, Esq., and recovered by a suit in Chancery.

Maddern, Madron, or Maddron

MADDERN, MADRON, or MADDRON, in the deanery and in the west division of the hundred of Penwith, lies about a mile and a half nearly north-west from Penzance, which is a chapelry of this parish, and is the post-office town. The principal village in this parish is Lanyon.

The manor of Alwarton (now called Alvarton, Penzance, and Mousehole,) appears to have taken its name from Aluardus, who possessed it in the reign of Edward the Confessor: soon after the Conquest, it was in the Pomeroys: in the reign of Edward I., it belonged to the baronial family of Tyes, from whom it passed, by successive female heirs, to the Lisles and Berkeleys. This manor having become vested in the crown, was granted to Whitmore and others, and has been divided into severalties. The barton, which is in this parish, is occupied as a farm-house.

The barton of Treneere belonged to the family of Oliver, by whom it was alienated in 1768: the old mansion has been converted into a barn and outhouses: the estate was sold in parcels; a third part was purchased by the Rev. Anthony Williams, the present proprietor, who built a house on it for his own residence. Lanyon, some time the seat of the Lanyon family, is now a farm-house, the property of their descendant, William Rashleigh, Esq., M. P. Landithy, which belonged to the Knights-Hospitallers, was, after the Reformation, for some generations in the family of Fleming: it is now a farm-house, belonging to Mr. Bolitho, of Chyendour. Trengwainton, formerly the seat of the Cowlins, afterwards of a branch of the Arundells (the Menadarva family), is now a farm-house, the property of William Praed, Esq., whose father purchased it of the Arundells in 1761.

Castle-Horneck, on the site of what Norden describes, "as an antient ruined castle (fn. n3), standing on a mount near Penzance, and, as it seemeth, in former times of some account," was, for several generations, a seat of the family of Levelis (fn. n4) : it has been for nearly a century in the Borlases, and is now, for life, the property of Samuel Borlase, a minor, son of the late John Borlase, Esq. Trereife, the seat of William John Godolphin Nicholls, Esq., has been in the family of the present proprietor ever since the reign of Queen Elizabeth, if not before. Rosehill, in this parish, is the residence of Richard Oxnam, Esq.; Larrigon-cottage, of Thomas Pascoe, Esq. Poltaire, built by Richard Hickens, Esq., its late proprietor, is uninhabited.

In the parish-church are memorials for the families of Borlase, Fleming, Harris, and Nicholls. There was a chapel in the parish of Maddern, dedicated to St. Bridget, and another at Lanyon. The great tithes of this parish were formerly appropriated to the Knights-Hospitallers, to whom the church was given by Henry de Pomeroy: they are now vested in W. J. G. Nicholls, Esq., by inheritance from the Flemings. The advowson of the vicarage belongs to Miss Borlase, daughter of the late Rev. William Borlase, of Castle-Horneck: it was purchased by the Borlases of the corporation of Penzance, who are supposed to have purchased from the Flemings.

In or about the year 1704, Mr. George Daniel founded a school at Maddern, for the instruction of poor children of this parish, and its chapelries Morva and Penzance, in reading, writing, and arithmetic; endowing it with a house and garden for the master, and certain lands and premises, now let at 122l. per annum.

The celebrated well at Maddern has been elsewhere spoken of at large. (fn. n5)