The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 1 (of 4)
History
The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 1 (of 4)
Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Geology -- England -- Cornwall (County)
Pen-gar-wick in this parish, also Pen-gars-wick, id est, the head
word, or command, fenced or fortified place; so called from the
command or authority of the lord thereof heretofore in these parts,
and the strength of the house and the tower thereof, otherwise
Pen-gweras-ike, i. e. the creek, cove, or bosom of waters, head help,
as situate upon the sea, or waters of the British Channel. This barton
and manor, in the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII., was
purchased by one Mr. Milliton, a gentleman of the county of where
having wilfully or accidentally committed murder, or slain a man, in
order to shun or avoid justice he privately made the purchase
aforesaid in the name of his son, and so immured himself in a private
chamber of the tower of Pengarwick, that he was not seen of any person
but his trusty friends, so that he finished the natural course of his
life without detection of his person, or punishment for the crime
aforesaid; but, alas! notwithstanding his concealment, and design of
perpetuating his name and tribe in this place, his son Job Milliton,
Esq. 1st Edward the Sixth, made Governor of St. Michael’s Mount, (in
the room of Renphry Arundell, Esq. executed for rebellion,) who
married Godolphin, and had issue William Milliton, Esq. sheriff of
Cornwall 7th Elizabeth, 1565, that died without issue, and six
daughters, that became his heirs, married 1. to Erisy, afterwards to
Sir Nicholas Parker; 2. to Lanyon; 3. to Trefusis, and Tregothick; 4.
to Trenwith, Arundell, and Herle; 5. to Bonython; 6. to Abbot, from
some of which heiresses, Sir Nicholas Hals, Knight, at his first
coming from Efford in Devon into Cornwall, purchased their parts of
this lordship, with leases from the rest of the coparceners, and for
some time made it and Trewinard the places of his dwelling till he
removed to Fentongollen. This place afterwards, by his unthrifty son
and heir, John Hals, had all its timber cut down that was growing upon
it, and sold, which tradition saith was great store; the lands also
were sold to Godolphin and some others.
The arms of Milliton were, out of a supposed allusion to their name, a
chevron between three millet fishes hariant or erected; whereas
Milli-ton is a mill town.
TONKIN.
There is not any thing in Mr. Tonkin of importance, differing from Mr.
Hals.
He gives the Cornish distich, which has often been repeated,
Germow Mathern,
Breaga Lavethas.
“Germow was a king――Breaga a midwife;” which he explains in a
spiritual sense.
In the church-yard of Germoe, is a small alcove called King Germoe’s
Throne: it may perhaps have been a plain, simple shrine.
THE EDITOR.
Mr. Sidney Godolphin must be considered as the most eminent statesman
and politician of this county, not excepting Lord Chatham, if his
birth at Boconnoc should be deemed sufficient to make him a Cornish
man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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