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)
The rocks adjoining this granitic portion are compost and schistose
felspar, as at Alternun, and in a similar position. These are
succeeded in the vicinity of the church by a peculiar calcareous rock,
consisting almost entirely of hornblend and calcareous spar. The
northern part makes part of a downs, extending almost to Launceston,
and abounding in manganese.
ST. CLEMENT’S.
HALS.
St. Clement’s is situate in the hundred of Powder, and hath upon the
north St. Herme and St. Allen; on the west Kenwyn; east the creek of
Trevilian River; south and west Truro River, or arm of the sea.
In Domesday Roll, 20 Wm. I. A.D. 1087, it was taxed under the Great
Earl of Cornwall’s manor (now Duchy) of Mor-is or Mor-es, id est, the
manor or parish of the sea, or a manor situated on the sea, according
to the natural circumstances of the place. And I doubt not that before
the Norman Conquest this church or chapel was extant; since, at the
time of the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester
(1294), it was valued to the first fruits vi_l._, vicar ejusdem
xiii_s._ iiii_d._, by no other name than Ecclesia de Mores, which was
endowed or founded undoubtedly by the Lords of the Manor of Mores,
that is the Earl of Cornwall, whose successors, the Dukes, still
possess the lands, and are patrons of the church. In Wolsey’s
Inquisition 1525, and Valor Beneficiorum, this church is called
Clemens, and valued to first fruits £9.
In this church town is the well-known place of Conor, Condura, id est,
the King or Prince’s Water (viz. Cornwall), whose royalty is still
over the same, and whose lands cover comparatively the whole parish;
from which place in all probability was denominated Cundor or Condor,
in Latin Condorus, i. e. Condura, Earl of Cornwall at the time of the
Norman Conquest, who perhaps lived, or was born here. And moreover,
the inhabitants of this church town and its neighbourhood will tell
you, by tradition from age to age, that here once dwelt a great lord
and lady called Condura.
This Condurus, as our historians tell us, in 1016 submitted to the
Conqueror’s jurisdiction, paid homage for his earldom, and made an
oath of his fealty to him; but this report doth not look like a true
one, for most certain it is, in the 3rd year of the Conqueror’s reign,
he was deprived of his earldom, the same being given to the
Conqueror’s half-brother, Robert Earl of Morton in Normandy, whose son
William for a long time succeeded him in that dignity after his death.
Is it not, therefore, more probable that this Earl Condurus
confederated with his countrymen at Exeter, in that insurrection of
the people against the Conqueror in the 3rd year of his reign, and for
that reason was deprived of his earldom? Be it as it was, certain it
is he married and had issue Cad-dock (id est, bear or carry-war), his
son and heir, whom some authors call Condor the Second, who is by them
taken for and celebrated as Earl of Cornwall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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