The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 2 (of 4)
History
The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 2 (of 4)
Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Geology -- England -- Cornwall (County)
In this parish, at ――――, liveth Reginald An-gove, Gent. i. e. Reginald
the Smith, a sirname assumed in memory of his first ancestor, who was
by trade and occupation a smith.
And of this sort of sirname in England, thus speaks Verstegan,
From whence came smith, all be it Knight or ’Squire?
But from the smith that forgeth in the fire.
This Reginald Angove is that subtle crafty tinner, whom common fame
reports to have gotten a considerable estate by labouring,
adventuring, and dealing in tin, both in the mines below and blowing
houses above ground, by indirect arts and practices; for which, about
the 8th of William and Mary, he was indicted before the jury of
tinners (whereof the writer of these lines was summoned for one)
amongst other things, for putting hard heads of false metal and lead
in the midst of slabs of tin, melted and cast in his blowing-house, in
testimony whereof some pieces or slabs thereof was cut in pieces, and
the fallacy detected; whereupon the Grand Jury returned the bill of
indictment, indorsed, Billa Vera. But on his trial there was given a
verdict of acquittal.
_Carne Bray._ Upon the top of a very high rocky mountain in this
parish, which takes a large view over the land from the north to the
south sea, that is to say, from St. George’s channel to the British
ocean, and also towards the Land’s End and Scilly islands, stands
Castle Carne Bray, erected long before the art of guns was invented.
It is situate upon the summit of a large, lofty, and tremendous rock,
built four-square of lime and stone, about forty feet high and twenty
feet square; wherein, as appears from the beam holes, windows, and
chimneys, were two planchins, besides the leads of the top thereof,
though now there are not to be seen either leads or beams, only the
walls, windows, chimneys, and garrets thereof are still extant and
uniform, which, maugre all the force of wind and weather, are likely
to stand firm till the final consummation of all things. It hath but
one way of access or entrance into it, through a little hole
artificially cut in the rock, under the foundation of its wall, about
four feet high; the other parts thereof being surrounded with
inaccessible rocks, carnes, and downfalls. Some such castle or
fortification Cæsar mentions in his Commentary at Uxelodunum, for
Uchell-dun-en, i. e. the lofty fort or fortress [in Gallia]. I take
this castle to be the Watch Tower mentioned by Orosius, opposite to
such another in Gallicia; which Mr. Carew and Mr. Camden conjecture
stood near St. Ive’s. Near this castle, on the top of this mountain,
are divers circular walls or fortifications, made of rocks and
unwrought stones, after the British manner (see Gonwallo); and a never
intermitting spring, or fountain of water, for the use of the
inhabitants thereof. Probably this castle was built by some of the
Brays of Cornwall, or those that came into England with William the
Conqueror of that name, otherwise so called from the natural
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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