The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 3 (of 4)
History
The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 3 (of 4)
Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Geology -- England -- Cornwall (County)
Note. That Marghessen-foos, or Marasan-vose, i. e. the Maids’ Market,
is a village in the manor of Fenton-gymps in Piran sands, but why so
named I cannot guess, except that, being in the great road to
Mitchell, the maids came there to offer themselves in service, a
custom taken notice of, particularly by Dr. Plot, Nat. Hist. of Oxf.
c. 8, 29, p. 208; but not (that I know of) practised now anywhere in
this county. [Mr. Tonkin has here misled himself by an etymon forced
and false. He considers foos or vose as Môz a maid. But the name is
merely this, Marghes or Marhas an Fôs or Vôs, the market on the ditch
or trench. Fos, indeed, Borlase interprets wall, and has this very
appellation, Marhas an Fôs, which he renders the market on wall,
obviously without any sense. But under Vôs he recollects himself――“Vôs
for fôs;” he then says, “a ditch, wall, or fence,” as Penvôs, head of
the trench, _Marhas an Vos, the market on the foss_.” Dr. Pryce adopts
both these etymons in his vocabulary, and prefers the former in his
names very injudiciously. From this name the village appears to have
been formerly a market town. The market was perhaps held on some
boundary ditch, and took its name from it; but in all probability, as
“being in the great road to Mitchell,” it lay upon a Roman road,
which, like the great road from Lincolnshire to Bath, and through
Somersetshire to the south or west, bore the appellation of foss; and
very probably the Foss itself is continued by Stratton, Camelford,
Wadebridge, and St. Columb, direct by Newlyn into Piran parish,
Lamburn, Lambrigan, Marghessan-fos, and White Street there. See the
map in Borlase. WHITAKER.]
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