Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second SeriesBottrell, William
General
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Second Series
Bottrell, William
Cornwall (England : County) -- Social life and customs; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
The story says that good old St. Levan was one evening down
fishing from his accustomed place in Rospeltha cliff—still called
Old St. Levan's Rocks. He cast in his hook-and-line, intending
to take one fish only for his supper, from the multitude that
always came around the rock on which he stood as soon as he
cast in "browse" (garbage to attract fish). Contrary to St.
Levan's wish, two chads, or young breams, fastened on his hook
at the same time, and not to show favour to either he threw both
of them into the sea again. And no sooner was his hook-and-line
in the waves a second time than the same chads, or two[146]
others, hooked themselves together again, and were again restored
to the sea. For the third time he cast in his line; and, seeing
two fishes on his hook again, he regarded this occurrence as a
providential intimation that he was to take them both home, and
acted accordingly. When he came to Bodellan he found that his
sister, St. Breage, had just arrived with two children. The chads
were boiled for supper, and St. Breage's hungry children, being
careless of bones, got choked, and remembrance of this event is
handed down in St. Levan's parish by chads being there called
"chuck-cheeld" to this day.
Some thirty-five years ago the writer often noticed, on a bench-end
in St. Levan church, near the belfry door, a panel, or shield,
on which two fishes, with their heads touching each other, were
carved in bold relief. The fishes were much like chads, or young
breams, in outline, and the foregoing legend might have suggested
this design, or the device have originated the story. It is to be
feared that this bench-end, and much more tastefully-designed
and boldly-wrought carving, disappeared before the Rev. C. C.
Anstey came to preserve and restore the interesting remains
of this once beautiful church. Loads of as fine carved work,
and no more decayed than what remains, were, from thirty or
forty years since, carried off by the carpenters, who were, every
now and then, employed to demolish the curious old oak benches,
and to replace them with painted deal boxes, in many variations
of ugliness.
It is said that the path which St. Levan took across Rospeltha
fields to his accustomed fishing-place, may still be traced by the
ground his holy footsteps trod bearing finer grain when in corn,
and by the grass being greener when in pasture than in other
parts of the fields.
Johanna's Garden.
St. Levan road passed by a small enclosure in Rospeltha,
called Johanna's Garden, (at least it retained that name a few
years ago when the writer knew it well).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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