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)
A short time ago an old inhabitant of Boleigh informed us
that many persons in that neighbourhood are afraid to enter the
Fuggo, even by day, as they believe that bad spirits still frequent
this place. Women of villages near often threaten their crying
babies that they will carry them down to the Fuggo, and leave
them there for the Bucca-boo if they don't stop their squalling.
There are traditions that almost all these caves were haunted by
beings of a fearful nature, whose path it was dangerous to cross.
The fuggo at Bodinnar, called the Giant's Holt, was a few
years ago much dreaded, as it was thought to be the abode of
ugly spriggans that kept watch and guard over treasures which
still remain buried in that ancient hiding-place.
There is a somewhat graceful creation of fancy associated with
the Vow, or fuggo, at Pendeen, which is said to extend from the
mansion to Pendeen Cove, and some say it has branches in other
directions, which spread far away from the principal cavern.
At dawn on Christmas Day the "Spirit of the Vow" has
frequently been seen just within the entrance, near the Cove, in
the form of a beautiful lady, dressed in white, with a red rose
in her mouth. There were persons living, a few years since,
who had seen this fair but not the less fearful vision; for disaster
was sure to visit those who intruded on the spirit's morning
airings.
Many of the "sawns" in the western cleaves have also similar
legends connected with them, only the dwellers in sea-side
caverns, are either of the mermaid race, or what we call Hoopers.
The latter are beneficent spirits who warn fishermen from going
to sea when there is an approaching tempest.
The Hoopers shroud themselves in a thick fog which stretches
across coves frequented by them. There are well remembered[29]
stories of Sennen Cove Hooper that used to rest in a cloud of
mist, on Cowloe, and thence emit its doleful notes as a danger
signal.
Boleigh or Boleit.
Although we never heard of any Household Stories connected
with this interesting spot, yet we cannot pass it without some
notice of its prehistoric remains.
Our antiquaries follow the fashion of spelling the name of the
hamlet on the hill as above, yet everyone here who ought best to
know the name of the place in which they live, call it Bolé.
Most likely it has been thus pronounced from long before it was
ever written. All sorts of contradictory meanings have been given
for the name of this noted place; as the dairy-house, place of
slaughter, &c. It was once the residence of an old Norman
family, whose name, spelt Bolleit, may be seen on a long coffin-shaped
slab, which lay on the floor within the tower of Buryan
Church a short time ago. The inscription in old Norman-French
which borders the edge of this curious tomb says that
† Clarice: la: femme: cheffrie: de: bolleit: git: ici:
dev: de: lalme: eit: merce: ke: pvr: lealme: pvnt
(priunt:) di: ior: de: pardvn: avervnd.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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