LESNEWITH.

HALS.

The manuscript relating to this parish is lost.

TONKIN.

Lesnewith is in the hundred of the same name, and hath to the west Trevalgar, to the north Tintagell and Minster, to the east Otterham, to the south Davidstow.

I have always imagined, whether rightly or not I am not certain, that this place, instead of giving name to the hundred, changed its own, when this was divided into two hundreds, Strathan and Lesnewith; having been formerly but one hundred, called Trigg Major, as they still continue in respect to ecclesiastical affairs; and if so, then the name signifies the New Court.

This is a rectory valued in the King’s book at £8, the incumbent Mr. Crewys.

This church, in 1291, by the taxation of Pope Nicholas, was valued at £4. 6s. 8d. never having been appropriated.

I shall begin with the principal estate in this parish, the manor of Lesnewith.

In the third year of Henry IV. Henry de la Pomeroy held here and in Trevygham half a knight’s fee.

I fancy this to be the same which is called in Domesday Book by the name of Lisniwen. And if so, it was one of the manors which William the Conqueror gave to his half-brother the Earl of Morton, with the earldom of Cornwall.

THE EDITOR.

There does not appear to be any thing remarkable in this parish. The only village, except the church town, is Treworrell.

The manor of Grylls in this parish formerly belonged to the Betensons, who intermarried with the Gilberts of Tackbear; and their arms remain in the church, Argent, within a bordure engrailed Ermine, a fess Gules, with a lion passant gardant in chief.

The advowson of the rectory is annexed to the manor of Lesnewith, which belonged two centuries ago to the family of Dennis. It was a considerable time in the family of Glynn. Mr. Jose is the chief proprietor in the parish.

Lesnewith measures 1,734 statute acres.

£.s.d.
Annual value of the Real Property, as returned to Parliament in 18151,40000
Poor Rate in 1831133160
Population,—
in 1801,
104		in 1811,
105		in 1821,
123		in 1831,
127

giving an increase of 22 per cent. in 30 years.

Present Rector, the Rev. Charles Worsley, instituted in 1813.

GEOLOGY, BY DR. BOASE.

Under the head of St. Cleather, a peculiar calcareous rock was noticed, consisting of a variety of hornblende and calc spar, either distinctly conjoined in a granular or laminated form, or so intimately blended, as to form an homogeneous green rock. A large bed of this peculiar rock occurs at Grylls or Garles, near the western boundary of the parish. An attempt was made here to burn this rock as a limestone for agricultural purposes; but after several trials it was abandoned; for, unless great care be taken in selecting those parts alone in which calc spar mainly abounds, the whole charge of the kiln vitrifies, or runs into a slag, owing to the great fusibility of hornblende, the other constituent of this calcareous rock.