Returning to Helston over Goonholly Downs, in the parish of Mawgain, is Trelowarrens, the seat of Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bart., a very curious and antient embattled mansion, containing fine portraits by Vandyke.[[22]] The house and grounds were much improved by the late Sir Vyell Vyvyan, and adjoining the house is a very neat Chapel, well fitted up with an organ, &c.
In Mawgan Church, is a very antient tomb to the memory of the Carminoe family, with the mutilated effigies of a crusader and his lady.
About five miles north of Helston, on the left of the road to Redruth, is Clowance, the property of Sir John St. Aubyn, Bart. It is an antient building standing in an extensive park, surrounded by high walls. This estate is said to have been in possession of this family, ever since the reign of Richard II. Great improvements have been made by the present noble proprietor, although he seldom resides here: the plantations and grounds are arranged with great taste and judgment, and tend greatly to enliven the dreariness of this part of the county. The interior contains a number of fine family portraits, by Sir Peter Lely and other eminent artists, besides a valuable selection of rare and choice prints.
Godolphin House is one of the most interesting mansions in the county, and although going rapidly to decay, displays much of its former grandeur. It is situated two miles and a half from Clowance, and about a mile from the direct road to Marazion. The Godolphin family are said to have possessed the manor, as far back as the time of William the Conqueror; but the present mansion was built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, by Sir Francis Godolphin. It also appears, that by his successful adventures and perseverance in mining concerns, the customs were increased above £10,000 per annum. Charles II. created Sir William Godolphin a Baronet in 1663, and his son Sidney was made Baron Godolphin of Rialton, in 1689. This nobleman displayed great ability in the House of Commons, and filled several distinguished offices under the crown. He died in the year 1712, and was succeeded by his son Francis, whose youngest daughter married, in 1744, the Duke of Leeds, by which event the Godolphin estates, are now become the property of the Osborne family.[[23]]
Pengersick Castle, the remains of which chiefly consist of the keep, and a machicolated gate, are highly deserving of notice. History is silent as to the origin of this fortress; it however appears that the manor and barter were purchased in the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII., by a Mr. Milliton, (Job Milliton, who is mentioned as possessor of St. Michael’s Mount, in the time of Edward VI.,) who having slain a man privately, made the purchase in the name of his son, and immured himself in a secret chamber in the tower, where he died without being called upon to account for the offence! The remains are situated at the bottom of an eminence, on the borders of a creek near the sea, and although not very extensive, form a very interesting and picturesque subject for the pencil of an artist.
The manor is chiefly the property of the Duke of Leeds, and William Aremdell Harris, Esq.
From hence to Marazion, the distance is six miles, and a very pleasing ride.
Marazion or Market Jew, is a small town distant 286 miles from London, and exactly 10 from Helston; but few places in England surpass it for mildness of climate and agreeable prospects. This town is stated in former times to have been a place of some consequence, and to have suffered more than once by conflagration. It now consists of about 200 houses, chiefly built at the bottom of a hill, which shelters the town from the cold north winds, and, by the late returns, contains about 1300 inhabitants. This town is governed by a Mayor, eight Aldermen, and 12 Burgesses, according to a charter granted in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, although it does not return members to Parliament.—It has a weekly market, and two fairs annually.
The majestic appearance of St. Michael’s Mount, which has for ages past been so much extolled for its singularity and beauty, cannot fail to arrest the attention and admiration of every traveller.[[24]] Regarding the origin of this wonderful object, much dispute has arisen among antiquarians; but the circumstance that the mount was partly, if not wholly, covered with wood, seems to be generally credited. When the mount first became a religious spot, is uncertain; but a Priory of Benedictine Monks was founded by Edward the Confessor, which after the conquest was augmented by Robert Earl of Mortaign, and continued until the dissolution of religious houses in the reign of Henry VIII., when its revenues were valued at £110 12s. per annum! The monks however were frequently disturbed in their religious avocations, during the turbulent state of early reigns; particularly by one Henry de la Pomeroy, who treacherously took possession of this priory, during the imprisonment of Richard I. in Germany, but who fearing the king’s anger, is said shortly after to have died through grief.[[25]] From this and other circumstances, the mount was fortified in a castellated manner, and in after times became a place of considerable notoriety, particularly during the contentions in the reign of Charles I.[[26]] After the dissolution, it was granted to Humphrey Arundell, of Lanherne. In the reign of Edward VI. it was leased to Job Milliton, Esq. Sheriff of Cornwall, and passed through the hands of several persons, until it became the property of the St. Aubyn family, and now belongs to Sir John St. Aubyn, Bart., of Clowance, who has converted the remains of the priory into an occasional summer residence. Attached to it is a very pretty Chapel, in which divine service is occasionally performed; the seats are extremely well carved and ranged on each side, much in the manner of stalls in cathedrals. At the western end, an organ has been recently erected, and may be considered one of the finest instruments in the county. In the alterations which have taken place, great attention has been paid to preserve the original character of the buildings, and the dining room (which was the refectory of the convent) has a curious frieze in stucco, displaying the mode of hunting several wild animals.
The mount is chiefly composed of granite, and the passage to its summit, which is on the north side, is extremely steep and craggy. At high water it appears a complete insulated mass of rock, gradually diminishing in size from the base, until it forms a pyramid, nearly 240 feet high. The prospects from the summit cannot fail to raise the most lively emotions, as the eye ranges over a vast range of the ocean, and which appears the more noble, when contrasted with the humble dwellings of the poor fishermen beneath.