The first departing, he a few weeks tried

To live without her, could not and so died.

The road from hence to Stratton, is highly pleasing, and presents many fine prospects of the surrounding country.

The village of St. Mary Week is noticed by Carew, as the birth-place of Thomasine Bonaventure, who, although a poor cottager’s daughter, had the good fortune to marry for her last husband, (the last of three,) Sir John Percival, a wealthy merchant, and Lord Mayor of London; at whose death she became possessed of a large property. She retired to this, her native village, where she spent the remainder of her life and fortune in acts of unbounded charity.

Stratton is a small market town, standing rather in a low situation, 223 miles from London, and 18 from Launceston, but noted in history as the place where a great victory was obtained during the civil wars by the King’s forces, in consideration of which, Sir Ralph Hopton was in 1643, created Lord Hopton of Stratton. The parliamentary force amounted to upwards of 5000 men, with 13 pieces of ordnance, and although the troops of the King were very inferior, they fought with such desperate fury, that the enemy were completely defeated, their baggage, ammunition and ordnance, being all lost. A few years after the death of Lord Hopton, Sir John Berkeley was created Baron Berkeley of Stratton, but the title became extinct in 1773. In the year 1797, Lord de Dunstanville was created Baron Basset of Stratton, with remainder to his daughter and her issue male.[[35]]

The market is on Tuesday, and there are here held three fairs annually. The former appears to have been held by prescription: it is for corn and provisions. Camden states this parish to have been famous for gardens and garlick: there are now no gardens in the neighbourhood, but such as are cultivated for private use, nor is it remarkable for the culture of garlick, although it is occasionally to be seen in the market, where it is purchased by the cattle doctors.

The manors of Stratton and Binamy belonged, at an early period, to an antient family, called in various records, De Albo Monasterio, Blanchminster, and Whitminster. Sir John de Blanchminster dying without issue, towards the latter part of the fourteenth century, these estates passed to Emmeline, only daughter and heir to Sir Richard Hiwis, who had married Alice, daughter of Sir Ralph de Blanchminster, and aunt of Sir John: this Emmeline first married Sir Robert Tresilian, Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, and after his death, Sir John Coleshill, to whom Guy de Blanchminster, rector of Lansallos, released in 1393 all right in the manors of Stratton, Binamy, &c. Sir John Coleshill, son of the above, who was killed in the battle of Agincourt in 1415, left an infant son; after whose death, in 1483, the large estates of this family passed by a female heir to a younger branch of the Arundells, soon extinct, and were afterwards in severalties among its numerous representatives. The manors of Binamy and Stratton, having been purchased by the Grenville family, passed with the Kilkhampton estate, and are now the property of Lord Carteret. Binamy Castle, which appears to have been built by Ralph de Blanchminster, in or about the year 1335, is spoken of as a seat of the Coleshills by William of Worcester, who made a tour through Cornwall in the reign of Edward IV. Borlase describes the house of the Blanchminsters as having been situated half a mile from Stratton, and a furlong from the antient causeway made by that family: on this estate, now called Binhamy, is a farm-house, a little to the west of which is a moated orchard, described in Camden’s map as a square fort, and called Binnoway.

The Church contains several antient memorials, one of which, with the effigy of a knight in armour, is supposed to be intended for Ralph de Blanchminster, who was Lord of the Manor at a very early period. In the parish-register occurs the following remarkable instance of longevity:—“Elizabeth Cornish, widow, buried March 10th, 1691. This Elizabeth Cornish was baptized in October, 1578: her father’s name was John Veale: she was, when she died, in the 114th year, having lived at least 113 years, four months, and 15 days.” It appears also by the register, that not less than 153 persons died of the plague in this small town, in the year 1547: and in 1729, out of 49 persons buried, 42 fell victims to that destructive distemper the small-pox.

The lands given to the church of Stratton, for the maintenance of the poor of the parish are very considerable, and chiefly vested in eight persons, who have the appropriation of the rent of them.—There is also in the church, the following epitaph, to the memory of one of these eight trustees, and which is rather a curious piece of composition.

Near by this place interr’d does lye,