of Tregothnan, Esq. who settled it in marriage with his daughter Bridget, on Hugh Fortescue, of Filley, in Devon, Esq. now in possession thereof.
Since writing the above, Mr. Fortescue departed with those lands to Grenvill Hals, of Truro, gent., who dying without issue, and his unthrift elder brother, James Hals of Merthyr succeeding as his heir to those lands, he hath sold the same to one Mr. Cregoe, for about twelve hundred pounds.[32]
Tre-simple, in this parish, was the lands of I have forgot whom, who sold it to Henry Vincent, gent. attorney-at-law, descended, as Mr. Foote informed me, from the Vincents of St. Allen, who married Kendall of Pelyn; his father, Lampen; and gave for his arms, in a field three cinquefoils.
By Kendall he had issue Walter Vincent, Esq. barrister-at-law, who married —— Nosworthy, and a daughter named Jane, married to Harris, of Park; after by his second wife, daughter of Richard Lance, gent. he had issue Peter Vincent, to whom he gave this Tresimple, who sold it to his brother Walter Vincent aforesaid, and Shadrack Vincent; Edward Vincent, killed by a fall from his horse 1700; and Mary, married to Joseph Halsey, clerk, some time rector of St. Michael, Penkwell.
Park, in this parish (id est, a field, or a park for beasts), is the dwelling of Covin, gent.
Pol-wheele, or Polwhele, in this parish (id est, the head or top), is situate at the top of a hill; from whence was denominated an ancient family of gentlemen surnamed Polwhele, who gave for their arms as underneath: in a field Sable, a saltire engrailed Ermine; and from that
time discontinued the arms of Trewoolla (viz. three owls), the Cornish motto of which Polwhele’s arms was, Karenza whelas Karenza, id est, Love or affection seeks, searches, begets, or works love. The present possessor, John Polwhele, esq. barrister-at-law, who married Redinge, of Northamptonshire, his father Baskewill of Dorset, his grandfather one of the daughters of Judge Glanvill in Devon, his great-great-grandfather one of the coheirs of Ten-Creek of Treworgan, which place afterwards he made his dwelling.
Lastly, let the reader observe, that if the true name of this church be St. Clement’s, then its tutelar guardian and patron, to whom it was dedicated, was St. Clement, Pope and martyr of Rome; whose name is derived from Clemens, mild, meek, merciful, gracious. He was born in the region of Calimontana in Italy; his father’s name Faustine. He was contemporary with St. Paul, and was his coadjutor or assistant in preaching the Gospel, as is testified by himself in his epistle to Timothy, wherein he saith, “Help those persons that labour with me in the Gospel, whose names are written in the Book of Life.” He appointed that in the seven regions of Rome should be the notaries, to write the deeds and martyrdoms of the Christians, and commanded that such as were baptized and had learnt the principles of the Christian religion, should receive the sacrament of confirmation, and as some write, he made the Canon of the Apostles and the Apostolic Constitutions now extant. Finally, for preaching the Gospel of Christ in derogation of the Roman religion, he was by command of the Emperor Trajan, with a rope about his neck, and an anchor fastened thereto, cast into the main sea and drowned, uttering those last words, “Eternal Father, receive my soul!” after he had been Pope of Rome nine years, two months, and ten days, the 23rd of November Anno Dom. 102. He gave orders twice in December, and ordered fifteen bishops, ten priests, and twenty-one deacons, as Baronius saith.
The Polwheles of this place are of great antiquity. They flourished before the Conquest, at which time they were so eminent that Drew de Polwhele was chamberlain to the Conqueror’s queen; and the late John Polwhele, Esq. had not long since in his possession, a grant from her to the said Drew of several lands in this county, which deed he having sent to a gentleman to peruse, he could never get it back again. From the time of this Drew or Drogo de Polwhele, the family have lived with much esteem in this their habitation, till the latter part of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, when Degory Polwhele, on his marriage with Catherine the eldest daughter and coheir of Robert Trencreek, Esq. removed to her seat of Treworgan in St. Erme, where the family resided till the sale of that place to Mr. Collins, when they returned to their old dwelling.