that the greatest part of the people were converted to the Christian faith, and the altars and images of Jupiter, Mars, Apollo, Minerva, and other gods worshipped by the Britons and Romans there, were thrown down and defaced. Capgrave, who compiled his life, tells us that St. Cuby wrought miracles, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the leprous, caused the dumb to speak, cured the palsy, and those possessed of devils. Moreover, saith he, Cuby was in Ireland, where he preached the gospel, and built churches there before St. Patrick came into that country. And he further saith of him, that he was very studious of the peace of the church. And Bale tells us he was such a self-denying man that, after his father’s death, he refused the dominion of Cornwall, his fortune, and wealth, out of a desire he had to acquire learning, and to preach the gospel.
Leland tells us in his Itinerary Manuscripts, that St. Hilary made St. Cuby Bishop of the Isle of Anglesey; that he died about the year of our Lord 400; after his death his disciples set up his shrine, that is, his bones, in his church there; and when the Irishmen of Dublin, a thousand years after, in June 1404, invaded the island and found this relic, they carried away the same, and set it up in the church of the Holy Trinity in Dublin. Nevertheless there are still extant in the Isle of Anglesey three notable monuments of him and his master, viz. Point Hilary, Holyhead, and Caer-Cuby, viz. Cuby’s City or Castle.
That Tregony Borough was invested with the privileges of a manor and court-leet, before the Norman Conquest, Domesday Roll informs us. How long before by prescription, no man living can tell. King Henry I. (the Earldom of Cornwall being then vested in the Crown) gave it the freedom of sending two burgesses, citizens, or townsmen, to sit in Parliament as its representatives, to be chosen by the majority of the townsmen that were housekeepers; which favour was obtained upon the humble petition of Henry de Pomeroy, lord of this manor, temp. of the said Henry I. But this place was not incorporated but by
the charter of King James I. 1621; and consists of a mayor, recorder, and eight capital burgesses, the eldest of which is justice of the peace for life within the borough. It hath also a weekly market on Saturdays, and fairs yearly upon May 3, July 25, September 1, November 6, and Shrove Tuesday. The castle of Tregony, as tradition saith, was built by the said Pomeroy, on behalf of John Earl of Cornwall, in opposition to King Richard I. his elder brother, then beyond the seas in the Holy War. The chief inhabitants of this town are Mr. Tonkin, Mr. Penlyer, Mr. Peters, Mr. Earle. The arms of which borough are, a pine-apple, or pomegranate, on its stem, with two leaves.
This Pomeroy was the descendant of Ralph de Pomeroy, or Pomeraye, that came into England with William the Conqueror, and was such a friend and favourite of his, as Dugdale saith in his Baronage, that he conferred upon him fifty-eight lordships, whereof this Tregony and Wich (now Mary Wike) in Cornwall, were two; perhaps such lands as fell to the Crown by virtue of their lord or owner’s rebellion against the Conqueror in that insurrection at Exeter, in the second year of his reign. This Ralph de Pomeroy had issue Joel, that married one of the natural daughters of King Henry I. by Corbet’s daughter (mother also by him of Reginald Fitz-Harry, Earl of Cornwall); the which Joel had issue by her Henry and Josceline. Henry married de Villie’s daughter, and by her had issue Sir Henry de Pomeray, lord of this place, and Bury Pomeroy in Devon, who sided with John Earl of Morton and Cornwall against Richard I. then beyond the seas; and afterwards gave to the Knight Hospitallers of St. John the Baptist, the church of Maddarne in Penwith.
One Sir Roger Pomeray of this tribe cousin and heir to Roger de Vallorta, lord of the castle of Trematon, dead without issue male, did by deed 12 Edward III. release to Prince Edward, then created Duke of Cornwall, all his right, title, and interest in the said castle and manor of
Trematon; in consideration whereof King Edward III. granted him and his heirs an annuity of 40l. per annum, to be paid out of the Exchequer. The last gentleman of these Tregony Pomerays, temp. Elizabeth, left issue one only daughter, married to Richard Penkivell, of Resuna, Esq. in whom is terminated the name and estate of that family, who gave for their arms, Or, a lion rampant Gules, within a bordure engrailed Sable.
Mr. Penkivell, lord of this manor, borough, and leet, temp. Charles I. having wasted his whole patrimony in this and other places, sold this manor of Tregony Pomeroy to Hugh Boscawen, Esq. Sheriff of Cornwall 10 Charles I. from whom it passed by descent to his son Hugh Boscawen, Esq. father of William Boscawen, Esq. who settled it as part of his wife’s jointure, on the Lady Anne FitzGerald, daughter of the Right Hon. Charles Earl of Kildare, who, over-living her husband, was married to Francis Robartes, Esq. youngest son of the Right Hon. John Earl of Radnor, who is now, in her right, as freehold for life, in full possession thereof. The arms of Penkivell are, in a field Argent, two chevrons and in chief a lion passant Gules.
King John by virtue of his manor of Tybester (vide [Creed]) granted the liberty of fishing, or the royalty of the river Val, to one of the Pomeroys, lord of the manor.
To remove an action at law depending in the court-leet of Tregony, the writ of certiorari, or avedas ad curiam, was thus directed, as was also the precept for members of parliament. Seneschallo et Ballivo Henrici Pomeray, Manerii sui de Tregoni Pomeraye, in comitatu Cornubiæ, salutem; again, ad curiam C. W. Arm. de Tregony in comitatu Cornubiæ salutem. Who this C. W. Esq. set down in the Exchequer should be, query? I take it to be Charles or Christopher Wolvedon, of Golden; and this to be that manor set down in the Domesday Tax, by the name of Tregny Medan aforesaid.