The arms of Peverell were, Gules, a fess Argent between six crosses pattée Or.
Those Peverells are especially memorable here by two crosses of moorstone in the highway set up by them, still extant, and called Peverell’s Crosses. Not far from them is another moorstone cross, near Mount-Charles, called the Prior’s Cross, whereon is cut the figure of a hook and a crook, in memory of that privilege and freedom granted by him to the poor of Bodmin, for gathering, for fire-boote and house-boote, such boughs and branches of oak-trees in his contiguous wood of Dunmear, as they could reach to or come at with a hook and a crook, without further damage to the trees thereof. From whence arose the Cornish proverb, concerning filching, purloining, or taking another person’s goods, overmuch or indirectly, beyond what is allowed them, &c. “that they will have it by hook or by crook.”
Pen-carou, Pen-caro, alias Pen-carow, i. e. head-deer, or chief-deer, formerly part of the Peverell’s deer-park; and from thence so denominated, as some think. But when I
consider that Caer-kynock, or Caer-kunock, is situate on the lands thereof, now called Castle-kynock, i. e. the king, prince, or sovereign’s castle, extant here long before the Norman Conquest, I take the modern name Pen-carow only to be a corruption of Pen-caer-ou, or Pen-caer-ow, i. e. my head castle, or city, intrenched or fortified place, according to the artificial and natural circumstances thereof, it being on a high hill, overlooking the contiguous country, the ruins are of the largest British camp or intrenchment that ever I saw in Cornwall, containing about 100 acres of land, and consisting of a four-fold rampart, yet of a great height in some places, with several platforms or counterscarps within the same, for offence or defence, in case of storm or surprise.
[The camp in Pencarrow Park has a double vallum, the inner one oval, inclosing an area 250 feet by 200; the outer one of an irregular form. On the east side, at the distance of about 700 feet from this camp, are some extensive outworks. Lysons.]
This barton gave name and original to an old family of gentlemen, surnamed De Pen-carow, who siding with Richard the Third against Henry the Seventh, as some say, but, as others will have it, with Flammock, in his insurrection against that King, he lost this place, and other lands, by attainder of treason (see Bocarne, in [Bodmin]), having before conveyed a great part of his estate to Henry the first Lord Marney, of Colquitta, to procure a reprieve, or pardon of his life, from that king; from whose heirs it came to the Walkers of Exeter, by descent or purchase, and from them to John Molesworth, of Tretane, Esq. first but an attorney-at-law, afterwards commissioner or auditor to Queen Elizabeth in those parts for the Duchy of Cornwall, that married one of the coheirs of Hender, so called from the parish of Molesworth, in Lightstone hundred, in the county of Huntingdon.
From the local place aforesaid, was denominated Walter de Molesworth, Sheriff of Bedfordshire, from the 26th to
the 36th of Edward I. anno Dom. 1298; the which gentleman accompanied King Edward into Palestine, and returned with him safe into England again. After the decease of the said Edward, he was knighted by King Edward the Second, and was made Sheriff of Bedfordshire again by the name of Walter de Molesworth, Knt. from the 6th to the 9th of Edward II. 1316, in which year he died, and was succeeded by John de Pabenham. From which gentleman, as I am informed, was lineally descended John Molesworth, Esq. aforesaid, that married Hender, and by her had issue, Hender Molesworth, Esq. that married Spark of Plymouth, and by her had issue my very kind friend John Molesworth, Esq. and Hender Molesworth, with a daughter married to Dr. Hart; the which John Molesworth married two wives, Wise, and Slannen, the relict of Legard, afterwards knighted by Charles the Second, and had issued by Wise, John Molesworth, Esq. that married Arscott of Tetcot, and hath issue, Hender Molesworth aforesaid, the son of Hender Molesworth, who being bred a soldier, managed affairs with that valour and conduct, that, after passing gradually to the dignity of a colonel, he was by King James the Second made a baronet of England, and governor of the Island of Jamaica, where he purchased a considerable estate in land, and called it Tremolesworth, which, together with his honour (if he died without issue male, according to the limitation of his letters patent as a baronet), is now legally descended to Sir John Molesworth, of Pencarow, Bart. The arms of Molesworth are, Vaire, a bordure Gules, charged with eight cross-crosslets Argent.
Kestell, in this parish, i. e. a castle, so called, I presume, for that heretofore it had upon the lands thereof some camp or castle-like intrenchment, for kestell is derived from the provincial Latin of the Romans in Britain, castrum, or castellum; which place gave name and original to an old family of gentlemen, surnamed de Kestell. The
first possessor thereof of this tribe, as appears from the record in the Office of Arms, was John de Kestell, temp. Edward I. where his posterity have ever since flourished, to the time of writing hereof, in good fame and reputation, between the degrees of a justice of the peace and that of a hundred constable; the present possessor James Kestell, Gent. that married Vaughan of Trewothick and Ottery, in Devon, his father Kestell of Manacow, and giveth for his arms, Argent, three falcons Proper; as also, Or, three castles turreted Gules. (See Kestel, in Manaccan.)