on the other side of Falmouth Harbour; and that it is a very curious circumstance that three parishes of the same name should be all based on the same kind of rocks, notwithstanding their being situated at a considerable distance from each other, and respectively belonging to distinct groups of granite.
[10] Except, says Lysons, the Mount and Pendennis Castle. Little Dinas was surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax in March 1646.
ST. AUSTELL.
HALS.
St. Austell is situate in the hundred of Powder, and hath upon the north Roach, east St. Blaze, west Mewan, south the British Channel; in Domesday Roll, 1087, the modern name of this parish was not extant, but the same and the districts of St. Blazy, Mewan, and Menagnissy, passed then in tax under the jurisdiction of Earl Cradock’s manor of Towington, now duchy, Treverbyn, Trenance, and Pentewan. Note further, that, if Saint Austell be a corruption of Sancto Hostell, it signifies the holy inn or court.
The Prior of Tywardreth, with divers other benefactors, as appears from the carving and inscriptions on the stones thereof, founded and endowed this church, within the town of Trenance, now St. Austell Town, after which it was indifferently written Trenance Prior (Carew’s Survey of Cornwall, p. 57), that is to say, the valley town prior (or pertaining to him) and again by him Trenance Austell (id est, the cell, chapel or hole, valley town); and again, Tre-nance Aus-tell (id est, the valley town out, or remote cell or chapel) so called in respect of Tywardreth, its superior or mother church. The patronage now in the King; the incumbent Tremayne; the rectory or sheaf
in May. In the Bishop of Lincoln and Winchester’s Inquisition into the Pope’s Value of Benefices in Cornwall, 1294, Ecclesia de Sancto Austello in Decanatu de Powdre, was rated to first fruits xl. xiiis. iiiid. The vicar xls. In Wolsey’s Inquisition, 1521, £21. This parish was charged to the 4s. per pound land tax, 1696, £432. 6s. (See Tywardreth.)
From this place was denominated an old family of gentlemen surnamed De Austell, of which family William de Austell was Sheriff of Cornwall 25 Henry VI. as also of Somerset and Dorset 27 and 28 of King Henry VI.; who gave for his arms, Argent, a saltire raguled Vert, but in what families the name, blood, and estate of those gentlemen are terminated I know not, or where they dwelt. At the town of St. Austell, alias Trenance, is weekly held upon Friday a considerable market, wherein is vended all commodities necessary for the life of man at a reasonable price.[11] Its also privileged 10th fairs or greater marts, on the 30th of November, Palm Sunday, and Thursday after Whitsunday, which benefits were doubtless first obtained from the Earls of Cornwall, by the Priors of Tywardreth aforesaid.
Treverbyn, alias Tre-verbin, in this parish, was the voke lands of considerable manor long before the Norman Conquest, as appears from the Domesday tax aforesaid (it signifies in Cornish the herb, rape, root, or navew town, famous it seems in former ages for those vegetables,) from which place was denominated that old and knightly family of the Treverbins (who had there free chapel and burying place here lately extant), and of public use before the Church of St. Austell was erected; of which house was Walter Treverbyn, Sheriff of Cornwall 1223, the successor of Reginald de Valletort 7 Henry III. who had issue Sir Walter Treverbyn,