“A new increase of wealth expresseth itself in the inhabitants’ late repaired and enlarged buildings. They are governed by a mayor and his scarlet-robed brethren; and reap benefit by their fairs and markets, and the county assizes. The statute of 32d Henry VIII. which took order touching sanctuaries, endowed this town with the privilege of one; but I find it not turned to any use.
“To the town there is adjoinant in site, but sequestered in jurisdiction, an ancient castle, whose steep rocky-footed keep hath its top environed with a treble wall; and in regard thereof, men say, was called Castle Terrible. The base court compriseth a decayed chapel, a large hall for holding the shire assizes, the constable’s dwelling-house, and the common gaol.
“About sixty years past (i. e. about 1540) there were found certain leather coins in the castle wall, whose fair stamp and strong substance till then resisted the assault of time as they would now of covetousness.
“A little without the town were founded a friary, and anno 1128 an abbey, furthered by Reginald Earl of Cornwall.” Thus far Mr. Carew.
Having now done with what former writers have said of this place, I come to give my account of it; and herein I shall begin with
THE CASTLE.
This is seated to the west-south-west of the town, so that you have a full prospect of it from the western road. Below the wall is a large and deep graff, which formerly surrounded it, and is still very visible on the western side; the rest being taken up partly by the highway, and partly by gardens and buildings, which on the eastern side come home along to the castle walls. The west gate is in a manner all in ruins; neither are there any remains of the chapel, the hall, or the constable’s house, there being now no other building remaining therein but the house which now serveth for the common gaol; whereas the old one, as the townsmen say, was over the north-east gate, which is still kept in good repair, though no one lives in it.
At the north-east end stands the keep, on a high tapered mount, which I once thought was artificial, though I am now satisfied to the contrary, there being a quarry of stones almost at the very top of it; though there has been some art used nevertheless to bring it to the form that it now has. A covered way formerly led you by steps of stone of an easy ascent, to the top of it, which steps are now carried off as well as the roof, and the whole in a ruinous condition; and truly it moveth compassion to see the woful plight of this so pleasant a seat, accommodated with a fine park, formerly well wooded, with a small rivulet of water running through it. The whole being now held for lease on lives by Hugh Piper, Esq. who by virtue thereof is likewise constable of the castle and keeper of the gaol, the which was granted to his grandfather Sir Hugh Piper, Knt. together with the lieutenant-governorship of Plymouth by King Charles the Second, as a reward for his sufferings and exemplary bravery in the Civil Wars, in one of the battles during which the said Sir Hugh Piper was left for dead in a field for a whole night; being found the next morning, he was put into a warm bed, and carefully looked to. He lived after this to a good old age, as
may be seen by the inscription on his monument in the church.