Mr. King then goes on to compare this castle with ancient descriptions of those in the east, and satisfies himself of their identity.
Respecting the name, Dun or Doon, is unquestionably a hill, and thence derivatively a fortress; but no plausible conjecture has been formed in regard to the second syllable.
A similar observation may be made respecting the name of the town. Lan occurs as a prefix, in the sense of indicating a church, eleven times in Cornwall; but it seems difficult to derive “ceston” from Stephan. Yet if the Celtic pronunciation of Stephan was really Staveton, Lanstaveton may have easily glided, through Saxon pronunciation and misapprehension of the terminating syllable into Lanceston.
The priory of Launceston appears to have been a foundation of no small magnitude. The list of its possessions, in the Augmentation Office, exhibit a considerable revenue; and Leland describes its church with handsome monuments: not a trace remains. No one more sincerely rejoices at the downfall of superstition, originating in ages of darkness, than the Editor of this work, and above all at the approaching annihilation throughout Europe of monastic institutions, promised by the regular and steady current of events; but the sudden and indiscriminating devastations of the sixteenth century, sweeping every thing before them like whirlwinds, destroying for the mere sake of wanton destruction, or at the very best—from a desire of obliterating all former remembrances; these stamp on the mind very different impressions; and when it is felt that the storm was urged forwards by the fury of an individual, by the avarice of those occupying the highest stations, and by the purposely inflamed passions of the multitude, it is impossible not
to experience the forebodings of Scipio on the fall of Carthage; and to exclaim with him
Εσσεται ἡμαρ ὁταν ποτ’ ολωλῃ Ιλιος ἱρη,
Και Πριαμος, και λαος ευμελιω Πριαμοιο.
The registers and cartularies of this monastery have disappeared; for these were systematically destroyed. Fragments, however, exist in ancient transcripts; some, formerly in the possession of William Griffith, and referred to by Bishop Tanner, are now preserved in the Lansdowne Collection. Among these the following document may be found relative to the foundation of the priory by William Warlewast, Bishop of Exeter, from 1150 to 1159:—Noscat præsentis temporis ætas, quod Radulfus Ecclesiæ sancti Stephani de Launcestone decanus decanatum mihi Willielmo Episcopo reddidit. Et ego canonicis regularibus, quos in eadem constitui, totum dedi. Testes sunt,
Osbertus, Abbas de Tavistoca.
Gofridus, Prior Plymptoniæ.