HALS.
Is situate in the hundred of Powder, and hath upon the north the river Vale, east Kuby, south Verian, west Egles Ross or Philley. As for the first name, if it be compounded of Ruan-Lawn-y-horne, it signifies the iron oak grove rest, temple, or place of tranquillity and repose, referring to the then natural circumstances of the place, heretofore consisting of old decayed groves of oaks, whose withered tops were like horne or iron: of which sort of timber Leland in his Itinerary assures us the river Vale was surrounded. But if Ruan be a corruption of, or derived from the Latin ruina, ruinæ, it signifies woe, destruction, ruin, extreme decay, death, misery, loss, falling down, danger, mischief. Note also, that ruo is to fall, rush, run headlong with great violence, to subvert, overthrow, beat down, batter, or destroy.
Probably at the time of the Norman Conquest this is that district taxed in the Domesday Book under the name of Richan, otherwise under the jurisdiction of Govile, Trethay, or Trefiles. In the inquisition of the bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, into the value of Cornish Benefices, 1294, it was rated by the name of Ecclesia de Largesshorne, in decanatu de Powdre, cvis. viiid. In Wolsey’s Inquisition, 1521, by the name of Ruon, alias Laryhorne, i. e. the horn or iron learn or erudition, £12. 0s. 0d. The
patronage in ——. The incumbent Dell. By Largesshorne, Cornish-French, is signified an iron boon, bounty, or liberality. This parish was rated to the four shillings per pound Land Tax, 1696, by the name of Ruan Lannyhorne, £108. 11s. 0d. as aforesaid. It is also vulgarly called Lary-horne, i. e. iron floor or ground church; perhaps from the stone pavement of its floor.
Tregage, alias Tregago, alias Trejago, synonymous words, a place that heretofore was the vokelands of a manor or tithing: which place gave name and original to an old family of gentlemen, from thence after the French mode surnamed de Tregago, or Trejago, some of which built Trejago house and castle, situate upon the vale, creek, or river here, and yet extant in this place, in the reigns of some of the first Norman princes.
Note further, that Jago, Gago, in the Scotts and Irish tongues, signifies, as innis and insula, an island, in British and Latin. (See Floyd’s Scotts-Irish Dictionary.) Also that in this parish is the manor dwelling called Tre-lonk, Tre-lonck, id est, the buttery or house that hath store of food or provisions for housekeeping.
TONKIN.
Ruan Lanihorne is in the hundred of Powder, and is bounded to the west by Philly, to the north by the river Fale, to the east by St. Cuby, to the south by Verian.
In anno 1291, 20 Edward I. this church was valued at cvis. viid. having never been appropriated. As for the adjunct of Lan-y-horne, or rather Hoarn, that is, the church of iron, I believe it took it from the castle near it, as being in those times a place of great note and strength with this castle, than as being the principal place in this parish, and the seat of the patrons, I shall begin with the description of it; which, though more properly Lanyhorne Castle, was commonly called Ruan castle: it stood by the south of the church at no great distance from it, the rectory house being
between them, in a pleasant situation enough, on the edge of a creek, into which a small rivulet empties itself; and the river Fale, which is here of a considerable breadth, when the tide is in, and surrounded formerly with woods, which are now mostly destroyed. Leland gives account of the state of it in his time: “from Tregony to passe doune by the body of the haven of Falamuth, to the mouth of Lanyhorne creeke or hille, on the south-est side of the haven, is a 2. miles. This creeke goith up half a mile from the principale streame of the haven. At the bed of this creeke standith the castelle of Lanyhorne, sumtyme a castel of 8. tourres, now decaying for lak of coverture; it longgid as principal house to the Archedecons. These landes descendid by heires general to the best Corbetes of Shropshir, and to Vaulx of Northamptonshir. Vaulx part syns bought by Tregyon of Cornewaul.” By this one may guess what a stately castle this formerly was; for in my time was only one tower of the castle standing, which was so large, that if the others were equal to it, the whole building must be of a prodigious magnitude; but I fancy this was the body of the whole, for there is not room enough about it for so great a pile: so that I believe the eight towers mentioned by Leland were only turrets and appendages to this principal part. I wish I had taken a draught of it in season (as I often intended); for this too was pulled down in or about the year 1718, by Mr. Grant, who having obtained leave from the lord to do it, erected several houses with the materials, and turned it into a little town, to which ships of about 80 or 100 tons come up, and supply the neighbourhood with coals, timber, &c. as the barges do with sand. But since the writing of this, I am informed that six of the eight towers were standing within these thirty years, of which that which I have mentioned, was the biggest and loftiest, as being at least fifty feet in height. This belongs to the manor of Elerchy, of which I have given a full account in St. Verian, in which the place which gives name to it is seated, though the castle was no doubt