This parish is entirely situated on the serpentine of the Lizard district, but as it no where extends to the sea coast it is not favourable to geological pursuits.
RUAN MINOR.
HALS.
Ruan Minor is also situate in the hundred of Kerryer, and hath upon the north Ruan Major, east St. Kevorne, west Grade, south the British Ocean or Channel. In the Domesday Book it was taxed under the jurisdiction of Lizard; and at the time of the first inquisition into the value of Cornish Benefices 1294, it was not endowed if extant. In Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, it was valued at £4. 4s. 5d.; the patronage formerly in the master of St. John’s Hospital at Sythney, or Carmenow of Carmenow, who endowed it, now Robinson; the incumbent ——; and the parish rated to the four shillings per pound Land Tax 1696, temp. William III. at £17. 11s. 2d.
In this parish at Cadgwith, i. e. war-tree, so called in memory of some war or battle heretofore fought near some tree then extant in this place, is the dwelling of George Robinson, esq. that married three wives, Trevillian’s widow, Tregose, and Penhallow; his father Thomas Robinson, esq. a Commissioner for the Peace in the interregnum of Cromwell, that lived at Helston, was there, as he was walking in the fields where his cows depastured, casually assaulted with his bull, who, though at other times was a creature very gentle and quiet by nature, at that time put on an unusual ferocity, without any provocation or distaste given him from his master, that he instantly left his fellow creatures, and ran towards Mr. Robinson, and gave him many dangerous wounds in his body by pushing at him with his horns, and at length cast him up into the air, from thence whereby he fell to the ground several times to his greater hurt, till at length by those violent tossings of his body, his hat flew from his head on the ground, and
was driven thence by the force of the wind to the surface of the earth, to some distance, which the enraged bull observing, pursued after it, and tossed the same into the air with his horns several times after, which gave Mr. Robinson, then comparatively dead on the ground, opportunity to get to the stile of the field, and to crawl over it into another close, by which means, and the help of others, he got alive to his house, in order to cure his wounds, but maugre all endeavours of physicians and chirurgeons, his wounds and bruises were so deep and mortal, that in three or four days after he died.
Various were the sentiments of the neighbours upon this sad accident. But I shall shut up this history in the words of our Saviour, on other such sad accidents amongst the Jews: saying, “Think ye that those sixteen on whom the tower of Siloham fell, or those whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices, were sinners above all men? I tell you nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish, for secret things belong only to God.”
The arms of Robinson are, in a field Vert three bucks in full course, armed and attired Or.