This town of Penzance, anno Dom. 1646, in the time of the wars between King Charles I. and his Parliament, for the kindness and charity the inhabitants showed to the Lord Goring’s and Lord Hopton’s troops of horse, driven into those parts by Sir Thomas Fairfax, the Parliament General, was made a prey to his soldiers or troops, who for two days had the plunder of the town and its inhabitants’ goods, to the one’s great loss and the other’s great
enriching; for one of those troopers, viz. Edward Best, of St. Wenn, had to his share five gallons of English coin, silver and gold, and pieces of eight, as I was told by one of his servants, that was the measurer and spectator thereof; though long since all riotously spent, as also the shares of his fellow-troopers Littlecot, Keen, and Lockyer of Roach.
In this port his Majesty and the Duke have their coinage hall for coining tin, custom-house, collector, surveyor, comptroller, and wayters for sea and land service. The chief inhabitants of this town are John Carveth, gent. attorney-at-law, Mr. Gross, of the same profession, Mr. Tremenheer, Mr. Williams, Mr. Veale, Mr. Rawlinge.
The arms of this town, through ignorance of the true etymology of the name thereof, is St. John Baptist’s head in a charger.
To remove an action at law depending in the leet of Penzance to a superior court, the writ must be thus directed: “Majori et Burgisensibus Burgi sui de Pensance, alias Penzance, in com: Cornu: salutem:” otherwise, “Majori, Aldermanis, et Senescallo Burgi sui de Penzance alias Pensance, in comitatu Cornubiæ, salutem.”
On the east side of this town, on the sea shore, at the top of St. Michael’s Mount’s Bay, stands that notable treble intrenchment of earth, after the British manner, built as a rampart or fortress for defence of the country against foreign invaders, called Les-cad-dock Castle; otherwise Les-caddock, as two monosyllables, refer to Cadock, Earl of Cornwall, whose broad camp or castle of war it was, as tradition saith.
TONKIN.
This is a vicarage; the patronage in John Harris, esq.; the incumbent Doctor Walter Borlase, LL.D. But note, that the patronage of this parish is at present in the Corporation of Penzance, carrying with it the town, and the little parish of Morvah.
Penzance.—This town is a parish of itself, but the church is a daughter church to St. Maddarne, and passeth in the same presentation.
The village of Penzance was incorporated by King James I. on the 9th day of May, in the 12th year of his Highness’s reign, by the name of Mayor, Aldermen, and commonalty of the village of Penzance, and by that name to be one body, both in name and deed, and to have perpetual succession, and to be persons in the law, capable to purchase and possess lands, to consist of a Mayor, annually chosen, of eight other Aldermen, and twelve Assistants.