Paul

St. Paul, commonly called Paul, in the deanery and west division of the hundred of Penwith, lies on the western point of Mount’s-bay: the church stands on high ground, being about a mile and three-quarters (three miles by road) south-south-west from Penzance, which is the post-office town. The principal villages in this parish are Mousehole and Newlyn, both upon the sea coast and numerously inhabited by fishermen. The pilchard and mackarel fisheries are carried on at these places to a great extent: fish of every kind which frequent this coast, are sent in abundance from Mousehole and Newlyn to Penzance, and most of the Cornish town: the London market, in the early part of the season is chiefly supplied from Newlyn and Mousehole with mackarel, which is sent by way of Portsmouth.

Mousehole, otherwise called Port-Enys, was formerly a market town: the charter for a market on Tuesdays, with a fair for three days at the festival of St. Barnabas, was granted to Henry de Tyes, in 1292^v: the market was confirmed in1313 to Alice de Lisle, with a fair for seven days, at the festival of St. Bartholomew^w: it is said that there has been no market at Mousehole since this place, and the neighbouring village of Newlyn, were burnt by the Spaniards in 1595, as before-mentioned^x. A new quay was constructed at Mousehole in or about the year 1392^y; it was formerly a port of considerable trade: the manor of Mousehole, which passed with Alwarton^z, belongs to the heirs of George Veale, Esq., and to James Hals, Esq., of St. Ives.

The manor of Freemarshall, in this parish, some time belonging to the family of Hitchens of Treungle, is now the property of Mr. George John, of Penzance, by purchase from Edward Langford, Esq.

The barton of Trewarveneth came to the Godolphin family by the marriage of Sir David Godolphin with the daughter of John Cowling, of this place: this branch of the Godolphins became extinct by the death of Colonel William Godolphin, in 1689: Trewarveneth is now a farm-house, the property of John Legge. It is probable that the barton of Kerris had formerly manorial rights; for it appears that the manor of Keres, in Cornwall, and we find no other place of that name, was granted to John Duke of Norfolk, in 1483: this barton, on which are now several farm-houses, was some time a seat of the Chivertons, and afterwards successively of the families of Hext, Pearce, and Blewett.

The manors of Kymyell or Kimiel and Butsava belong to Sir John St. Aubyn, Bart., whose ancestors possessed them for many generations. Kimiel-Wartha was the seat of the Kimiel family, whose heiress married St. Aubyn: it is now a farmhouse. Kimiel-Crease or Greaze, and Kiliel-Drea, now farm-houses, were both seats of the Keigwins: Jenkin Keigwin, of this family, was killed by the Spaniards in 1595: the entry of his burial is the first which occurs in the present parish register; the earlier registers having been destroyed when the invaders set fire to St. Paul’s church^a. Treungle, now a farm house, was the seat of Arthur Hitchens, Esq.: Captain Cluterburg, some time governor of the castle at the Scilly islands, built a house at Treungle, now belonging to the Badcocks, descended in the female line from the Keigwins.

In the parish-church of St. Paul, said to have been dedicated to St. Paulinus, Bishop of Rochester, is the following curious notice of its having been burnt by the Spaniards as before-mentioned: “The Spunger burnt this church in the year 1598^b.” There is a monument in this church for William Godolphin, Esq., of Trewarveneth, the last of the family. The great tithes of this parish, which were appropriated to the abbey of Hayles in Gloucestershire, are now vested in William Carlyon, Esq., and Mrs. Elizabeth Veale: the vicarage is in the gift of the crown.

There were formerly chapels of ease at Mousehole and Newlyn: Mousehole chapel, which had been a sea-mark, was destroyed by the encroachments of the ocean before the year 1414, when Bishop Stafford wrote a circular letter, exhorting the inhabitants of this diocese to contribute towards its rebuilding: it is probable that it was then rebuilt, and again destroyed when the town was burnt by the Spaniards. Two other chapels are said to have been in or near the town: unquestionably there was a chapel dedicated to St. Clement, on a little island opposite Mousehole, which still bears that name: Leland mentions this chapel as existing in 1540.

Captain Stephen Hitchens, of the Royal navy, who acquired a considerable fortune by cruising on the Jamaica station, and died at Jamaica in 1709, bequeathed the sum of 600l. for the purpose of building and endowing an alms-house for six poor men, and the same number of women: the lands then purchased, after defraying the expence of building, now produce nearly 70l. per annum: the management of this charity is vested in 14 trustees.

v Rot. Cart. 28 Edw. I.

w Rot. Cart. 6 Edw. II.

x See p.211. [The chapter on Penzance.]

y See Rot. Pat. 16 Ric. II.

z See p.209. [The chapter on Madron.]

b The force of the fire is said to have consumed nearly the whole church; yet there is a tradition that the south porch escaped the flames; in confirmation of which tradition, it may be mentioned, that when that porch was repaired in 1807, one of the wooden supporters was found to be partially burnt, at that end nearest the body of the church.

A moity of the great tithes now belongs to the Rev. William Veale.