CORNWALL. 



CORNWALL. 



shire, an-1 representatives for six boroughs : to these were added 

 seven others in the reign of Edward VI. ; two in the reigu of Mary ; 

 and six in that of Elizabeth. By the Reform Act the county was 

 formed into two divisions, each returning two members : and various 

 changes were made in the representation of the boroughs, making 

 the number of members sent by the county only fourteen. 



Natural Curiosities. The granite rocks of Cornwall present in 

 different places an appearance so singular, that they have been 

 mistaken for the efforts of human art in its earliest and rudest stage. 

 The Cheesewring occupies the highest ridge of a hill north of 

 Liskeard, one of the hills which gradually decline from Brown Willy 

 and Rough Tor, the highest parts of the county. The summits of 

 all these hills are covered with granite cairns in different states of 

 ruin, and their sides are strewed with boul lers which have fallen 

 from them. The Cheesewring is a pile apparently consisting of five 

 stones piled one on the other, of which the upper ones are so much 

 the largest as to overhang on all sides the lower ones, which form 

 their base. The collective height of the whole pile is about 20 feet. 

 The formation of this group is ascribed by Dr. M'Culloch solely to 

 natural causes. It is, in fact, the vestige of a much larger mass, the 

 lateral parts of which have fallen away, not being so well poised as 

 the singular part which yet remains. The granite of Cornwall is in 

 general split by fissures, which tend for the most part to the horizontal 

 or perpendicular ; and by these fissures it is divided into cubical or 

 prismatic masses. Where the rock rises above the surface, the influence 

 of the atmosphere causes a gradual decay, by which first the angles 

 formed by the fissures with the external face of the rock become 

 rounded, then the surfaces in contact become separated, the masses 

 originally angular acquire a curvilinear outline ; and if the centre of 

 gravity of the whole mass be high and far removed from the perpen- 

 dicular of the fulcrum, the upper parts of the mass fall down, and, 

 by the continuance of the disintegration, acquire the spheroidal form 

 which the granite boulders often exhibit. If however the centre of 

 gravity be in the perpendicular of the fulcrum, the mass retains 

 its position, as in the case of the Cheesewring, or produces the 

 phenomenon that will be next described. 



The Logging (or, as it is commonly written, Logan) Stones are 

 stones which are poised on a fulcrum, and which rock, when moved 

 by an adequate force. The most remarkable of these Logging Stones 

 is near the Laud's End, on a peninsula of granite jutting out 200 

 yards into the sea, the isthmus still exhibiting some remains of the 

 ancient fortification of Castle Treryn. The granite which forms this 

 peninsula is split by perpendicular and horizontal fissures into a 

 heap of cubical or prismatic masses. The whole mass varies in 

 height from 50 to 80 or 100 feet ; it presents on almost every side a 

 perpendicular face to the sea, and is divided into four summits, on 

 one of which, near the centre of the promontory, the stone in question 

 lies. The general figure of the stone is irregular ; its lower surface 

 is not quite flat, but swells out into a slight protuberance, on which 

 the rock is poised. It rests on a surface so inclined, that it seems as 

 if a small alteration in its position would cause it to slide along the 

 plain into the sea : for it is within two or three feet of the edge of 

 the precipice. The stone is 17 feet in length, and above 32 feet in 

 circumference near the middle, and is estimated to weigh nearly 

 66 tons. The vibration is only in one direction, and that nearly at 

 right angles to the length. A force of a very few pounds is sufficient 

 to bring it into a state of vibration, even the wind blowing on its 

 western surface, which is exposed, produces this effect in a sensible 

 degree. The vibration continues a few seconds. There is another 

 Logging Stone at St. Just, and a third at Sithney, which has been 

 thrown down ; but this near the Land's End is the largest. This was 

 displaced in a frolic a few years since, but was restored, though with 

 great difficulty. 



On the horizontal surface of the granite the action of water has 

 formed excavations with rounded bottoms, occasionally circular in 

 th?ir outline, and as regularly spheroidal as if shaped with a turning- 

 lathe. They are of various depths, and sometimes communicate 

 with each other. The surface of ' the rock basin quoit ' at Carn-brea 

 is honeycombed by these hollows. In the parish of Constantino are 

 two very singular monuments. One is a huge stone resembling an 

 inverted cup or mortar, but not hollow, so regularly formed as to 

 present the appearance of art. It is 30 feet in girth and 11 feet 

 nigh, according to Dr. Borlase. The other monument is a vast stone 

 perched on the points of two rocks, so that a man may creep under 

 it ; it is 33 feet long from north to south, which is its greatest 

 linn naion ; the breadth from east to west is 184 f ec '> an( l tb. thick- 

 ness or vertical dimension is 144 feet; the circumference is computed 

 to be 97 feet, and the girth about 60 feet; it is estimated to weigh 

 at least 750 tons. The top is honeycombed by rock basins similar 

 to the rock basin quoit at Carn-brea. There are in Cornwall and the 

 Scilly Isles other stones similarly supported; they are commonly 

 designated by the name ' Tol-mcn,' that is, hole of stone. (Borlase, 

 'Antiquities of Cornwall.') 



The cairns on Carn-brea Hill, near Redruth, and the Roche Rocks, 

 a little to the left of the rood from Bodmiu to Truro, arc of the 

 Celtic period ; they arc formed of granite, and owe much of their 

 picturesque form to natural causes. 



Hittory and Anli'juitia. Before and at the time of the Roman 



invasion, Cornwall was probably included in the territory of the 

 two tribes, the Damnonii and the Carnabii. Ptolemaeus mentions 

 only the former of these, whom he terms Dumnonii ; and they seem 

 to have occupied the south-eastern part, comprehending all the 

 Channel coast. The Carnabii are not we believe noticed by any 

 writer except Richard of Cirencester, who considers that they gave 

 to the county the name which it had in the Latin of the middle 

 ages, Cornubia. It is however more probable that the. district gave 

 name to the people, and that both Carnabii and Cornubia coutain 

 the Celtic root kem or corn, signifying a horn. The second part of 

 the modern designation of Cornwall is derived from the Saxon 

 Wealas, a name given to the Britons, some of whom, on the Saxon 

 invasion, retired into the western part of the island, and maintained 

 a long struggle for their national independence. 



At an early period this part of the island was frequented by the 

 Phoenicians of Gadeira (Cadiz), who came hither to procure tin, lead, 

 and skin?, but especially the first; in return for which they gave 

 salt, earthenware, and copper goods. (Strabo, lib. iii. 175). It was 

 probably from these Phoenicians that the western extremity of Britain, 

 with the Scilly Islands, obtained the name of the Cassiterides (' tin 

 islands'), from a root which, in some of the oriental tongues, as well 

 as in Greek, denotes tin. The Greeks appear to have had some 

 knowledge of those parts of the island where tin was wrought, before 

 the time of the Roman conquest. 



To this remote period we may refer some of the rude stone 

 monuments which are still numerous in this part of the island ; and 

 to which are generally ascribed a Celtic origin. Rough blocks or 

 obelisks standing in pairs, and supposed to be memorials of the 

 dead, are found at Dryft, in the parish of Sancreet, between Penzance 

 and the Land's End, and at Trewren, in Maddern parish, near 

 Penzance. There are two stones at BoUeit in St. Buryan or Burian 

 (also near the Land's End) which are a furlong apart, one 12 feet, 

 the other 15 feet high. On the downs between Wadebridge and St. 

 Columb are nine rude stone blocks or pillars placed hi line, bearing 

 north-east and south-west, and called the Nine Maids. The circles 

 of stones are numerous in this county, and are generally known by 

 the name of Dawns Men, that is, the stone dance. Boskednan circle, 

 in the parish of Gulval and Boseawen-un in St. Buryan, are formed 

 of stones placed at some distance from each other. Boscawen-un has 

 a stone in the centre fixed in the ground, but leaning far forward. 

 Other circles are formed by stones not erect, but placed near each 

 other, so as to form a kind of fence : such as Zenor Circle, between 

 St. Ivei and Cape Cornwall, and Kerris Rouudago, near Penzance, an 

 oval inclosure, with four stone pillars at one end, marking out a 

 quadrangular space. All these are in the western part of the county. 

 Near Liskeard are three circles, very near each other, formed by erect 

 stones placed at some distance ; several of the stones have been 

 carried away, and others overthrown. This monument is locally 

 named ' the Hurlers," from a popular superstition in the district. At 

 Botallack, in St. Just parish, near Cape Cornwall, are several stoue 

 circles intersecting each other : and on the hill Carn-Menelez in the 

 parish of Wendron, between Redruth and Helston, is a stone circle, 

 having in the middle of it a natural rock of four masses piled on 

 each other after the manner of the Cheesewring. There are also in 

 Cornwall several circles, which Dr. Borlase supposes to have bem 

 devoted to the purposes of an amphitheatre. They are called ' plan 

 an guare," ' the plain of sport or pastime." But some of these, at 

 least, are more probably encampments than amphitheatres. 



Various other antiquities may be noticed here as having probably 

 had a British origin, though of uncertain date. There are several 

 barrows, or tumuli, composed some of loose stones, others of earth, 

 and others of stones and earth mingled. Some of these, on being 

 opened, have been found to contain sepulchral urns ; others in the 

 Scilly Isles, have an outer ring or edge of large stones, and within a 

 cavity formed by stone walls, with flat stones at the top, and the 

 cavity covered with the mound of loose stones or earth. There are 

 also several cromlechs, the top stones of which are in Cornwall called 

 'quoits.' The quoit of Lanyon Cromlech is 19 feet long and 47 feet 

 in circumference ; its thickness varies, being in some parts as much as 

 2 feet ; it is raised so high that a man can sit on horseback under it. 

 It has four upright stones, but one is too short to give it any support. 



Among the smaller relics of autiquity may be mentioned tho 

 sepulchral urns dug up from some of the barrows ; celts of both brass 

 and stone ; spear-heads and broken pieces of copper swords ; lumpn 

 of fine copper, evidently designed for melting; and a considerable 

 number of gold coins found in 1749 near Caru-brea Hill, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Redruth. 



There are also in Cornwall several artificial caves or subterranean 

 galleries, formed by walls of upright stones, with other stones laid 

 across ; some of the galleries extend 30 feet or even 60 fset in length. 

 The upright stones, or obelisks, with inscriptions in the Roman 

 character, and in the Latin tongue, must be referred to a period subse- 

 quent to the Roman invasion ; and from their inscriptions or symbols, 

 several must have been posterior ti> the introduction of the Christian 

 religion. Other antiquities of l!rili.4i origin wo must pass over. 



The period at which Cornwall fell under the power of the Romans 

 in not known. Dr. Borlase ascribes the conquest to Agricola ; Dr. 

 Stillingfleet to Vespasian. As however iiono of the Roman historians 



