99 



IV. — The Prior's Cross. — By Thomas Q. Couch. 



ALS, in his Parochial History of Cormvall, in reference to the 

 Peverells of Park, in Egloshayle, says : — 



" The Peverells are especially memorable here by two crosses of moor- 

 stone in the highway set up by them, still extant," {circa 1700), " and called 

 Peverell's crosses. Not far from them is another moorstone cross, near 

 Mount Charles, called the Prior's Gross, whereon is cut the figure of a hook 

 and crook, in memory of that freedom and privilege granted by him to the 

 poor of Bodmin, for gathering for firebote and housebote such boughs and 

 branches of oak trees in his contiguous wood of Dunmear, as they could 

 reach to, or come at with a hook and crook without further damage to the 

 trees thereof. From whence arose the Cornish proverb concerning filching, 

 purloining, or taking another person's goods overmuch, or indirectly beyond 

 what is allowed them — ' they will have it by hook or by crook.' " 



This same Prior's Cross may still be seen by the wayfarer, 

 between Bodmin and Camelford or Wadebridge, built into a 

 hedge within a few feet of the doorway of the little inn at Wash- 

 away. It is, I believe, unique among Cornish crosses. Its 

 association with the Prior's gift of housebote and firebote rests 

 entirely on the authority of Hals; at all events; after much 

 enquiry among the peasantry, who usually transmit with wondrous 

 care and truthfulness such stories, I have failed to find it confirmed 

 by country tradition. The antiquary will detect, on exarriining 

 the cross itself, or its faithful representation in my friend Mr. 

 Blight's highly and truthfully illustrated book on the Crosses of 

 East Cornwall, that the hook and crook is dbfleur de lis sans pied, 

 and commemorative of the Virgin.* I know of no other instance 

 in Cornwall. That Hals' s explanation of the figure, which may 

 have been suggested by the popular tradition of his day, is incorrect, 

 seems more than likely, from the very distant resemblance which 

 the lateral leaflets of the device bear to the woodcutter's imple- 

 ments mentioned ; as also from the improbability that the reverent 

 spirit of the age would have permitted such an use of a form of 



* By Mr. Blight's kind permission, we are enabled to place the illustra- 

 tion at the end of this Paper. 



