XXXV 



become a part of our routine. In 1868 we visited the ancient 

 Cathedral of Cornwall, the Cheesewring, the Hurlers, the Caradon 

 Mines, and other objects of interest in the neighbourhood of St. 

 Germans and Liskeard. In 1869 our excursion was to Carn Br6, 

 and to the ancient and still famous mine of Dolcoath, which is 

 believed to have yielded ores of tin and copper to the value of 

 5|- millions sterling,— at the rate of £10,000 per fathom, or £140 

 per inch in length. — Several of our best friends — who have 

 zealously aided us, as well in our preliminary ari"angements as in 

 the labours of to-day^iave repeatedly urged on us the propriety 

 — perhaps I should have said the necessity — of a visit to Tintagel. 

 The wisdom and the kindness of their propositions have from the 

 first been thankfully acknowledged ; the delay has been owing to 

 no indifference — for we have all been anxious — ^iDut to the distance 

 of Tintagel from a railway station. However, ladies and gentle- 

 men, here we are ; and if so feeble and inefficient a representative 

 may venture to speak in your behalf, we are delighted with 

 what we have seen, and grateful for the kindness and courtesy 

 with which we have been received." 



The President then called on the Reverend J. J. Wilkinson, who 

 read an elaborate and interesting Paper on "Tintagel Castle." 

 We shall avail ourselves of Mr. AVilkinson's permission, given in 

 compliance with a request from the President, to publish it in our 

 Journal ; and therefore, for our present purpose, we merely state 

 that Mr. Wilkinson expressed his opinion that a British fortifica- 

 tion had existed on the site, and that probably King Arthur used 

 it for warlike purposes ; but the building whose site and remains 

 they had noAV inspected Avas morejikely erected in Norman times, 

 and perhaps by Richard (King of the Romans), Earl of Cornwall ; * 

 time and weather having used it more roughly than some other of 

 the ancient castles in Cornwall, as, for instance, Restormel and 

 Launceston. 



Mr. Smirke thought that the castle, if Norman, must be of 

 a very early class ; and he referred to the connection of Tintagel 

 Church with an Alien Priory, that of Fontevrault. 



On a proposition from the President, thanks were cordially 

 voted to the Reverend Prebendary Kinsman, the Reverend J. J. 

 Wilkinson, and Mr. Smirke, for their interesting and instructive 

 remarks ; and soon afterwards the excursionists parted for the night, 



• Godwin, F.S. A., states in his " Arclia3ologist's Handbook," that Tin- 

 tagel Castle was b^^ilt by William the Conqueror, and that Eichard, Earl of 

 Cornwall, here entertained David, Prince of Wales, in his rebellion against 

 Henry III, 1245. 



