TINTAGEL CASTLE. 233 



Constable, and to have a meadow called Halemere, in the Lordship 

 of Tyntagel. 



The following interesting letter was written in 1583, by Sir 

 Richard Greynvile, who had been directed by the Council to visit 

 the Castle, and report on its state and condition as a place of 

 defence. 



" My dutie to your honor humblie remembered ; the xixth of December. 

 I received your honor's letter, with direction to view the state of the Castell 

 of Tyntagell ; I presentlie rode thither, and sending for him that hath the 

 charge thereof, went up into it. At the entry of the Hand there is a dore 

 and certayne walls standing, with some ruinat roumes w'' were lodgings, and 

 may yet with some small charges be repaired and made fite to be dwelt in. 

 From the utter great gate on the maine ther hath ben, within the memorie of 

 some that dwell thereby, a drawbridge, w"^ is now gon, by reason that the 

 seas have undermined and fretted out some p'« of the workes whereon the 

 bridg stoode, and taken away that means to pass into the He from the utter 

 part of the Castell ; so as now the way to the He being by the side of a rocke, 

 on a very steepe clife over the sea, is very daungerous, and such as a man 

 shall find narrow footing to passe up by. This place w* on fowler may easily 

 be defended. From the sea ther ar two landing places ; against the one of 

 them is a wall w"" a gate in it, called the Iron Gate (because there was a 

 gate of iron there) ; this wall is of length on hundred and twenty foote, in 

 thickness five foote, garrated, now somewhat ruinat ; w'^ was in old time 

 sufficiente for the defence of that place. By the workes without this wall 

 (being the landinge place) foure or five of the greatest sortes of shipps may 

 with most windes ride, and lay their sides to the workes, and land anie com- 

 panie of men ; the water being ther at the lowest ebb five fathom deepe, and 

 the ground in this bay before the rockes faire and sandy for a moringe. 

 This place may well be fortefied for the defence of the landing by some re- 

 pairinge of the wall, a rampier of turffe to be made on the inside of the wall 

 for thickening therof with a couple of little bulworks ; at the endes of that 

 wall two peace of ordinaunce, though they were but fowlers, would sufficiently 

 defend the landing ther ; but sinse the utter pt« of the landing rocke is not 

 two hundred foote without the said wall, so as anie bigg shippinge with good 

 artillery may com so nere as to beat down both the said wall and the bulworks, 

 it were very convenient that in each of the bulworks with the foulers there 

 were a better peace placed, as demiculverins, sacars, or such like, which 

 should be sufficient to defend the place and harborough, so as no ship should 

 be able to approche the place for landing there. The other place to land at 

 is not so easie, because the ground is fowle and rockey without it, so as a ship 

 cann have no ancor hpld ther, and the clifes so uneasie to be mounted, as five 

 or six men may keepe down a great number. The whole Hand is so fortified 

 by nature, as on anie occasion it is to be defendede with twentie or thirtie 

 men. The He, it seq"", as it is now left, is a dangerous receptacle for anie evill 

 affected person that shall attempt to take it ether by land or by sea ; for he 



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