CORNISH CHAIRS. 391 



There have been countless surmises and guesses at its 

 origin, all of which seem wide of the mark. The following 

 practice, formerly occtirrent in the Isle of Man, seems to afford 

 a clue to the mystery. "In the churchyard of St. Maughold 

 is St. Maughold's well. . .The chair, as it is called, is placed 

 above, m which a person was formerly seated to drink a glass 

 of water for the cure of several disorders, especially from 

 poison." (Butler's Lives of the Saints, Vol. 1, Aj)ril 25th.) 

 St. Grermo's Chair may have been used for a similar practice, 

 especially as here also there is a well of clear water at 

 no great distance, which was anciently known as St. Germo's 

 well. The tradition that offerings were placed upon the chair 

 may be explained by the reasonable supposition that thank- 

 offerings were laid upon the seat, where the whilom sufferer had 

 received his cure. 



Hichens and Drew's History of Cornwall (182i), states that 

 the chair was then in excellent condition. It is not in so good a 

 state at present, though there is no danger imminent to this 

 interesting relic of antiquity. The above authors also state that 

 in their time the spot where the chair stood was then imconsecrated 

 but I think that they must have been mistaken. Probably 

 when they wrote the graves had not extended in this direction 

 and hence probably arose the theory that the spot was not holy 

 ground. 



St. Halves' Chair is now lost, as it has been built into, or 

 under, the sea waU. A booklet was written by the Eev. 

 W. E. Heygate, the well-known ecclesiastical author, when he 

 was assistant curate of St. Grerrans, called " the Chair of St. 

 Mawe," and was published by James E. Netherton, of Truro, in 

 1849. In this publication Mr. Heygate says, "Long after [St. 

 Mawe's] death his well, his chair, his chapel bare him witness .... 

 At the Reformation his picture and a stone chair, said to be his, 

 were in the chapel. This chair has been seen by living men 

 (1849), and I can show you what I believe to be one side of it, 

 now forming the side support of some stone work at the foot of 

 the house beside his well. Clearly it is an ancient work." Op. 

 cit., p. 8. 



St. MichaeVs Mount. From the body of the chapel a spiral 

 stair-case leads to the top of the tower, where may be seen the 



