LANYHORN CASTLE. 447 



to two causes co-operating, the lower court was constructed witli 

 clay floors generally and with side walls of clay entirely I pre- 

 sume, these in the demolition of the whole, have mingled with 

 the soil and have deepened it, but the other was constructed 

 obviously in a more modern style of refinement with side walls 

 of stone and boarded floors, and these have left the ground in 

 its original shallowness of soil ; the other cause is this, the plain 

 of the Castle-hill was originally uneven and precipitous, and 

 required much labour of levelling. This threw vast quantities 

 of earth into particular places, and I have given a remarkable 

 instance of a man caught by a falling bank and buried 12 feet 

 deep in earth ; but the ground above was of a different nature, 

 required but little levelling, and therefore received little accu- 

 mulation of earth in places, it remained therefore in its original 

 state." 



" I was some years ago informed by an old man, who from 

 his constant residence in the village, and from his great age, was 

 the faithful chronicle of the parish, that a giant once lived in 

 this Castle : an incident of romance which seems to carry us up 

 to some of the remotest periods of our history. But he added 

 that another giant lived contemporaneously with him at Trelonk, 

 an estate in the parish, that two giants so near being sure to 

 quarrel for exclusive dominion and sole sovereignty, the giant 

 of Lanyhorne fought with the giant of Trelonk, and that as 

 giants scorn to contend with the ordinary weapons of a man they 

 hurled stones at each other." 



(Whitaker considers this tradition to be founded on a pitched 

 battle between two rival barons. Trelonk he considers means 

 the King's House and its tenant was independent of the Lord 

 of Lanyhorne and quarrels would thus arise.) 



' ' Tradition says there was a city at Trelonk formerly, and 

 that a king resided in it, that this city reached from Trelonk to 

 Eeskivers near Tregoney, and that it was denominated the City 

 of Eeskivers. 



Trelonk house is remembered about 40 years ago to have 

 had a narrow approach to it with a wall on each side, and a 

 room for a porter's lodge above in the style of a castellated 



