NOTES ON THE EARLY HISTORY OF STONEHOUSE. 353 
the name of Esterestonhouse. At that date, therefore, there 
must not only have existed a West Stonehouse, but it must have 
grown so large as to make the need of distinction felt. Why the 
new village across the harbour should have been called Stonehouse 
at all, instead of Cremill, is open to speculation, but the fact may 
indicate its origin when the Stonehouse family were in possession ; 
and it owed its existence no doubt to the ferry. 
Almost the only historical allusion to West Stonehouse is found 
in Carew's Survey, where it is said : 
" Certain old mines yet remaining, conflrme the neighbours 
report that neere the waters side, there stood once a towne, called 
West stone house until the French by fire and sword overthrew 
it." 1 
Several references to West Stonehouse are found in the Edg- 
cumbe muniments. Thus in 1494 (9 Henry VII.) we have the 
final concord and agreement in which Peter Eggecomb and Joan 
his wife were deforciants, and which refers, inter alia, to the 
manor of East Stonehouse, a moiety of the manor of West 
Stonehouse, and "a passage beyond the water of Thamer called 
Cremel Passage between West Stonehouse and East Stonehouse." 
In 1545 both West Stonehouse and Cremyll are named as manors 
in the county of Devon. It was in this year that the Royal 
license was granted to enclose and empark lands and premises in 
West Stonehouse and Cremel (with free warren and several 
fishery in West and Est Stonehouse, county of Devon, and 
Cuttele, county of Cornwall) which led in a short time to the 
building of Mount Edgcumbe House. 
The variation of names noticeable from time to time in dealing 
with these properties is very curious. Stonehouse itself only turns 
into East Stonehouse ; but the original Macretone and Crimel 
develope into West Stonehouse, Cremil parish of Maker, Maker 
otherwise Makers within the parish of Maker otherwise St. 
Julyans, East Maker, West Maker, Mount Edgcumbe, and the 
manor of Mount Edgcumbe alias West Stonehouse. Mount 
Edgcumbe, of course, took name from the fact and date of the 
erection of the mansion house there by Sir Piers Edgcumbe circa 
1553 ; and there was, and still partially is, an old name connecting 
it with the Valletort lords, as the tithing of Vawtersham, or 
Vaultershome. 
1 Folio 101a. 
