Liskeard
Cornish: Lyskerrys
Liskeard i/lɪsˈkɑːrd/[1] (Cornish: Lyskerrys[2]) is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.[3]
Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, 14 miles (23 km) west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles (20 km) east of Bodmin. The town is at the head of the Looe valley in the ancient hundred of West Wivelshire and has a population of 9,417.[4] Liskeard was the base of the former Caradon District Council and it still has a town council. There are 3 wards in Liskeard (including Dobwalls). The total population at the 2011 census was 11,366[5][6][7]
The place name element Lis, along with ancient privileges accorded the town, indicates that the settlement was once a high status 'court'. A Norman castle was built here after the Conquest, which eventually fell into disuse in the later Middle Ages. By 1538 when visited by John Leland only a few insignificant remains were to be seen.[8] Sir Richard Carew writing in 1602 concurred;
“ Of later times, the Castle serued the Earle of Cornwall for one of his houses; but now, that later is worm-
Liskeard was one of the 17 Antiqua maneria of the Duchy of Cornwall.[10] The market charter was granted by Richard, Earl of Cornwall (brother of Henry III) in 1240. Since then, it has been an important centre for agriculture. The seal of the borough of Liskeard was Ar. a fleur-
When Wilkie Collins wrote of his visit to the town in his Rambles Beyond Railways he had a low opinion of it: "that abomination of desolation, a large agricultural country town".[12] The town went through a period of economic prosperity during the pre-
Liskeard is one of the few towns in Cornwall still to have a regular livestock market, every other Tuesday. There is a range of restaurants, cafes and pubs in the town, and some shops retain their Victorian shopfronts and interiors.
Liskeard puts on a pantomime in the last week of January and holds a carnival every June. Every July, Liskeard holds a large agricultural show, The Liskeard Show, which is always held on the second Saturday in July.[13] St Matthew's Fair was originally established by charter in 1266, the fair was re-
Liskeard and District in the 1920s
Bodmin Moor lies to the northwest of the town. The A38 trunk road used to pass through the town centre but a dual carriageway bypass now carries traffic south of the town leaving the town centre accessible but with low traffic levels. Liskeard is one of the gateway towns for Bodmin Moor.
Stuart House
The town boasts St. Martin's, the second largest parish church in Cornwall [16] Built on the site of the former Norman church, the oldest parts of the current structure date back to the 15th century. Other places of worship include a Roman Catholic church and Methodist chapels.[17]
The Foresters Hall now houses the Tourist Information Office and Liskeard & District Museum. The Foresters still meet in the town at the Public Rooms in West Street.[18]
Stuart House (on the Parade) was used by Charles I as a lodging in 1644, when his forces were chasing the Parliamentarians.[19] Restored, it is now used as a community building for arts, heritage and community events
Luxstowe House (1831). Designed by George Wightwick for William Glencross.
The Guildhall was built in 1859 and has a prominent clock tower.
The Public Hall was constructed in 1890.
Webb's House (formerly Webb's Hotel) is a classic early Victorian market-
Pencubitt House was built in 1897 for J. H. Blamey, a wealthy wool merchant. The house was designed by local architect John Sansom, responsible for many Liskeard homes of that period.[20]
The Liskeard Union Workhouse, architect John Foulston of Plymouth (later the Lamellion Hospital).
For further details of the parliamentary history of the town see Liskeard (UK Parliament constituency)
In the year 1294, Liskeard began to send two members to Parliament, but this was reduced to one by the 1832 Reform Act. The MPs have included Edward Gibbon, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and Isaac Foot.[21]
Liskeard is now part of the South East Cornwall constituency, and is represented by Conservative Sheryll Murray.
The first school in Liskeard was founded in 1550 on Castle Hill. For a time it was maintained by the Earls of St Germans, but it closed around 1834 due to a decline in numbers and financial difficulties. From 1835 a series of private schools existed in the borough, until 1908 when Cornwall Education Committee built the County School at Old Road. From 1945 it was known as Liskeard Grammar School until September 1978 when it became the Lower School site of Liskeard School, following amalgamation with the town's secondary modern school.[22]
Liskeard County Secondary School received its first pupils on Monday 12 September 1960, and was formally opened by the Minister of Education, Sir David Eccles on 7 July the following year.[23] Costing £100,000, it was built to accommodate around 500 pupils on the site of the current school at Luxtowe. Its glass and steel structure made "free use of fresh air and sunlight" according to local newspaper reports, whilst other modern features included a well-
Twenty years later, with increased pupil numbers requiring many to be taught in temporary buildings, the need for improvements to Liskeard's secondary and primary schools was being raised in Parliament.[27] By the late 1990s, Liskeard School and Community College had been extended at Luxstowe, and the Old Road site closed and redeveloped for housing. Further multimillion-
There are two primary schools in Liskeard: St Martin's Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School in Lake Lane and Hillfort Primary School on Old Road. The latter was opened in September 2006 following the renaming of Liskeard Junior School after its merger with Liskeard Infant School.[30]
Caradon Short Stay School (previously known as a Pupil Referral Unit) is located in West Street, on the site of the former Liskeard Infant School. It provides education for students aged 11–16 from across south east Cornwall who are unable to attend a mainstream school or special school. The nearest independent schools are in Plymouth and Tavistock, Devon.
Liskeard railway station, on the London Paddington to Penzance Cornish Main Line, and the A38 trunk road provide the town with rapid access to Plymouth, the rest of Cornwall and the motorway network. The town is also served by the Looe Valley branch line to Looe. There are regular bus services to various parts of Cornwall.
There is a leisure centre at Lux Park on the north side of the town: there is a bowling club on the southern side. The town has a Non-
Leisure trails[edit]
There are three trails, each has its own blue commemorative plaque (these were unveiled by former town mayor, Sandra Preston).
Footpath from the town to the railway station: the path was built by Thomas Lang, who was a former mayor, in 1890.
Trail around the north of the town centre, including the Parade and the ornamental fountain. The fountain was given to the town by Michael Loam, whose father (also called Michael Loam) invented the Man engine (a device for lifting men up and down mineshafts, and used in many mines throughout Cornwall & West Devon).
Trail around the southern part of the town, commemorating Lt. Lapenotière, who brought back the news of the Battle of Trafalgar to England. For this Lt. Lapenotière was given a silver spice sprinkler by King George III. The sprinkler is still owned by the mayor's office, and is exhibited occasionally.
Freemasonry
Liskeard has a sizeable Masonic presence with no fewer than eight Masonic bodies meeting at the Masonic Hall on The Parade,[31]
St Martin's Lodge No. 510 Date of Warrant, 5 March 1845
St Martin's Royal Arch Chapter No. 510 Consecrated on 1 August 1865
St Martin's Lodge of Mark Master Masons No. 379 Consecrated on 26 January 1888
St Martin's Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners No. 379 Consecrated 1 June 1933
Duchy Chapter of the Ancient & Accepted Rite of the Rose Croix of Heredom No. 289 Warranted on 10 December 1931
Duchy Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor No. 260 Consecrated on 8 April 1975
St Martin's Chapel No.27 of the Commemorative Order of St Thomas of Acon, Consecrated in 1998
St Germans Court No. 97 of the Masonic Order of Athelstan, Consecrated in 2014
In addition to the UGLE lodges, there is also a women's lodge that meets in the Masonic Hall.
