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For the locality in South Australia, seeBoconnoc Park, South Australia.
Boconnoc
Boconnoc
Location withinCornwall
Population122(Parish, 2011)OSgridreferenceSX147607Unitaryauthority
CountryEnglandSovereignstateUnited KingdomPost townLOSTWITHIELPostcodedistrictPL22Diallingcode01503PoliceDevon and CornwallFireCornwallAmbulanceSouth WesternUKParliament
List of placesUKEnglandCornwall
Boconnoc(Cornish:Boskennek) is acivil parishinCornwall, England, United Kingdom, approximately four miles (6km) east of the town ofLostwithiel.[1]According to the2011 censusthe parish had a population of 96.
The parish is rural in character and is fairly well wooded. It is bordered to the west bySt Winnowparish, to the south bySt Veepparish, to the southeast and east byLanreathparish, and to the north byBraddockparish.[2]The hamlets ofCouch's Milland Brooks are in the parish.[3]Part of ancient deer park at Boconnoc House contains an internationally important assemblage oflichensand is one of the most important sites in Europe for lichens.[4]
History[edit]
There are Cornish crosses in the churchyard, on Druids' Hill and in Boconnoc Park. The latter cross was removed to here fromLanliveryand has some curious incised ornament.[5]
Themanorof Boconnoc is listed in theDomesday Bookof 1086 asBochenod, and was then one of the many hundred possessions ofRobert, Count of Mortain, the half-brother of KingWilliam the Conqueror.[6]Robert's tenant was a Briton named as "Offers", elsewhere in the Domesday Book named "Offels, Offerd, Offers, Osfert, Osfertus",[7]and now known as "Osfrith ofOkehampton" in Devon.[8]In 1086 Osfrith held in total 12 manors in Devon and Cornwall, and before theNorman Conquestof 1066 had held 20.[8]The holder in 1268 was De Cant.[9]
Carminow[edit]Effigies of Roger Carminow (d.1308) and his wife Joan Dinham in the church of St Mawgan-in-Meneage, Cornwall. In the cross-legged pose supposed to represent crusaders, he displays on his shield the arms of Carminow:Azure, a bend orarms of Carminow:Azure, a bend or
At some point Boconnoc came into the possession of the Carminow family, who originated in the Cornish parish ofMawgan in Meneage. The church there contains stone effigies of Roger Carminow (died 1308) in armour beside his wife Joan Dinham, daughter of Oliver Dinham (died 1299), 1st Baron.[10]He is said to have fought under KingEdward Iin his wars in Scotland and to have served asMember of ParliamentforCornwallin 1300.[11]His son Sir John Carminow (died 1341) married Joan Glyn (died 1349), daughter of Sir John Glyn,[10]and their son was Sir Walter Carminow, who married Alice Tintern, daughter of Sir Stephen Tintern, ofSt Tudy. They had two sons, the elder being Sir Ralph Carminow (died 1386), who sat three times as MP for Cornwall, in 1383, 1384 and 1386, but left no surviving children.[12]
Some details of Sir Ralph's time at Boconnoc can be found in the “History of Parliament”. In the 1370s he and his brother petitionedEdward the Black Prince, asDuke of Cornwalland his father KingEdward III of Englandagainst John Sergeaux, husband of his wife’s sister, alleging that Sergeaux had sent men to Boconnoc, viciously assaulted him and his wife, removed 200 pounds worth of goods, and left him for dead. While serving as sheriff of Cornwall, Sergeaux then launched a second effort to obtain the property by anattachment order, taking more of his possessions to an alleged value of 1,000 pounds.[12]
On a visitation of the diocese in 1371, BishopThomas Brantinghamof Exeter found that Sir Ralph and his first wife Catherine Champernowne were living as man and wife illegally, their marriage being invalid incanon lawas they were related in both the third and the fourth degrees ofconsanguinity. Summoned before the bishop in 1372, Sir Ralph presented letters he had obtained from the papal nuncio, CardinalSimon Langham, granting the couple dispensation for the marriage.[12]
In 1381 a royal commission found thatWilliam Botreaux, 1st Baron, hearing of thePeasants' Revoltin London, had gathered 80 men and broken into the park at Boconnoc, hunted the deer, killing 20 of them, and generally damaged the property. Botreaux’s wife appealed against the charge, saying that her husband was then on military service in Portugal and that the accusation against him was false. In 1383 Sir Ralph was one of 18 major landowners in Cornwall ordered to reside near the sea, in his case probably at Boconnoc which is at the head of the Fowey estuary, in order to provide prompt defence in case of French invasion.[12]
He was supposed to be at Westminster for the opening of Parliament on 1 October 1386 but had not left Boconnoc by 9 October 1386, when he went out hunting with a pair of greyhounds, who pulled him to his death over the edge of a cliff (the fate of the dogs is not recorded).[12]
The estate passed to his younger brother, Sir William Carminow (died 1407),[12]Sheriff of Devonin 1391 and MP for Cornwall in 1407, who married Margaret Kelly (died 1420), and his heir was his son Thomas Carminow (died 1442), husband of Joan Hill, the daughter of SirRobert Hill, of Shilstone inModbury. They left two daughters, the elder being Margaret Carminow,[10]who married first Sir John St Loe, secondly Wiliiam Botreaux, and thirdly SirHugh Courtenay(died 1471) who was executed after theBattle of Tewkesbury. Boconnoc then passed to his eldest son,Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon.
Courtenay[edit]The Courtenay family, Earls of Devon, during the Wars of the Roses, showing the ancestry and descendants of Courtenay of Boconnoc
Sir Edward de Courtenay of Goodrington was the second son ofHugh de Courtenay, 2nd/10th Earl of Devon(1303–1377), ofTiverton Castlein Devon and ofOkehampton Castlein Devon,feudal baron of Okehampton, andfeudal baron of Plympton. By his wife Emeline Dauney he was the father ofEdward de Courtenay, 3rd/11th Earl of Devon(1357–1419), "The Blind Earl", the ancestor of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Earls, which senior line was extinguished during the Wars of the Roses, the last of whom was killed in the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Sir Edward de Courtenay's second son (and therefore the brother of "The Blind Earl") was SirHugh Courtenay(1358-1425) ofHaccombein Devon,[13]Sheriff of Devonfor 1418/19 and thriceknight of the shireforDevonin 1395, 1397 and 1421,[14]the grandfather ofEdward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon(d.1509), KG, created Earl of Devon in 1485 by King Henry VII.
SirHugh Courtenay(1358-1425) inherited the manor of Haccombe from his heiress wife (his 2nd wife) Philippa Archdekne (alias Ercedecne), a daughter and co-heiress of Sir Warin Archdekne (1354-1400), MP.[15]His son and heir by his 3rd wife Matilda Beaumont, was SirHugh Courtenay(d.1471) of Boconnoc, who married the heiress Margaret Carminowe. Boconnoc was visited by the antiquaryWilliam Worcester(1415-c.1482) who described the house then standing as "Blekennoc House, a turretted old mansion, lately the seat of Sir Hugh Courtenay".[16]
It is believed that Boconnoc reverted to the crown in consequence of an attainder in the Courtenay family,[17]and was later regranted toJohn Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford(c.1485-1555).[18]It was sold in 1579 byFrancis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford(1527–1585) to Sir William Mohun, who died seised of it in about 1587.[19]Sir William Mohun was in any case one of the rightful co-heirs of the Courtenay family of Boconnoc.
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon(c.1527-1556) was unmarried and childless at the time of his death. The manor and Castle ofTivertonand his other numerous estates devolved to his distant cousins, descended from the four sisters of his great-grandfatherEdward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon(d.1509), all children of SirHugh Courtenay(d.1471) of Boconnoc and his wife, Margaret Carminow.[20]These four sisters were as follows:[21][22]
Thus the Courtenay estates were divided into four parts.[20]On the death of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, in 1556, the actual heirs to his estates were the following descendants of the four sisters above:[27]
Mohun[edit]Mural monument with kneeling effigy, in Boconnoc Church, of Penelope Mohun (d.1637), a daughter ofSir Reginald Mohun, 1st Baronet(c.1564-1639) of Boconnoc, with arms of Mohun:Or, a cross engrailed sable
The Mohuns of Boconnoc and ofHallin the parish ofLanteglos-by-Fowey, in Cornwall, were a junior branch of the Mohun family, and were descended from John Mohun (d. 1322)[28]ofDunster Castlein Somerset,feudal baron of Dunsterby his wife Anne Tiptoft.[29][30]William Mohun of Hall married Elizabeth Courtenay, one of the greatest heiresses of her time, one of the four eventual co-heiresses ofEdward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon(1527–1556) the last of the mediaeval CourtenayEarls of Devon. The Mohun share of the Courtenay inheritance included Boconnoc in Cornwall andOkehampton Castlein Devon, and other remnants of thefeudal barony of Okehampton, one of the earliest possessions of the Courtenays.
The grandson of William Mohun of Hall and Elizabeth Courtenay wasReginald Mohun(1507/8–1567) of Hall and Boconnoc, who married Jone Trevanion, daughter of Sir William Trevanion and sister of Sir Hugh Trevanion.[31]
The son of Reginald Mohun and Jone Trevanion was SirWilliam Mohun(c.1540 – 1588) of Hall and Boconnoc, aMember of Parliament.[32]By his first wife Elizabeth Horsey, the daughter of SirJohn Horsey(d. 1564), MP, he had two sons and one daughter, of whom the eldest son and heir wasJohn Mohun, 1st Baron Mohun of Okehampton(1595–1641) who was elevated to thepeerageby King Charles I asBaron Mohun of Okehampton,[33]in recognition of his ancestor having inheritedOkehampton Castleas his share of the Courtenay inheritance.
The widow ofCharles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun(c.1675-1712) sold Boconnoc toThomas Pitt(1653-1726).
Pitt[edit]The "Pitt Diamond", 40% of the proceeds of which were used byThomas Pittto purchase the Boconnoc estate after 1717Boconnoc House, east front, re-built in 1721 by Thomas Pitt, President of Madras, and expanded in 1772 by his great-grandson Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford
Thomas Pitt(1653-1726) ofBlandford St Maryin Dorset, wasPresident of Madrasin India and six times a Member of Parliament. He was the grandfather ofWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham("Pitt the Elder"), the father ofWilliam Pitt the Younger, both prime ministers of Great Britain. Thomas Pitt was a wealthy trader who had made a fortune in India, where he acquired for the sum of £20,400 a large and valuable diamond, known as the "Pitt Diamond" (now the "Regent Diamond"). Having sold it in 1717 to the FrenchRegent,Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, for £135,000, he was able to purchase the Boconnoc estate for £54,000.[34]The "Regent Diamond" is today on display in theLouvreMuseum and is valued at about £60 million. He also used his great wealth to acquire political influence which he did by purchasing therotten boroughsofOld Sarumin Wiltshire, where he had the power to nominate both MPs, andOkehamptonin Devon, where he had the power to nominate one. He also acquired considerable influence in at least twoCornishboroughs, namelyCamelfordandGrampound. Many of his family entered Parliament representing these family boroughs. After his death in 1726 the estate passed to his sonRobert Pitt(1680-1727), MP, who died one year later in 1727, when the estate descended to his sonThomas Pitt(c.1705-1761), Lord Warden of the Stannaries, the elder brother of William Pitt the Elder, the prime minister.
Obelisk erected at Boconnoc in 1771 byThomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelfordin memory of his uncle and benefactor SirRichard Lyttelton(d.1770). Situated 1 km to N-E of the house
In 1731Thomas Pitt(c.1705-1761) of Boconnoc married Christiana Lyttelton, a daughter ofSir Thomas Lyttelton, 4th Baronet, MP, of Hagley in Worcestershire and a sister ofGeorge Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton. His only surviving son wasThomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford(1737-1793), of Boconnoc, who developed the china clay mine on the Boconnoc estate, and in 1772 added a south wing to Boconnoc House in the form of a picture gallery (demolished 1971).[35]He died in Italy, but his body was brought home and buried within Boconnoc Church, next to the house.[36]A monument survives near the house, in the form of a tall graniteobelisk, in memory of the antiquary SirRichard Lyttelton(d.1770), the uncle of the 1st Baron Camelford, who bequeathed him much of his fortune.[37]Inscribed:[37]
In gratitude and affection to the memory of Sir Richard Lyttelton and to perpetuate that peculiar character of benevolence which rendered him the delight of his own age and worthy of the veneration of posterity MDCCLXXI
Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford(1775–1804), the son of the 1st Baron, was killed in a duel in 1804, when his heir to Boconnoc became his only sisterAnne Pitt(1772-1864) (Lady Grenville), the wife ofWilliam Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville,Prime Ministerfrom 1806 to 1807. Her heir was her nephew George Matthew Fortescue (1791-1877).[38]
Fortescue[edit]
Boconnoc House and estate[edit]
Boconnoc House (Grade II* listed[44]) was built in the 18th century by two members of the Pitt family: one wing was built c. 1721 byThomas Pitt, Governor of Madras, and the other in 1772 byThomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford. The two wings formed an L-shape and the grounds are finely landscaped: on a hill behind the house is an obelisk in memory of Sir Richard Lyttelton (1771). During the 19th century the estate passed into the ownership of the Fortescues who made some alterations to the structure in 1883: there are some more recent additions and the south wing was demolished in 1971.
The parish church is behind the house and fairly small: its dedication is unknown. It contains an interesting 15th-century font and a monument to Penelope Mohun, 1637.[45]The modern tower has five sides in the lower part and eight in the upper. Features of interest include a musicians' gallery, the altar table made by Sir Reginald (Raynold) Mohun, 1621, the Jacobean pulpit, and a monument to Penelope Mohun (d.1637) the wife of William Drew.[46]
The estate, surrounding theRiver Lerryn, contains a deer park, lake,agricultural landand woodland. Parts of the estate are designated asBoconnoc ParkImportant Plant AreaandBoconnoc Park & WoodsSite of Special Scientific Interest, noted for itsbiologicalcharacteristics.[47][48]
The estate includes the largest landscapeddeer parkin Cornwall, the home of the Boconnoc Cricket Club.[49]In 1993 the estate was used as a location for the filmThe Three Musketeers.[50][51]
Trecangate[edit]Sign marking site of Trecangate Chapel
Between 1820 and 1954 a Methodist chapel stood in the hamlet of Trecangate, in the parish of Boconnoc. It was built usingcob walls; a sign marking its position was erected in 2009.[52]
Cornish wrestling[edit]
Cornish wrestlingtournaments, for prizes, were held in Boconnoc in the 1700s.[53]
Wildlife and ecology[edit]
Old-growth,sessile oak(Quercus petraea), growing in ravines and slopes in parts of the ancient deer park at Boconnoc House, contain an internationally important assemblage of lichens, making it one of the most important sites in Europe. The site is also considered to be the best ″old-growth, southern-oceanic oak woodland″ in thesouth-west.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]
This article needs additional citations for verification .Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
St Winnow
St Winnow Parish Church St WinnowSt Winnow churchyard
Respryn Bridge over the River Fowey St Winnow (Cornish:Sen Gwynnek[2]) is acivil parishinCornwall, England, United Kingdom. Its name may be connected with either that ofSaint WinnocorSaint Winwaloe. It has a population of 304,[3]which had increased to 328 at the 2011 census.[4]Thechurch townis on the east bank of theRiver Foweysouth ofLostwithiel. Part of the village ofLerrynlies within the parish as does the Chapel of St Nectan.
TheRedlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor, a Site of Special Scientific
St Winnow was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as San Winnuc . In 1644-45, some ninety people from the parish died of the plague: only four were soldiers but a campaign of the Civil War was going on at the time.Andrew Langdon (1996) records three stone crosses in the parish. A cross found at Higher Coombe in 1903 was afterwards erected at St Nectan's chapel. A cross from Lanlivery was made into the upper section of "The Monument" on Druids Hill. It was brought from Lanlivery in 1846; this monument commemorates the loss of life in the Battle of Braddock Down in 1643 . A third cross called Waterlake Cross stands in a private garden near Respryn . The third cross had already been recorded by Arthur G. Langdon in 1896; at Waterlake, a hamlet near Bodmin Road station, there is a Cornish cross.[6]Churches and chapels . This is of Norman foundation but the present building is almost entirely of the 15th century. The rood screen survives and there is some interesting stained glass.The church is at the riverside, next to a quay at the limit of navigation of theRiver Fowey. It is probably on the site of the
7th century oratory of St Winnoc.
A stone church was built in the 12th century, probably cruciform in plan, and there are traces of the Norman stonework on the north side. The transept arch was reconstructed in the 13th century. About 1465 the south wall was demolished and the south aisle, arcade and roofs built. The chancel wasrestoredby J. H. Seddon in the 19th century, retaining the 16th century east window. The west tower is of standard Cornish Perpendicular style. There is stained glass of c. 1500 in the east windows of the chancel and S aisle. The 16th century rood screen, carved with leaves and flowers, was restored by Violet Pinwell in 1907 (byEdmund H. Seddingaccording to Pevsner). The loft, rood and some of the south aisle screen were newly made in the restoration. The granite font, carved with angels bearing shields, is 14th century. The pulpit is of c.1600 and richly carved. There are also carved bench ends of various dates from 1485 to 1630. The monuments include one in slate to William Sawle, d. 1651.A burial plot with Celtic-style headstones for theVivian familyoccupies the north-west corner of the churchyard.Chapels[edit]The chapel of St Nectan is of the 13th and 15th centuries but the north aisle was added in 1825. The tower has lost its upper stages due to the Civil War (1644).
[7]The medieval parish was larger and included Boconnoc and St Bradoc : the chapels of St Nectan and St Martin's at Respryn were quasi-parochial.
The 14th century font from Respryn was reused at Herodsfoot.
where the saints go marching in
H IS T O R Y
OF
TEMPLE CHURCH,
NEAR BODMIN,
CORNWALL.
BUILT BY THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR.
BY
J . R . B R O W N
.Rector o f Hclland with Temple
(now Rector o f Lyons, Net ton Ic Hole, Durham).
W ith Illu s tra tio n s by tlic R ev. W . I a g o , C h a p la in o f th e A sy lu m , B odiuiiw
FOU RTH ED IT IO N .—P R IC E S IX P E N C E .
1905.
P . K , SA C M , P R I N T E I l, P L Y M O U T H .
[IoRC(IJORd
Used by locals regularly for worship and prayer, visited by
hundreds every year, surrounded by rolling moorland,
Temple Church is a special place.
A s you will discover from this little book, reprinted from an
original of rhe late C 19 , lem ple has an interesting history,
n collaboration, rhe Rev. J.R . Brown (Rector of I lelland &
Temple) and the Rev. W.Jago ,Chaplain of the Asylum , Bodminproduced the original book to mark the restoration
of the church.
It is now more than a hundred years since that restoration
and these days it is as much a place o| pilgrimage as it was
in the days of rhe Templars. It represents both |or locals and
visirors a point in their spiritual journey. Every month a
service is held in the late afremoon, alw ays m o p.m. C M 'I
(4 30 p.m. B ST !). Every day the church is visired if not by
humans then by bats, birds and sometimes sheep, if the
gate is inadvertently left open. The door is never locked.
Temple is a living church, part of the little settlement of Temple. It was a larger place at one time, now it has 26 souls. We who live nearby love our church and love people
to visit. We arc proud of our living church surrounded by a " living churchyard ", an attempt to preserve flora and fauna native ro the moors.
There is simplicity abour the church in its moorland setting,
a reminder of the simple origins of Christianity. Especially
at Christm asride many have testified to rediscovering this
simplicity. Journeying ro rhis remote comer of Bodmin Moor, finding a candlelit place, hearing the .singing of carols, one indeed feels that one is entering rhe Christmas
Stable for the first time.
You are, of course, welcome to visit any time 14 hour opening, 365 days of che year! A nd animals are welcome. Our average attendance or worship is about 10 humans, 1 dogs
and a cat !
So make sure you come and visit rhis special place and we would love to see you at one our services.
November 1002
D E R E K C A R R I V I C K
Priest-iu Charge, Temple
PREFACE.
( X / N issuing a reprint of the History of Temple Church,
it has been thought advisable that the present Vicar
(X.” should w rite a few words by way of preface, continuing th e H istory to th e presen t tim e.
On th e resignation of th e Rev. J. K. Brown in 1890,
Temple w as taken over by his successor, the Rev. K. G. Hutt,
but only for a short period, when it was transferred to the
Rev. C. OLIVE, C urate in charge of Warleggan, rill th e year
1893, when the Rev. E. VERNON Coi.IJNS, Rector of Rlislanri,
undertook the duties for the space of tw o years. At the end
of that tim e, it was again transferred to Warleggan, and the
Incumbency was accepted by th e Rev. C. E. Lambert, who
held it till his death in January. 1901.
Mr. L a m k k k t ’s death, which took place un d er sad circum stances, will ev er be associated w ith Temple. A fter
officiating at Evensong on Sunday, January 13th, 1901, M r
Lambert started to walk home toWarleggan.When he had proceeded only a short distance, he was overcome by some
sudden seizure, and fell dead. Although only about half-amilc from the Church, h e was, w hen he died, on an unfrequented path and hidden from the view of the neighbouring
houses; and th u s his body remained for three days undiscovered. It is worthy of note that during the whole of that tim e, his dog, an Irish terrier, rem ained by his dead m aster.
Mr. Lambert w as buried in Tem ple C hurchyard, and his
grave is marked by a granite Cross.
Since then th e parish of Temple has passed with th e parish
of Bolventor; and the w riter of this preface has now served
it for over four years.
PREFACE.
The last event of interest connected with the parish is
the presentation, by Dr. T. G. Vawdrey, a native of the
County, of a stained-glass Window for the Tower. This
completes the windows of the Tower. too of them representSt. Catherine, and a Knight Templar, respectively ; and the subject of the third, agreed upon by Dr. Vawdrey and the Vicak . is "Luke, the beloved Physician,” the choice
of this subject being prompted by the tradition that the
Knights Templar had a Chapel dedicated to St. LUKE, in the
neighbouring parish of Bolventor.
The ancient stones, some having formed part of the old
Church and others haring been monuments in the Graveyard,
are now placed against the Churchyard wall, opposite the
South Porch; and amongst them will be found much to interest the archaeologist.
In closing this preface, the VICAR must mention that it is
largely through the kind help of Dr. T. G. VAWDREY that this
reprint has become possible, and that the money arising from
its sale will be devoted to the maintenance of the Church.
June. 1905.
J. H. DICKINSON.
Vicar o f Temple
tom jilar.
C
HE Knights Templar were a religious military
Order, founded at Jerusalem in the year 1118.
This Order, the first military one in the world,
was formed on the instigation of Hugh de
Pagans and Godfrey de St Homer, who, with several
other pious and noble men, offered their services to
Baldwin King of Jerusalem, to defend all persons,
pilgrims and strangers, travelling thither to the Holy
Sepulchre, from robbery and violence.
Their vows were chastity, obedience, and poverty,
and at firsi. these were strictly carried out. They professed 1 . 0 observe the rules of St. Augustine, and were
so poor that they represented themselves as having
only one horse to carry two or three knights, and their
seal was “two men on one horse." Baldwin bestowed
on them an apartment in his Palace, adjacent to the
holy Temple; hence they were called “Knights Templar." Afterwards, the Canons of the Temple gave
them a piece of ground on which to build; and the
King, Inrds, and Prelates gave them moneys out of
their own revenues. Their rules now stated that they
were to guard the highway against robbers, to hear the
Holy Office every day, or, if prevented so doing by
their military duties, to say a certain number of Paternosters instead. They were to abstain from flesh four
days a week, and on Friday from eggs and milk meats.
Each knight should have three horses and one esquire, but should neither hunt nor fowl.
The dress prescribed for them byPope Honorious, who confirmed their
Order, was plain white, to which Eugenius 111. added
a red Cross on the breast.
In a short time, they increased to 300 knights, besides a considerable number of brethren. They seem
THE M IG H T S TEMPIAR. II
to have gained very early settlements in England, a$
in other kingdoms, l.heir Churches being in every case
exempted from the jurisdiction of Prelates not of their
Order; as proved by the Church at Temple, which
anciently was never visited by the Bishop of the
Diocese or his subordinate officials. It is said that in
the course of years the gallant knights established preceptories in desert and uncultivated places, with the
view of introducing inhabitants, or of civilizing the
few scattered over the wilderness. Whether this was
the case at Temple, or whether it was as local tradition states -originally a resting place for bands of
Crusaders, we cannot tell now.
In the year 1218, the Order of Knights Templar was confirmed at the Council of Troyes, and subject to a rule of discipline drawn up by St Bernard.
In every
nation (for they soon spread all over Europe) the Orderhad a particular Governor, called "Master of the
Temple." Their Grand Master had his residence in
Paris. As time went on, the vow of poverty became a
thing of the past. The Order accumulated vast riches,
ami the knights became men of military renown.
The part they took in the wars of the Crusades is
well known, and great numbers of them fell fighting
for the cause. Nineteen years after the Crusades the
whole Order was suppressed through the machinations
of the vindictive Philip IV. of France, the enemy of
the Church, through whose instrumentality, in 1307, a
series of charges was brought against, the Knights by
two members of their Order, who had been degraded
for their crimes and who were then in prison for their
offences Thp Knights were accused of having sold
Crusaders in the Holy War into the hands of the Turks,
of sacrificing human beings to an idol they worshipped,
of spitting upon the Cross of Christ, of worshipping a
cat, or a wooden head crowned with gold, and of un
natural crimes. Doubtless among many of them rices
had multiplied: many were proud, haughty and
vicious; arrogance, luxury, and cruelty existed. Rut
12 THE M IG H T S TEMPLAR.
the real cause of their ruin lay in the foul act. of Philip
the Fair, King of France, who coveted their rich lands,
and of Pope Clement V., who had long sojourned in
France and wished to do a favour to the King, their
great wealth was the real cause. As a quaint old historian says, “The King could not get the honey without he burnt the bees.” It was also partly the result
of hatred against their Grand Master at Paris, who had
offended Philip in several matters; and also in the
action taken by the Order in his quarrel with Pope
Boniface VIII. In this the Knights Templar had taken
the Pope’s side against the King, and had furnished
him with money to carry on the war. Philip asked the
Pope that all the lands of the Knights Templar in
France might be forfeited “by reason of their horrible
heresies and licentious lives,” and all put in prison and
their lands given to bis youngest son. But he was
terribly disappointed, for the Council of Vienne ordered
all their lands to be given to the Knights Hospitaler.
The cruel order was carried out: the whole body was
suppressed, the Knights were cast into prison, they
were put on the rack, they were burned at the stake.
They solemnly avowed their innocence while languishing under the severest tortures, and even with their
dying breath denied the crimes with which they were
charged. But nothing saved them. A Knight Tern
plar burned at Bordeaux, on his way to the stake, saw
the Pope and the King looking secretly from a window,
and loudly denounced them for their treachery and
cruelty. Edward II. of England was reluctantly
drawn into the persecution, and in 1308 an inquisition
was made of all the possessions of the fraternity in
England, both in lands and goods. The result of this
inquisition is preserved in what are called the Templars’ Rolls (2 & 3 Edward II.) in the Public Record
Office. These Rolls enter into very minute details,
showing even the number of poultry on each estate.
Though the Kings both of France and England
seized all the property of the Knights and kept the
movable goods, it was found they could not retain the
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR.
landed possessions of the Order, which in England and
France were transferred to the Knights of St. John of
Jerusalem, or Hospitalers. Great, difficulties were
found, however, in getting possession. In many oases
the lords of the fees had seized the estates, and it. was
only by process of law they could be recovered; and
even as late as 1338 some of the most valuable of the
Templars’ manors had not been surrendered.
Before the last mentioned dale, they possessed the
preceptory and manor of Trehighe in Cornwall, as appears from an extent, of their lands preserved in the
Public Library' at Malta.The manors of Trehighe
and Temple seem from this time to have gone together.
We find when the Order of Knights Hospitaler was
suppressed, their lands were transferred to the King
(Henry VIII.). Then we have an interesting lease by
Edward VI. Philip and Mary, however, upon consultation with Cardinal Pole, decided to restore the Order
of Knights Hospitaler, and did so; but Queen Eliza
both again dissolved them and seized all their lands.
After several interesting changes in ownership, which
arc detailed in Sir John Maclean's admirable work on Trigg Minor (to which this pamphlet, is largely indebted) the manors of Trebighe and Temple passed
into the Wrey family.
Since 1632, Temple Church, once the resting-place arid home of the ancient Knights Templar, the warriors
of the Crusades, has been in the gift and has pertairied to the baronetcy of the Wrey family.
Rivers and navigable creeks, p. 36. Tamar, Lynher, p. 38. Tide, or Tidi, p. 40. Seaton, ib.
Loo, or Eaft-Loo, ibid. ProfpoCt of Loo Bridge," ib. Duloo, or Weft Loo river, p. 41. fawy, ib.
Fal, 42, and it’s harbour. Hel, or Heyl river in Kerricr, p. 43. Lo or Low river in Kerrier, p 44.
A1
Heyl in Penwith, ibid. Ganal creek, p. 45. River Alan, al Lamel, ibid. Wade navigable rivers in
may be made notbeneficial, p. 47. Subject: to obftrudtions, p. 49.
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