CORNWALL ferry here at a very carl)' period, and probably the old Romanised trackway from Exeter struck across the water at this point. Saltash came immediately under the patronage of the Earls of Cornwall ; even its ferry rights belonged to these lords. The town was incorporated in the reign of Henry IIL, and enfranchised in that of Edward VL ; it can number Lord Clarendon and the poet Waller among its parliamentary representatives. In the Civil War it was the scene of a keen fight between the Cornish Royalists and Ruthven, Governor of Plymouth, and Saltash was regained for the king — only to fall later, when the Parliament became every- where triumphant. The older part of the town has still a strong savour of mediaevalism about it, and its houses run down the hill to the water in true sixteenth century fashion. The mother church is St. Stephen's, about a mile distant, placed on a hill commanding a noble view; this church has a register dating from i 545, a fine tower of 100 ft., and an early Norm. font. But the old chapel of the Guildhall was pro- moted to be Saltash Parish Church in 1875. In this there are portions that may be early Norm. or even Saxon ; but the church's great treasure is its massive silver chalice, over a foot high, exquisitely wrought, of the time of Henry VH. At the spacious mother church may be seen the parish stocks ; here also was discovered a leaden coffin, supposed to contain the remains of Orgar, father of Elfrida. Four different stones, granite, slate, clvan and polyphant, go to the making of 228
