The Parochial History of Cornwall/Volume 1/Botusfleming

by Davies Gilbert

BOTUSFLEMING.

HALS.

Is situate in the hundred of East, and hath upon the north, Pillaton; south, Salt-Ash, and part of St. Stephen's; east, Landulph; west, Landrake. For the first name, it signifies "Flemings' Parish;" for bio, bleau, pleu, in Cornish, is of that signification (viz. a parish); for the second name, it signifies "Flemings," making amends, or supplying defects (see Verstegan on the word Bote), and seems from the name to be a church founded or endowed by some gentlemen of that name, in order for the commutation of penance for sins committed, and to pray for the founder's soul, his ancestors, and relatives; by which expedients most religious houses and churches heretofore were built. Originally these Flemings came from Stoke Fleming in Devon, so called, for that once a nobleman of Flanders resided there, and was lord thereof: one of whose posterity, tempore Richard I. in this place, held by the tenure of knight's service seven knights' fees, by the name of Stephen Flandrensis (Carew's Survey of Cornwall, p.48), who probably was the founder of this church, still bearing his name. His son Richard Flandrensis was sheriff of Cornwall three years, from the third to the sixth year of King John's reign. Finally, the estate, name, and blood of those Flemings, tempore Henry IV. ended in a daughter and heir, which was married to John Coplestone, of Coplestone, in the county of Devon.

This district of Bote-Fleming, at the time of the Norman Conquest, was rated under the name of Pillaton, still contiguous therewith. But at the time of the inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester into the value of benefices in Cornwall 1294, in order to the Pope's annats, Ecclesia de Bote-fflemmen in Decanatu de Est Wellshire, was rated iiis. iiiid. In Wolsey's Inquisition, 1521, £16. 15s.; and the parish rated to the 4s. per pound Land Tax 1696, £103. 14s.

Mutten-ham, id est, the Mutton dwelling or habitation, alias Mott-an-harn, the meeting or court dwelling, in the year 1689 was the dwelling of my kind friend John Waddon, Esq. (a justice of peace and deputy-governor of Pendennis Castle for King James, under John Earl of Bath); in which house and place his lordship first treated with the Prince of Orange's Commissioners, in order to render into his possession the castles of Pendennis and Plymouth, which soon after was performed, on condition of the Earl's holding his former dominion as governor of those places under him; whereupon he caused the Prince's declarations to be first proclaimed or published in those garrisons amongst the soldiers; who received and heard the same with great joy, shouts, and acclamations, to the utter destruction of King James's jurisdiction and power in Cornwall and Devon, and establishing that prince's.

At this time were dispersed those rhymes, said to be made by father Peters:

"Henricus Octavus
Sold the land that God gave us;
But Jacobus Secundus
Shall refund us."

The dispersion of which two papers, made all possessors of church lands and impropriators, together with all rectors and vicars of churches in Cornwall (except Mr. Beauford of Lantegles, and Mr. Polwhele of Newland,) to renounce their allegiance to King James, and to take an oath of fealty to the Prince of Orange, after his accession to the crown of England.

TONKIN.

I shall take leave to add this interpretation of the words making up the name of this parish. Bote signifies help, succour, aid, or advantage; as in Bridgebote, Burgbote, Ploughbote, &c.; and Fleming, from its ancient lords the Flemings, which family was heretofore of good esteem in this county. In the times of Richard I. and of Henry III., the Flemings are recorded as having large possessions in Cornwall.

THE EDITOR.

The following very extraordinary occurrence has taken place with respect to the estate of Hatt in this parish.

A brother of the last Mr. William Symons went through his clerkship as an attorney with Mr. Rashleigh at St. Austell. He there formed an attachment to a respectable young woman, but in a situation of life so much inferior to his own as to excite a violent opposition against this marriage on the part of his friends. In consequence Mr. Symonds suddenly disappeared; no trace could be discovered, nor was any information received about him, either by his relations or by the deserted object of his affection.

The elder brother died unmarried, and his sisters or their families took possession of his property; till, about forty years after Mr. Symonds had left Cornwall, a young man claimed the whole as his eldest son, and finally substantiated his claim by the verdict of a jury, and to the entire satisfaction of a full court. His father had disappeared about the year 1780; he had employed himself in various humble, but not disreputable occupations, married, and finally settled in Liverpool, where he was accidentally drowned. His family then first acquired, from inspecting his papers, any knowledge of Cornwall, or of the stock from whence they were derived; they found his articles of clerkship, with various letters and documents, which placed his identity beyond all doubt, and the son now possesses the manor house, with a fair private gentleman's estate.

This parish contains 995 statute acres.

The Annual value of the Real Property, as returned to Parliament in 1815	£. 1887	s. 0	d. 0
The Poor Rate in 1831	223	3	0

Population, $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$

in 1801, 210

in 1811, 237

in 1821, 297

in 1831, 279.

Increase on a hundred in 30 years 32.86, or nearly 33 per cent.

Present Rector, Rev. William Spry, instituted 1826.

This parish is said by Doctor Boase not to be favourable for geological pursuits, the rocks being generally covered with a fertile soil; they belong, however, to the calcareous species.