The Parochial History of Cornwall/Volume 1/Constantine
CONSTANTINE.
HALS.
Is situate in the hundred of Kerrier, and hath upon the north, part of Stithians; west, Gwendron; south, Hayleford channel and Mawnan; east, Mabe and Budock. It is also commonly Cus-ten-ton, i. e. wood-stone town, a place heretofore notable for woods and stones, and I take it an unpleasant strag of moor-stones and rocks are still visible upon a great part of the lands here. Perhaps it is the Crostedeton mentioned in the Domesday Roll. Otherwise it was taxed under Trewardevi or Penwarne. The name Constantine is derived from the Latin Constantia.
In the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, 1294, Ecclesia de Sancto Constantino, was valued to first fruits 10l. Vicar ejusdem 4Ol in Decanatu de Kerryer. In Wolsey's Inquisition, 1521, Constantine Vic. was taxed to first fruits 19l. 8s. 1012d. The patronage in the Dean and Chapter of Exeter; the incumbent Perry; the rectory in Robert Quarme of Creed; and the parish rated to the 4s. per pound Land Tax, 1696, 168l. 16s. 8d. by the old name of Constenton. The titular guardian of this church, St. Constantine, Emperor of Rome, was the first emperor in the world that professed Christianity. He was the son of Constantius Chlorus Emperor of Rome; first an officer of war under the Emperor Aurelian, against Coill or Coillus, King or Duke of Colchester in Britain, (called by some writers Caer-Collyn, Caer-Col-lyn, i.e. the city or castle on the neck of the lake, or bosom of waters, it being situate on the confluence of the Medway river), which Coil, having refused to pay the tribute due to the Senate of Rome, caused that province to revolt; but Constantius forced him into a submission, when soon after he died; and Constantius is said to have married his only daughter and heir Helen, by whom he had all her father's lands and territories, Anno Dom. 289. By her he had issue Constantine, who followed the wars in his father's time against Maxentius; and lying on his bed, before a battle, a dream or vision appeared to him in shape of an angel, holding in his hand a shining red cross, and calling to him with a loud voice "Constantine! Εν τουτψ νικα, in hoc signo vinces, i.e. under this sign or banner thou shalt have victory." Whereupon he commanded a red cross to be pourtrayed in all his banners, called the labanum, and soon after gave battle to Maxentius at Pont Milvium, in Italy, where his [the latter's] army was routed, and himself drowned in that river. The success of which battle so wrought upon Constantine that he forthwith turned Christian, and was baptized by Pope Silvester, Bishop of Rome.
In this parish, at Tre-warde-vi, as taxed in Domesday Roll, (i.e. the shining or flying guard town, or the indignation, or wrath guard town,) is the dwelling of John Trewren, Esq. i.e. the wren's town, who married Vyvyan of Trelowarren; his father Rice; and giveth for his arms, Azure, three Besants. The present possessor Trewren, Esq. that married Prisk of Helston.
In this parish is the dwelling of Edward Chapman, Gent. that married Bligh of Botadon.
This gentleman received from God's holy angels a wonderful preservation in the beginning of the reign of William III. when returning from Redruth towards his own house about seven miles distant, with his servant, late at night, and both much intoxicated with liquor, (as himself told me,) nevertheless having so much sense left as to consider that they were to pass through several tin mines or shafts near the highway, on the south-east side of Redruth town, alighted both from their horses, and led them in their hands after them. The servant went somewhat before his master, the better to keep the right road in those places, which occasioned Mr. Chapman's turning aside somewhat out of the way, whereby in the dark he suddenly fell into a tin mine above twenty fathom deep, at whose fall into this precipice his horse started back and escaped; in this pit or hole Mr. Chapman fell directly down fifteen fathoms without let or intermission, where meeting a cross drift (above six fathom of water under it), he in his campaign coat, sword, and boots, was miraculously stopped, where coming to himself, he was not much sensible of any hurt or bruises he had received, through the terror and horror of his fall; when, considering in what condition he was, he resolved to make the best expedient he could to prevent his falling further down, (where, by the dropping or reesing of stones and earth moved by his fall, he understood there was much water under,) so he rested his back against one side of the mine, and his feet against the other, athwart the hole, and in order to fix his hands on some solid thing, drew his sword out of its sheath and thrust the blade thereof as far as he could into the opposite part of the shaft, and so in great pain and terror rested himself.
The suddenness of this accident, and the horse's escaping in the dark as aforesaid, was the reason why Mr. Chapman's servant, who went before him, did not so soon find him wanting as otherwise he might, which as soon as he did, he went back the road way in quest of him, calling him aloud by his name; but receiving no answer, nor being able to find the horse, he concluded his master had rode home to his house some other way, whereupon, giving up all further search after him, he hastened home to Constantine, expecting to have met him there; but, contrary to his expectations, found he was not returned. Whereupon his servants, early next morning, went forth to inquire after him, and suspecting (as it happened) he might be fallen into some tin-shafts about Redruth, hastened thither, where, before they arrived, some tinners had taken into custody his horse (with bridle and saddle on) which they found grazing on the Wastrell Downs. Whereupon, consulting together about this tragical mishap, it was resolved forthwith that some of those tinners, for reward, should search the most dangerous shafts in order to find his body either living or dead; accordingly they employed themselves that day till about four o'clock in the afternoon without any discovery of him. Finally, one person returned to his company, and told them that at a considerable distance he heard a kind of human voice under ground; to which place they repaired, and making loud cries to the hole of the shaft, he forthwith answered them that he was there alive, and prayed their assistance in order to deliver him from that tremendous place; whereupon, immediately they set on tackle-ropes and windlass on the old shaft, so that a tinner descended to the place where he rested, and having candle-light with him bound him fast in a rope, and so drew him safely to land, where, to their great admiration and joy, it appeared he had neither broke any bone, or was much bruised by the fall; verifying together the attribute of Divine Omnipotence that nothing is impossible with God, and that old English proverb, that drunkards seldom take hurt; for, as the tinners said, if he had fallen but two or three feet lower, he must inevitably have been drowned in the water. But maugre all those adverse accidents, after about seventeen hours stay in the pit aforesaid, he miraculously escaped death and lived many years after, and would recount this history with as much pleasure as men do the ballads of Chevy Chase or Rosamond Clifford.
In this parish is the dwelling of James Trefusis, Gent, that married Worth; his father Penarth, originally descended from Trefusis of Trefusis in Mylor, as I am informed.
Moreover, it must be remembered in this place, of St. Constantine, that he was the first prince that ever endowed Christian churches beyond the seas witn standing rents, lands, and revenues, and also gave to the church the tenth part of all lands and goods he possessed himself, whereupon the clergy claimed tithes therein by a law. And such officers or publicans as gathered it were called Decumani, (as Appian saith); for before that time tithes were only taken by the Senate of Rome and Emperor for the supply of the legions and armies in time of war, and not otherwise. Afterwards, Constantine made a law that all princes under his dominion should give the tenth part of their revenues towards the maintenance of churches and temples, as himself had done.
From this law and example Ethelwulf, the second sole Saxon monarch in England, Anno Dom. 838, in the year 855 (as Ingulphus, Abbat of Croyland, in his history of Britain, 1066, informs us), by royal charter confirmed the tithes of all his lands on the church in those vords: "Decimam partem terræ meæ," &c.; and this was done (gratuito consensu) by consent of his princes and prelates. This donation afterwards was confirmed by King Ethelred. "Nemo auferat à Deo quod ad Deum pertinet, et præcessores nostri concesserunt," &c. Afterward King Athelstan made a law, Anno Dom. 926, that every man should pay tithes out of all the goods he possessed, as Jacob did; which Edmund Ironside confirmed under penalty of being accursed, 1016. Afterwards King Edward the Confessor, 1046, ordained more expressly that all tithes should be justly paid to the elder or mother churches, viz. de garba, grege equarum, pullis, vaccis, vitulis, caseo, lacte, vellis, porcellis, apibus, bosco, prato, aquis, molendinis, parcis, vivariis, piscariis, virgultis, hortis, negotionibus, et omnibus rebus, quas dederit Dominus, &c.; which decree or statute was afterwards ratified by William the Conqueror and his successors. (See more of Tithes under Keye.)
TONKIN.
Tonkin adds nothing to Mr. Hals in respect to this parish except the following short account of the manor of Merthyr or Merther. Mr. Tonkin cites from Carew, (p. 128 of Lord Dunstanville's edition,) "Rogerus de Carminou ten. 20 part. feo. milit. extra 10 part, illius 20 in Wynnenton, Merthyr, et Tamerton." This Sir Roger de Carminow, for he was a knight, left this manor inter alia to his eldest son and heir Sir Thomas Carminow, of Carminow, Knight, who, leaving only three daughters his heirs, this manor fell to the share of Philippa, the wife of John Treworthen.
THE EDITOR.
Merther is now the property of Sir Richard Vyvyan, and has been for a considerable time in his family.
The family of Trewren of Trewardreva, is now I believe extinct; the name is usually pronounced Trew-ren, and certainly has not the etymology which Mr. Hals imputes to it.
Carwithenick in this parish was the seat of Mr. Chapman, preserved almost by a miracle according to Mr. Hals's account, received from himself, when he fell into a shaft, see page 238. It now belongs to Mr. Hill.
Chapels are said to have been erected formerly at Benalleck and Buderkvam.
This parish measures 6883 statute acres.
| Annual value of the Real Property, as returned to Parliament in 1815 | £. 6503 |
s. 0 |
d. 0 |
| Poor Rates in 1831 | 712 | 1 | 0 |
| Population, | in 1801, 1229 |
in 1811, 1327 |
in 1821, 1671 |
in 1831, 2004. |
giving an increase of 63 per cent. in 30 years.
Parish feast, the nearest Sunday to the 9th of March.
Present Vicar, the Rev. Edward Rogers, presented by the Dean and Chapter of Exeter in 1817.
GEOLOGY, BY DR. BOASE.
The church is situated on the borders of the granite, which extends to the extreme northern part of the parish, and is for the most part of that common kind which is shipped at Penryn for the London market. Proceeding southward from the church town this granite is bounded by a belt of rocks belonging to the porphyritic series, such as the felspar and hornblend rocks; but in the vicinity of the Helford river these are succeeded by the calcareous series.