THE

PAROCHIAL HISTORY

OF

CORNWALL,

FOUNDED ON THE MANUSCRIPT HISTORIES

OF

MR. HALS AND MR. TONKIN;

WITH ADDITIONS AND VARIOUS APPENDICES,

BY

DAVIES GILBERT,

SOMETIME PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY,
F.A.S. F.R.S.E. M.R.I.A. &c. &c.

AND D.C.L. BY DIPLOMA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

IN FOUR VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY J. B. NICHOLS AND SON;

AND SOLD BY

J. LIDDELL, BODMIN; J. LAKE, FALMOUTH; 0: MATTHEWS, HELSTON ;
MESSRS. BRAY AND ROWE, LAUNCESTON ; T. VIGURS, PENZANCE;
MRS. HEARD, TRURO; W. H. ROBERTS, EXETER; J. B. ROWE, PLY-
MOUTH; AND ALL OTHER BOOKSELLERS IN CORNWALL AND DEVON.

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

HISTORY

OF THE

PARISHES OF CORNWALL.

FALMOUTH, ALIAS VAL-MOUTH, ALIAS
VALE-MOUTH.

HALS.

Is situate in the hundred of Kerryer, and hath upon the north Budock; east, the haven or harbour of Falmouth; south, the Black Rock and Pendennis Castle; west, Budock, and the British Channel. For the name, it is taken from the Vale river's mouth, which here empties itself into the British Ocean. And the river itself takes its name from its original fountain in Roach, under Haynes-burrow, called Pen-ta-Vale, Fenton, or Venton; that is to say, the head or chief, good or consecrated, spring or well of water, or river Valley, from thence called the Vale river. This place, in Cornish, is called Val-genow, or Fal-genne; in Saxon, Val-mune; in English, Vale-mouth, synonymous therewith.

This harbour of Falmouth, as mariners tell us, is in all respects the largest and safest haven for ships that this Island of Britain affordeth. Its mouth or entrance from the British Ocean, between the Castles of St. Mawes and Pendennis, situate in St. Anthony and Falmouth parishes, is about a mile and a half distant, the centre or middle thereof above a league, from the said mouth or entrance up the Vale river, by the Rock Island aforesaid, to Carike Road, King's Road, and Turner's Wear, south-east about two leagues from thence, still on the Vale river, a