Ertach Kernow - A historic market town, Callington’s beginnings
Callington is one of the towns and villages to the east of Cornwall that was home to my ancestors. One of my great grandfathers Thomas was born here in the 1850’s, where he and his siblings grew up and where his parents are buried. When visiting Callington and their place of rest I feel a warm connection to this historic market town, and still able to see where the family lived above a shop in the high street. It was through the connection of home and shop owners why Thomas moved to Newquay in the 1880’s to take up employment as a harness and saddle maker.
Thomas began his trade just as the use of horses and horse hauled vehicles as a part of everyday life was starting to draw to a close. Within his working lifetime motorised transport would mostly end his occupation, although he continued working well into his 70’s. Saddle and harness making was a typical trade which would have been found in most towns especially those where folk met to attend markets. These settlements usually began at a convenient location in the landscape, at a river crossing or along a well-known roadway or pathway between larger communities, maybe where they converged with other roads. Later once established the landowner may have apply for the rights to hold market or fair, a charter, which was financially beneficial to them. Some market towns grew up in the shelter of a castle, monastery or manor houses, a mutually beneficial arrangement for their occupiers and the market traders and towns people. These are known as ‘prescriptive market towns’ and although not officially sanctioned, if they had existed by 1199 were permitted market town status through custom and practice. Callington was granted its charter in 1267 by Henry III, probably at the behest of his brother Richard Earl of Cornwall, who was issuing his own charters.
As always click the images for larger view
Callington’s name in Kernewek is ‘Kelliwik’ and is one of those historic settlements mentioned in Domesday in 1086 as Calweton. The ‘ton’ ending to its name indicated that there was some Anglo-Saxon influence prior to the Norman Conquest, derived from tun meaning fenced area or enclosure in Old English. Domesday names King William as the Lord and Tenant-in-Chief in 1086 and Earl Harold in 1066, referring to the last Anglo-Saxon king and seemingly not recognising him as King Harold II of England. No wonder William wanted to retain control of Calweton, it was within the top twenty percent of valuable manors throughout Cornwall and England. It had 49 households, 24 villager, 14 smallholder and 11 slave families managing 30 ploughland (a ploughland was what a team of eight oxen could plough in one year). There were eighteen plough teams, including three owned by the lord, as well as pasture, woodland and livestock consisting of seven cattle and 180 sheep. All in all this was worth six pounds a year in 1086 equivalent to approaching three million pounds in economic terms today, so yes quite valuable.
Bronze and Iron Age occupation may have begun to the south-west of Callington where there is the ancient hillfort of Cadson Bury. This holds a commanding position above the River Lynher, the area would have been a prime spot during prehistoric times as a defensive location and close to water. A scheduled monument this is now owned by the National Trust and first mentioned during the 13th century and originally mapped by Thomas Martyn in 1748. It was described by Lysons in 1814 and can be seen on the earliest Ordnance Survey of this area around 1809. This is an univallate hillfort, just a single rampart and ditch, which encloses the summit of this very steep sided hill. It is oval in shape measuring approximately 900 feet by over 550 feet with two inward turned entrances along the longer sides east and west. Today parts of its ramparts are internally nearly seven feet high and the external ditch just 4 feet, no doubt these would have both been respectively higher and deeper during the time of our Iron Age forefathers. Although it has only one line of protection the high location with its steep slopes would have afforded Cadson Bury a great defensive position. To the south-east there are many other less well-known prehistoric sites and indications of early human activity.
Callington is one of those Cornish communities that fortunately values its heritage and a substantial amount of the older part of the town is within a conservation zone. There are a number of listed buildings, and one scheduled monument the Gothic lantern cross head in St Mary’s churchyard. Although the head has been damaged there can be seen on the west side a carving of a crucifixion; the south side a virgin and child; the east a dona praying; and the north side a bishop. Although not rare these crosses are far less well-known than other forms of crosses seen throughout Cornwall. Perhaps one of the reasons for a medieval settlement growing up here is the spring in Well Street known as the ‘Pipe Well’ or ‘Our Lady’s Well’. The granite building was rebuilt in 1816 as mentioned in the datestone and is said to be the water supply for the original Saxon settlement.
As with most communities it is the church around which many communities grow. The parish church of St Mary’s was not originally the mother church for Callington, just a chapel of ease to St Sampson’s Church at South Hill some three miles away. Documentation shows there has been a chapel here since at least 1384 and no doubt far earlier and this would have been of Norman construction although nothing of this now remains apart from the font. The current Grade I listed church was consecrated in 1438 when the Prior of St Germans applied for a Papal Bull to allow burials to take place at the church in Callington. There was some restoration work carried out prior to 1861 with further work by well-known church architects J P St. Aubyn in 1858 and J D Sedding in 1882. The tower and bells were burnt out in 1895, and restoration work carried out shortly afterwards and the six bells rehung. In 1973 the six bells were recast to make eight bells and rehung in 1975. The church contains interesting monuments by way of a brass monument to Nicholas Assheton a 15th century judge who is believed to have been instrumental in the rebuilding of the church, also the magnificent tomb of 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke who died in 1502.
Researchers and writers should always be thankful to those who recorded events and places in the past. In this case to Edward Kneebone who lived at Westcott in Linkinhorne parish during the 17th century. He wrote in 1684 in respect of Callington so; ‘an antient market, almost worn out, but of late years renewed by the care and diligence of Sir Samuel Rolle, lord of the towne, and grown to a great market and well frequented by the yarn trade, which is greatly driven there about, and the whole town in a thriving condition.’ The woollen trade lasted until 1820 when it had died out brought about by commons enclosures. The pannier market was originally built in 1832, and the building improved further in 1898. Originally the market had open sided stalls, which were subdivided individually by granite posts. The Pannier Market falls just inside the conservation zone which offers protection to much of Callington and preserving the towns historic nature. Animal markets continued in Callington extensively through the 19th and then gradually diminishing during the 20th centuries until 1965 when the cattle market closed after 700 years.
Politics in historic Cornish towns was always an issue. Like some twenty other towns, or perhaps by 1832 some of which would be better described as villages, Callington had been a borough town. A little late to the Tudor game of creating members of parliament, Elizabeth I empowered Callington to send two members in 1585. The parliamentary return for 1831 showed there were 225 voters, which was quite a substantial number compared to some of Cornwall’s other boroughs. There were those who managed to control the electorate in what were known as pocket boroughs and some family names cropped up as members of parliament again and again. Over the centuries for Callington these included the Carew, Rolles and Coryton families. The system where Cornwall had returned forty-two, or until 1821 forty-four, members came to an end with the Great Reform Act of 1832. This disenfranchised Callington along with many other small Cornish rotten and pocket boroughs. One long term remnant from the past is the honorary medieval post of Portreave given to the chair of Callington Town Council.
Space limits the amount of history which can be shared relating to the most historic of Cornish towns into one article. At some point we will need to revisit Callington to share other aspects of this town and districts history. It was lovely to be able to attend the Gorsedh Kernow Proclamation event earlier this year in Callington, on a beautiful sunny spring morning. I wish one and all who have worked hard to host the Esedhvos which starts on 31th August every success and look forward to visiting Callington again on 7th September for the Bardic Ceremony and enjoy some of the festivities.
