Ertach Kernow - Historic families tell Egloshayle’s story
Egloshayle a village giving its name to the parish lying along part of the River Camel. The village has an Anglicised Cornish name Eglos meaning church and hayle derived from the Kernewek heyl or estuary. Although not mentioned in Domesday itself the village has an early beginning and first mentioned in records around 1160 as Eglosheil with various spelling alterations over the following centuries.
The authorities running Cornish settlements often have a somewhat complex history, hence the use of the more historic ecclesiastical parishes when sharing local history. The ancient ecclesiastical parish of Egloshayle adjoined that of St Breock, the River Camel being the border between the two. Changes in population within settlements saw the creation of administrative civil parishes. The growth of Wadebridge being a case in point. Administrative issues created by the growth of Wadebridge within two separate parishes saw St Breock and Egloshayle evolving. Later Wadebridge Town Council carved itself a civil parish from these two historic parishes and covering a community on both banks of the River Camel.
Settlement along the shores of the Camel has taken place since prehistoric times which can only be expected from a wide sheltered river valley. Much evidence still remains around smaller hamlets and villages where people have lived for thousands of years. At the small hamlet of Bodieve there are Iron Age field systems. Kelly Farm is recorded as a medieval settlement in 1260 with an Iron Age trackway field boundary thought to have been associated with the nearby Killibury hillfort. Within the lands forming part of the Pencarrow estate lie other ancient sites with many crosses and monuments scattered throughout the parish.
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Within the parish of Egloshayle were at least ten manors many existing today as smaller farm settlements. Some existed at the time of Domesday although not the main village of Egloshayle. In 1086 Burneire was within the largest forty percent of recorded settlements in Domesday with twenty-six households. These households, containing many family members were recorded as eight occupied by villagers, twelve by smallholders and six by slaves. Domesday recorded that approximately ten percent of people were classified as slaves as slavery was prominent under the Anglo-Saxons. The Normans introduced laws, supported by the church, that saw the gradual decline in slavery. Burneire had a value of two pounds with 163 domesticated farm animals including 150 sheep. Unlike many Cornish manors this was not one tenanted directly by Robert of Mortain, earl of Cornwall but by Richard Fitz Turold. Richard was obviously a powerful man with some sixty-three manors throughout Cornwall alone. In time this family would evolve into the Cardinan dynasty and the feudal barony of Cardinham.
The later history of Egloshayle from medieval times is in reality the histories of a number of wealthy landed families who owned, occupied and rented manors and estates throughout the parish. During recent centuries the parish became dominated by the Molesworth and Molesworth St Aubyn family originally establishing themselves here since the 16th century. The family seat at Pencarrow was bought by John Molesworth a lawyer with the family prospering and marrying well-endowed heiresses. The fourth baronet Sir John Molesworth began the rebuilding of Pencarrow house in 1760, which was completed by his son. The following centuries saw the Molesworth family continued to acquire land as earlier landed families became extinct or married into their family. Through marriage and descent the family acquired the additional St Aubyn name through the 12th baronet. Today Pencarrow House is still owned by the Molesworth St Aubyn family and open to the public. A wonderful example of Palladian architecture and sumptuously furnished it’s well worth a visit.
One cannot write about Egloshayle without mentioning its historic church and of course especially one of its vicars Thomas Lovibond. It was he who was responsible for the construction of the first bridge across the River Camel. This is the bridge which exists today which replaced the dangerous ford that crossed the river until 1476. As with many river crossings there were chapels to pray for and give thanks for a safe crossing ‘St Michael's Chapel’ at the southwest side and `King's Chapel' on northeast bank. The bridge spanned the river between these two buildings. The original bridge was a seventeen span medieval masterpiece of which only twelve can now be seen. The others still remain and are included within the Grade II* listing but are covered by roads or as part of cellars in 19th and 20th century buildings. Changes to such a busy river crossing are inevitable and it was widened in 1853 and in 1963 with further work in 1994. Fortunately for this historically important bridge crossing, the town was bypassed in 1993 relieving it somewhat of much modern-day traffic.
The Church of St Petroc in Egloshayle is a Grade I listed building. Originally named after Helie one of the children of Brechan a Welsh king, of which many it is said came to Cornwall. By 1572 it had been rededicated to St Petroc one of Cornwall’s three patron saints. The land was owned by the church until the Norman conquest and a church was built or rebuilt in the 12th century. It was reacquired by Bishop Bronescombe of Exeter for the Canons of Crediton in 1272. Some little evidence remains of the original Norman church but much rebuilding was carried out during the 15th century. Historical architect Edmund H Sedding provides quite an extensive piece on this fine church telling us that the western tower was built about 1370. However tradition has it that this was built around 1477 by the vicar John LovIbond who also built the bridge. The tower is 82 feet high and up to the late 19th century had five bells, four dating from 1756. Three more were added in 1907, the tower now having has a peal of eight bells. There was restoration work carried out in 1867 by J P St Aubyn but this it appears was not as extensive as some other Cornish churches. There is a Norman font, an earlier Saxon font is now located at the nearby St Conan’s church at Washaway. There are many memorials throughout the church perhaps fewer than during the 19th century where books record quite extensive numbers to historic families. Overall St Petroc’s is very well regarded by architectural historians.
The small but notable church building of St Conan’s in the hamlet of Washaway is on the edge of Egloshayle parish. Built in 1883 to a design by Edward White Benson Bishop of Truro and then Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883. The Grade II listed building is home to what may be oldest Saxon fonts in Britain and discovered at the rectory garden at Lanteglos-by-Camelford and then moved to its current church location. There is also a 16th century wooden pulpit with carvings of biblical characters and scenes imported from Germany. This pulpit is reputedly one that Martin Luther, a seminal figures of the Protestant Reformation, preached from. Although closed to the public appointments can be made to view St Conan’s.
The Peverel family were an early Egloshayle family with their seat at the manor of Park. Over time this small manor has also been owned by the Earl of Hungerford, Molesworth family and others. Park’s early claim to fame was for entertaining William Courtenay Archbishop of Canterbury by Thomas Peverel in 1384. Thomas’ wife Margaret de Courtenay was the niece of the archbishop and it was she who owned Pencarrow and other land. The medieval mansion was later replaced or became a farmhouse and later extended during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Within the rear wing is evidence of a tower and Sedding suggests this may have formed a gateway to a quadrangle with curtain walls as seen at the much later constructed Lanhydrock. Edmund H Sedding also contended that a separate barn was an early chapel to the house and although there is little evidence many medieval houses had chapels as seen elsewhere in Cornwall. Hypothetically the archbishop had perhaps come to visit his niece and her family and to dedicate their chapel. Given the connections and the wealth of the Peverel family this was evidently an important place although little now exists to show this. Many 18th century features remain helping maintain the historic nature of the building. This Grade II listed historic farmhouse is now a delightful bed and breakfast establishment with large mature gardens and lovely rooms.
I must now confess an interest in Egloshayle. Some forty years ago, I had the pleasure of working in Wadebridge at what was then Midland Bank, later HSBC. In those day single male bank employees often lodged in the town where they worked. I lived in the house of Miss Kathleen Hicks a really dear old soul in Fernleigh Road. From time to time with colleagues I would visit Egloshayle. On one occasion a visit to the Earl St Vincent pub saw the police arrive as they had received information that there were some suspicious individuals there. To our surprise it turned out to be us! Fortunately they knew our boss at the bank David Sharp, a really excellent chap, and after quaffing our beer we thought to quickly move on.
My other connection was discovered many years later in that the church was where one of my great great grandmothers was baptised. Her father at the time was a tenant farmer, the family living at Park farmhouse. I’ve enjoyed visiting the church several times, perhaps soon the B&B at Park Farmhouse.
Heritage Column
Heritage in the News online links:
https://cornwall-landscape.org/project/natural-beauty-the-beast/
