TRADITIONS AND HEARTHSIDE STORIES OF WEST CORNWALL.

by

WILLIAM BOTTRELL.

"Legends that once were told or sung In many a smoky fireside nook." LONGFELLOW.

With Illustrations by Mr. Joseph Blight.

SECOND SERIES.

Penzance: Printed, for the Author, by Beare and Son. 1873. (Right of Translation reserved.)

"Of strange tradition many a mystic trace, Legend and vision, prophecy and sign." SCOTT.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Duffy and the Devil (an old Christmas Play) 1

Celtic Monuments of Boleigh and Rosemodrass 27

The last Cardews of Boskenna and the story of Nelly Wearne 36

The Witch of Buryan Church-town 59

Madam Noy and the Witch 63

A Queen's visit to Baranhuel 67

The Small People's Cow (a fairy tale) 73

Tom of Chyannor, the tin-streamer (a West Country droll) 77

The Fairy Dwelling on Selena Moor 94

The I'an's House of Treen 103

Castle Treen and its Legends 130

Traditions of Parcurnow 140

Legends of St. Levan 145

A Legend of Pargwarra 149

An' Pee Tregeer's trip to market on Hallan Eve (a fairy tale) 154

An Overseer and a Parish Clerk of St. Just, sixty years ago 169

The Fairy Master, or Bob o' the Carn 173

A Tinner's fireside stories.--

The Knockers of Ballowal 185

Old Songs and Nicknames 193

The Changeling of Brea-Vean (fairy tale) 199

Betty Stoggs's Baby (fairy tale) 205

How a Morvah man bought clothes for his wife 207

How a Zennor man choked himself, but had his will in his pocket 210

The Smugglers of Penrose 212

Tregagle at Gwenvor Cove 224

West Country Superstitions.--

Table of contents (by pages)

• 1: Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall
• 2: Stories and traditions of penwith
• 3: And told the company what characters the actors represented
• 4: Please to take it that we are in Buryan Church town
• 5: Go thee ways with the old bucca
• 6: Duffy didn't wait till dark night on Saturday
• 7: To exchange greetings with other gentry of Buryan
• 8: HUEY Near enough I bla believe
• 9: Huey is seen peeping from the oven
• 10: And take the old Squire silks
• 11: She kept the Bucca boo to his work
• 12: Duffy drew about a gallon of beer
• 13: In winter they assemble in the Fuggo Hole
• 14: Now Duffy hadn't been upstairs for all that day
• 15: Now arn't 'e my lord Beelzebub
• 16: Buryan people mayn't be so ignorant as you think them
• 17: Duffy had little chance to see her
• 18: Opening her door for Duffy to depart
• 19: And other ancient gentry of Buryan
• 20: Old mistress boasted much of her spinning
• 21: Who have entered by the Fuggo to dance to his music
• 22: Which is said to extend from the mansion to Pendeen Cove
• 23: The wife of Geoffry de Bolleit
• 24: And one may be seen lying prostrate in Escols lane
• 25: Came to be regarded as garrac zans or holy stones
• 26: The Gorsedd of Boscawen Damnonium
• 27: Known by the name of garrac zans
• 28: Yet hear what our Cornish poetess
• 29: The Paynters resided here for some generations
• 30: Nor all the old women in Burian
• 31: Who was soon at rest in Burian churchyard
• 32: Yet was he come of the gentle blood of the Breas of Brea
• 33: Brea took her on towards Boskenna
• 34: And walked from that place to Burian
• 35: Been found floating near Lamorna Cove
• 36: An Betty one day said to Nelly
• 37: The way in which these ointments
• 38: Expecting still to find some of the Cardews there
• 39: Took possession of the Red Rover which
• 40: Were on Newlyn beach by break of day
• 41: Whose powerful and proud relatives constrained Carn
• 42: The Buccaneer and smuggler Carn became sworn friends
• 43: That rocks and carns were seen as plainly as at noon day
• 44: At the moment the skewer pierced her effigy
• 45: I'll drive her to Penzance and sell her for less than I gave
• 46: The sort of your coppies I'd like best
• 47: A noted old droll teller and clock cleaner of Sancreed
• 48: The same applies to apparently headless coach drivers
• 49: Buryan bells were set a ringing
• 50: Before old Joan had ceased exclaiming
• 51: Her ladies from pewter tankards and flagons
• 52: And that's the last seen of her in Buryan
• 53: His milkmaid having gone to games held at Penberth
• 54: Wash her udder in brine or sea water
• 55: And the next Buryan fair came round
• 56: Rested some time near Godolphin stepping stones
• 57: And keep your pennyworth of wit
• 58: Whilst I make thee a cake and hoggan
• 59: Where the Treen merchants lodged
• 60: And ravishers had misused me I fainted
• 61: Getting from her and approaching the screen
• 62: You Treen men go about your business
• 63: Bundles of clothes and the merchants' wallets
• 64: I am longing to get home quickly and see my wife and cheeld
• 65: When rigged in your boots and buff
• 66: And come of an honest 'havage' enow
• 67: Jan would tell these idle cacklers
• 68: Noy from the time he left the inn
• 69: Noy in this place so near home
• 70: And she had been buried in Buryan Churchyard as such
• 71: Who desired her to bring him a tankard of cider too
• 72: Noy for a moment with a melancholy expression
• 73: Noy strayed into the small people's habitation
• 74: West of the road which passes through Treen
• 75: With a company of reckless young men
• 76: She didn't care anything for Willy Taskes
• 77: And one on either side of Taskes
• 78: Came to visit Beaton without delay
• 79: It shall never be called Beatrice for me
• 80: But An' Joan was rather startled when
• 81: Beaton remarked as if delighted
• 82: Beaton started on her sad pilgrimage
• 83: And proceed to Buryan Church town
• 84: Treen being a noted place for good weavers
• 85: With other things that Beaton prized
• 86: As they often met at Penberth and elsewhere
• 87: His ship approached land off Penberth
• 88: Till a blast of cold air smote his face
• 89: The reverend exorcists entered it
• 90: Owned a Castle in Treen and much land in that neighbourhood
• 91: And his conveyance remained in Treen
• 92: Richard Edmonds remarks that Treryn Castle
• 93: Old traditions say that the headlands of Castle Treen
• 94: Particularly those of Treen and bordering places
• 95: He used to say to his Treen neighbours
• 96: The giantess with her distaff and spindle
• 97: To dose in his chair of afternoons had not some Treen women
• 98: Assisted by his wife An' aunt Venna
• 99: When becalmed near Pedn y vounder cliff
• 100: She sails without a rag of sail
• 101: But Martin then cared little for house or land
• 102: Martin called this man Jose or mate
• 103: Jose and his favourite dog embarked
• 104: Levan road passed by a small enclosure in Rospeltha
• 105: Levan Churchyard is a cloven rock called St
• 106: And arrive at Pargwarra or Pargwartha Higher Cove
• 107: If he and Nancy were in the same mind
• 108: And saw many of them sporting on the water under Hella
• 109: Who came to a sad mishap one Hallan Eve
• 110: An' Pee having filled with brandy a bottle
• 111: And a pleasant journey home to Pendeen
• 112: An' Pee called out as loud as she could
• 113: And she heard Piskey squeak out
• 114: Or belike it might be their feasten market
• 115: Whilst An' Pee was considering
• 116: She caught a glimpse of Piskey
• 117: Got in on the grassy patches between the furze
• 118: Busy preparing the feasten fare
• 119: ' But when Piskey turned round
• 120: We all know ragged as Piskey es
• 121: Uncle Will told him of his mishap
• 122: Job never had such a splat of black petates in his life
• 123: Yet so old fashioned that other maidens
• 124: Though most of his acquaintance called him Bob o' the Carn
• 125: There's many such dwellings down this way
• 126: Eyeing Grace for all the world just like An' Prue
• 127: An' Prue always had it ready in time
• 128: And promised never to disobey him again
• 129: Prudence fearing for the consequences
• 130: And from what her master and old sour Prudence had given her
• 131: And in a few minutes she saw Carn Kenidjack
• 132: Just to look for a job and found work in Ballowal
• 133: They liked the Santusters fust rate
• 134: And not leave a didjan for Bucca
• 135: Which was put on the winze plat
• 136: Tom's wife was overjoyed when he went to minan again
• 137: A es truth what I do tell thee
• 138: Or if there were any old rhymes
• 139: Oarweed in panniers or on crooks
• 140: Belonging to the primitive community of Escols
• 141: And so far was he from discountenancing wrestling
• 142: Situated between Chapel Carn Brea and Bartine hills
• 143: Away she hastened over to Brea to help cut the neck
• 144: And get back thy own dear cheeld
• 145: To know anything about such creatures as spriggans
• 146: But the poor changeling of Brea was dead
• 147: Marked him for a high country tinner
• 148: So cut off as much as will make a sheft for yourself
• 149: I dragged the cheeld out of the milk
• 150: He made but two morsels of a quarter of a pound of beef
• 151: The Squire swam into Sennen Cove with his boy
• 152: Jan of Penrose never went to sea
• 153: Whilst a large company was assembled at Penrose
• 154: The wanderer's voice seemed familiar to the old steward
• 155: Looking out of the open casement
• 156: That the murderer was then in Plymouth
• 157: From that the pilgrim spoke of Penrose
• 158: Farther irritated by Jan Penrose
• 159: Now heir at law of the bartons of Penrose
• 160: There they doomed him to make a truss of sand
• 161: When the huntsman was a boy his parents lived in Nancledra
• 162: Around which there was a good turf fire
• 163: The slighted damsel of gwinear
• 164: His ship struck on the Gilstone
• 165: About eight miles from the Gilstone
• 166: Jackey ate them with some bread and butter
• 167: The Devil carried Jackey easy enough
• 168: We only left Penzance at one o'clock in the afternoon
• 169: Here's to the bridegroom and the bride
• 170: A short time since I visited an elderly dame of Madron
• 171: Or hung on a thorn that grew on the chapel wall
• 172: Persons crame nine times against the sun
• 173: Perish thou tetter and be thou gone
• 174: Newlyn buckas as strong as oak
• 175: Were evermore seen in Sennen Cove
• 176: As the coffin was borne towards the churchyard
• 177: A few years ago a smuggler of Breage gave false evidence
• 178: With having stolen the magic sword
• 179: As well as his constant attendant and foster brother Uter
• 180: The love drink was fetched without delay by Venna
• 181: Stood behind his master to hand him the tankard of ale
• 182: They saw it to be a drowning seaman quite exhausted
• 183: And at what the seaman told him
• 184: They would kidnap his son and Uter
• 185: Venna escaped to her aunt the witch of Fraddam
• 186: And Uter wedded her favourite damsel
• 187: The lady passed much time on deck playing on her harp
• 188: Where he was never approached except by his lady and Uter
• 189: She then took out half the furse
• 190: Where the Guary miracle used to be acted still exist
• 191: Of a performer in the Plan an guary
• 192: The relict of William de Trewoof
• 193: Thomas Levelis settled at Trewoof
• 194: So also was the late Thomas Vosper
• 195: Thereafter Olaf Tryggvesson sailed to England
• 196: Levan world as interested them
• 197: Pendeen is the house of most importance in this parish
• 198: Were the only dwellers in Vellan Dreath
• 199: That near the Men Scryfa in Madron
• 200: Danced around the Garrack Zans
• 201: That my informant called a hobbler
• 202: The surgeon gave him medicine for his wife
• 203: Dancers around the flames on a carn
• 204: Zennor folks tell the following story
• 205: Who understood most about mermaids
• 206: The dried up stalks of keggas
• 207: To set to work with good heart
• 208: Two gentlemen of Penzance walked over to Chysauster
• 209: Traditions of their incursions 127
• 210: 276 Garrack zans 77
• 211: Levan for fishing on a Sunday 148 Just
• 212: Just 268 Polkinghorne
• 213: Holy 128
• 214: His Imperial Highness Prince Louis Lucien
• 215: Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall
• 216: Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall
• 217: Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall
• 218: Candlelight read candlelighting
• 219: Represents a typographical dagger
• 220: Says that the fairy left this aulfe