The Parochial History of Cornwall/Volume 1/Cardinham
CARDINHAM.
HALS.
Cardinham is situate in the hundred of West, and hath upon the north Blisland, Temple, and part of Altarnun; south, Bradock and Warleggan; west, Bodmin. For the name, it is compounded of those particles, car-din-harn, id est, the rock-man's-home or habitation; also car-clyn-an, i.e. the rock man, or a man that dwells upon, or has his residence amongst rocks, or in a rocky country, with which sort of inanimate creatures the north part of this parish aboundeth. It takes its denomination from the manor and barton of old Cardinham; as from thence did its lord and owner Robert de Cardinan, temp. Richard I., the same gentleman mentioned in Mr. Carew's "Survey of Cornwall," that by the tenure of knight-service held in those parts seventy-one knight's fees; which undoubtedly then was the greatest estate pertaining to any private man in this province. He was not only the founder and endower of the Alien Priory of St. Andrew at Tywardreth, (of which more in that place,) but also of this rectory church. By the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester into the value of benefices in Cornwall, as aforesaid, 1294, Ecclesia de Cardinan in Decanatu de Westwellshire, was rated 6l. 8s. 4d. In Wolsey's Inquisition, 1521, and Valor Beneficiorum, 24l. 17s. 6d., by the name of the Rectory of Cardenham, synonymous with Cardinham. The patronage in the Lord Dynham's heir, Arundell, and others; the incumbent, Waddon; this parish was taxed to the 4s. per pound Land Tax, 1696, temp. William III., 16ll. 8s.
And here it must be observed, that there was no such parish or church extant at the time of the Norman conquest as Cardinham; for in the Domesday Rate, 1087, 20 William I., this division passed then under the districts of Cabulian, Dovenot, and Glin, (see the Domesday Catalogue); but after the building and endowing of this church, Glin was converted into Cardinhain parish, and Cabulian into Warliggon; under which name and title they have hitherto passed, as members thereof. I find it much controverted amongst antiquaries and historians, whether the Dynhams, that afterwards became possessed of this manor and barton, were the descendants of this Robert de Cardinan, or not; some averring one thing and some another; but certain I am they were possessed thereof as his heirs and assigns; but whether denominated from thence, or the local places of Dynham in St. Menvor, or Dinham-bridge in St. Kew, I know not. Nevertheless, contrary to both those conjectures, Mr. Camden tells us that those Dinhams were a French tribe that came into England with William the Conqueror; particularly one Oliver de Dinant, one of whose sons, viz. Galfrid de Dinham, temp. Henry II. was a great augmenter of the Abbey of Hartland; and changed the secular priests founded there by Githa, wife of Earl Godwin, into Black Canons Augustine. See Monasticon Anglicanum, in Devon.
One Oliver de Dinant, or Dinham, was by writ of summons called to Parliament as a Baron, 24 Edward I. who had issue Josce, who had issue John, who had issue John, who had issue John, who had issue John; who were all knighted; which last John had issue, by Sir Richard Arche's heir, John Dinham, of Old Cardenham, Esq., sheriff of Devon, 39 Henry VI., 1460, who then resided at his barton of Nutwell, in Woodberry parish, eight miles from Exeter, who at that time made use of his authority in promoting the safety of the Duke of York's friends, viz. the Earls of March, Salisbury, and Warwick, and others, then attainted of treason by Act of Parliament, who, in order to the preservation of their lives, fled into Devonshire, where they were concealed by the said John Dinham at Nutwell aforesaid, till he had opportunities from Exmouth to convey them to Guernsey, from whence they were transported to Calais, which place they secured for the Duke of York. But as soon as King Henry and the Parliament understood thereof, immediately the Duke of Somerset was dispatched with a commission to be governor of that place; who no sooner approached the harbour of Calais with his ships, but those fugitive lords ordered the train of artillery at Rysbank (there) immediately to be fired upon the Duke of Somerset and his companions, as they were coming on shore, which so obstructed their design that they were forced, with some damage and loss, to return to their ships, weigh anchor, spread sails, and bear off for the English coast, and dropped anchor safely at Sandwich in Kent; from whence King Henry and Queen Margaret had some notice from the Duke of Somerset of the affront offered his Majesty and him at Calais, whereupon the King ordered his navy royal, as soon as possible, to be in readiness to attend and assist him, in order to reduce Calais to his obedience.
But, alas! maugre those contrivance, the said John Dynham, before the King's navy could be provided and got together, out of affection to the Duke of York, the Earl of March and his confederates, like a daring, valiant, courageous, and invincible hero, as he was, with a small company of armed men, boarded the Earl of Somerset's ships in the harbour of Sandwich, and therein took the Lord Rivers, designed for his admiral against Calais, and by a strong hand carried him and all his ships thither; and then, with the same ships, conveyed the Earl of March and his friends from Calais to the Duke of York his father, then fled into Ireland.
After the restoration of the House of York to the crown, in the person of Edward IV. we find this John Dynham was knighted. In the 6th Edward IV. he was by writ summoned to Parliament as a Baron thereof, by the name of John Dinham, Baron Dinham, of Cardinham. In the 9th Edward IV. he obtained a grant of the custody of the forest of Dartmoor, the manor and borough of Lidford, and the manor of South Teign in Devon, during his life, under the yearly rent of 100 marks, and 6s. 8d.; and soon after he got a grant of the office of steward of the honours, castles, manors, and boroughs of Plympton, Oakhampton, Tiverton, Sampford Courtney, and some others, and was made Knight of the Garter; and in the first year of Henry VII., 1485, he was by letters patent created Baron Dinham, of Cardinham; afterwards he was made Lord High Treasurer of England, which office he held fifteen years, and died 17 Henry VII. aged seventy-two years. He left issue Charles Dinham, Esq. his son and heir, sheriff of Devon, 16 Edward IV., 1476, that married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Lord Fitzwalter, who died without issue; by reason whereof his four sisters became his heirs, and were married, Jane, to Baron Zouch, of Totness; Joan, to Lord Arundell, of Lanherne, knight; Margaret, to Nicholas Baron Carew, of Molesford, in Berkshire; and Elizabeth, to Foulk Bourchier, of Tavistock, Lord Fitzwarren. The arms of Dinham were, in a field Gules, three fusils in fess Argent, within a border Ermine; but Nicholas Upton, in his manuscript of heraldry, 1440, written before the invention of printing, tells us, Monsieur Oliver de Dinham port de Goules un fess engrelle de Ermine, un bordure endentee Argent.
The Lady Elizabeth Dinham, widow of the Lord Fitzwarren aforesaid, after his death, was married to Thomas Shapcott, of Elton, in Huntingdonshire, Esq., where, at her own proper cost and charge, she erected a private chapel to the honour of Almighty God, of that curious and costly workmanship, both in walls, roof, and window, that it is worthy the admiration of all beholders, and parallel to, if not superior, to any other church or chapel of its bigness in England. See Camden in Huntingdonshire.
Nicholas Baron Carew aforesaid, together with his lady, were buried in Westminster Abbey, amongst the kings and queens of England, as appears from a grey marble tomb-stone, with a brass inscription round it, containing, as I remember, these words.
Orate pro animabus Nicolai Baronis quondam de Carew, et Dominæ Margaretæ uxoris ejus, filiæ Johannis Domini Dinham, Militis; qui quidem Nicholaus obiit sexto die mensis Decembris, anno Dom. 1470; et predicta Domina Margareta obiit die mensis Decembris, anno 1471. Of this famous family Mr. Carew, in his "Survey of Cornwall," hath only these words: "formerly at Cardinham lived the Lord Dinham."
Glin, Glynn, in this parish, is a name taken and given from the ancient natural circumstances of the place, where lakes, pools, and rivers of water abound, and groves of trees, or copps, flourish and grow; derived from the Japhetical Greek λιμνη, [limnee] lacus; under which name, and devyock, or deynock district, part of the now parish of Cardinham, was taxed 20 William I., 1087. From which place was denominated an ancient family of gentlemen surnamed De Glynn, who for many generations flourished there in worshipful degree, till about the time of Henry VII., when the sole daughter and heir of this family was married to Carmynow of Resprin, or Polmaugan, whose heir being married to Courtney, brought this barton of Glynn into that family; by some of whose posterity it was sold to a younger branch of this family of Glynn, who thereby was restated therein, and so became possessed thereof; from whom was lineally descended Nicholas Glynn, Esq. Member of Parliament for Bodmin, temp. Charles II., who married one of the coheirs of Dennis, of Orleigh, in Devon, as did Sir Thomas Hamson, Knt., of Buckinghamshire, the other; who had issue Denny Glynn, Esq. that married two wives, Foow of Tiverton, and Hoblyn of Bodman; who had issue William Glynn, Esq., that married Prideaux of Padstow, and giveth for his arms, in a field Argent, a chevron between three salmon-spears Sable; alluding to their custom, privilege, or right of hunting or fishing for salmons in the Fowey river, passing through this barton or lordship of Glynn towards the sea. Mr. Carew, in his Survey of Cornwall, tells us this place is called Glynford, by reason of a bridge or pass over the Fowey River there; for ford in British signifies a street, road, pass, or highway over waters; but the authority of Domesday Roll aforesaid, which calls it Glin, plainly shows that this latter appellation, ford, was added to this word Glynn after the bridge aforesaid was erected, and not otherwise to be applied. Nicholas Glynn, of Glyn-ford, Esq. was sheriff of Cornwall 18 James I.
Devynock, as aforesaid, was another district now in this parish, taxed in Domesday Roll, now in possession of Hann, Gent.
TONKIN.
Mr. Tonkin has not any thing of the least curiosity that differs from Hals. He ends indeed by saying, that "nothing can be more ridiculous than Mr. Hals's derivation of the name of this parish."
THE EDITOR.
It is much to be wished that some one learned in the Celtic language, perhaps a native of Britany, would investigate the derivations of all the names of places, of hills, and of rivers, after visiting their localities.
Car, in composition, is probably the same as cairn or kairn a rock, and din is a fortress; but these do not seem likely to take up the Saxon termination ham, an house or dwelling.
Glynn has not, in all probability, any connection with the Saxon words gline or glen. A word of very similar sound in one of the Celtic dialects denominates a spear, and this agrees with the family arms, which are Argent, the heads of three fishing-spears or tridents, with their points downwards, two and one, Sable. A new house was built at Glynn by Mr. Edmund John Glynn, son of Serjeant Glynn, distinguished in the political dissensions of Mr. Wilkes. The house was accidentally consumed by fire before the whole interior had been completed. The walls, however, were not much injured, and the building will probably be restored. It is now the property of the Right Hon. Gen. Sir Hussey Vivian.
Serjeant Glynn succeeded to his elder brother's son, a young man said to be possessed of considerable abilities and even learning, but of such singular and eccentric habits, that he remained for years without speaking a single word, communicating his thoughts by writing. A verdict of lunacy was at last obtained against him at the Cornwall Assizes, but much to the general dissatisfaction of the country, as interested motives were readily imputable to the uncle; and his mother felt so strongly on the subject, that being heiress of an ancient family, Nicholls of Trewane in St. Kew, she devised nearly the whole of her possessions, in honour of her son's name, to Mr. Glynn of Heliton; probably of the same stock, but very distantly related.
This parish measures 7750 statute acres.
| Annual value of the Real Property, as returned to Parliament in 1815 | £. 3029 |
s. 0 |
d. 0 |
| Poor Rates in 1831 | 429 | 17 | 0 |
| Population, | in 1801, 552 |
in 1811, 662 |
in 1821, 775 |
in 1831, 728; |
an increase of 32 per cent. or nearly one-third in 30 years.
GEOLOGY, BY DOCTOR BOASE.
A continuation of the granite of Blisland and St. Breward forms the north-eastern corner of this parish. A belt then succeeds, which appears to be of the same kind as the micaceous slate of St. Breward already described; it may be traced along the side of the Leskeard road in a disintegrated state. On leaving this road and proceeding towards the church, the rock becomes more argillaceous, as round Bodmin, and the land improves in quality. The western and southern parts of the parish consist of barren downs, reposing on rocks which abound in quartz.