USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > Truro > Truro-Cape Cod; or, Land marks and sea marks > Part 11
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The following is the first record in the Town Clerk's book after the incorporation of the new town.
Pursuant to an order of ye General Court, the inhabitants of Truro were warned and met on the first day of August, 1709, and chose officers for said town for the remaining part of the present year. That is to say: for Town Clerk, John Snow; for Selectmen, Thomas Mulford, Jedediah Lumbert and John Snow; foi Constable, Benj. Small; and for tytheing man, Hezekiah Purington; for Town Treasurer, Constant Freeman; for fence viewers, Thomas Mulford, Thomas Lumbert and Beriah Smith; for Surveyers of Highways, Thomas Mulford and Joseph Young Sen.
At this meeting John Snow was elected town clerk in place of Thomas Paine who became the first representative to
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the General Court, and continued in other active service as long as he lived.
ORIGINAL ACT OF INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF TRURO.
PROVINCE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY, L. S. - An act for making Paw- met a District of Eastham, within the county of Barnstable, a township to be called Truroe.
Whereas, there is a certain tract of land known by the name of Pawmet, at present a District of Eastham, and under the constablerick of that town, consist- ing of about forty families, and daily increasing - the said land extending about fourteen miles in length from the Province lands at the extremity of Cape Cod reserved for the Fishery, and the lands of Eastham on the South, and run- ning northerly as far as the lands called the Purchaser's lands, extends over the harbor named the Eastern harbor; according to the known stated boundaries thereof -the breadth thereof running from sea to sea across the neck of land commonly called Cape Cod. And whereas the inhabitants of said district by their humble petition have set forth that they have built a convenient house to meet in for the public worship of God, and have for some time had a minister among them ; humbly praying that they may be made a township, and have such necessary officers within themselves, whereby they may be enabled to manage and carry on their civil and religious concerns and enjoy the like powers and privi- leges as other towns in this Province have and do by law enjoy. Be it therefore enacted, by his Excellency the Governor, Council and Representatives in Gen- eral Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the tract of land called Pawmet, described and bounded as before expressed, be and hereby is erected into a township and made a distinct and separate town, and shall be called by the name of Truroe, and that the inhabitants thereof, have use, exer- cise, and enjoy all the powers and privileges by law granted to townships within this Province ; and the constable of the said place, for the time being is hereby empowered and required to warn the inhabitants to assemble and meet together to choose selectmen and other town officers to manage and carry on their prudential affairs until the next anniversary time for election of town officers, and the said inhabitants are enjoined to assemble and attend the said work accordingly.
Provided, that the inhabitants of the said town do procure and settle a learned orthodox minister to dispense the word of God to them, within the space of three years next after the passing of this act or sooner. Provided also, that they pay their proportion to the present province tax, as it is apportioned among them respectively by the selectmen or assessors of Eastham.
Boston, July 16th, 1709. This bill having been read three several times in the House of Representatives, passed to be enacted.
JOHN CLARK. Speaker.
DISTRICT .- This Bill having been read three several times in Councils, passed to be enacted.
ISA ADDINGTON. Sec'y.
By his Excellency the Governor, I consent to the enacting of this Bill.
J. DUDI EY.
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This is the same Dudley to whom Doctor Cotton Mather addressed a remarkably plain and unqualified letter of which the following is an extract.
Boston, Jan'y 20., 1708.
SIR :- Your snare has been that thing, the hatred whereof is most expressly required of the ruler, namely, covetousness. The main channel of that covetous- ness has been the reign of bribery, which you, sir, have set up in the land, where it was hardly known till you brought it into fashion.
The Truro of our history was undoubtedly named by an Englishman, and for the old borough, the present city of Truro in Cornwall. By whom it was named we shall never know, but in the absence of evidence circumstances point more directly to Thomas Paine than any other person.
He was a prominent man, and his influence quite marked in all the interests of the town. His scholarly attainments were equal if not superior to any other of his associates ; and as has been noticed, he was the efficient clerk of the proprie tors, drew the petition to the General Court, and was the first representative under the new corporation. Many of the Truro family names belong to Cornwall, and it is quite reasonable that they still had friends and associations there. It may have been only a remarkable coincidence that I found in the Truro city directory of 1878 the names of Paine, Dyer, Rich, and Higgins. Few people born in Truro do not stand related to some of these families. With few exceptions, they cover the writer's direct ancestry, and were all among the first residents.
In most instances, the new towns in America were named by some citizen for their own, or a neighboring one in the Mother Country. We instance Boston, by Rev. John Cot- ton, Lynn, by Rev. Samuel Whitney. These eloquent and learned Puritan ministers, driven from their own flourishing parishes, and hounded through England by mercenary prop- agandists, clandestinely embarked for America; and the names they loved so well at home they gave to new homes in the wilderness, that to-day are known and honored wherever the white man has trod.
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The following from old Roger Conant is also to the point : "Secondly, I being the first that had house in Salem (and never had hand in naming that or any other home), and myself and those that are there with me being all from the western part of England, desire this western name of Budleigh, a market-town in Devonshire, and near unto the sea, as we are here in this place, and where myself were born." As the old Roger Conant of Truro, does not stand confessed, we must gather such other information as clusters around the ancient Cornwall city. The etymology of the name is produced from a list of curious varieties, as Tre-ru, i. e., town place on a declining land ; tre-vorou, the town on the ways; tre-uru or tre-uro, town or castle on the river ; and tru-ru, the three streets, or the town on the (Roman) road. All these renderings are not inaptly applied to the situation of Truro, though the last finds most favor. Truro is strictly a Cornish word, and like all Cornish language, has great variety of structure, but the same meaning. We learn from a Cornish rhyme, that -
By Tre, Ros, Pol, Lan, Caer, and Pen, You may know most Cornishmen.
Another to the same effect has been incorporated in an old Cornish verse : -
And shall they scorn Tre, Pol, and Pen? And shall Trelawney die ? But here's twenty thousand Cornish bold Will see the reason why
The city of Truro of which we present a remarkably correct picture, is in the county of Cornwall, three hundred and a quarter miles from London by the Great Western Railway, fifty-four miles from Plymouth, and thirty-five miles from Land's End. It is prettily located in a valley between the rivers or creeks Kenroyn and Allen, which unite and form the Truro River. It is delightfully sheltered by high hills, the railway passing near the head of the valley, on a viaduct
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ninety-two feet high, fairly overlooking the city. The popu- lation in 1871 was over eleven thousand. It is a place of considerable antiquity. The site of Truro Castle, belonging to Reginal, Earl of Truro, in the twelfth century, is shown, and is often alluded to by old historians. As early as 1130, the borough of Truro was incorporated by the name of mayo and burgesses. Its first charter obtained by Richard de Lucy, Chief Justice of England, a resident of Truro, dated from the middle of the twelfth century. From time immemorial Truro has been a tin centre. In the reign of King John, 1199, it was made a tin coinage town, which privilege it retained till 1838, when the system was abolished. Kings regulated tin and claimed one fifteenth of the whole as lord of the soil, which was called the "Lord's dish. " The port of Truro included Falmouth, about twelve miles distant, and the whole harbor. The mayor of Truro was Mayor of Falmouth as well. Its central position, and being on a tidal river capable of accommodating vessels of two hundred tons, has always made it a place of considerable importance.
After the lapse of several centuries, by letters patent in 1876, the Cornish See was revived, and Truro was selected as the site of the bishopric. The event was regarded of import- ance to the county of Cornwall, but more particularly to Truro. St. Mary's Parish Church was chosen as the cathe-
dral. The ceremony of the enthronement of the bishop, Edward W. Benson, D.D., was performed by the Lord Bishop of Exeter. The arms of the ancient See of St. German have been adopted by the Heralds College for the arms of the bishopric of Truro. St. Mary's Pro Cathedral was dedicated the Chapel of St. Mary, Chapelle S. Maria de Truru, September 28, 1259. In 1328 the high altar was dedicated. The present church building, with exception of the steeple, was completed about 1518. The steeple was finished in 1769. It is a pure specimen of the perpendicular of Henry the VIII.'s time, and one of the few Cornish churches richly ornamented. As the present edifice is very much decayed and regarded dangerous, it has recently been decided to build a splendid cathedral on the same site.
Từ
OLIVER DEL.
TRURO IN ENGLAND.
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Since writing the above, the old St. Mary's has been dis- placed by a large and costly cathedral now rising, which will be one of the finest churches erected in Europe during the present century. It is to cost £ 100,000, towards the pay- ment of which Lady Rolle has contributed £ 40,000. The corner-stone was laid with much ceremony, by the Prince of Wales, Master of Masons in England.
Since the publication of this book began, the bishop of Truro has been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. Arch- bishop Benson is a moderate High Churchman, and recog- nizes the strength of the Anglican wing. He is credited with having managed his new diocese with great energy and tact, and with being a popular administrator, which are important gifts for the great Primate of the English Church.
In his first charge as bishop of Truro, he bade his clergy remember joyfully the zealous labor of Wesley towards the close of the last century, that had so influenced the general tendency of religious thought. Canon Wilkinson has been appointed to succeed Bishop Benson as bishop of Truro.
In the old country a church, particularly a cathedral, is never finished. For hundreds of years the work goes on. Bells, and altars, and windows, and chapels, and mural paintings, and sculptures, and images, and tablets are added from time to time. The cathedral at Truro is no exception to this rule. The bells, the clock, the organ, the font of Caen stone, the windows of old stained glass, the pulpit, inlaid with scenes in the Saviour's life, the different figures in the chancel, each had its date and history. The panels were covered with inscriptions old and quaint, the niches filled with sculptures in alabaster, and monuments in marble, alabaster and slate, upright and recumbent.
On a brass band which encircles the oak communion table of 1625, is engraved in Greek, the fifty-fourth verse of the sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel. To the reading desk there used to be chained a black-letter copy of Bishop Jewell's sermon, preached before Queen Elizabeth, at St. Paul's Cross, London.
Considerable space is devoted to the Vivians, an ancient
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and important family of Truro, who are credited with being descended from a Roman general, and are well known in English history and society. Some of the finest seats in the vicinity are owned by this family. Viscount Vivian, father of the present Lord Vivian of Glynn, was a brave soldier. His history and virtues are set forth in sixty "lapidarian lines " on a mural tablet, which as a very good specimen of the English custom so different from our own, and because in the old Truro Cathedral, soon to pass away, I am tempted to present in this history :
In memory of Lt. Gen'l, the Rt. Hon'ble Richard Hussey, Baron Vivian of Glynn & Truro, Grand Cross of the Bath and of Hanover and Knight of the Austrian order Maria Theresa and of the Russian order of St. Wladimer. Born in this town July 28, 1775, (died in Baden Baden Aug. 20, 1842). He entered the army in July, 1793, and in 1795 and 1799 served as a Captain in the 28th Reg. in Flanders and Holland under H. R. H. the Duke of York. In 1799, as Capt. in the 7th Hussars, he served in the expe- dition to the Holder. In 1808, he, as Lt. Colon. of the 7th Hussars, commanded this Regt. in the expedition under Sir John Moore : In 1813 he again served in the Peninsula, with the army under command of Lord Wel- lington, as a colonel of the staff in command of a brigade of Cavalry, and in 1818 as a Major General he commanded a Regiment of cav- alry at the battle of Waterloo : he had the honor of being appointed one of the aquaries of his Majesty King George the fourth, and groom to the Bed- chamber to his Majesty King William the fourth : in 1831 he was named tc the command of the army in Ireland, and in 1835, he was brought from there, to fill the high office of master general of the ordinance; he was privy councillor both in England and in Ireland, and during the time he commanded in the latter country, he was seven times named one of
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the Lords Justices ; he sat in all the Parliaments with the exception of one only, from 1820 to 1841 (when he was raised to the Peerage), having been twice elected for Truro, twice for Winsor, and once for the eastern division of the County of Cornwall. His nobleness of char acter, his charity, benevolence and in- tegrity enthroned him, to all who knew him ; the widow and the orphan never appealed to him in vain; and the deserving soldier always found in him a friend. IIe died at Baden Ba- den on the 20th of August, 1842, re- joicing in the certain hope of a bless- ed resurrection to the everlasting life, confident of the Merits of his Lord and Saviour. At his own request his remains were placed in this Church, by the side of his beloved parents, and this monu- ment is erected by his widow and chil- dren, who mourn the loss of the best and most affectionate husband and father.
Among scores of other tablets and interesting history, 1 copied only that to "Owen Fitz-pen, alias Phippen, a great traveller, taken prisoner by the Turks in 1620. In 1627, with ten other Christian captives, he overthrew sixty-five Turks in their own ship, and carried the prize safe into Carthagena. Five of the Christians were slain. The King of Spain sent for him to Court, and offered him rank and favor if he would turn Papist, which he refused. He received the order of knight, and six thousand pounds, and returned to England."
Melcomb in Dorset was his place of birth : Aged 54, and here lies Earth in Earth.
In the wall of Truro market is a tablet which has occupied a like position in two former buildings, with this inscription :
Who seeks to find Eternal Treasvre, Mvst vse no gvile in Waight or Measvre. 1615.
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Truro is a place of great antiquity and the metropolis of Cornwall. It is described "as the largest, cleanest, best built, and best regulated town in the county, and one of Nature's most beautiful localities. Its principal streets are wide and granite paved, with streams of clean water flowing through the gutters. Its houses are mostly substantial stone fronts. Here all the modes of polished life are visible in genteel houses, elegant hospitality, fashionable apparel and courteous manners. What adds still more to the respecta- bility of the place, a taste for reading is pretty generally diffused throughout the neighborhood."
Truro has a valuable library founded by the late Bishop of Exeter, the Royal Institution of Cornwall, a museum with rare curiosities and antiquities, the County Library, the Royal Cornwall Histicultural Society, and many other institutions of charity and education. Richard and John Lander were born here. A fluted Doric column, with a gigantic statue by a Cornish sculptor, of Richard Lander, commemorates the African traveller and explorer of the Nile. This is also the birthplace of Henry Martin, the Oriental missionary, Dr. Wolcott, better known as " Peter Pindar," and Polwhele, the historian, a direct descendant of Edward the First.
When you visit Truro, put up at "The Red Lyon." On the impost of the doorway are the family arms, and " I. I. F., 1671. "-The Footes of Larrabesso. As you enjoy the good cheer of mine host, do not forget that in this house was born "Samuel Foote the alderman, alias the Alderman Samuel Foote, " the comedian and wit of whom we used to read in "The Columbian Orator," known as the English Aristoph- anes. Near by is St. Ives, of Adams' old arithmetic memory -
As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had seven cats, And every cat had seven kits. Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, How many were going to St. Ives ?
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Not far away is the celebrated rookery of Tragothian, whither come clouds of birds from Land's End. The rookery so graphically described in Bracebridge Hall, is nothing to Tragothian. Thomas Wilde Truro was born in London in 1782. He was appointed lord chancellor and raised to the peerage as Baron Truro in 1850. Died 1855.
Truro River, sometimes called the beautiful land-locked lake, has been compared by Queen Victoria, "a combination of grandeur and sylvan beauty to resemble both the Rhine and the Danube, something like the Tamar, but almost fincr, winding between banks entirely wooded with stinted oaks and full of numberless creeks. "
"Grongar Hill," by Dyer, an old English poet, is a fine description of the scenery on Truro River and vicinity. Trees crowd so near the steep banks as not to leave standing room. The river proper is about two miles long, opening into Falmouth Harbor, one of the most magnificent in the world, which Sir H. James pronounces as exactly the centre of the habitable portion of the earth's surface. The distance between Truro and Falmouth by water is about twelve miles. The pretty little steamer Resolute plies daily, making most delightful trips. One need not go far in England to see the grand homes of the Lords of the Isle.
On this bold brow, a lordly tower ; In that soft vale, a lady's bower ; On yonder meadow far away, The turrets of a cloister gray.
Among the many fine estates in the suburbs of Truro, that of Tragothian, belonging to Edward Boscawan, Sixth Viscount Falmouth, overlooking the river and bay to the channel, commands, perhaps, the best scenery in England. It embraces thousands of acres of forest, miles of well- kept parks and velvet lawns with wooded river banks. The old Church of Key now belongs to the grounds. The high tower and gate-houses, the great mansion with porches and turrets, tall chimneys and ivied walls, are unmistakable evidence of the inherited wealth and titles of an English
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nobleman. On an ancient brass in the Church of Key, is this inscription :
Here lieth John Trenowgth, squeyer, the which dep'td the xiii day of March, the yere of ourr lord god m.cccclxxxijx the yere of King hary the vij the viij on whose soul Ihn have mercy - amen Ind ' no co' fldo."
The city of Falmouth, from the river Fal, formerly Penny gwin quic (the head of the creek) is nicely nestled along the shore, with one main street, not unlike Provincetown. Being the same distance by rail, and nearly the same by water, as Truro from Provincetown, with fishing craft of all kinds, coasters and larger vessels, and a broad, open harbor, the association was quite natural. Passing down the river and bay, baronial castles and elegant villas crown the bold heights.
They have their history of saint and sinner, love and hate, glory and shame. The frowning walls of Pendennis and St. Maws, perched two hundred feet on the steep cliffs, the lighthouse, the spacious harbor, with shipping of all flags, is a beautiful picture. Within the ancient walls of Pendennis Castle, kings and queens have found safety. It was here Sir John Arundel in his eighty-seventh year withstood one of the severest sieges on record, and by his gallant defence gained the name of " game to his toe-nails."
Not far away is Mousehole, where, in 1774, the Cornish language was last spoken by Dolly Pentreath. Dew an Tas Olgallasak- God the Father Almighty. By a better acquaintance with Cornwall, we begin to suspicion where many of the words and barbarisms, so at war with the King's English, had their origin on the Cape. We instance housen, for house, quite common among a few of the old people less than fifty years ago ; banger for very large ; million for melon ; sheer for share, as half a sheer ; sight for a good many, as a sight of 'em ; bagnet for bayonet ; puss, nuss, and wuss, for purse, nurse, and worse ; chaney for china, chimbley for chim- ney, and many kindred expressions, some of which still linger,
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all of which are in use in some parts of Cornwall. Mouse- hole is the little town made almost famous by being the birthplace, in 1750, of William Carvosso, the Methodist local preacher, who produced a moral revolution in Cornwall, and whose influence moved the religious life of England.
In many respects, Cornwall is the most interesting portion
. S. Colocar
A BARONIAL CASTLE.
of England, and demands a passing notice. Where so much is to be seen and known, it is a difficult task to say as little as belongs to this connection. But some understanding of Cornwall is important to a better understanding of our people.
An old traveller wrote: "Cornwall is the complete and replete Home of Abundance, for high churlish hills, and
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affable, courteous people. The country hath its share of huge stones, mighty rocks, noble, free gentlemen, bountiful housekeepers, strong and stout men, handsome and beau- tiful women." Two hundred years later. another continues : " Its men are sturdy, bold, honest, and sagacious ; its women lovely and modest, courteous and unaffected." The women of Cornwall have from time immemorial enjoyed the reputa- tion of great personal beauty. The "half-foreign " beauty, especially their fair complexion, is readily recognized by travellers. The atmosphere is remarkably soft and even. The rainfall forty-five inches annually.
Lundy's Island is an almanac for the fishermen, and has passed into a Cornish rhyme : -
When Lundy is high, it will be dry ; When Lundy is plain, it will be rain ; When Lundy is low, it will be snow.
Physically, the Cornish were a fine race. "Lord Bacon said, "They were wont to draw a strong and mighty bow, the length of a taylor's yard." A Cornish regiment of militia covered more ground than any other county in England. Wilkie Collins says: "They are industrious and intelligent, sober and orderly, neither soured by hard work, nor depressed by privations. I never met with so few grumblers. The views of the working men are remark- ably moderate and sensible."
Their language has been called one of "mysterious antiquity," but race and situation have determined the character of the people. Says an historian : "Such is the land of the ancient Cornish Britons, that small, but strangely characteristic Celtic race, about whom so much has been dreamed by the learned, and so little is really known."
A strong tinge of superstition pervaded ancient Cornwall. At the present day much of the marvellous lingers among the fishermen and miners. The air is full of old ballads, fables, legends, charms, evil eyes, pixies and fairies. Worse things than a mild superstition might befall a people. A popular professor of Harvard said lately before the Lowell
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Institute, that "It must be granted that, with all our gains, we have sustained a loss in the decay of our superstitious beliefs."
Dosmery Pool is among the bleakest and most desolate moors of England. Here lived Tregeagle, who, the legend says, made a league with the devil, and sold his soul one hundred years for a bag of gold. Ever since that ill-fated time, every night the devil, with his hell-hounds, chases Tregeagle across the dreadful moors. His howlings can be
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