430

Amongst the rectors of Illogan have been Francis Godwin, admitted 1587, bishop of Llandaff, 1601 and of Hereford, 1617, and author of some valuable works; Edward Collins, 1533, one of the earliest married priests, and John Collins, whose sequestration by the parliamentarians in 1646 is recorded by himself in the parish register. From his brother Edward were descended two Cornish historians, Davies Gilbert and Richard Polwhele.

Tuckingmill ecclesiastical district was formed out of Illogan and Camborne in 1844, and Mount Hawke out of Illogan and St. Agnes in 1846. At Pool is a Chapel of Ease built and endowed by the late lord de Dunstanville, and at Portreath another, the cost of which was largely met by the same family.

The celebrated hill called Carn Brea consists of a ragged mass of granite crowned with huge piles of weathered rocks, and was formerly without reason supposed to have been a centre of druidical worship. It was a military station in neolithic times, and there are large remains of the enclosing walls as well as many hut circles. Many of the rocks at the summit exhibit deep depressions, known an rock-basins, which at one time were supposed to have been cut out by the druids for the purpose of receiving the blond of the sacrificial victims--these are now recognised as being, at any rate for the most part, the results of natural processes of decomposition. Many old coins, both Roman and British,1 have been found on the hill; a medal of Antoninus in lead; and some socketed bronze celts (in company with coins of Antoninus Pius, Severus, Alexander and Constantius), flint and quartzite spear and arrow heads, as well as numerous stone weapons and tools.

The hill has three distinct summits, with the remains of an old castle2 on the eastern one. On the central and highest point stands a tall granite cross, erected in 1836 by the county to the memory cf Francis, lord de Dunstanville and Basset (see P. 205 above)

The engineer, Rd. Trevithick, was born in this parish (see p. 220 above).

1 Dr. Borlase in his Antiquities figures some of these golden Celtic coins, and, amongst the Roman, one each of Tetricus senior and of the Urbs Roma type.

2 The present building contains little that is not recent, but parts of the old foundations can be traced. The tower of the old castle is mentioned by Wm. of Worcester as standing when he wrote in 1478..