REFERENCES
TO
PADSTOW
and
PRIDEAUX PLACE
1597 John Norden Speculi
Britanniae Pars Cornwall Published 1728
: 200 copies + 4 on vellum
"Padstow or ( as Mr.
Camden calleth it ) Petrockstowe, of one Petrock a holie Britane. It is an
incorporation and a market towne, and a towne of reasonable traffique by
Marchantes. At the upper ende of the town dwelleth one Mr Nycolas Prydiauxe, in
a howse situate on a loftie hill, healthfull for situation, and pleasant for
prospecte, overlooking the towne, haven, and a greate parte of the Countrye and
confining sea."
1602 Carews Survey of Cornwall
[ largely modelled around Norden’s delayed publication ]
Mr. Nicholas Prideaux, from
his new and stately house, thereby taketh a full and large prospect of the
towne, haven, and country adjoining, to all which, his wisdome is a stay, his
authority and direction."
1699 Joel Gascoyne Survey /
Map
[ Note Hitchens - "
Gwardandrea" ] The house is "Guadrondrane als Place" and the
town is "Padstow".
1717 A Survey of Cornwall by
Edmond Prideaux
Based on his own knowledge and
the reports of others including Leland,
together with letters of eminent people, particular references to the Prideaux family history. All bound in
with the 1602 edition of Carew's survey...... "Sir Nicholas Prideaux built
Padstow house in 1592 after he married the Lady Cheston his 2nd wife he lived
almost altogether there having resigned
Soldon in Devon to his eldest
son Humphrey Prideaux....". Sir
Nicholas was "one of considerable worth in his time having 2 houses in
Devon 2 in Cornwall viz Sol don : It his house at West Put ford call'd Chest on
: Over town now call'd Prideaux Place, & Trevorder."
1724 Defoe A Tour through Great
Britain
Beyond the discourse on travel
between Ireland and Padstow he adds ."a very ancient seat of a family in
the name of Prideaux who in Queen Elizabeth's time, built a very noble seat
there, which remains to this day, though time made the architect of it a little
out of fashion."
1728 Edmond Prideaux : Account
of Dr. Humphrey Prideaux
"The head of the family
was at Prideaux, Netherton being the only other branch."; "On the
marrying of his ( Nicholas ) son Humphrey having settled him at Soldon he built
for his own residence, Prideaux Place, at this time commonly called Place,
situated at the upper end of the town of Padstow, which house was finished in
the year 1597 and was then reckoned to be the best seat both for the house and
the situation in all that County."
1750 Pococke Travels through
England
Here we are informed that
Padstow had a fine trade in Coal from Bristol, slate from Port Isaac ( Denbole
slate ) and corn from Ireland. "At the upper end of the town the
Prideaux's have a seat... it is a fine situation and well improved."
1758 Borlase The Natural
History of Cornwall
Borlase refers to Prideaux as
"Place* on his map and includes a fine drawing of the House and Grounds.
1814 Lysons History of
Cornwall Magna Britannia
"Whitaker supposed that
the monastery of Petrock was at Padstow." Besides all the usual references
to Place, Lyson adds that "near Place House at the top of Padstow was St.
Sampson's Chapel and at Trethyllie, near Place grounds, was a chapel with a
cemetary."
1820 Gilbert's History of
Cornwall [ C.S. ]
"Place House and grounds,
the ancient seat of the Prideauxes... It is seated on a pleasing elevation, and
commands beautiful and extensive prospects of the ocean, and it's rugged
boundaries, the gently swelling waters of the Camel, hundreds of fruitful
enclosures, deserts of sand and wastes of open, uncultivated common. Place
House is a castellated mansion, large and uniform; and in former times capable
of making a vigorous defence, being guarded by an adjoining battery, which
mounted several pieces of ordnance. It was erected on the site of an old
monastery, in the latter part of the sixteenth century... and some valuable
additions were made to it in 1810, the architecture of which, happily
corresponds with the most ancient part of the buildings., The great hall
displays much ancient dignity... other apartments together with a noble
staircase... "
"The southern side of the
house opens into a shrubbery and many neat walks, on the right of which, stands
a beautiful temple, erected with materials brought from Rome. The lower part of
this elegant enclosure is formed into a terrace, that terminates on the west,
at an ornamental building, and several rare antiquities have lately been
collected, for it's further embellishment. A great part of the ground was
formerly occupied by the chapel, and burial place, belonging to the monastery.
The chapel, which was dedicated to St. Sampson, measured about 30 ft by 20 ft,
and was taken down about seventeen years ago, in order to increase the
plantation and walks; and in digging up the burial floor, several human
skeletons were discovered and taken up, but again carefully deposited in their
original situation."
1824 Hitchen's & Drew's
History of Cornwall
"Dr. Borlase
asserts" that Padstow had "the first religious house in Cornwall of
which we have any account. Erected by St. Petroc in 432 called Laffenac."
The place on which it stood was called Loderick. Laffenac meaning Church of the
monks and Loderick being creek of robbers.
The Chapel of St. Samson was
"demolished in 1796 that the grounds might be levelled to facilitate this
entrance." Coffins cut into the rock were found, since there was little or
no earth on the surface. Place house was originally called Gwardandrea and
afterwards Prideaux Castle. It stands on some rising ground at the Western end
of town and is encircled with a wall and surrounded with a great variety of
lovely objects. The grounds near the mansion are laid out with much taste and
ornamented with trees in luxuriant maturity."
"The wall which nearly
encircles the house has only been built within the last few years - and at the
time when the ground was cleared for it's foundations, many human bones were
discovered."
1824 Stockdale Excursions
through Cornwall
"Place House, seat of the
Rev. Charles Prideaux-Brune, situated a little distance from the church is an
antient embattled mansion.... The house has been lately beautified and enlarged
at considerable expense, and may be
ranked as one of the finest residences in the county. The western front with it's circular tower and Gothic library
window has a very handsome effect."
1831 Allom Cornwall
Illustrated
"Place House originally
called Gwarthandrea afterward Prideaux Castle, is a substantial building of
Queen Elizabeth's time, standing on rising ground at the West end of Padstow (
quoting Carew ). It is a spacious embattled edifice; but has been considerably
enlarged and improved in it's domestic arrangements by the present proprietor.
The contiguous grounds are laid out with much taste and some fine trees give
interest to the scenery, in the court before the house is a hedge of myrtle and
another of tamarisk."