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Lynher
Valley:
some
brief snippets of history
from Saxon times
the Abbey of Tavistock
the land
the
manors
Domesday
Twelve Men's Moor
Cornish Mining
from
Saxon
times
In Saxon times, the
three rivers Tamar, Inny and Lynher, were gradually
crossed by the Saxons driving back the British who had
inhabited these lands for many years before. The Tamar was
breached in 941AD, the Inny in 961AD and finally the
River Lynher
in 981AD. The big triangle of land
enclosed by these rivers was taken by the queen, Matilda, as
her own and as each river was
taken, Saxon settlers were encouraged into the area to use
the land and help defend it against returning British (or of
course as we would call them now, the Cornish).
the
Abbey of Tavistock
Around this time the great
Abbey of Tavistock was founded, by Matilda, and much of
these lands given to the abbey for their income. Many of the
manors in Linkinhorne and especially Rillaton were given to
them, which included land right up onto the moor - some of
the old Rillaton Manorial boundary stones are still on the
Bodmin Moor.
the
land
The land at this time was
fully forested and crossing
down into the valley must have been perilous. Most roads in
the area drop straight down into the valley and up the other
side, spending as little time on the valley floor as
possible. Berrio Bridge is an example, although the
old road climbed straight up the south side past Nodmans
Bowda, known now as Port Lane, rather than the 'new' main road which was built
in the 1700's by Francis Rodd.
the
manors
The manorial system
of land holding and administration was already established
in England by the time of the Domesday survey in 1086. The
Norman term 'manor' was used to describe a unit of local
administration based on an area of land, made up of several
properties and owned by one landlord. The manor may have
been a part of or the whole of a parish and may have
covered more than one parish,
and not necessarily neighbouring land or parishes. Size and
boundaries varied over time, as a manor may have been
sub-divided; parcels of land, or tenements, could be annexed
from the 'parent' manor.
Domesday
Domesday Book is a statistical survey of England in 1086
A.D. It is a census of the population and productive
resources of the counties of England, of their value and who
held them, both before the Norman Conquest and after. It is
arranged by counties and by landholders within counties.
Foreign Lords had taken over, but little else would have
changed. Villages were grouped in administrative districts
called 'Hundreds' which formed regions within 'shires' which
survived to become the counties similar to those we know
today.
The manors recorded
here, in what is now our North Hill parish, were included in the
Rillaton hundred: Illand, Landreyne, Penhole, Tolcarne,
Trebartha, Trefrize and Treveniel.
This extract is the
record for Landreyne:
Twelve Men's Moor
 The hills of
Bodmin Moor above North Hill are called Twelve Men's
Moor, after the
signing of the famous Twelve
Men's Moor Charter. The signatories include Trebartha and
Castick. There are twelve names on the document, and it was
also signed in the closing years of the twelfth century.
Whilst the land was still owned by the Abbey these men now
had rights to farm over the moor. At about the same time a
further lease was signed for a cottage in Bastreet, again
with some of the names on the Charter.
See our
Bodmin Moor page and
places
to visit.
 Cornish Mining
Throughout the county
the landscape has been shaped and built upon for the mining;
imposing engine houses and extensive relict mine sites,
tramways, foundry buildings, mining towns and villages,
chapels, and the grand houses and gardens of the mineral
lords. On the hillsides and the moor mining remains are
evident, and people across the world have links with us in
Cornwall through their
family history.
More pages:
family history |
Launceston |
North
Hill |
local area guide
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