Penzance 1675

This map is an intriguing topographical insight into the lie of the land around Penzance in 1675. Your comments helped immensely but how far may one rely on this for accuracy? I suppose were there to be no Market Jew Street at that date, the position as shown on the map of St Mary's Chapel may point out that the main road then through Penzance was later to be called 'New Road' which was formerly Voundervour Lane in part and Queen St. J.S.Courtney says in (1825-1875) 'Half a Century in Penzance': New Road or Queen Street was opened to make a more direct route to Newlyn than through Voundervour. Previous to this, he says, ...Voundervour Lane which was originally the only carriage road from Penzance to Newlyn. Thus 'the Great Lane' is the meaning of 'an Vownder Veur' and would explain why the road on the map passes St Mary's Chapel with such proximity perhaps. Courtney also says that from the appearance of Neddy Betty Lane [Now Albert Street], it seemed to have been at one time the eastern entrance to the town! However, there were alms houses built in 1660 by Francis Buller of Shillingham which were in Market Jew Street until removed in 1826. There were no buildings north of Market Jew Street apparently even in 1825.

You have hit the nail right on the head with the route via Voundervour, it is my intention to plot that out. This map offers all the right clues that I have been awaiting for years. As far as accuracy is concerned, with the use of the wheel and theodolite, I have no doubt at all of the accuracy of the survey. Convention has it that maps were drawn with 'little buildings' to show features, but they were hopelessly out of scale especially with road width. A lot of adjustment will have to be allowed. But direction and distance will be correct. Remember that other conventions existed, like sea monsters, ships and castles, let alone persons .. some to represent rivers on these maps. John Ogilby was the first to compile road maps, in the absence of a unified system of scale and dimension, he provided maps that were all to the same scale and used the mile as a standard (1760 yards). That is where it all started.

Thank you for a prompt reply! Fascinating stuff!

What happened to all the mountains (or volcanoes?!) in Newlyn? And I love the name Gulfary!

Dr Who's home planet, wasn't it?

The rocky ground is still there, I will plot out the road on a 'modern map'. But a quick plot has revealed a different Penzance. I have just found a geological (topographic) description of the 1800s for the period of the map, which gives me more clues. Other descriptions that I have of the shoreline will help. Note the spelling in 1675 already had the 'c' - Pensance.

If you try saying 'Penn-sant quickly and often, it turns into 'Penzance. The 't' was unvoiced and sounded rather more like 'ts'. 'Sant' (holy) is like 'nant' (valley) and 'Cot' (wood), older Cornish pronunciations and spelling to represent them. As Cornish died out starting from the east, you find that some of the old varieties remain though corrupted by age and English, and are still to be found in East Cornwall e.g. Lezant, Lanteglos (nans [valley] + eglos [church]) near Fowey, and 'Nance farm' in Penwith, Cotehele (koes [wood] + heyl [estuary]) - Barncoose (in Kerrier) but Barnicoat as a surname. I'd like to know how Gulval was 'Gulfary'! I shall look into that as I think it was connected with 'Saint Winwalloe' or some other saint. Must go out now but will check!

Right, I'm back as I promised, having researched the name of Gulval and my findings shed no light on the apparent variation of 'Gulfary'. This is what I collate from three sources:

'Gulval' seems most likely to have got its name from an obscure Cornish female saint known as 'Wolvel' or 'Gwelvel' though there is another possibility in 'Gudwal' a Breton monk, a saint well known in Brittany. The evidence for both is:
Church of Sancta Welveda, 1302; church of Sancta Welvela, 1328, and Church of Sancta Gwelvela alias Wolvela, 1413; Gulvall, 1522.

Gulval also had another name: Landicle, 1086; church of Lanestli, 1261; Lanystly, 1328, and this survived to give 'Lanisley Common' in 1888. Lann is a holy enclosure but the meaning of 'Ystly' is unknown.

As to 'Gulfary' one may only guess. It reminds one a bit of a cross [no pun] between 'Gulval' and 'Calvary'. 'Calvaires' are commonly found in small towns Brittany and are sculpted stone depictions of the passion of Christ with several patron saints and apostles placed in the overall composition or a simple wayside Christ on the cross on a plinth, possibly with Our Lady and St John on either side.


::10:Since the year was 1675, there would still have been small pockets of Cornish speakers around in villages like Gulval. Since this map-maker, John Ogilby, was a 'furriner' he may just have got the name wrong or heard it incorrectly. As with Goldsithney, we have 'Goel' (Feast/vigil)+ Sithney [saint], this could just be a corruption of Goel + feryow (fairs) with the highly conjectured meaning of 'Festival Fairs'.

::4:That is the best I can do, I am afraid, and it requires further research!

Thank you very much. As you say John Ogilby was not of these parts. But I can't help wondering if it refers to a ferry/ford across the river that he marks so solidly. [The other point is that the 'c' in Landicle and the modern house Landicla is the soft c (ss) not the hard c (k). ] Maybe he misheard a local retention of Gwelvela. I will need to check all the other names he has written for the route Plymouth (Plimouth) to Sennen (Senan). I am hoping to set by time for the maps next week.

I should add that I have a copy of a 1765 map of Tolcarne and Newlyn, with the fields and lanes, which would not have changed dramatically by then, so that will lay down the 'end point'.