Hundreds of Cornwall

history

in the early 19th century, (formerly known as Cornish Shires).]]

Cornwall was from Anglo-Saxon times until the 19th century divided into hundreds, some with the suffix shire as in Pydarshire, East and West Wivelshire and Powdershire which were first recorded as names between 1184-1187.Gover,1946, Research paper at the Courtney Library, Royal Institution of Cornwall, Truro. In the Cornish language the word for "hundred" is keverang (pl. keverangow) and is the equivalent of the Welsh cantref. The word, in its plural form, appears in place names like Meankeverango in 1580 (now The Enys, north of Prussia Cove and marking the southern end of the Penwith - Kerrier border), Kyver Ankou c.1720 and Assa Govranckowe 1580, Kyver Ankou c.1720 (also on the Penwith - Kerrier border near Scorrier). It turns up in the singular at Buscaverran, just south of Crowan churchtown and also on the Penwith - Kerrier border. Trigg is mentioned by name during the 7th century, as "Pagus Tricurius", "land of three war hosts".Craig Weatherhill - Cornish World - March 2007

The division into hundreds is thought to date from the reign of King Athelstan and at the time of the Domesday Survey the internal order of manors in the Exeter Domesday Book for Cornwall is in most cases based on the hundreds to which they belonged (though the hundred names are not used). In the Geld Inquest of 1083 only seven hundreds are found, identified by the names of the chief manors: Connerton, Winnianton, Pawton, Tybesta, Stratton, Fawton and Rillaton (corresponding to Penwith, Kerrier, Pydar, Powder, Trigg, West Wivel and East Wivel). Henderson, Charles (1935) A note on the hundreds of Pydar and Powder (In: Essays in Cornish History. Oxford University Press).Hoskins, W. G. (1960) The Westward Expansion of Wessex. Leicester: U.P. Thomas, Charles (1964) Settlement History in Early Cornwall: I; the antiquity of the hundreds (In: Cornish Archaeology. 3. St Ives: Cornwall Archaeological Society, pp. 70-79)Thorn, Caroline & Frank (eds.) (1979) Domesday Book. 10: Cornwall. Chichester: Phillimore.

The origins of the names have puzzled some earlier writers on the subject: Penwith is certainly the name of Land's End in Cornish (earliest occurrence in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 997); Kerrier (sometimes Kirrier) is thought by Thomas to be derived from an obsolete name (ker hyr = long fort) of Castle Pencaire on Tregonning Hill, Breage; Lesnewth denotes a place where a 'new court' has been established (the 'old court' having been at Henlis(-ton); Powder has no certain derivation: 'pou' must mean 'territory' in Cornish; Pydar (or Pyder) has been variously explained: perhaps it derives from a Cornish word meaning 'a fourth part'; Stratton was at the time of Domesday an important manor and 200 years earlier it is mentioned as 'Strætneat' (etym. dub.); Trigg is explained in the separate article; East and West (Wivelshire) must have originally had a Cornish name but it is not recorded (Wivel may be from an Anglo-Saxon personal name 'Wifel').Thomas, Charles (1964) Settlement History in Early Cornwall: I; the antiquity of the hundreds (In: Cornish Archaeology. 3. St Ives: Cornwall Archaeological Society, pp. 70-79)

By 1841 Cornwall was composed of ten Hundreds as listed below.

Penwith (Penwyth)
Kerrier (Keryer)
Pydarshire (Pedera)
Powdershire (Pow Ereder)
Triggshire (Trigor)
Lesnewth (Lysnowyth)
Stratton (Stradneth)
West Wivelshire (Fawy)
East Wivelshire (Ryslegh)
Scilly

Penwith

: St Buryan, Camborne, Crowan, St Erth, Gulval »Lanisly, Gwinear, Gwithian, St Hilary, Illogan, St Ives, St Just in Penwith, Lelant »Lelant, St Levan, Ludgvan, Madron, Morvah, Paul, Perranuthnoe, Phillack, Redruth, Sancreed, Sennen, Towednack, Zennor.

Kerrier

: St Anthony-in-Meneage, Breage, Budock, Constantine, Cury, Falmouth, Germoe, St Gluvias, Grade, Gunwalloe »Winnington, Gwennap with St Day, Helston, St Keverne, Landewednack, Mabe, Manaccan, St Martin-in-Meneage, Mawgan-in-Meneage, Mawnan, Mullion, Mylor, Perranarworthal, Ruan Major, Ruan Minor, Sithney, St Stithians, Wendron

Pydarshire

: St Agnes, St Breock, Colan, St Columb Minor & Major, Crantock, Cubert, St Enoder, St Ervan, St Eval, St Issey, Lanhydrock, Lanivet, St Mawgan-in-Pydar, St Merryn, St Newlyn East, Padstow, Perranzabuloe, Little Petherick, St Wenn, Withiel

Powdershire

:St Allen, St Anthony-in-Roseland, St Austell, St Blazey, St Clement, Cornelly, Creed-with-Grampound, Cuby-with-Tregony, St Dennis, St Erme, St Ewe, Feock, Fowey, Gerrans, Gorran, St Just-in-Roseland, Kea, Kenwyn, Ladock, Lamorran, Lanlivery, Lostwithiel, Luxulyan, Merther, Mevagissey, St Mewan, St Michael Caerhays, St Michael Penkevil, Philleigh, Probus, Roche, Ruan Lanihorne, St Sampson Golant, St Stephen-in-Brannel, Truro St Mary,Tywardreath, Veryan

: Antony St Jacob, Botus Fleming, Callington, Calstock, Egloskerry, Landulph, Landrake »St Erney, Laneast, Launceston St Mary Magdalene, Lawhitton, Lewannick, Lezant, Linkinhorne, Maker, St Mellion, Menheniot, Northill, Pillaton, Quethiock, Rame, Sheviock, Southill, South Petherwin, St Germans, St John, St Stephens-with-Newport, Stoke Climsland, St Dominick, St Ive, St Stephen-by-Saltash, St Thomas Apostle-by-Launceston, Tremaine, Tresmeer, Trewen

Scilly

:St Agnes, St Mary's, St Martin's, Bryher, Tresco, Samson.

References and bibliography

Padel, O. J. (1985) Cornish place-name elements. Nottingham: English Place-name Society. ISBN: 0904889114

External links

»Map of Cornwall, showing the Hundreds, by Robert Morden, 1690s