Pigots_1823

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PIGOT & Co's Directory  of CORNWALL 1823

The following is a transcription of an entry that appears for  the Helston area in General:

HELSTON

This town having formerly been connected with an ancient castle, which once stood where the bowling green now is, has been a place of considerable note from a very early period; and growing up under its auspices enjoyed many privileges, which the inhabitants contrived to preserve, when the castle mouldered to decay.  Helston has at different times received no less than sixteen charters; in all of which some privilege has been wither granted, or augmented.  The first of these charters; is said to have been bestowed by King John in the year 1202.  By Edward the First, Helston was made one of the coinage towns for the county, and the privilege of sending two members to Parliament was conferred by the  same Monarch.  This charter continued in force until the year 1774, when a new one was obtained, which determined the corporation to consist of a Mayor, five aldermen, a recorder, and an indefinite number of freemen, this is the charter that is now in force.  Helston is a populous town, on the great road leading from London to the Land's End, 272 miles from the former, and twenty-two from the latter.  Its position is on the side of a hill, which gently declines towards the west, and terminates on the margin of a vale through which the little river Cober runs to the Loo Pool. The houses are chiefly ranged along four principal streets, which  cross each other at right angles, they are tolerably well laid out, all pared and well lighted with gas; a stream of water runs through them, and they are kept in general remarkably clean,  Near the centre of town is a large market-house, over which is the town hall, erected in the year 1576.  The Coinage Hall is at the extremity of the street, which bears its name.  The church dedicated to St Michael is a neat modern structure with a lofty pinnacled tower.  Here are also meeting houses for the methodists and baptists, a grammar school, a school for boys, and another for girls, on Dr. Bell's plan, and in 1809, a dispensary was established for the benefit of the poor.  There is a singular custom her annually, on the 8th of May, called "The Furry" but our limits will not permit us to describe it.  Market days, Wednesday and Saturday.  Fairs, Saturday before Mid-Lent Sunday, Saturday before Palin-Sunday, Whit-Monday,  July 20th, September 9th, October 28th, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Saturday before Christmas Eve.  The town contains, according to the returns of 1821, 2671 inhabitants.

Reference Page 185

Specific Entries transcribed for Breage area:

Merchants, Tradesmen, &c.

Porthleven Trading Comp. Porthleven

Roberts Tobias, ship agent, accountant & general broker, Porthleven and Helston