Gulval
Encyclopedia
Gulval is a village in the former Penwith
district of Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. Although historically a parish in its own right, Gulval was incorporated into the parishes of Penzance
, Madron
and Ludgvan
in 1934, and like Heamoor
, is now considered to be a suburb of Penzance. Gulval, however, still maintains its status as an ecclesiastical parish and the village church is of the 12th century.
thought this was Wilgitha, the sister of Saint Juthwara
: David Nash Ford agrees. Gilbert Hunter Doble
, however, favoured an identification with one of the male Welsh missionaries, Gudwall or Gurwall who are honoured in Brittany. A life of each one is to be found in the Acta Sanctorum, June; Bollandists, 1867. Neither identification has been widely accepted by modern scholars. The parish church is dedicated to Gulval and his/her feast is celebrated on 6 June
During the Iron Age
there was much activity in the area, and a few miles from Gulval, beyond the hamlet
of Badgers Cross, are the remains of the Chysauster settlement. The site shows the remnants of nine courtyard houses, of a type only found on the Land's End
peninsula and Isles of Scilly
, and was inhabited from the first century BC for the following four hundred years. The historic Celt
ic site is now under the protection of English Heritage
http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/gazetter-cornwall/gulval.htm.
Two inscribed stones attest to continued occupation in the early medieval period. The first is a memorial for "Quenatucus, son of Dinvus", and has been dated as carved sometime between fifth and eighth centuries; it stands near one end of a footbridge in Balowena Bottom. The second is a cross-shaft lacking base or cross-head with a now illegible inscription; it was found in a wall of the church in 1885, and now stands in the churchyard.
In ancient times Gulval was known as Lanisley, derived from Lan, a church, and ishei, low, (i.e the low church)http://west-penwith.org.uk/gulval3.htm. According to Charles Henderson (quoted by Doble (1960)) this is a corruption of Laniskley. A Latinised version of this, Landicle, is mentioned in the Domesday Book
:
, as well as to William Wingfield
, MP. One of the vicars of Gulval, the Rev. William W. Wingfield was vicar for a remarkable 72 years, from 1839 until his death in 1912.
and has its own single member ward on Penzance town council. The principal local authority in the area is Cornwall Council. Elections to Cornwall Council are by way of a three member Penzance electoral division.
Gulval is home to a post office and general store, a public house, and a primary school that houses 144 pupils.
, a tin trader, visited the mine and brought a young Jesus to address the miners, although there is no evidence to support this
The Ding Dong mines
have, according to tradition, been worked since Roman times but by the end of the 18th century it was disused. In 1814 it was reopened and worked until 1878. Attempts were made in 1912 and 1928 to reopen it but these failed.
Association in memory of Capt. Michael Lempriere Bolitho and renamed “The Coldstreamer” (Capt. Bolitho was killed on HMS Walney
, a Royal Navy tug; her task was to crash through the boom at the entrance to Oran Harbour in Operation Torch
on November 8, 1942).
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
district of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Although historically a parish in its own right, Gulval was incorporated into the parishes of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Madron
Madron
Madron is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a large rural parish on the Penwith peninsula north of Penzance.Madron village is situated approximately two miles northwest of Penzance town centre....
and Ludgvan
Ludgvan
Ludgvan is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, UK. The village is situated 2½ miles northeast of Penzance.The parish includes the villages of Ludgvan, Crowlas, Canon's Town and Long Rock...
in 1934, and like Heamoor
Heamoor
Heamoor is a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Formerly a secondary settlement of the village of Madron, Heamoor is now a suburb of Penzance and is situated approximately one kilometre northwest of the town centre....
, is now considered to be a suburb of Penzance. Gulval, however, still maintains its status as an ecclesiastical parish and the village church is of the 12th century.
Saint Gulval
The parish is named after the 6th century saint, Gulval, the original form of which was probably Welvela or Wolvela. Baring-GouldSabine Baring-Gould
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1240 publications, though this list continues to grow. His family home, Lew Trenchard Manor near Okehampton, Devon, has been preserved as he had it...
thought this was Wilgitha, the sister of Saint Juthwara
Juthwara
Saint Juthwara was a British virgin and martyr from Dorset, who probably lived in the 6th century. Her relics were translated to Sherborne during the reign of Ethelred the Unready...
: David Nash Ford agrees. Gilbert Hunter Doble
Gilbert Hunter Doble
Gilbert Hunter Doble was an Anglican priest and Cornish historian and hagiographer.-Early life:G. H. Doble was born at Penzance, Cornwall on 26 November 1880. His father, John Medley Doble shared his enthusiasm for archaeology and local studies with his sons. He was a scholar of Exeter College,...
, however, favoured an identification with one of the male Welsh missionaries, Gudwall or Gurwall who are honoured in Brittany. A life of each one is to be found in the Acta Sanctorum, June; Bollandists, 1867. Neither identification has been widely accepted by modern scholars. The parish church is dedicated to Gulval and his/her feast is celebrated on 6 June
History
During the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
there was much activity in the area, and a few miles from Gulval, beyond the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Badgers Cross, are the remains of the Chysauster settlement. The site shows the remnants of nine courtyard houses, of a type only found on the Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
peninsula and Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
, and was inhabited from the first century BC for the following four hundred years. The historic Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic site is now under the protection of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/gazetter-cornwall/gulval.htm.
Two inscribed stones attest to continued occupation in the early medieval period. The first is a memorial for "Quenatucus, son of Dinvus", and has been dated as carved sometime between fifth and eighth centuries; it stands near one end of a footbridge in Balowena Bottom. The second is a cross-shaft lacking base or cross-head with a now illegible inscription; it was found in a wall of the church in 1885, and now stands in the churchyard.
In ancient times Gulval was known as Lanisley, derived from Lan, a church, and ishei, low, (i.e the low church)http://west-penwith.org.uk/gulval3.htm. According to Charles Henderson (quoted by Doble (1960)) this is a corruption of Laniskley. A Latinised version of this, Landicle, is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
:
- "Roland holds [LANDICLE](GULVAL) from the Bishop; In the time of King Edward (the Confessor, i.e. before 1066) it paid tax for 1 hide (around 120 acres); 1½ hides there however. Land for 12 ploughs (requiring, perhaps, 8 oxen each); in lordship 1 plough; 3 slaves. 13 villagers and 4 smallholders with 3 ploughs. Meadow 2 acres (8,093.7 m²), Pasture, 2 leagues long and 1 league wide. Value formerly and now £3. 1 virgate (about 30 acres) held by the lord, 1 hide 3 virgates by the villagers; also “1 cob; 3 cows; 30 sheep”.
Gulval Church
The current church building is predominantly 12th century with subsequent additions. Most notable of these are the tower, built in 1440 and containing eight bells and a large stone lych gate that was added in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The graveyard is famously home to the remains of local pirate and smuggler John 'Eyebrows' Thomas of MarazionMarazion
Marazion is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the shore of Mount's Bay, two miles east of Penzance and one mile east of Long Rock.St Michael's Mount is half-a-mile offshore from Marazion...
, as well as to William Wingfield
William Wingfield (MP)
William Wingfield KC, MP , was an attorney, judge, and Member of Parliament in 19th century England.-Early years:...
, MP. One of the vicars of Gulval, the Rev. William W. Wingfield was vicar for a remarkable 72 years, from 1839 until his death in 1912.
Local government and village amenities
For purposes of local government Gulval is included in the civil parish of PenzancePenzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
and has its own single member ward on Penzance town council. The principal local authority in the area is Cornwall Council. Elections to Cornwall Council are by way of a three member Penzance electoral division.
Gulval is home to a post office and general store, a public house, and a primary school that houses 144 pupils.
Joseph of Arimathea
Within the bounds of the parish lies the disused Ding Dong mine, reputedly one of the oldest in Cornwall. Popular local legend claims that Joseph of ArimatheaJoseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion. He is mentioned in all four Gospels.-Gospel references:...
, a tin trader, visited the mine and brought a young Jesus to address the miners, although there is no evidence to support this
The Ding Dong mines
Ding Dong mines
The Ding Dong mines lie in an old and extensive mining area situated in the parish of Gulval, in Land's End, Cornwall. They are about two miles south of the St Just to Penzance road. They look out over Mount's Bay and St Michael's Mount to the south west....
have, according to tradition, been worked since Roman times but by the end of the 18th century it was disused. In 1814 it was reopened and worked until 1878. Attempts were made in 1912 and 1928 to reopen it but these failed.
James Payne and the Wilson brothers
Another local legend of old is that of James Payne a local clerk who turned gypsy in the late 18th century and his encounters with a gang called the Woggies.Sport and recreation
Gulval has two football teams competing in the One & All Sports Mining League; two cricket teams competing in the Penwith area League; the Old Inn - a public house in Gulval Churchtown - was given to the Coldstream GuardsColdstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
Association in memory of Capt. Michael Lempriere Bolitho and renamed “The Coldstreamer” (Capt. Bolitho was killed on HMS Walney
HMS Walney
Two ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Walney after Walney Island off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria:* HMS Walney was a Banff-class sloop launched in 1930 as USS Sebago. She was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1941 and was lost in 1942.* HMS Walney is a Sandown-class minehunter,...
, a Royal Navy tug; her task was to crash through the boom at the entrance to Oran Harbour in Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
on November 8, 1942).
External links
- Gulval Village Website
- http://www.dingdongcounthouse.org.uk The history of the Count House of Ding Dong Mine.