Trewhiddle
Encyclopedia
Trewhiddle is a small settlement in south Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. It lies in the civil parish
of Pentewan Valley and the ecclesiastical parish
of St Austell. The nearest town is St Austell
, approximately one mile to the north.
which at one time contained two small settlements, Higher and Lower Trewhiddle. These settlements existed till at least 1891, but have since disappeared. The Trewhiddle area still includes two farms and Trewhiddle House.
uncovered a hoard of 114 Anglo-Saxon
coins together with a silver chalice and other gold and silver objects. The coins, mostly from Mercia
and Wessex
, indicate that the hoard was hidden, possibly to protect it from Viking
raiders, in around 868. The artefacts were originally collected by Philip Rashleigh
who published a subsequent account. Some were later dispersed, but most of the hoard was presented to the British Museum
. Many of the artefacts were decorated with stylized niello
animals, a feature of Anglo-Saxon art
which has since become known as 'Trewhiddle-style' decoration.
was found at Trewhiddle Farm. This may predate the earliest known smelting of the metal (which requires extremely high temperatures) and has led to speculation that it may have been produced during a visit by Rudolf Erich Raspe
to Happy-Union mine (at nearby Pentewan
) in the late eighteenth century. Raspe, best known as the author or translator of the Baron Münchhausen
stories, was also a chemist with a particular interest in tungsten.
may have been based on John Copinger, said to have purchased the Trewhiddle estate in the 1790s. In the 1840s, Trewhiddle House was home to the entomologist and botanist Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe
. In the late twentieth century the house became a restaurant (the 'Trewhiddle Inn') and the estate a tourist campsite. Both house and estate have now been sold to developers planning to build 65 'New England-style' holiday villas.
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...
. It lies in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Pentewan Valley and the ecclesiastical parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of St Austell. The nearest town is St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, approximately one mile to the north.
Manor of Trewhiddle
Trewhiddle was formerly referred to as a manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
which at one time contained two small settlements, Higher and Lower Trewhiddle. These settlements existed till at least 1891, but have since disappeared. The Trewhiddle area still includes two farms and Trewhiddle House.
The Trewhiddle Hoard
On 8 November 1774, miners streaming for tinTin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
uncovered a hoard of 114 Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
coins together with a silver chalice and other gold and silver objects. The coins, mostly from Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
and Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
, indicate that the hoard was hidden, possibly to protect it from Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raiders, in around 868. The artefacts were originally collected by Philip Rashleigh
Philip Rashleigh
Philip Rashleigh FRS , antiquary and Cornish squire, eldest son of Jonathan Rashleigh, M.P. for Fowey in Cornwall , who married, on 11 June 1728, Mary, daughter of Sir William Clayton of Marden in Surrey, was born at Aldermanbury, London, 28 Dec.1729...
who published a subsequent account. Some were later dispersed, but most of the hoard was presented to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. Many of the artefacts were decorated with stylized niello
Niello
Niello is a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides, used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal. It can be used for filling in designs cut from metal...
animals, a feature of Anglo-Saxon art
Anglo-Saxon art
Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norman Conquest of a large Anglo-Saxon nation-state whose...
which has since become known as 'Trewhiddle-style' decoration.
The Trewhiddle Ingot
Another remarkable discovery was made in 2003, when a 150-year-old lump of tungstenTungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
was found at Trewhiddle Farm. This may predate the earliest known smelting of the metal (which requires extremely high temperatures) and has led to speculation that it may have been produced during a visit by Rudolf Erich Raspe
Rudolf Erich Raspe
Rudolf Erich Raspe was a German librarian, writer and scientist, called by his biographer John Carswell a "rogue"...
to Happy-Union mine (at nearby Pentewan
Pentewan
Pentewan is a coastal village and former port in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at three miles south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River....
) in the late eighteenth century. Raspe, best known as the author or translator of the Baron Münchhausen
Baron Munchhausen
Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen , usually known as Baron Münchhausen in English, was a German nobleman born in Bodenwerder and a famous recounter of tall tales....
stories, was also a chemist with a particular interest in tungsten.
Trewhiddle House and estate
The legendary Cornish smuggler Cruel CoppingerCruel Coppinger
Cruel Coppinger is a semi-legendary figure in Cornish folklore. Coppinger was a real person, but various legends grew up around him, lending him near superhuman powers and a fearsome reputation...
may have been based on John Copinger, said to have purchased the Trewhiddle estate in the 1790s. In the 1840s, Trewhiddle House was home to the entomologist and botanist Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe
Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe
Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe was a Cornish entomologist mainly interested in Coleoptera.-Biography:He was born in Penzance Cornwall and trained at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Appointed surgeon in the Navy he served on Australian, West Indian and Mediterranean stations...
. In the late twentieth century the house became a restaurant (the 'Trewhiddle Inn') and the estate a tourist campsite. Both house and estate have now been sold to developers planning to build 65 'New England-style' holiday villas.