RIVER.

The river comes in and goes out in spring-tides with prodigious rapidity. Vessels of between two and three hundred tons burthen can come to the quays of either East or West Looe. The river which branches off into two arms about a quarter of a mile from Looe Bridge, is navigable with boats and flat-bottomed barges of about twenty tons burthen, as far as Sandplace on one branch, about two miles up, and about the same distance on the other branch. Sandplace is so called from the sand dredged up by these barges for manure being usually carried there. The barges are in fine weather constantly dredging up this manure at a short distance from Looe Beach. The sand, however, is not of a fine quality, as it contains but few fragments of shells, and chiefly consists of schist and quartz.

DULO.

Borlase, in his Natural History of Cornwall, says, "One mile below Sandplace the Looe is joined by another Stream from the West called Dulo, that is the Black Loo or Water. The district through which it mostly runs is called Dulo or Duloo parish, as it is reasonable to conjecture from some apparent darkness in colour, sufficient to distinguish it from

This

the adjoining stream of East Loo, whose whole course is at a medium not two miles distant. water rises in the Parish of St. Pinnock, and coasting nearly South, becomes navigable at Trelawn Wear, about two miles from the Sea, a mile after it joins the East Looe, and they both pass the Stone Bridge before-mentioned into Loo Creek, its whole course being about seven miles."

Hals says, the modern name of Dulo is taken. from the Church, and is compounded of Du-Lo, Du-Loe, or Loo, i. e. God's Lake, or River of Water, either referring to the Looe river, on which it is situate, the original fountain whereof, viz. in Loue Douns in Liskeard, was undoubtedly consecrated by our ancestors the Britons, as well as other rivers, or so called from God's Lake, viz. the Font Waters of the Church, or Baptism and Regeneration, freely dispensed with to all comers, after a spiritual man

ner.

In the Domesday Roll the 20th of William I. 1087, this parish was rated under the jurisdiction of Treworgye. At the time of the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, 1294, into the value of Cornish Benefices, Ecclesia de Dulo in Decanatu de Westwellshire was taxed £7. 6s. 8d. Vicar ejusdem £1. 10s. In Wolsey's Inquisition it was rated £22. The Vicarage £8. 11s. The Patronage in Seyntaubyn and Arundell alternately. The Parish rated to the 4s. per lib. Tax the 3d of William III. 1696, £246. 4s.

About the last century a Mr. Finsher was incum. bent of this parish, and expecting to purchase the patronage of the same, had built a pretty good house on the glebe; but Sir John St. Aubyn and Mr. Arundell sold the same to Baliol College in Oxford, in the year 1701; which circumstance as Hals says, so dismayed Mr. Fincher, that he forthwith grew melancholy, and the grief thereof so depressed his spirits, that he broke his heart, and departed this life the 26th of November, 1703, at night, and so went to Heaven in that great tempest and hurricane that then happened, with many others. The Vicar has now all the tythes, paying £.40 yearly to the Master or one of the Fellows of Baliol College.

In Usher de Brit. Eccl. Primord. p. 560, it appears that the Church of St. Theliaus in Wales is called Lhau Deilo Vaur, the Church of Great Theliaus. And the change of Deilo to Dulo is so easy, says a recent writer, that St. Theliaus seems to have the best title to this Parish, as the patron and owner of it. In confirmation of this conjecture, says same writer, we find on the Barten of Tresidern in St. Burien, a Chapel dedicated to St. Dillo, who is undisputably the Theliaus.

the

DERIVATION, AND ANTIENT NAMES.

Never having observed or heard of any apparent darkness in the colour of the water of the West

river, as Borlase conjectures, and not being satisfied with the other derivations of the name Dulo; and as the Cornish words Deu and Deau signified Two, I think the Parish took its name from the circumstance of its being a tongue of land lying between two rivers or waters, Du two, Lo water. Carew conjectures these Boroughs to have taken their names from the river which rises in St. Cleer parish, and is called Lo or Loe River*, and that the river might have taken its name from running so low under the hills. Lo is the Cornish name for a Pool, and if I may hazard a conjecture, the expanse of water between and above these Boroughs, might have given them their names, or at least one of them its name, and the other from its relative situation to the first town. Tradition says, that East Looe was formerly called St. Mary's in the Marsh, and that the Chapel was dedicated to St. Mary. It also says that the first town was at a place called Shutta or Shoota, about a quarter of a mile up the river, but I know of no authority for this supposition; there certainly, however, was a small town at Shutta antiently, as will appear hereafter from the Charter of Otho de Bodrigan.

* Also Loow and Loowe, Leland, vol. VII. p. 113; and Low, p. 14; and vol. III. p. 26. Wallicè, Lhüch; Cornu. Brit. Lich; Anglicè, Lake, Pond, or Pool.

Ir. Lough; Scot. Lock.

E

50

WEST LOOE.

West Looe (though generally now so called) also goes by the name of Portbyhan, sometimes spelt Portbyham, and in the Writs to the Sheriff for the Election of Members of Parliament Portpigham *. On the Corporation Seal it is called Portuan. The impression of the Seal is a man holding a bow in his right hand, and an arrow in the left, with the legend Por* tu* an, * other * wys* called * Westlo.

Browne Willis

"The first Record I have

says, seen of West Looe or Portpigham is the following: Ann. 22 Hen. III. Hugh de Treverbin Plaintiff, and Odo Treverbin and his wife Defendants, levied a fine of the manor of Portloe." Portpigham and

* A corruption, probably, of Port Bighan or Bican; Cornish, Little Port.

+ Port Vean; Cornish, Little Port.

+ Page 90.