igà^ . N A T/CTrR A L » H î S T Of*R Y
unfeftled,, and what? tin was-ra-ifed, was?engroftëd?and toâfïagedby
a S B r e S to greàf togf-et-of the barons arid1 their vaflals. T ie
tm-pirm of Cornwall at this amounted.? tomo more than one
hundred -mark-% - according to which valuation the M hop ofeExeter
received then «vliem of his-tenth part, .and ftill 'reoeives fromothe
Dufe of Cö f0 ïa ll annually the füm ofeiix pounds thirteen fliillihgs
and four-pence *, follow .were the tin-profits then in; Cornwall,
Whereas in Devöriflaiffe'Öie tin was then let to-faim -for one hundred
pounds yearly King John, fenfitye of the -langukhinguftate of
this manufacture, granted the County of CQ^\^ll!f'fome;-marks df
his favour, disforefted what part of it.wàs thenfffobjedt to -the arbitrary
foreft-law, allowing it equal title to thedaWs^of the kingdom
with the other parts of England, and is laid to haVe grantedva charter
to the tinners (Carew, page 17), 'but what it was 4oes not appear.
In the time of h is : foil Richard, Ï King of therEpmans and llarl
of Cornwall, the Cornifh mines were immönfely rich, and the Jews
being farmed out to him by his brother Henry III. what interèft they
had was at his dkpofel : : at the' lame time »th^jtiu,-mines in Spain
were flopped from working by the Moors, and? ho tin being1 as yet
difcoverèd in Germany, Cornwall had all the trade ôf: Europe for
tin, and the Earl the almoft foie profit of that trade. This Prince
is faid to have made lèverai tin-laws j but matters foon declining
intodiferder where the Prince hasite© touch, little
or nothing, and the Jews being bankbed the kingdom itf l®liei^hss
teenth -of Edward I. the mines were again? ^ of
proper encouragement to labour, and- Security to enjoy and dilpofe
of tlie products of that labour ; which the gentlemen of Blackmoor
(Lords of ièvea tithings, beft ftored that with rin); per-?
ceiving (Garew,- page ï 7), addreflèd themfelves to'Edmund Earl o f
Cornwall (fen 4 * 6 of Richard King ó f the Romans, ^ c .) and obtained
from him, confirmed by his own fealc, a charter with more
explicit grants of the privileges of keeping a court of judicature,
holding plea o f all actions, (lire, limb, and land excepted), of managing
and deciding -all ftannary caufes, of bolding parliaments at
their difcretion, and of receiving, as their own due and property,
the toll-tin, that is, one fifteenth of all tin raifed. At this time
alfo, as it feems to me, the rights of Jdomidingy. or dividing tin-
grounds into feparate portions for the encouragement of fearching
for tin, were either firft appointed, or at leaft more regularly ad-
jufted than before, fo as that the labouring tinner might be encouraged
to feek for tin by acquiring a property in the lands where he
fhould difcover it, and that the farm-tin acquired by the bounder,
4 Not the broker, as in GibfoflVCamclen, P* 4 *
I Says Camden, page 4«
and
Camden, page 5.
•Ibid.
< X T T ' rQ D R N W A L L .
and the toll-tin, which was the Lord’s fiiare, ‘might remain diftmdt
and in violated. What bounds are has been already mentioned* p. jfbj,-
the right granted in fuch bounds- is now before us; and for the
better promotion of tin-working in all waft and uninclofed grounds,
«very! tinner had leave to place his labour in -fearching for tin; and
when he had difcovered tin, (after due notice given in the flannaiy
court to the Lord of the foil, and formally regifteriiig the intended
bounds' wi'th0ut«3p|)pofition or ddg^al) he m%ht, *and'ia4/.this time
ftill may, mark tout the, ground intwh'ich ïJbe ^fhould chuferfo/ purfiie
his difcovery, by digging a fmall pit at each angle of fuch wafteral,
which pits 1, are called bounds; | by this means he did acquire a right
in all future workings of fuch -grounds, either to work himfelf
or fet others to work upon his own terms, referving to, the Lord of
the foiEepte fifteenth part of all tin raifemthèrein.'" Fin Devonfttire
" <6 the tinners conftitution (fays Mr* Gare%^f*ager-i^- enables tiièm
to dig ’for .tin in •ahy?;haan-'s .|ghound anclofedtoh uninclofed, ’ without
licence,, •tribute, tor. fatisfadrion,” : which limfradfion fefi cofemon: pro^
perty 'that the vcrinflitution ©f , theftannaries was never equfe
tably eftabMfhed in that oountyfelais the ïfanfcjndicióus -author ob-
fefves; -„jThefe gits,, all bounders, -.dby themfelves or others, .atibofef
lijgèd to'réfiew every yjsafv • hyjEuttmg thejtorfinnd.cl^nieg up the
dirt andïrubfbkh which fells into them, to tbeSriteiitithat ftich land*
marks may not be obliterated, c In confideraition o f fehcfe privileges
fc grantedby charter, ithè gentlemen .tmhérst©bl%eéjfhetofel^e|ffto
pay unto Edmund and his focceflors Earls of Cornwall,:’ the film of
four fhillihgsr for every' hundred;weight ofwhite tin, afeery high
duty £ÉfritïÉB:,lX3a i e ' ï i f e tinneri ofeHevobiKitofehen -payi
ing bratfeight penceJforevery hundredweightof tjn j andrthat thè
payment b j this tax might be the better fecured, ft was a^reed, that
all tin fhould be brought to places purpofely appointed by the Prince,
there weighed, coined, and kept, till the Earl >of Cornwall’s dues
Were paid. To this .'charter there was a feal with a ;j)1dk7axe and -
fhovel in faltire1 (fays Carew, page 17),. as he was informed by a
gentleman who had feefi this? charter, though in Carew’s time it
was not extant.
In the thirty-third of Edward I. this charter of Edmund feems
to have been confirmed, and the tinners of Cornwall were- made a
diftindt body from thofe of Devonfhire; whereas before, the tinners
of both 'counties were accuftoined to meet on Hengfton Hill every
feyenth or eighth year to concert the common intereft of both parties
*. Two'coinages yearly, viz. at Midferrimer and Adlbhdelmas,
were alfo granted by this chartif, and the tinhefs had the' liberty
d Cairiden,
óf