Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, Volumes 2 and 3

I’m continuing to cut down Bottrell for the Cornwall gazetteer.

The Fuggo : a place to delve, and a spirit

“ABOUT a furlong south-west of Trove, but on a tenement of Boleigh, is the Fuggo. It consists of a cave about six feet high, five feet wide, and near forty long, faced on each side with rough stones, across which long stone posts are laid. On its north-west side a narrow passage leads into another cave of similar construction and unknown extent ; as it has long been blocked up by a portion of the roof having fallen in…They say that it extends from its entrance, at the foot of Boleigh hill, to the old mansion at Trove ; in proof of this the old one has often been heard piping under a parlour of the house. It is supposed he meets the witches down there, who have entered by the Fuggo to dance to his music. Hares are often seen to enter the Fuggo which are never known to come out the same way ; they are said to be witches going to meet their master, who provides them with some other shape to return in.

Old folks of the neighbourhood say that there was another Fuggo in Trove Hill, on the opposite side of the Glen, There are traditions that almost all these caves were haunted by beings of a fearful nature, whose path it was dangerous to cross. The fuggo at Bodinnar, called the Giant’s Holt, was a few years ago much dreaded, as it was thought to be the abode of ugly spriggans that kept watch and guard over treasures which still remain buried in that ancient hiding-place. 

There is a somewhat graceful creation of fancy associated with  the Vow, or fuggo, at Pendeen, which is said to extend from the mansion to Pendeen Cove, and some say it has branches in other directions, which spread far away from the principal cavern. At dawn on Christmas Day the “Spirit of the Tow” has freqiiently been seen just within the entrance, near the Cove, in the form of a beautiful lady, dressed in white, with a red rose in her mouth. There were persons living, a few years since, who had seen this fair but not the less fearful vision ; for disaster was sure to visit those who intruded on the spirit’s morning airings.”

‘ ‘ I don’t understand very well Capen what is meant by enchantment, only that it’s something strange and wonderful. Now, to my mind, the greatest wonder about the place is the Vow. One end of it we know is within a few yards of the mansion, but no one knows where the other is to be found. Ef there be any truth in old traditions about that cavern, adit, fougou, or whatever it may be called, it runs for a great distance (some say miles), yet most people believe that the eastern end was once open at the cove. Others will have it that old tinners, who lived before part of the roof had fallen in, travelled in it for ten times the distance from the house to the cove, and burned more than a pound of candles without finding the end. They always returned frightened, and what they saw to scare them they could never be got to tell.
“
Perhaps the Spirit of the Vow, that many have seen at the entrance, in the appearance of a tall lady, dressed in white, with a red rose in her mouth, at all seasons of the year, may take a more fearful form within the cavern. ” Who can tell,” he continued, “but that money and treasures may have been secreted there in troublesome times of old, and I wonder why the Squire don’t have the mystery about the Vow cleared up ; there can’t be much of the roof fallen in, and, for my part, I’d willingly give all my time, out of core for a month to help clear away the rubbish and take the venture upon shares.”

“I am very much of thy mind, my dear,” Capt. Peter replied, “Ef the Squire would give us leave we’d pitch cost as soon as the feast is over, and I don’t think we should find there
many spirits to frighten us away. I believe that many of the fearful stories about the Vow were invented by smugglers. When the fair trade was in its glory the Vow was a convenient
place for storage, and I think that the smugglers, who didn’t want any faint hearts, with weak heads and long tongues, to come near them, invented many fearful stories to scare such away. One never finds any so fond of prying into other people’s business as the foolish ones, or ‘ Grammer’s weak children,’ as we say.”

Hoopers

Many of the ” sawns ” in the western cleaves have also similar legends connected with them, only the dwellers in sea-side caverns, are either of the mermaid race, or what we call Hoopers. The latter are beneficent spirits who warn fishermen from going to sea when there is an approaching tempest. The Hoopers shroud themselves in a thick fog which stretches across coves frequented by them.

Powers of a black witch

Yet, there were others that regarded her as a witch of deeper dye, and who believed that, by her strange dealings with the Old One, her husband had always a favourable wind, so as to make a quicker passage to France and back than anyone else in “the fair trade.” Besides, fish, they said, always came to his hook and net when other fishermen had none. If anyone happened to offend either of the pair some strange run of bad luck was sure to follow; and nothing proved their compact with Old Nick so much as the rich wrecks which were constantly floating into Pendeen Cove when the pair lived there.

Folk Charm

She remembered to have heard that the adder-charm was powerful to drive away all mischievous sprights.

Knockers

it was nearly dark, he seed scores of knackers restan on their tools. They were miserable, little, old, withered, dried-up creatures the tallest of them no more than three foot six, or
thefe away, with shanks like drum-sticks, and their arms as long or longer than their legs. They had big ugly heads, with grey or red locks, squintan eyes, hook noses, and mouths from ear to ear. The faces of many were very much like the grim visages on old cloman jugs, so Tom said, and more like those of brutes than Christians. One older and uglier than the rest if possible seemed to take the lead in makan wry faces, and all sorts of mockan tricks. When he put his thumb to his nose and squinted at Tom, all those behind him did the same. Then all turned their backs, stooped down, lolled out their tongues, and grinned at
him from between their spindle shanks. Tom was now much scared. He noticed that his candle was burnt down to the clay, and knew that he must have slept nearly two hours.

Crumbs for Bucca

I often heard when a child, there are some lines about leaving the buryans (crumbs) for Bucca.” And one would think the tribe of small folks always made their speeches in ryhmes. When I was young, it was a custom in the harvestfield, at croust (afternoon’s refreshment), observed by most old folks, to pour a few drops of their liquor on the ground for good 
luck ; and to cast a fragment of bread over their right shoulder for the same reason. Fishermen, too, were in the habit of leaving on the sand, at night, a fish for Bucca ; and they were also very careful to feed and make much of their cats, to insure them good luck in their fishing. If tinners in going to bal met with a ‘bulhorn’ (shell-snail) in their path, they always took care to drop before it a crum from their dinner, or a bit of grease from their candle for good luck.

Locals well educated?

In those old times, and in that remote part, there were many who would even now be considered good scholars. The old folks of our great-grandfathers’ days were neither so ignorant nor so immoral as it is now the fashion to represent them ; true, there were few sleek smoothies among them, and they would be too rude and outspoken for our taste
perhaps. Books, from their dearness, were comparatively scarce ; but the few they had were read over and discussed around the winter’s hearth, where neighbours assembled in a social way that is now not found in country villages. The “Story of Troy-town,” as they called some old translation of the “Iliad,” almost everybody knew by heart. Hector
was such a favourite, that the best horse was called after him ; and Penelope had, in most families, a namesake (Pee) to commemorate her constancy.

They had also the ” Seven Wise Masters of Greece,” ‘ Moore’s Almanack,” “Kobinson Crusoe,” which everyone knew by heart, and believed a true history, and two or three herbals, besides religious books, of which they made little account on the whole. Culpepper was an especial favourite with elderly dames ; stills being common, they experimented with his recipes, and often compounded precious balsams that would operate famously as evacuants. 

Devil’s money

“The boy didn’t venture from his fort for sometime after the bull left. At length he ‘ cramed ‘ down over a shelving side of the rock on all fours, head foremost it was too dark to see
where to put his feet. When he touched ground with his hand he felt and took up what he thought, by the feel of it, to be a penny-piece or a large button. He ran home and saw, by light shining through a window, that he had found a penny. When the way was clear, he made a place to hide it, in a hole over the chimney-stool the fire-place was a large open one for burning furze and turf.

Next night, about the same hour as on the preceding, he went on the rock,
‘ cramed ‘ down again, and found two penny-pieces, which he hoarded in the hole ; and, night after night, he visited the rock, found the money doubled each succeeding night, and
picked up silver money in other places where one would the least expect to find it, till his hiding-place was nearly full in a few weeks.

How much longer this luck would have continued there is no knowing ; for, one night, when he thought there was nobody about, his mother came in and found him standing on the
chimney-stool so earnest about something that he didn’t see her watching him, and he kept handling his money till she said, ”Whatever hast thee got there between the stones, that thee art always stealing into the chimney, whenever thee dost think nobody is noticing of thee.”
“
Only my buttons and marbles, mother,” said he. 

“I don’t believe thee,” replied his mother; “stand away, and I’ll see for myself.” Saying this she took up the fire-hook, ran the point of it into the hole, and dragged out a lot of money.

“Now tell me, or I’ll kill thee, thou lying thief,” said she, “where didst thee get this money; if thee hast stole it I’ll murder thee, I will.”

The boy didn’t much mind his mother’s threats terrific as they seem he was used to it. Yet she made him tell how he came by the money.

“Oh! good gracious mercy on us,” cried she, before he had finished telling her ; ‘ oh ! thou wicked boy ; thee hast frightened me out of my life. Now tell me true,” moaned she, wringing her hands, ” hast thee used any of the” devil’s money, put there to entice thee to sell thyself to him, body and soul?”

” No, mother, please sure I han’t,” said he, “I was savau all to buy a gun.”

“Well, thank goodness,” groaned his mother, “that I have found all out in time to prevent thee shuttan thyself or somebody else with the devil’s gun. I should never more rejoice if I
thought thee hast used a farthing of en. Know, thou plague of niy heart, that what seemed to thee a bull was the Old One hisself. He placed the money there for thee, and, when the bull seemed to vanish, he only changed to an adder, a toad, or something else that suited his purpose, and he was watchan thee all the time.”

Whilst talking to the boy she raked all the money on to a fireshovel, and threw it under a brandes, around which there was a good turf-fire. In a few minutes all the money melted away, and was gone like hailstones in sunshine. Next morning she carried out all the ashes, strewed them about the town-place, and swept the hearth nine times before she lighted a new fire. The poor woman never rested till she told old Parson Stephens. He didn’t altogether believe the boy’s story, but said that if it was the devil’s money she did right, or
she might have brought it to him. 

The boy was so terrified by what his mother said, that, for years after, he never ventured to wander by night, even when he hunted for Sir Rose, and was as stout a man as one might see of a market day ; and the sight of a black bull or anything he took for such would always make him tremble. There are many stories of this class about people having been
enticed with devil’s money, but few of them have so fortunate an ending as the old huntsman’s relation.

Cursing Psalm

is a general belief, in the western part of Cornwall, that if a greatly injured person, the last thing before death, reads or recites the 109th Psalm, usually called the “Cursing Psalm,” applying its comminations to the injurer, the dying maledictions are sure to take effect.

Piksey

Piskey still leads benighted people astray ; this sprite wanders alone and is always spoken of in the singular. It is somewhat remarkable that a green bug, frequently found on bramble
bushes in autumn, is called by this name. After Michaelmas, it is said, that blackberries are unwholesome because Piskey spoils them then.

Places frequented by goats are believed to be the favourite haunts of fairies. It is uncertain whether Bucka can be regarded as one of the fairy tribe ; old people, within my remembrance, spoke of a Bucka Gwidden and a Bucka Dhu by the former they meant a
good spirit, and by the latter an evil one, now known as Bucka boo. I have been told, by persons of credit, that within the last forty years it was a usual practice with Newlyn and Mousehal fishermen to leave on the sand at night a portion of their catch for Bucka.

Pengersec (Pengerswick)

The Lord Pengerswick story was covered with its own episode, but it has an extra layer in Bottrell. It’ll get its own episode.

Holy Rock Tables

Within the memory of many persons now living, there was to be seen, in the town-places of many western villages, an unhewn table-like stone called the Garrack Zans. This stone was the usual meeting place of the villagers, and regarded by them as public property. Old residents in Escols have often told me of one which stood near the middle of that hamlet on an open space where a maypole was also erected. This Garrack Zans they described as nearly round, about three feet high, and nine in diameter, with a level top. A bonfire was made on it and danced around at Midsummer. 

Whenpetty offences were committedby unknownpersons, those who wished to prove their innocence, and to discover the guilty, were accustomed to light a furse-fire on the Garrack Zans ; each person who assisted took a stick of fire from the pile, and those who could extinguish the fire in their sticks, by spitting on them, were deemed innocent ; if the injured handed a fire-stick to any persons, who failed to do so, they were declared guilty. Most evenings young persons, linked hand in hand, danced around the Garrack Zans, and many old folks passed round it nine times daily from some notion that it was lucky and good against witchcraft.

Devil shapes

 

The feathered fiend

JADOCK men were famous ringers of old ; but from a few H weeks before their champion’s victory over the demon- wrestler, the fine old bells of their church had been silent
because their ropes were quite worn out, and other gearing connected with them required repairs to be used with safety. Shortly after Trevail’s victory, an evil spirit, in the form of a very large bird, with coal-black plumage, and fiery eyes, but of a kind unknown to Ladock folks, was seen perched on the tower for several nights in succession, where it remained for hours jumping from one pinnacle to another, and making an unnatural clamour, which was heard far away. Shortly after it came by day, and even during Divine Service. The
pastor and his flock were distracted by its croaking and cawing, as if in derision.

When the clerk, with five or six other elderly men and two women, who formed the choir, quavered through the psalms — ^whioh they sung in parts, much in the mode of old ” three-man-songs,” -^this feathered fiend, just over their heads, on the tower, would
utter such infernal noises as to make sad discord of the old men’s music…

Every now and then the accursed thing would mimic all sorts of familiar but jarring sounds ; sometimes it screeched ” like a pig caught in a gate;” then quickly changed its note to imitate the cry of hounds in full chase ; or the cackling- and scolding of old women. By such noises coming down from the elevated site, many of the congregation were constrained to burst out in roars of laughter, which, like yawning, is very catching. Prim folks, who
put great restraint on themselves in order to retain a solemn demeanour, suffered such pains that they had to leave Church and give vent to their pent up feeling.

Mr. Wood was nonplussed ; the Evil One was too high up to be reached with his hunting-whip, and the methods by which he had formerly exorcised demons now failed. From this one’s position, he could not comply with all the prescribed formulas, such as enclosing him in a magic circle, &c. The reverend gentleman felt his fame as an exorcist was at stake. He told his people that the accursed thing was no other than a mean mocking devil sent thither by the demon-wrestler to torment him, out of revenge for his aid to their champion, whereby Jackey’s victory and the Evil One’s discomfiture were assured.

The increasing vexation continued for many weeks, until Mr. Wood was struck with an idea which he turned to good account ; and which should be recorded for the benefit of others who may ever have to encounter the like difficulties.

Mill

The dames would all get a ” half-a-strike ” of w;heat each and take it to mill if they could. They liked going thither to ” serge ” (sift) their flour to their liking, and hear the latest gossip from the miller’s wife, or other women who brought their grist. Mills were so noted as places for scandal, that any slanderous tale used to be called a “mill story.” The mill, too, was the usual place of rendezvous for young folks of summers’ evenings, when they generally had a dance, to music> from the miller’s fiddle, — all the

One may hope that the pleasant old Christmas pastime of burning ivy-leaves and rushes was still observed, last Twelfth-night, in some outlying hamlets where the good folks are not yet so ” enlightened ” as to conceive that they know much more than their grandparents.

Those who have taken part in this old observance for obtaining presages
regarding the most important events of life, know that “touching the cravel”
must be carefully complied with on leaving the hearth to gather what they
require ; and the first thing on their return, before any of them may speak, and
their more interesting rites commence.

If any of the company happen to speak by the way, the charm is spoiled, and
the seeming presages will be unreliable, unless the incautious ones return, touch
the cravel, and resume the work.

ld millers could play dance tunes. If the miller hadn’t leisure, some of the merry company either beat up the time on a ” crowd ” (sieve-rind with a sheepskin bottom, used foi’ taking up com, flour, &c.), or they sung verses of old ballads which suited the measure. We will no longer linger over our pleasing old customs.

Fiddlers’ Green

Cornish Sailors’ Isle op Avalon. — It is known to most persons who have mixed much with Cornish sailors that they often speak of the ” Green,” which they frequently call Fiddler’s Green amongst themselves. They describe this place as an ” Isle of the Blest,” in which honest Tars, after the toils of this life, are to enjoy unmixed bliss with their old comrades and favourite fair ones. In orchards of fruit, ever ripe, they are to be entertained with music, dancing, and everything else in which they delighted in their lifetime. The idea of this Fairy Land is probably derived from Celtic mythology, as well as that of

” The island valley of Avilion, Where falls not hail, or rain, or snow ; Nor ever -wind blows loudly ; but it lies Deep-meadow’d, happy, fair with orchard lawns, And bowery hollows orown’d with summer seas.”Thither King Arthur was wafted in a barge with three fair
queens when his table, man by man,” Had fallen in Lyonness about tlieir Lord.”Breton and Welsh sailors have similar notions.