Mithian
- Tony Mansell

published in 2003
157 pages

A small village in the parish of St Agnes, the settlement of Mithian dates from 1201. The historical and social aspects of Mithian life are interestingly portrayed in this book, the first to be published specifically about the village. Containing many facts, anecdotes and stories it captures the flavour of life in a Cornish village across the centuries. The variety of items should prove interesting to both the historian and the casual reader.

Extract:

"The MINERS ARMS (Miners Inn) was a part of Mithian Manor and is undoubtedly a very old building but there are a number of mysteries surrounding it, not least its precise age. Many books state that it was built in 1577; a very precise date that must have been picked up from somewhere. I am not disputing the date but documentary evidence of its age seems nonexistent and I would be interested to know how it was arrived at.

It may appear in a history book that I have not read but I have a feeling that it may relate to a date contained in the decorative plaster ceiling of the mezzanine floor. If that is the case then it may well be in error, as reading it in a clockwise direction will reveal that it actually states 1775 and not 1577. There could, of course, be a number of reasons for this. Perhaps an extension was built in 1775 and the original building does date from 1577 -coincidence, but not impossible. Perhaps the ceiling in question was replaced in 1775. Perhaps it is meant to be read anti-clockwise, but why? Or maybe, just maybe, the building is not as old as we had thought.

It has been supposed that the building was used extensively for smuggling and that the tunnel that runs under the road and re-emerges in the Old Manor House was for this purpose. Smuggling was prevalent for a number of centuries but the inn is some way from the coast and the further inland that the merchandise had to be brought the greater the chance of being accosted by the Revenue Men.

It is also suggested that the tunnel could have been a hiding place or escape route for Catholic priests or monks following the Reformation of the mid 1500s and that would make it even older than 1577. This would seem to fit in nicely with the various stories of lost chapels, monasteries and priest holes. This is a period when Cornwall and England were involved in religious persecution of both'Catholics and Protestants depending on the persuasion of the particular monarch at the time. During the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI Catholicism was heavily suppressed and Mithian Manor was the home of the Wynslades who took part in the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 when the Catholic faith and the Cornish language was so resolutely defended.

By the suggested build date of 1577 the Wynslades had long since departed, the Mohuns were in residence and a staunchly Protestant was on the throne once more. It has been rumoured that the clothing and bones of a monk was found in the tunnel but that may just be a bit of garnishing.

One final thought on the tunnel and then I will leave it to your imagination. Could it have existed prior to the construction of the building when it would have provided an escape route from the Manor House? Or could it have been a later addition to meet either of the above needs or for a reason not yet put forward? That the tunnel exists is not in doubt; a number of people have looked down into it when it was opened up sometime in the 1960s. Melville Strike says that it was blocked and they did not get very far but that it was clearly the start of a tunnel. Since then, apart from a few bold suggestions at the bar, no further attempt has been made to reopen it.

There are references to Manor Court sessions being held in the building and my feeling is that its history is so linked to the Manor that parts of it must have existed before 1775 and probably before 1577.

I have not been able to find a date when the building first became a tavern but it is included in one listing in 1838. Of course, it may well have operated under another name prior to this and you will read later that there were many other hostelries associated with Mithian."