Page:County Churches of Cornwall.djvu/72

 50 THE CHURCHES OF CORNWALL coarse deterrents of sin in the House of God. They are to be seen in the churches of Anthony East, Botus Fleming,* St. Cleer, St. Clement,* St. Keverne, Lan- east, Lanreath, Lansallos,* Lostwithiel, St. Mabyn,* Maker, St. Merryn, St. Minver, Padstow, Pillaton, St. Probus, Quethiock, Sheviock, St. Stephen- by-Saltash, and Talland, and they may possibly have been overlooked in a few other instances. In all these cases they are to be found in the porches, except when marked with an asterisk ; St. Clement's is the most repellent, for the stocks in that church almost touch the font. These stocks are all provided with 6 holes, except at St. Merryn and Padstow where there are 8, and at Lanreath and Talland where, strange to say, there are the odd number of 7. In two or three instances some of the holes are much smaller, and apparently intended for women. Cornwall has suffered pre-eminently in the matter of the RESTORATION of its church fabrics; and deservedly severe comments on the treatment of both fabrics and fittings in the mid- Victorian period occur with some frequency in these pages. It is only fair, however, to add that the condition of not a few of the churches was most deplorable at that period. Indeed, it would be difficult to exaggerate the foul condition and gross neglect of several within our own memory. There were few more compe- tent architectural antiquaries of the last generation than Mr. E. H. Godwin. This gentleman contri- buted valuable and comprehensive articles to the