Page:The Cornwall coast.djvu/283

 CRANTOCK, NEWQUAY, MAWGAN 277 of some forgotten Cornish word. It is a charming little bay lying snugly between the two headlands of Kelsey and West Pentire, both of which com- mand find views of coast and sea. We are now in the parish of Crantock, whose antiquity and importance have been overshadowed by the ever- growing popularity of the comparatively juvenile Newquay ; yet present-day Crantock owes so much to Newquay that it cannot afford to be disdainful. In these days no picturesque village can afford to scorn a wealthy neighbour ; yet Crantock claims to have been a populous town before Newquay was dreamed of. Crantock, or St. Carantoc, stands a little way inland from the coast, and the older part is cradled in a sheltering hollow. Its boast of former importance is by no means an idle one. Even within comparatively recent years the estuary of the Gannel, now sand-locked, was navigable for large fishing-craft ; and the " new quay " of the prosperous neighbour points indirectly to a time when there was an old quay here. In the sand- flats and rocks around the river-mouth it is possible to trace signs of old shipping, old mooring- rings, and curious excavations. Hals tells us that " in this parish is the port or creek or haven, called the Gonell or Ganell. It also, at full sea, affordeth entrance and anchorage for ships of greatest burthen, if conducted by a pilot that under- standeth the course of the channel." But tradition goes further back than this, and speaks of Cran- tock as having been once part of a large town or district named Langarrow, or sometimes Languna, most of which now lies beneath the sand-towans. This town is said to have had many fine churches and buildings, vying with the 16