Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/29

 I PREFACE antiquities of Cornwall are of such extreme interest that they have to a large extent absorbed the attention of the antiquaries and archaeologists of the county, causing the history of the county to be somewhat neglected. Cornwall has nevertheless had its share of county historians, first among whom is Richard Carew, of Antony, who published his quaint and entertaining Survey of Cornwall in 1602. It is, however, to Dr. William Borlase that we turn as the principal historian of the county. His interests at first were given to natural history, but later in life he devoted most of his attention to archaeology. In 1774 he published the first edition of his Cornish Antiquities, which, although many of his deductions are by later study shown to be erroneous, is the foundation of archaeological research in the county. In his declining years he planned a parochial history of Cornwall, which, however, was never published. The Reverend Richard Polwhele published the first part of his History of Cornwall in 1803, in which he gives a general survey of the county, but with little detail as to parochial history. In 1838 Davies Gilbert, who had changed his name from Giddy, published The Parochial History of Cornwall in four volumes. This was founded upon The Complete History of Cornwall by William Hals, a work that was never finished, and the manuscript ' History of Cornwall ' by Thomas Tonkin, which had come into the possession of Lord de Dunstanville. Gilbert's work only gives notes about the parishes in the county without any attempt to trace the descents of the manors. Many histories of separate parishes and districts in Cornwall have been written, the most noteworthy of which has been the History of Trigg Minor by Sir John Maclean, and the Royal Institution of Cornwall has done some excellent work towards the study of the history and archaeology of the county. The Editor wishes to express his indebtedness to the Reverend Thomas Taylor, M.A., F.S.A., for his constant help ; to the Bishop of Gibraltar, Mr. J. D. Enys, F.G.S., Mr. Thurstan C. Peter and Mr. Michell Whitley for assistance and advice ; to Mr. I. Chalkley Gould, F.S.A., for notes regarding the article on Earthworks ; to many who assisted with the article on Industries, and to Mr. C. W. Dymond, the Society of Antiquaries, and the Royal Institution of Cornwall for the use of blocks for illustrations. XX!