Idless ( kw, Edhelys, meaning ''place of aspen trees'') is a hamlet north of Truro in Cornwall, England. The River Allen rises north of St Allen and flows southwards through the Idless Valley into Truro. It is in the civil parish of Kenwyn. The manor of Idless was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) when it was held by Algar from

Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, 2nd Earl of Cornwall (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastin ...

. There was one hide of land and land for 6 ploughs. Algar had one third of a virgate with 3 ploughs and 4 serfs. 4 villeins and 7 smallholders had the rest of the land. There were 40 acres of woodland, 2 square leagues of pasture, 23 sheep and 7 goats. The value of the manor was 15 shillings though it had formerly been £2 sterling. There was a military firing-range beside nearby St Clement's Wood, known as "Idless Range", just north of the present-day Penmount Crematorium, which was still in use by at least the local army cadets for Lee-Enfield live-firing in the late 1950s.

Idless Woods

Idless Woods is a nearby mixed woodland managed by Forestry England consisting of Bishop’s wood, Lady’s woods, St Clement’s Wood, and part of Lord’s Wood. Manmade features include an Iron Age hill fort at the top of the woodland, and the ruins of an old gunpowder works beside a tributary of the River Allen on the eastern boundary. At the entrance to the woods, there is a café called The Woodman's Cabin and a car park. The woods contain seven routes that are affiliated to Cornwall Orienteering Club and British Orienteering. Being so close to Truro, Idless Woods is a popular location for walking, running, riding and cycling. Plant species include alder, ash, aspen,

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

, blackthorn, crab apple, downy birch,

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

, elm, goat willow,

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are n ...

, guelder-rose, hawthorn,

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

, holly,

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

, scot's pine, sessile oak, silver birch, spindle and sycamore. Eucalyptus have been planted by Forestry England as an experiment. Idless woods has a diverse range of wildlife, including red deer, roe deer,

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

, badger, and water shrew. The woods are listed in the Domesday Book (1086) as consisting of 40 acres of woodland owned by Alfred of Helstone.

External links

https://www.idlesswoods.org

References

Hamlets in Cornwall Manors in Cornwall {{Carrick-geo-stub