Talskiddy is a small rural village about two miles north of

St Columb Major St Columb Major is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay Ordnance Survey: Landran ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, United Kingdom. Originally a manorial settlement belonging to the

Earldom of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall *Condor of Cornwall, ...

, the place prospered in the 19th century as a centre of the wool-combing industry.

History

Talskiddy was once an ancient manor belonging to the

Duchy of Cornwall A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

. Previous to the formation of the Duchy, it was one of 17 manors belonging to the

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall *Condor of Cornwall, ...

. It is recorded that

Richard, Earl of Cornwall Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of ...

purchased three Cornish acres at Talskiddy. These seventeen 'ancient manors' were known collectively as the

Antiqua maneria The Antiqua maneria (ancient manors), also known as assessionable manors, were the original 17 manors belonging to the Earldom of Cornwall. After March 1337, these manors were transferred to the new Duchy of Cornwall created by King Edward III ...

. The manorial custom of " Free Bench" was practised here. It was once a centre for the

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

combing industry. Many of the older houses in the village are built of cob.

Etymology

The meaning of the name is supposed to be ''brow of the hill of shadows'', from ''Tal'' the Cornish word for ''brow'', and ''skeusy'' the Cornish word for ''shady'' or ''shadows'', but could include the Cornish ''skaw'' meaning ''elder trees''.

Amenities

Talskiddy is probably one of the smallest villages in Cornwall, the only facilities being one

red telephone box The red telephone box is a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect responsible for Liverpool Cathedral. The telephone box is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, its associa ...

and a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

postbox A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English), is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intend ...

. It is one of only a few villages in Cornwall that has a

village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

. It also has a duck pond, known by the residents as "the harbour". There was once a " kiddlywink" or beer shop in the village. Two woolcombing sheds remain, now converted to dwellings. Close by are the farming settlements of Rosedinnick, Pennatillie and Pencrennis. The nearest main roads are the A39 (Atlantic highway) which provides good links to North Cornwall, and the provides good A30 links to the rest of Cornwall.

In literature

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...

wrote a book about a man from Talskiddy called ''Dickory Cronke: The Dumb Philosopher: or, Great Britain's Wonder'' (1719). It is not clear whether Cronke was a real character, or the work of Defoe's imagination. A true life character who lived at Talskiddy was George Hawke. He spent his early life working as a wool stapler for the Allanson family. He was a very determined man indeed. He was born in

St Eval St Eval () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet is about four miles (6.5 km) southwest of Padstow. The parish population at the 2011 census was 960. Much of the vil ...

Parish on 2 October 1802 at his father's farm near Bedruthan. Following losses in an economic recession, George decided to emigrate to Australia. His words were recorded in a letter at age 70 years to a nephew back in Cornwall. The letter was later reproduced in full in Yvonne McBurney's book, ''The Road to Byng''.Cornish Settlement (Byng)
/ref>

Cornish wrestling

John Capell (1859-1932),''Passing of Mr J Capell, St Columb'', Cornish Guardian - Thursday 11 February 1932, p2. from Talskiddy, was heavyweight

Cornish wrestling Cornish wrestling () is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton people, Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’"Phillipps, K C: ...

champion of Cornwall in 1890''Wrestling at Redruth'', Cornish Post and Mining News, 26 September 1890, p8. and 1898Lake's Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser, 23 July 1898.Royal Cornwall Gazette, 21 July 1898. and Champion of the West of England in 1890.Cornubian and Redruth Times, 26 September 1890.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Cornwall Manors in Cornwall St Columb Major