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painting by William Payne, 1826 of Pengersick Castle
A painting by William Payne (1750-1830) Watercolour over pencil - dated 1826 of Pengersick Castle to the right, but to the far left are the two small cottages, this is where our barn now stands. This shows the whole of the hamlet of Pengersick around the time of John Carter’s reign and the castle and its buildings in ruins on the right of the photo.
If you are facing Smugglers Barn where the Blue Plaque is sited, just behind you is Pengersick Castle which from records at that time of the Carters reign showed that it was in ruin. A myth was created by the smugglers telling of the 'Black Dog of Pengersick'with its glowing eyes, this was created to discourage any prying eyes of the ordinary folk in the vicinity at the time.
Rumours of ghosts and devil-worship[10] surround the castle.[11] The ghost of John Milliton is said to haunt the castle. Legend says that he attempted to poison his wife, but she switched goblets with him and the Devil was all too happy to take them both to hell.[12] Historical research has proven some of these stories to be false: no monks were murdered there (although one was assaulted by Henry Pengersick), the supposed plague pits featured in the television programme Most Haunted were located in another part of the castle,[13] and the Black Dog is reported to be a myth created by 19th century smugglers to frighten people away.[13]
History tells of the smugglers watching out on top of the ruins tower where they could clearly see out into the bay watching out for arriving ships ready to unload their haul and also enabling them to keep an eye out for the Revenue Cutters out at sea, which is where you get the old saying from "the coast is clear" or the Revenues “Riders as they were called trying to get across the marsh, plus if they look behind they could see the entrance to their stash tunnel, which is in a a wooded area near to the top of the footpath going to Trevurvaas which above it is just bog land which is marked with a blue arrow that a local farmer tells us that it eventually goes out onto the beach. He said the “in the 1970’s a cow went down there and had to be rescued by the fire brigade and has been subsequently used as a drainage tunnel and boarded up for safety. You would have easily able to see this from Pengersick Tower and easily see anyone prowling around your “stash” from Smugglers Barn.
Where were the Carter Brothers Born?
Many records reveal that John & Harry Carter, Cornwall's most famous Smugglers were born on a smallholding in the hamlet of Pengersick.
The source can be seen below or by looking at the National Maritime Museum website https://www.maritimeviews.co.uk/smuggling/harry-carter-the-highlights/
Harry Carter's autobiography above tells of his father Francis being a "hard labouring man", who brought up his children in “decent poverty” and that Harry was born on a little farm in Pengersick. His autobiography was first published in 1809. It is quite easy to confirm that John and Henry Carter were born in Pengersick. Please search for them on google by simply putting in “Carter family born in Pengersick”. This is easy enough but please read further and find out exactly where and exactly how they did it and where they stashed their booty?
“The Story of an Ancient Parish Breage with Germoe” By H R Coulthard Published 1913
See the above book it is saying “The problem of daily bread in the household”. The above right picture underlines that some of the Cornish population were starving and confirms that Harry was born on a small farm in Pengersick and that Harry read the bible. Harry became a methodist and attended Germoe Church, which was the nearest Church (the closest Church to Pengersick).
- Page 129 CHAPTER VIII - WORTHIES AND UNWORTHIES
It states Harry Carter, smuggler, privateer and revivalist, was born on a small farm at Pengersick in 1749. His father, who was a miner by trade, eked out a livelihood, with the assistance of his sons and daughters, in farming a small plot of ground. Harry Carter tells us in his memoirs that he was one of a family of eight sons and two daughters; that his eldest and youngest brothers received some scanty education at Germoe School, but that he and the rest of his family received no education beyond some crude home lessons in reading, given through the medium of the Bible. The problem of daily bread in the household of his two parents was of much too pressing a nature to allow more than this in the way of education. As soon as strength permitted, the children had to go forth to work in the fields or the mines, that each might bring his share of daily bread to the common store. Though life was thus hard, the principles of religion were not neglected in the home, the children being taught to recite some prayers “after they were in bed” and to attend when possible the services at Germoe Church. His youth coincided with the strange stirrings in the religious life of the people brought about by the not infrequent peregrinations of John Wesley through the district. When Harry was eight years of age the soul of his brother Francis was touched
book: Smuggling in Devon & Cornwall 1700-1850 by mary waugh
IT STATES BELOW HARRY'S FATHER RENTED
IT STATES BELOW HARRY'S FATHER RENTED
IT STATES BELOW HARRY'S FATHER RENTED
a smallholding in Pengersick.
IT STATES BELOW HARRY'S FATHER RENTED
IT STATES BELOW HARRY'S FATHER RENTED
above: ordnance survey map (1888-1913) of Pengersick
Above: Smugglers Barn marked in red & the tunnel marked in blue.
Above lease of properties in Pengersick Rented from Lord Godolphin Ist June 1832
By kind permission of Kresen Kernow is below the map that accompanies the rent book that covers the Barton of Pengersick and the State of Trevurvas. In the 1830s, a "barton" could refer to a farm or agricultural estate, particularly one associated with a manor house or a grange and Pengersick Castle being the centre of it all, with the various properties and field numbered to match the rent book.
Above lease of properties in Pengersick Rented from Lord Godolphin Ist June 1832
Take a look at the scale in the map and it's measured in Chains. This was literally how a surveyor measured a field, with a big long chain it was easier to measure because the land went up and down, and the acre started out as a standard unit of land area, historically defined as the area a team of oxen could plow in a day.
Take a look at 13a, 14a & 15a plus the fields 16a & 17a
We also found proof of his being born on a Pengersick Smallholding in the following books. In the books it says that they were born on a smallholding and some books say a farm in Pengersick. If you see the photo below, and compare it to the Barton of Pengersick map from 1830 this was the main barn and the methodist chapel and the
The rent book below and the map above there are no more dwellings or buildings to rent until you go into other hamlets with different names such as Trevurvas Wollas or Trevurvas Wartha or Higher Pengersick.
Below here is the statute measure of ARP which is Acres Roods & Perches a Rood is a quarter of an acre (Source Nottingham University)
The Meadow (17) is 1 and a quarter acres.
The Carter Family according to Harry Carters autobiography paid 12L (Libra in those days) or now £12 per year.
The rent book is from 1832 so this would be the likely rent for a smallholding.
In 1840 looking below you can see the fair average rentable land was 25 Shillings or £1.25 per year in decimal currency. So Carters Farther Francis actually paid £12 per year, so this smallholding would be the 2 cottages plus the meeting house facing east and land at the back of the dwellings.
Above take a look at 13a, 14a & 15a plus the fields 16a & 17a
Take a look at the scale in the map and it's measured in Chains. This was literally how a surveyor measured a field, with a big long chain it was easier to measure because the land went up and down, and the acre started out as a standard unit of land area, historically defined as the area a team of oxen could plow in a day.
Below the Castle Footprint and Pengersick Today
The Castle footprint (above) and Pengersick (today)
The Castle footprint (above) and Pengersick today (below)
Here is the building today our property called “Smugglers Barn”, formerly Pengersick Barn, which is a grade II listed property. The aerial view shows that the barn is not on the footprint of the Tower which stands on the site of Pengersick castle and if you look at the old maps and Listed buildings in Pengersick, our property is the only one outside the Tower ‘castle’ footprint as also confirmed from the Historic England Castle Footprint Map above. From the aerial view you can see the outline of the original castle courtyard by the position of the buildings and the road dividing it.
the castle buildings opposite still in ruins
Remember the buildings opposite us, over the other side of the stream, shown on various maps. These were in ruins at the time of Carters reign and are shown here with a red arrow in a national trust photo.
1850 - 1875
Source National Trust
Pengersick today
Here is the building today our property called “Smugglers Barn” which is a grade II listed property. The aerial view shows that the barn is not on the footprint of the Tower which stands on the site of Pengersick castle and if you look at the old maps and Listed buildings in Pengersick, our property is the only one outside the Tower ‘castle’ footprint as also confirmed from the Historic England Castle Footprint Map below. From the aerial view you can see the outline of the original castle courtyard by the position of the buildings and the road dividing it.
The wesleyan chapel attached to the smallholding
Harry Carter the Methodist.
Take a look at Smugglers Barn in the photo above marked with the green arrow)and then look at its angle on Cornwall Councils Interactive map and then take a look at the property adjoined to it. The 2 joined up cottages would have been built originally in line with the cart track going between the castle. These are the 2 Cottages in the rent book previously mentioned and then look at the angle of the Chapel or “Meeting House” at the end. It's absolutely exactly East to West slightly a different angle to the 2 joined up Cottages. This would have been built later when John Wesley first came to Cornwall in 1743. He visited the region over 30 times throughout his life, with his final visit being in 1789.
Also meeting houses and churches were generally laid east to west. Also, we note that if you look at the 2 left hand windows to our property, the size of the lintels are very thick this would indicate that the building that was attached was much higher these would be the 2 cottages and the building on the end at a slightly different angle would be the Meeting house or chapel.
And looking at various postcards from the 1930’s there was still no other remains of dwellings around the area. Please click here to see
If you look closer into the photo above at the end of the meeting house you can see someone in a black robe.
Below you can see the sort of attire a methodist preacher would wear at that time.
No Swearing
I allwayse had a dislike to swearing, and made a law on board, if any of the sailors should swear, was poneshed. Nevertheless my intention was not pure; I had sume byends in it, the bottom of it was only pride, etc. I wanted to be noted to be sumething out of the common way of others, still I allwayse had a dislike to hear others swearing. Well, then, I think I was counted what the world cales a good sort of man, good humoured,not proude,
Source THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CORNISH SMUGGLER (CAPTAIN HARRY CARTER, OF PRUSSIA COVE) 1749-1809
We also know that John Carter was a methodist preacher and that in the book “The Story of an Ancient Parish Breage with Germoe” By H R Coulthard (Published 1913)
It mentions this ; “His youth coincided with the strange stirrings in the religious life of the people brought about by the not infrequent peregrinations of John Wesley through the district. When Harry was eight years of age the soul of his brother Francis was touched.” We can only suggest that he saw the poverty and need of the ordinary Cornish folk, deprived from everyday live basic essentials by people making decisions that seriously affected the hard working fishermen, miners and farmers of Cornwall who were sitting in the City of London nearly 3 to 5 days away by horse & carriage.
Look above at the entire map of Pengersick. Make a note of the Compass Cardinal east to west point and see the building 15 shown on the map is lying east to west as were the meeting houses or chapels of the Methodist religion. (noting the teaching of the methodist religion.)
Also please note that there are no other properties on Pengersick map with enough land for a small holding and certainly not any farms.
The road separates the cottages and meeting house from the castle, and that is why Charles Carter and the history books describe “born on a farm in Pengersick”, not born at the castle of Pengersick.
where did the preaching take place?
If you look closer into the large photo above at the end of the meeting house you can see someone in a black robe, similar to the one in the small photo of the gown above.
This would be the sort of attire a methodist preacher would wear at that time.
The lintels shown with a green arrow indicating Smuggler's Barn was much higher due to the thickness of the lintels and would have been the 2nd Cottage in the photo above. The Chapel would have been in the left of the photo and was detached and on a slightly different angle exactly east to west (as all churches or “Meeting Houses were).
Pengersick today
Here is the building today our property called “Smugglers Barn” which is a grade II listed property. The aerial view shows that the barn is not on the footprint of the Tower which stands on the site of Pengersick castle and if you look at the old maps and Listed buildings in Pengersick, our property is the only one outside the Tower ‘castle’ footprint as also confirmed from the Historic England Castle Footprint Map below. From the aerial view you can see the outline of the original castle courtyard by the position of the buildings and the road dividing it.