Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

FALMOUTH

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 157 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

FALMOUTH , a municipal and contributary See also:

parliamentary See also:borough and seaport of See also:Cornwall, See also:England, 306 m. W.S.W. of See also:London, on a See also:branch of the See also:Great Western railway. Pop. (1901) 11,789. It is finely situated on the See also:west See also:shore of the largest of the many estuaries which open upon the See also:south See also:coast of the See also:county. This is entered by several streams, of which the largest is the Fal. Falmouth See also:harbour lies within Pendennis Point, which shelters the See also:estuary from the more open Falmouth See also:Bay. The See also:Penryn See also:river, coming in from the See also:north-west, forms one of several shallow, winding arms of the estuary, the See also:main channel of which is known as Carrick Roads. To the See also:east Pendennis See also:Castle stands on its lofty promontory, while on the opposite See also:side of the roads the picturesque inlet of the Porthcuel river opens between Castle Point on the north, with St Mawes' Castle, and St See also:Anthony See also:Head and Zoze Point on the south. The shores of the estuary as a See also:rule slope sharply up to about 25o ft., and are beautifully wooded. The entrance is 1 m. across, and the roads See also:form one of the best refuges for See also:shipping on the south coast, being accessible at all times by the largest vessels. Among the See also:principal buildings and institutions in Falmouth are the See also:town See also:hall, See also:market-See also:house, hall of the Cornwall See also:Polytechnic Society, a meteorological and magnetic See also:observatory, and a submarine See also:mining See also:establishment.

The Royal Cornwall Yacht See also:

Club has its headquarters here, and in the See also:annual regatta the principal See also:prize is a See also:cup given by the See also:prince of See also:Wales as See also:duke of Cornwall. See also:Engineering, See also:shipbuilding, See also:brewing and the manufacture of manure are carried on, and there are See also:oyster and trawl See also:fisheries, especially for See also:pilchard. The inner harbour, under the See also:jurisdiction partly of commissioners and partly of a See also:dock See also:company; is enclosed between two breakwaters, of which the eastern has 23 ft. of See also:water at lowest tides alongside. The See also:area of the harbour is 42 acres, with nearly 700 lineal yards of quayage. There are two graving docks, and repairing yards. See also:Grain, See also:timber, See also:coal and See also:guano and other See also:manures are imported, and See also:granite, See also:china See also:clay, See also:copper ore, See also:ropes and See also:fish exported. Falmouth is also in favour as a watering-See also:place. The parliamentary borough of Penryn and Falmouth returns one member. The municipal borough is under a See also:mayor, 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. Area, 790 acres. Falmouth (Falemuth) as a haven and See also:port has had a place in the maritime See also:history of Cornwall from very See also:early times. The site of the town, which is comparatively See also:modern, was formerly known as Smithick and Pennycomequick and formed See also:part of the See also:manor of Arwenack held by the See also:family of See also:Killigrew.

The corporations of Penryn, See also:

Truro and See also:Helston opposed the under-taking, but the lords in See also:council, to whom the See also:matter was referred, decided in Killigrew's favour. In 1652 the House of See also:Commons considered that it would be advantageous to the See also:Commonwealth to See also:grant a See also:Thursday market to Smithick. This market was confirmed to See also:Sir See also:Peter Killigrew in 166o together with two fairs, on the 3oth of See also:October and the 27th of See also:July, and also a See also:ferry between Smithick and See also:Flushing. By the See also:charter of See also:incorporation granted in the following See also:year the name was changed to Falmouth, and a mayor, See also:recorder, 7 aldermen and 12 burgesses constituted a See also:common council with the usual rights and privileges. Three years later an See also:act creating the borough a See also:separate ecclesiastical See also:parish empowered the mayor and aldermen to assess all buildings within the town at the See also:rate of sixteen pence in the See also:pound for the support of the See also:rector. This rector's rate occasioned much See also:ill-feeling in modern times, and by act of See also:parliament in 1896 was taken over by the See also:corporation, and See also:provision made for its eventual extinction. The disfranchisement of Penryn, which had See also:long been a subject of debate in the House of Commons, was settled in 1832, by uniting Penryn with Falmouth for"parliamentary purposes and assigning two members to the See also:united boroughs. By the Redistribution of Seats Act ,885, the number of members was reduced to one. The fairs granted in 166o are no longer held, and a Saturday market has superseded the chartered market. In the 17th and 18th centuries Falmouth See also:grew in importance owing to its being a station of the Packet Service for the See also:conveyance of mails.

End of Article: FALMOUTH

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
FALLOW 		[next]
FALSE POINT

Site © 2006 - Net Industries