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HELSTON

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Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 253 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HELSTON , a See also:

market See also:town and municipal See also:borough in the See also:Truro See also:parliamentary See also:division of See also:Cornwall, See also:England, re m. by road W.S.W. of See also:Falmouth, on a See also:branch of the See also:Great Western railway. Pop. (1901) 3088. It is pleasantly situated on rising ground above the small See also:river Cober, which, a little below the town, expands into a picturesque See also:estuary called See also:Looe See also:Pool, the See also:water being banked up by the formation of Looe See also:Bar at the mouth. Formerly, when floods resulted from this obstruction, the townsfolk of Helston acquired the right of clearing a passage through it by presenting leathern purses containing three halfpence to the See also:lord of the See also:manor. The See also:mining See also:industry on which the town formerly depended is See also:extinct, but the See also:district is agricultural and See also:dairy farming is carried on, while the town has See also:flour See also:mills, tanneries and See also:iron foundries. As Helston has the nearest railway station to the See also:Lizard, with its magnificent See also:coast-scenery, there is a considerable tourist See also:traffic in summer. Some See also:trade passes through the small See also:port of Porthleven, 3 M. S.W., where the See also:harbour admits vessels of 500 tons. On the 8th of May a See also:holiday is still observed in Helston and known as See also:Flora or Furry See also:day. It has been regarded as a survival of the See also:Roman Floralia, but its origin is believed by some to be See also:Celtic. See also:Flowers and branches were gathered, and dancing took See also:place in the streets and through the houses, all being thrown open, while a See also:pageant was also given and a See also:special See also:ancient folk-See also:song chanted.

This ceremony, after being almost forgotten, has been revived in See also:

modern times. The borough is under a See also:mayor, 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. See also:Area, 309 acres. Helston (Henliston, Haliston, Helleston), the See also:capital of the Meneage district of Cornwall, was held by See also:Earl Harold in the See also:time of the See also:Confessor and by See also:King See also:William at the Domesday Survey. At the latter date besides seventy-three villeins, bordars and See also:serfs there were See also:forty cervisarii, a See also:species of unfree tenants who rendered their See also:custom in the See also:form of See also:beer. King See also:John (1201) constituted Helleston a See also:free borough, established a gild See also:merchant, and granted the burgesses freedom from See also:toll and other similar dues throughout the See also:realm, and the See also:cognizance of all pleas within the borough except See also:crown pleas. See also:Richard, king of the See also:Romans (126o), extended the boundaries of the borough and granted permission for the erection of an additional See also:mill. See also:Edward I. (1304) granted the pesage of See also:tin, and Edward III. a See also:HELVETII 253 Saturday market and four fairs. Of these the Saturday market and a See also:fair on the feast of SS. See also:Simon and See also:Jude are still held, also five other fairs of uncertain origin. In 1585 See also:Elizabeth granted a See also:charter of See also:incorporation under the name of the mayor and commonalty of Helston.

This was confirmed in 1641, when it was also provided that the mayor and See also:

recorder should be ipso facto justices of the See also:peace. From 1294 to 1832 Helston returned two members to See also:parliament. In 1774 the number of See also:electors (which by usage had been restricted to the mayor, aldermen and freemen elected by them) had dwindled to six, and in 1790 to one See also:person only, whose return of two members, however, was rejected and that of the See also:general See also:body of the freemen accepted. In 1832 Helston lost one of its members, and in 1885 it lost the other and became merged in the See also:county.

End of Article: HELSTON

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