But lets meander, as tourists love to do, as we make our way to the Prideaux cats.
We have a travel guide, A hand-book for travellers in Devon & Cornwall (1856) by Thomas Clifton Paris. Our destination is Padstow, on the Cornish north coast, below Tintagel. Both face the treacherous Atlantic ocean.
As Paris says of another Cornwall location: The sea is here ever heaving in long undulations, and, the water being deep to the land, the base of the cliffs is worn by the roll of the waves into a concave surface, which presents an effectual barrier to escape in shipwreck....
The boundary of the Celt and Saxon may still be traced from the Tamar to Tintagel by the names of the villages....Fine specimens of the " Cornish diamond," or rock crystal, have been found in these [neighboring slate] quarries.
..... About 5 m. on the road to Bodmin is Pencarrow, seat of the Molesworths; and 5 m. N. by E., in an elevated, unfrequented part of the country, Endellion, with a weatherstained ch., dating from the reign of Hen. VI.; and on an opposite hill some remains of Roscarrock House, once a ponderous building, castellated and loop-holed, and entered through a heavy arch of granite....
An excursion can be made from Wadebridge by a wild bleak road, or by the river, to Padstow (by road 8 m.). .... This is one of those antiquated unsavoury fishing-towns which are viewed most agreeably from a distance. It is situated about 1 m. from the sea, near the mouth of the Camel estuary, and is said to derive its name from the circumstance of St.Patrick having resided in it during his stay in Cornwall. The Saxons called it Petroc Stow, as the head-quarters of St. Petroc, one of St. Patrick's missionary bishops; but on the conquest of the county by Athelstan the name of that monarch was given to it, and it was thenceforward known as Athelstowe to Leland's time (1552), after which it was re-christened as Padstow. It appears to have been a seaport of some consequence in early days, and is mentioned as having contributed two war-ships fully equipped for the siege of Calais (Edw. III.). Its prosperity, according to a tradition, declined in the reign of Hen. VIII., in consequence of an accumulation of sand at the mouth of the harbour.
The Ch. is a Gothic edifice dedicated to St. Petroc. It has been lately repaired, but contains a monument (1627) to Sir Nicholas Prideaux, and an ancient font, constructed of a kind of slate called cataclcuze, and decorated with figures of the 12 apostles. The pulpit is modern, but ornamented with ancient panels which deserve notice. The font was once regarded by the inhabitants as endued with a marvellous property, which was held in high esteem by the mauvais sujets of the town. This was nothing less than the virtue of preserving those who had been baptized in it from the gallows. ....
Place House (Charles Prideaux Brune, Esq.), the ancient seat of the family of Prideaux, stands, encircled by trees, upon the high ground above Padstow. It was erected in 1600 upon the site of a monastery said to have been founded by St. Petroc, and destroyed by the Danes in 981. It contains numerous pictures, including several of the youthful productions of the Cornish artist Opie, [Edward Opie 1810- 1894] who, before leaving the county, made an expedition to Padstow, and painted all the Prideauxs and their servants, and even the family cats. Among the portraits are those of Humphrey Prideaux, the learned Dean of Norwich, who was born here, and Harriet Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. There is a large painting of Jupiter and Europa, some good landscapes, cattle-pieces, and a Madonna and Child......
I trust you didn't miss the cats on our tour of this distant place and time. The artist who painted the cats was either Edward Opie or his uncle John Opie (1761 -1807). Cornwall differs from that in the travel guide, now. The sea is unchanged, as are the cats.
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