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The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"ILLOGAN, a parish in the hundred of Penwith, county Cornwall, 2½ miles N.W. of Redruth, its railway station and post town. It is situated on the Bristol Channel, and contains the villages of Pool, Portreath, and Church Town. In this parish is Carnbrea Fort, 700 feet above sea level, on which is a lofty monument in memory of Francis Lord de Dunstanville Basset, bearing date 1836. The railway from Hayle into the mining district of Gwennap passes through the parish, and a branch diverges from it to Portreath, which is a flourishing place with a small haven for the exportation of copper ore to the smelting works in Wales, and the importation of coal and lime. The soil is loamy, and the substratum is rich in mineral wealth, chiefly copper and tin, of which several mines are in operation. There are also extensive quarries of building stone. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £670. The living is a rectory* with the two chapels-of-ease of Trevenson and Portreath annexed, in the diocese of Exeter, value £587. The church, dedicated to St. Illogan, is a modern structure, with the tower of the former church still standing, containing a clock and six bells. In the interior are several monuments and brasses to the Basset family. The oldest register begins in 1539, and ends 1699. The Wesleyans and Reformed Methodists have eight places of worship in various parts of this parish, and the Bryanites one. There are five large schools, conducted on the National system, supported by J. F. Basset, Esq., with the aid of government grants and an old endowment of £10 from a former member of the Basset family. Redruth union workhouse is situated in this parish. John Francis Basset, Esq., is lord of the manor. There are numerous Druidical remains, of which the principal is Cam Brea, where Roman coins and British gold coins have been found; the remains of this ancient work occupy the eastern extremity of a hill 700 feet above the level of the sea; the building, though irregular, covers a considerable space, the interstices between the detached portions of rock on which it is founded being connected by arches; the ancient part, which is pierced with loophole windows, is said by antiquaries to have been built by the Britons, while the modern part appears to have been constructed as an object to embellish the view from the grounds of Tehidy House. About 300 cards to the W. are the remains of a circular fortress, called the Old Castle, which was surrounded by a strong wall, and along the cliffs of this part of the coast are numerous remains of ancient fortifications."

"PORTREATH, a village and small seaport in the parish of Illogan, county Cornwall, 4 miles N.W. of Redruth. This place, formerly called Basset's Cove, is situated on the shore of the Bristol Channel, and is a sub-port to St. Ives. It has a harbour and pier made by the Bassets of Tehidy in 1760, which has subsequently been greatly lengthened and improved. Extensive basins and a tram-road extending from the Gwennap and other mines in the vicinity to the shipping place, were formed soma years since by a trading company. The principal business is the exportation of copper ore to the smelting furnaces in Wales, and in the importation of coal. The inlet is defended by two batteries. The cliffs on this part of the coast are lofty and bold. The living is a curacy annexed to the rectory* of Illogan, in the diocese of Exeter. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans, also a school supported by subscription."