Helston

The borough boundary stone at Nansloe

The name comes from the Cornish 'hen lis' or 'old court' and 'ton' added later to denote a Saxon manor; the Domesday Book refers to Henliston (which survives as the name of a road in the town). Only one edition refers to 'Henlistona'.[5] It was granted its charter by King John on 15 April 1201, for the price of forty marks of silver. It was here that tin ingots were weighed to determine the tin coinage duty due to the Duke of Cornwall when a number of stannary towns were authorised by royal decree. A document of 1396 examined by Charles Henderson shows that the old form "Hellys" was still in use[6] The manor of Helston in Kerrier was one of the seventeen Antiqua maneria of the Duchy of Cornwall.[7] The seal of the borough of Helston was St Michael his wings expanded and standing on a gateway. The two towers domed upon the up-turned dragon, impaling it with his spear and bearing upon his left arm an escutcheon of the arms of England, viz Gu three lions passant guardant in pale Or, with the legend "Sigillum comunitatis helleston burg".[8]

It is a matter of debate as to whether Helston was once a port, albeit no actual records exist.[9] A common belief is that in the 13th century Loe Bar formed a barrier across the mouth of the River Cober cutting the town off from the sea. Geomorphologists believe the bar was most likely formed by rising sea levels, after the last ice age, blocking the river and creating a barrier beach. The beach is formed mostly of flint and the nearest source is found offshore under the drowned terraces of the former river that flowed between England and France, and now under the English Channel.[10]

Daniel Defoe describes Helston (1725) in his tour around Great Britain thus, ″This town is large and populous, and has four spacious streets, a handsome church, and a good trade: this town also sends members to Parliament.' He also mentions that the River Cober makes a tolerable good harbour and several ships are loaded with tin, although over one hundred years before Defoe, Richard Carew (1602) described Loe Bar as "The shingle was relatively porous and fresh water could leave and seawater enter depending, on the relative heights of the pool and sea".[11][12] Defoe's description seems to be the first and possibly the origin of other sources claiming Helston to be a port in the historic period.[13] Loe Pool is referred to in a document of 1302, implying the existence of Loe Bar at this date, if not much earlier, and thus precluding the passage of shipping up the Cober. At the same time it was recorded that the burgesses of Helston exercised jurisdiction over the ships anchored at Gweek, but no mention was made of ships at Helston, and no customs records or other documentation of port traffic relating to Helston survives;[14] thus confirming the fact that Gweek has for centuries been the recognized port of Helston.[15] There is no known archaeological evidence for the existence of a port at Helston* and there is no primary evidence to support Defoe’s account.[13]

However, contributing to the belief of a port at Helston was the discovery of what some people believe to be slipways and mooring rings, during excavations around 1980.[15][16] There was no known shipping from the sea after 1260, but before 1200, in 'the 1182 record of Godric of Helleston paying a fine of ten marks for exporting his corn out of England from Helston without a licence.' This could be considered the most significant piece of documentary evidence signifying Helston's former port days, though it does not prove the case.[17][18] At the time of Domesday Book, Gweek had no inhabitants whilst Helston was the largest settlement in the west of Cornwall, with 113 households.[19] In 1837 a plan was drawn up to open Loe Pool to shipping using a pier to counteract siltation, but it was never carried out.[20]

The site of Helston Castle is now a bowling green near the Grylls Monument, which has been there since 1760. The castle was built in 1280 as a simple stone structure for Edmund, Earl of Cornwall. By 1478 it had fallen into disuse and ruin.[21]

The Helston parliamentary constituency was created in 1298 and elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons; the Reform Act 1832 reduced the number elected to one. Helston is now part of the St Ives constituency, which covers the western part of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The current member is the Conservative, Derek Thomas. Prior to Brexit in 2020, Helston was within the South West England European Parliamentary Constituency. At local government level, the town is administered by Cornwall Council and Helston Town Council. Helston is split into three Cornwall Council wards: Helston South, Helston North, and Porthleven and Helston West.

Helston is situated along the banks of the River Cober in Cornwall. Downstream is Cornwall's largest natural lake Loe Pool, formed when a shingle bar blocked the mouth of the river by rising sea levels forming a barrier beach. To the south is the Lizard Peninsula, an area important for its complex geology and wildlife habitats.[22]

St Michael's churchyard

The birthplace of Bob Fitzsimmons

There are several churches including St Michael's Church, a humble church with stained-glass windows and a tall bell tower which can be heard throughout the town. In the surrounding graveyard there is a monument to Henry Trengrouse, the inventor of the rocket fired safety line — a device for aiding in the saving of lives in a shipwreck.

Helston is also the birthplace of Bob "Ruby Robert" Fitzsimmons, the first triple world boxing champion. The house where he was born and lived in Helston is still standing and is indicated by a plaque above the door.

The Helston Museum, founded in 1949, occupies the building originally designed as the town's Market House in 1837, with two separate buildings—one for butter and eggs, the other the meat market. The exhibits are mostly concerned with Helston's agricultural and market town history. The museum also hosts art exhibitions and has a shop selling all things Cornish.

There are three Cornish crosses in Helston: one in Cross Street and two in Mr. Baddeley's garden (Cross Street). One of the latter crosses was removed from Tresprison, Wendron, and other from near Trelill Holy Well, Wendron. The cross from Trelill has ornament on the front and back of the shaft.[34]

The Grylls Monument, at the end of Coinagehall Street was built by public subscription in 1834 to thank Humphry Millet Grylls, a local banker, who stopped the closure of Wheal Vor, a local mine that at the time employed over a thousand people.

Helston also hosts The Flambards Experience, formerly the Helston Aero Park, which is a theme park with a selection of rides together with a few remaining aviation exhibits. Nearby Wendron is home to the Poldark Mine theme park, where visitors can go underground into the old workings. The Helston Railway, which aims to restore the Helston Branch, is also nearby.

Helston Community College has the most pupils in Cornwall. Its South Site building was formerly (1939-1972) Helston Grammar School. Formerly located at Penrose Road (which became the secondary modern school), the grammar school had a long history dating back to the 16th century. Derwent Coleridge was a headmaster there, and his pupils included Charles Kingsley,[35] John Duke Coleridge, Richard Edmonds, Thomas Rowe Edmonds, John Rogers, Henry Trengrouse and James Trevenen.[36][37] Another former headmaster was the botanist and author Charles Alexander Johns (1843–47), who was also a former pupil.[38]

The School Houses in grammar school days were Coleridge, Kingsley and Tennyson. Alfred Tennyson's local connection was through his writing.

Helston has three primary schools. These are Parc Eglos, St. Michael's and Nansloe. The catchment area of Helston Community College includes these and many other schools from the surrounding villages. There is also a primary school at Trannack.

Bowling club and the Grylls Monument

In 1885 the annual custom of the beating the Helston Borough Bounds was undertaken, followed by a scrimmage for 15 dozen buns and the throwing of the hurling ball.[39] In the same year Helston Cycling Club had their headquarters at the Globe Hotel and had a weekly evening cycle to places such as Redruth and the Lizard.[40]

The town has an active sporting scene, with Helston RFC, Helston Athletic FC and Helston Cricket Club all having prominent roles within the community. The current rugby club was formed in 1965 but rugby was played on Helston Downs as early as 1883 when Helston beat Lanner by 6 tries and 3 touch-downs in self-defence to nil.[41] The Swallows Gymnastics Club is also extremely popular within the area. Helston holds an annual road race An Resek Helys (The Race for Helston)[42] and an annual triathlon.[43]

The town has a King George V Playing Field, the home ground for the rugby club and finish line of An Resek Helys. Below the town is Coronation Park which has a man-made lake as its centrepiece where rowing boats can be hired in summer. A skate park is nearby in the same complex. The Penrose Amenity Area lies across the road from Coronation Park. National Trust-owned, this area, once part of the Penrose Estate, offers walks alongside the River Cober which leads down to Loe Pool and the sea beyond Loe Bar. Just off the main path is a bird-watching hide offering views over Loe Pool.

Helston is twinned with the following towns:[44]

• Sasso Marconi, Bologna, Italy
• Plougasnou, Brittany, France

Helston is served by two local paid-for newspapers, The West Briton and The Packet: both offer a selection of news and local pictures. The area is also covered by a free delivered newspaper, the Helston Advertiser established in April 2000.[45]

• Henderson, Charles G. (1935) Helston [and] The rules of a cobblers' guild at Helston in 1517. In: Essays in Cornish History. Oxford University Press; pp. 67–79
• Jenkin, Reg & Carter, Derek (2012) The Book of Helston: ancient borough and market town. Wellington: Halsgrove

• Helston Town Council
• Helston Museum
• Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Helston