Penpol or Penpoll in the Parish of Phillack was one of the most important estates within the area of the present town. Records of the estate go back in 1584 when it belonged to the Godolphin family and was on lease to the family of James Nicholls Esq. In 1639 a quarter part of the estate was sold by Francis Godolphin to Anthony Moneychurch of St. Erth.  Nearly a hundred years later, in 1732, Penpol was in the hands of the Rt. Hon. Henry Robartes, Earl of Radnor, who granted a 99 year least to the local merchant, John Curnow. On Curnow’s death in 1760 his daughter Jane, and her husband Richard Oke Millett, a partner in the Cornish Copper Company, continued to live at the house. The lease was renewed, and in 1788 the Millett family purchased the estate, then consisting of 27 fields, a quay together with adjoining wastrel on the south side of the Hayle River, and 2/3rds of a second quay. Penpol was inherited by Richard Millett’s son John Curnow Millett and subsequently in 1848, passed to the youngest son of John’s second marriage, Hannibal Curnow Millett.  He never resided at Penpol and on his death the estate was inherited by his half-brother Dr. Richard Oke Millett.  This gentleman gained notoriety when he was accused by his brother-in-law, Dr. Edmonds, of poisoning his half brother, Jacob Millett, by mixing aconite with horseradish sauce served with beef for dinner.  At the subsequent inquest and trial, Richard Millett was found not guilty and acquitted with minimal damages.  He never lived at Penpol again and on his death in 1898 the property passed to his sister’s children. In 1890 Christopher Ellis took out a 21-year lease on the house, with ten acres of land and two fields. The estate was bought from the Millett family by Dr. Mudge in 1898 who eventually sold the freehold to Colonel John Ellis in 1921.

Marazion is a town on the east coast of Cornwall and stands on the coast of Mount’s Bay.  It is adjacent to St Michael’s Mount about 3 miles from the town of Penzance. The ancient name of this town was Marghasiewe; the more recent appellation of Marketjew, is still in use by some. Neither the name Marazion nor Market Jew has anything to do with Jews, both derive from old Cornish (Jew from You meaning Thursday) as Thursday Market was one of the places within modern Marazion, whilst Marazion may have come from a corruption of Thursday Market or Marghasbighan, little market, another part of modern Marazion. In 1595 Marazion was established as the major town of Mounts Bay and received a Charter of Incorporation as a Borough becoming the first town in Penwith to be granted that honour. Shortly afterwards Marazion managed to avoid the disaster that befell Penzance, Newlyn and Mousehole when they were attacked and burned by a raiding Spanish force. Richard Carew states in his Survey of Cornwall published in 1602 that ‘the Cornish forces, increased in number and amended in heart, encamped themselves on the green near to the town of Markasiew and St Michaels Mount for the defence thereof, and there spent out the night.’ With the burning of Penzance any threat to Marazion from a trading neighbour they thought was laid to rest, but Penzance folk were indefatigable in their efforts to rebuild and gain status. In 1614 Penzance gained their desired Borough Charter along with rights to markets and fairs. [2] An excerpt of the charter reads: “There shall be one good and discreet man who shall be Mayor of the Town to be selected as hereafter specified, and eight of the bettermost and worthiest of the inhabitants shall be the Burgesses, and twelve other good and discreet inhabitants shall be the Capital Inhabitants, which Burgesses and Capital Inhabitants shall be the Common Council of the Town and shall aid and assist the Mayor in all causes and matters concerning the Town….  The first Capital Inhabitants shall be Peter Millett, William Bawdon, John Christopher, Thomas Allen, William James, William Garland, Thomas Smith, John Salte, Richard Avery, John Smith, Robert Barnacott, and John Lutye, who shall hold office for life unless removed.” [1] Marazion town lay within the parish of St.Hilary (and only became a separate parish in 1893) hence many events (particularly marriages and also burials until 1839 when the Marazion burial ground opened) took place in St.Hilary. Baptisms may have been in the chapel at Marazion (after some restoration work in mid- 1700s). A new church was completed in Marazion in 1861 and more events were in that from that time. [3] Marazion Charter 1595 – The Charter Town of Marazion (Pub. The Marazion History Group.) https://www.cornwallheritage.com/ Marazion Museum