Pengersick Castle

Pengersick Castle - Photo © Rod Allday, 28 September 2008

Pengersick Castle, Cornwall Photo © Ken Ballinger, 10 September 2005

Praa is the ancient Cornish word meaning "hag's" or "witch's cove".

Situated in a sheltered depression within Mount's Bay, it has a long, wide sandy beach facing South, lapped by comparatively large waves for the area. The beach, which has shallow waters and seasonal lifeguards, attracts surfers and holidaymakers. Adjacent to the beach is traditional retail outlets serving the holiday maker.

The village is the site of Pengersick Castle, a "haunted" castle, a small "keep" building that is in private hands. Pengersick Castle is also supposed to be one of the most haunted buildings in the UK, and holds regular ghost-hunting activities and other similar pursuits, such as holding events at Christmas and Halloween. It was also investigated in series two of Most Haunted with Yvette Fielding and Derek Acorah.

To the west side of the village is another small beach, Kennegy, which is accessible from the cliff path at low tide.

John Milliton of Pengersick Castle became High Sheriff of Cornwall and Pengersick Castle was also improved around 1530.

A square embattled tower is all that remains of the ancient castellated mansion. The castle consisted of a tower of several stages, with a good stone staircase.

--PENGERSICK CASTLE, CORNWALL

The manor of Pengersick, in the reign of Henry VIII., became the property, by purchase, of the Militon family. Job Militon, son of the purchaser, was made governor of St.Michael's Mount in the year 1547, in the room of Humphrey Arundell, who was executed for rebellion. His only son, William Militon, Esq., who was sheriff of Cornwall, dying in 1565, without issue, the inheritance of this estate passed to his six sisters, and has, ever since, continued in severalties. Sir Nicholas Hals, at his first coming into Cornwall, purchased some of the shares, and resided occasionally at Pengersick; his son, John, sold them to the Godolphin family. The Duke of Leeds, as representative of the Godolphins, has now one-third and a sixth; James Buller, Esq., of Downes, in Devonshire, possesses a third, and Messrs. Beard and Pascoe, the remaining sixth, by purchase, from Mrs. Hunt, heir-at-law of the late Earl of Radnor. There are considerable remains of an ancient castellated mansion on this estate, called Pendersick-castle, the principal rooms in which are made use of as granaries and hay-lofts; one of them, which is nearly entire, is wainscotted in pannels-; the upper part of the, wainscot is ornamented with paintings, each of which is accompanied with appropriate verses and proverbs in text hand.

MAGNA BRITANNIA : VOLUME 3 BY SAMUEL LYSONS, 1814--