Liskeard Explained

Static Image Name:The Guildhall, Market Street, Liskeard - geograph.org.uk - 666030.jpg
Static Image Caption:Liskeard Guildhall (2001)
Country:England
Map Type:Cornwall
Official Name:Liskeard
Cornish Name:Lyskerrys
Coordinates:50.4536°N -4.4651°W
Population:10,307
Population Ref:(2011)
Civil Parish:Liskeard[1]
Unitary England:Cornwall
Lieutenancy England:Cornwall
Region:South West England
Constituency Westminster:South East Cornwall
Post Town:LISKEARD
Postcode District:PL14
Postcode Area:PL
Dial Code:01579
Os Grid Reference:SX251645

Liskeard (; Cornish: Lyskerrys[2]) is an ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, 14miles west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) east of Bodmin. The Bodmin Moor lies to the north-west of the town. The total population of the town at the 2011 census was 11,366[3] [4] [5]

History

The Cornish place name element Lis, along with ancient privileges accorded the town, indicates that the settlement was once a high status 'court'. King Dungarth whose cross is a few miles north near St Cleer is thought to be a descendant of the early 8th century king Gerren of Dumnonia and is said to have held his court in Liskeard (Lis-Cerruyt).[6] Liskeard (Liscarret) was at the time of the Domesday Survey an important manor with a mill rendering 12d. yearly and a market rendering 4s. William the Conqueror gave it to Robert, Count of Mortain by whom it was held in demesne. Ever since that time it has passed with the earldom or Duchy of Cornwall. A Norman castle was built there after the Conquest, which eventually fell into disuse in the later Middle Ages. By 1538 when visited by John Leland only a few insignificant remains were to be seen.[7] Sir Richard Carew writing in 1602 concurred;

Historically, Liskeard belonged to the ancient hundred of West Wivelshire[8]

Liskeard was one of the 17 Antiqua maneria of the Duchy of Cornwall.[9] The market charter was granted by Richard, Earl of Cornwall (brother of Henry III) in 1240. Since then, it has been an important centre for agriculture. The seal of the borough of Liskeard was Ar. a fleur-de-lis and perched thereon and respecting each other two birds in chief two annulets and in flank two feathers.[10]

When Wilkie Collins wrote of his visit to the town in his Rambles Beyond Railways he had a low opinion of it: "that abomination of desolation, a large agricultural country town".[11] The town went through a period of economic prosperity during the pre-20th century boom in tin mining, becoming a key centre in the industry as a location for a stannary and coinage.

The A38 trunk road used to pass through the town centre but a dual carriageway bypass now carries traffic south of the town, leaving the town centre accessible but with low traffic levels.

Present day

Liskeard was one of the last towns in Cornwall to have a regular livestock market, ending in 2017. There is a range of restaurants, cafés and pubs in the town, and some shops retain their Victorian shopfronts and interiors.

Liskeard puts on a pantomime in the last week of January and holds a carnival every June. Every July, Liskeard holds a large agricultural show, The Liskeard Show, which is always held on the second Saturday in July.[12] St Matthew's Fair was originally established by charter in 1266, the fair was re-established in 1976 which runs in September/October.[13] Every December, there is street entertainment and a lantern parade for 'Liskeard Lights Up', when the Christmas lights are switched on.

Notable buildings

The town boasts St. Martin's, the second largest parish church in Cornwall[14] Built on the site of the former Norman church, the oldest parts of the current structure date back to the 15th century. Other places of worship include a Roman Catholic church and Methodist chapels.[15]

Politics

Local politics

Liskeard is a civil parish, with some services provided by the unitary authority of Cornwall Council. There are 3 electoral wards for Cornwall Council in Liskeard, including Dobwalls. Liskeard was the admin HQ of the former Caradon District Council.

UK Parliament

In the year 1294, Liskeard began to send two members to Parliament, but this was reduced to one by the 1832 Reform Act. The Members of Parliament (MPs) have included Edward Gibbon, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and Isaac Foot.[19]

Liskeard is part of the South East Cornwall constituency, represented by a Labour Member of Parliament, Anna Gerald in the House of Commons. The seat was held by Conservative MP Sheryl Murray prior to the 4 July 2024 General Election.[20]

Education

The first school in Liskeard was founded in 1550 on Castle Hill. For a time it was maintained by the Earls of St Germans, but it closed around 1834 due to a decline in numbers and financial difficulties. From 1835 a series of private schools existed in the borough, until 1908 when Cornwall Education Committee built the County School at Old Road. From 1945 it was known as Liskeard Grammar School until September 1978 when it became the Lower School site of Liskeard School, following amalgamation with the town's secondary modern school.[21]

Liskeard County Secondary School received its first pupils on Monday 12 September 1960, and was formally opened by the Minister of Education, Sir David Eccles on 7 July the following year.[22] Costing £100,000, it was built to accommodate around 500 pupils on the site of the current school at Luxtowe. Its glass and steel structure made "free use of fresh air and sunlight" according to local newspaper reports, whilst other modern features included a well-equipped gymnasium, automated central heating and synchronised clocks across the school, operated from the secretary's office.[23] A new block was opened by Margaret Thatcher, Secretary of State for Education and Science in 1974, following the raising of the school leaving age from 15 years to 16, two years earlier.[24] Like many similar secondary schools in Cornwall, from the late 1970s it housed the Upper School (3rd Year / Year 9 upwards), when it merged with the town's grammar school to create a split-site comprehensive school.[25]

Twenty years later, with increased pupil numbers requiring many to be taught in temporary buildings, the need for improvements to Liskeard's secondary and primary schools was being raised in Parliament.[26] By the late 1990s, Liskeard School and Community College had been extended at Luxstowe, and the Old Road site closed and redeveloped for housing. Further multimillion-pound science and technology facilities were added in 2002, and the original 1960s and 1970s buildings were completely modernised by 2011. As Cornwall's only school with an engineering speciality,[27] it now caters for approximately 1300 students aged between 11 and 19, and employs around 200 teaching and non-teaching, full- and part-time staff. It also has a creche, a teenage advice and information service, a centre for children with autism, and facilities at Moorswater where some engineering-based courses are taught.[28]

There are two primary schools in Liskeard: St Martin's Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School in Lake Lane and Hillfort Primary School on Old Road. The latter was opened in September 2006 following the renaming of Liskeard Junior School after its merger with Liskeard Infant School.[29]

Caradon Short Stay School (previously known as a Pupil Referral Unit) is located in West Street, on the site of the former Liskeard Infant School. It provides education for students aged 11–16 from across south east Cornwall who are unable to attend a mainstream school or special school. The nearest independent schools are in Plymouth and Tavistock, Devon.

Transport

Liskeard railway station, on the London Paddington to Penzance Cornish Main Line, and the A38 trunk road provide the town with rapid access to Plymouth, the rest of Cornwall and the motorway network. The town is also served by the Looe Valley branch line to Looe. There are regular bus services to various parts of Cornwall.

Leisure and sports

There is a leisure centre at Lux Park on the north side of the town: there is a bowling club on the southern side. The town has a Non-League football club Liskeard Athletic F.C. who play at Lux park. The town also has a rugby and cricket club who are both well-supported. The town has a King George V Playing Field. Live music and various theatrical events frequently take place in the unusual but acoustically good Carnglaze Caverns just to the north.

Cornish wrestling

There were Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, held in the field near the Union hotel[30] at the canal,[31] in a field on Station Road,[32] Lux Park,[33] Nanswhyden on Old Road[34] and the field near the Fountain Inn.[35] in Liskeard for centuries.[36]

Abel Werry (?-1824), from Liskeard was for many years the champion wrestler of Cornwall during the 1700s.[37]

Leisure trails

There are three trails, each has its own blue commemorative plaque (these were unveiled by former town mayor, Sandra Preston).

Media

Local TV coverage is provided by BBC South West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the nearby Caradon Hill TV transmitter.[38] Local radio stations are BBC Radio Cornwall on 95.2 FM, Heart West on 105.1 FM and its own community radio station Liskeard Radio broadcasting part time online.[39] Its local newspaper is the Cornish Times (formerly Liskeard Gazette & Journal).[40]

Freemasonry

Liskeard has a sizeable Masonic presence with no fewer than eight Masonic bodies meeting at the Masonic Hall on The Parade,[41]

In addition to the UGLE lodges + Masonic orders, there is also a women's lodge that meets in the Masonic Hall.

Twinning

In 1974 Liskeard was twinned with Quimperlé (Kemperle) in Brittany, France.[42] In December 2023 it was announced that Liskeard had also been twinned with the town of Kopychyntsi in Ukraine.[43]

Notable people

Climate

Like all of the United Kingdom, Liskeard has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb).

Freedom of the Town

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Liskeard.

Military Units

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Liskeard Town Council Website . Liskeard Town Council . 8 August 2022.
  2. Web site: May 2014 . List of Place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140729194902/http://www.magakernow.org.uk/pdf/placename_masterlist.pdf . 29 July 2014 . 11 January 2015 . Cornish Language Partnership.
  3. Web site: Liskeard North Ward . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024240/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/liskeard-north-e05008242#sthash.7R5RIyaC.dpbs3. . 4 March 2016 . 8 February 2015.
  4. Web site: Liskeard Central Ward . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232341/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/liskeard-central-e05008241#sthash.kH5m43KB.dpbs . 3 March 2016 . 8 February 2015.
  5. Web site: Liskeard South & Dobwalls Ward . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211612/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/liskeard-south-and-dobwalls-e05008243#sthash.adtTLwsa.dpbs . 3 March 2016 . 8 February 2015.
  6. Web site: The Doniert Stone, accompanying cross shaft and underground chamber 650m SW of Common Moor, St. Cleer - 1010873 | Historic England.
  7. Oman, Sir Charles (1926) Castles; "Cornwall and its castles", p. 109. London: Great Western Railway
  8. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11125636&c=liskeard&d=16&e=61&g=6409259&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1364127931052&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491 Office for National statistics : Census 2011 : Parish Headcounts : Caradon
  9. Hatcher, John (1970) Rural Economy and Society in the Duchy of Cornwall 1300–1500. Cambridge University Press
  10. Book: Pascoe, W. H. . A Cornish Armory . Lodenek Press . 1979 . 0-902899-76-7 . Padstow, Cornwall . 133.
  11. Book Time; no. 58 (May 2011), p. 4
  12. http://www.liskeardshow.org The Liskeard Show
  13. News: 6 October 2010 . Fair keeps ancient tradition running . This is Cornwall . dead . https://archive.today/20130505083048/http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/stives/Fair-keeps-ancient-tradition-running/article-2721117-detail/article.html . 5 May 2013.
  14. Pevsner, N. (1951). The Buildings of England: Cornwall. Harmondsworth: Penguin, p. 103
  15. Web site: Liskeard Churches . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090530205445/http://www.liskeard-churches.co.uk/ . 30 May 2009 . 13 April 2009.
  16. Fisk, Audrey (1997) The Ancient Order of Foresters in Cornwall Southampton: Foresters Heritage Trust
  17. http://www.liskeard.gov.uk/Museum.aspx Liskeard & District Museum
  18. http://www.pencubitt.com/history.htm Pencubitt House
  19. Book: Deacon, Bernard W. . Liskeard and Its People . 1989 . 0-9515355-0-1.
  20. News: South East Cornwall - General election results 2024 . 2024-07-05 . BBC News . en-GB.
  21. http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=%28RefNo==%22AD1546%22%29 Cornwall Record Office Online catalogue
  22. Commemorative plaque within the school: in foyer by "Old Hall"
  23. http://www.liskeard.gov.uk/controls/DownloadDocument.ashx?docID=kw8137OIRGJCPBHCUV2454cOfh&aId=1125 "Liskeard and District Museum Press Release Exhibition – 50th Anniversary of the Opening of Liskeard County Secondary School"
  24. Commemorative plaque within the school: entrance to Sixth Form Centre
  25. Liskeard Town Council, as [15]
  26. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1997/mar/11/liskeard-school-and-community-college Liskeard School and Community College; Hansard
  27. http://www.liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk/index.php Liskeard School and Community College
  28. Liskeard School and Community College Prospectus
  29. http://www.alltheschools.com/cornwall/liskeard.htm Liskeard
  30. Royal Cornwall Gazette, 22 June 1883.
  31. Royal Cornwall Gazette, 28 April 1832.
  32. Cornish & Devon Post, 12 October 1907.
  33. Cornish Guardian, 4 October 1945.
  34. Cornish Guardian, 20 September 1962.
  35. West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 29 July 1842
  36. St. Austell Star, 28 May 1908
  37. Lamentable occurrence, Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser, 30 June 1824, p5.
  38. Web site: Full Freeview on the Caradon Hill (Cornwall, England) transmitter. 1 May 2004. Ukfree.tv. 13 December 2023.
  39. Web site: liskeardradio . 2017-11-08 . liskeardradio.
  40. Web site: Liskeard Gazette & Journal (defunct). 3 June 2013. British Papers. 13 December 2023.
  41. Province of Cornwall (2016)Cornwall Masonic Year Book 2015/16
  42. Web site: Liskeard Town Leaflet . dead . https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20101017203934/http://www.liskeard.gov.uk/controls/DownloadDocument.ashx?docID=su8511MLXMHDYXIKFK2170mQkc&aId=1125 . 17 October 2010 . 25 January 2012 . Liskeard Town Council.
  43. Web site: Mayor of Liskeard travels to Ukraine . 19 December 2023 .
  44. Harding Family. A Short History and Narrative Pedigree From 1480 to the present day; by Nicholas John Royal. Published privately 1970
  45. Web site: Freedom of the Town parade to be hosted by Liskeard RBL . The Cornish Times . 4 August 2022 . 8 August 2022.