The Stannary History of Old Duchy Palace
Cornwall has a long history of tin mining and the word ‘stannary’ is derived from the Latin for tin mine. By the early medieval period, tin mining was an important industry and became subject to government regulation. King John established Cornish stannary districts in 1201 with their administration and taxation run from the towns of Helston, Truro, Launceston and Lostwithiel. At this time tin was being surface dug and ‘streamed’ from alluvial deposits on Bodmin Moor, turned into ingots close to the extraction site and then brought down by pack horse to Lostwithiel for assaying. As tin mining was such a big industry in Cornwall, the Stannaries held considerable power and were places of great influence.
Lostwithiel’s importance grew significantly during the 13th Century. In 1269 it was acquired by King Henry III’s brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall. His son Edmund made Lostwithiel into the seat of government for Cornwall and around 1292 began building an administrative Palace – the medieval equivalent of County Hall. From 1338, after the Earldom of Cornwall became a Dukedom, it was known as Duchy Palace.
Today, Old Duchy Palace is the only surviving complete building from this large complex that centred on a Great Hall where the Stannary Parliament convened. Old Duchy Palace was added to the east of the Great Hall in the mid-14th Century and was initially used as the Exchequer Hall.
Members of the Stannary Parliament were known as Stannators; with 24 Stannators and 24 assistants that effectively formed a lower house. Stannators would stand for election and discuss and draft legislation. If a law from Westminster affected mining in Cornwall, it would have to be approved by every Stannator, meaning the Cornish Stannaries could veto Westminster laws.
The Cornish Stannaries were suspended in 1496, and it is thought that this suspension played a large factor in the Cornish Rebellion of 1497. This rebellion was led by Michael An Gof of St Keverne and Thomas Flamank of Bodmin, protesting a proposed tax that King Henry VII wanted to charge to fund military activity in Scotland. With An Gof and Flamank leading the way, an army of around 10,000 men reached Deptford in south east London and clashed with 25,000 soldiers from the King’s army. The Cornish rebels were defeated, and leaders An Gof and Flamank executed. After the rebellion, King Henry VII restored the Stannaries for an enormous sum of £1,000, along with pardoning those who had participated in the rebellion. In 1997, on the 500th anniversary of the rebellion, a commemorative march took place from St Keverne to Blackheath in London.
During the English Civil War, Old Duchy Palace functioned as the headquarters of Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, the first Capital General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian Army. From the 21st of August, to the 2nd of September 1644, the Battle of Lostwithiel took place between Devereux and the Royalists, and resulted in extensive damage to the Great Hall of the Palace. After the damage, with the Great Hall burnt down, Old Duchy Palace became the tinners’ Convocation Hall. The Stannators of Lostwithiel continued to meet here, until the final meeting of the Stannary Parliament in Lostwithiel in 1751.
The last Stannary Parliament met in Truro in 1752, and continued until 1753. As there is no record that the Stannaries have been formally dissolved, the existence of Stannary Law, and the ability for Cornwall to control its own legislation, is still technically in place today. Despite this, it is widely accepted that Cornwall does not have the power to enact or veto legislation in relation to the Stannaries.
Images (c) Purcell Architects
For more info re medieval tin industry see:
NHLHG – Mines & Mining (northhillhistory.co.uk)
