Boscastle church had no bells, while the tower at Tintagel nearby had a fine peal of six. The story was that a peal for Boscastle, the old Bottreaux, was cast on the Continent, and that the ship carrying it went down within sight of the church tower. In Hawker’s verses on the legend the pilot gives thanks to God on hearing Tintagel’s bells, the captain mocks him, and a sudden sea sinks the ship. It was said the drowned bells could still be heard ringing beneath the waves in a storm.
The Silent Tower of Bottreaux
26 February · Boscastle, Cornwall
Lore and belief
it is said that a peal of bells for Boscastle was once cast at a foundry on the Continent, and that the vessel which was bringing them went down within sight of the church tower.
From Chambers's Book of Days, vol. 1, p. 303. Read the original
Get a copy: Amazon · Bookshop.org · AbeBooks
We may earn a small commission if you buy through these links.
Questions and comments