FALMOUTH MOOR ‘FLOODED’ DEBATE – HISTORIAN DELIVERS VERDICT

Whether or not The Moor in Falmouth was once under water – as in part of the sea – has been periodically debated down the ages.

 

I touched on the issue here (January 31), recalling a letter from Lady Redwood, of Flushing, that was published in the Falmouth Packet in February, 1988. It quoted suggestions that long, long ago rowing boats and even the Flushing ferry had berthed at the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder!

 

However, I’ve now come across a once-and-for-all verdict from none other than the late Peter Gilson, who, in his retirement after a lifetime’s teaching, became one of the area’s most respected historians.

 

A few weeks after that Lady Redwood letter, he triumphantly produced evidence to confirm that The Moor, in its inhabited form at least, was not once part of the harbour.

 

He did so by reproducing a map from its publication in a book written by H M Jeffery (1826-91), a local historian and philanthropist.

 

The map, circa 1613 and possibly drawn for use in a court of law, offered no evidence to support the flooded Moor theory. Rather, it showed a road going across what is now Market Strand and also included a hedge said to be at least 60 years old.

 

“If The Moor was under water before then, there was simply no-one around,” said Peter.  “No people, no village, no town.”

 

So what, the Packet’s Pendennis columnist asked him, about the old photos showing a house on The Moor with high steps leading up to its front door?

 

“My answer to that,” he said, “is that it must have been hard luck on all the other buildings in the area, because they would have had water up to their ceilings.”

 

Or the rings at the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder, seemingly for boats to tie up to?

 

“People had to have something to tie up their horses to.”

 

Peter, who taught geography and geology, conceded that the area might well have been a creek during the inter-glacial period, when the sea level was anything up to 12 feet higher than it is now.  

 

But that was a little matter of some 100,00 years ago!

 

Supporting evidence, he recalled, was unearthed during excavations for a brewery on the site of the present Tesco store when layers of creek sand were discovered.