History

Lostwithiel has a rich heritage. Founded by the Norman Lords who built the original Restormel Castle it was developed from a Saxon Manor to become a major port for seagoing ships.

The castle was rebuilt in the late 13th centaury by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, who was also responsible for, building the Shire Hall, the bridge and the church tower. The town was laid out on a grid pattern. Edmund was very proud of his thriving little town and called it his 'Fairest of Small Cities'. The name Lostwithiel was documented in the Charter of 1189. It comes from the Old Cornish “Lostgwydeyel” meaning 'The place at the tail-end of the forest.”

Throughout the 14th century Lostwithiel, known as The Port of Fawi' was the Capital of Cornwall, administering both county and stannary (ie relating to tin) affairs from the Shire Hall. The Stannary (tinnersi) Parliament was held here until it was discontinued in 1752. The Shire Hall became known as the DuchyPalace after the creation of the Dukedom of Cornwall in 1337. During the 14th century the river began to silt up, the result of excessive streaming for tin on the moors, and it became innavigable to sea-going ships. Lostwithiel gradually lost its shipping to Fowey and sent tin and other goods down-river in boats of shallower draught. As production of tin in this area declined, miners moved further west. Lostwithiel developed its trade in weaving, tanning, pottery and pewter.

In 1644 Lostwithiel and the Fowey peninsular were occupied by 10,000 Parliamentary soldiers. They were followed by King Charles I and his army, who together with Royalist forces from the west and north, besieged the area throughout the month of August. King Charles stayed at Boconnoc, a mile or two to the east. It is said he was the first person to travel into Cornwall by carriage, and that the state of the roads was such, that he was only able to do so because he had enough servants to carry the carriage!

August 1644 was a disastrous month for Lostwithiel. The church was damaged, the Duchy Palace was burned, the records destroyed and the bridge just escaped being blown up. There was a great shortage of food, and starvation arid plague were rife amongst the population and the occupying army. Eventually the Parliamentarians retreated to Castle Dore and surrendered to the King. It was a Royalist victory, but the town was left badly shattered. Many of the town houses (some now shops) were built in the years following the Civil War.

In the eighteenth Centuary Lostwithiel was a “Pocket Borough' for the Pitts, then the Edgcumbes. The Edgcumbes became patrons of the town. They bought land and built several substantial properties, including Edgcumbe House, the Guildhall with the Corn Exchange beneath, and the Old Grammar School. In the early 19th century iron was found in the hills north of Lostwithiel and a thriving industry developed, resulting in the rapid growth of the town This 'boom industry came to an end in the first decade of the 20th - century. During the iron mining period Coulson Park, now a quiet riverside walk, was the scene of much noisy. heavy work. Iron ore was carried down from the mines in horse drawn wagons, running on tram lines through the - town to the jetty, where it was transferred to barges for shipping down river.

The river was used commercially until the 20^th Centaury when lime was barged up to the lime kilns to be made into fertilizer. The GWR railway came through in 1859 and the maintenance works, designed by I.K. Brunel were built here, providing work for Lostwithiel men for almost a century.

The “Creamery” 1932-91 developed over the years and as the need for railway workers diminished it became the major employer in Lostwithiel until it too closed down.