John Trehenban (pronounced TREM-on) (1650–1671), of

St Columb Major St Columb Major is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 ''Newquay ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, was a murderer sentenced to imprisonment in a

cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

on Castle An Dinas downs and starved to death. The murder of the two young girls is recorded in the Parish Register. 23 June 1671 ''Anne daughter of John Pollard of this Parish and Loveday Rosevear (aged 17), daughter of Thomas Rosevear of St Enoder were barbarously murdered on the day before in the home of Captain Peter Pollard at the bridge by one John Trehenban the son of Humphrey and Cissily Trehenban of this Parish at about 11 O' clock in the forenoon upon a market day.''

Legends attached to the murder

* Trehenban pretended to help in finding the murderer riding on horseback following the bloodhounds. His hat blew off and the dogs wouldn't leave it. Eventually he confessed.A view from

Hensbarrow Hensbarrow is a natural region in the county of Cornwall, England, UK, that has been recognized as National Character Area 154 by Natural England. Hensbarrow is an upland region covering an area of just under 12,000 hectares immediately north o ...

, Cornish Magazine, Sept' 1961, page 150, article by

Marshel Arthur Marshel Arthur (1879–1962) was a china clay worker and historian from Cornwall, United Kingdom, UK. After the death of his father Marshel left school at the age of ten in 1889 and began work as a tool boy under his older brother Tom, at Lower G ...

. *The lane where the

bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ''l ...

s picked up the scent is still known as 'Tremons lane'. *He was placed in a cage which sat on a large rock. This rock is still to be seen and local people used to say that if you ran around this rock fifty times you would hear his chains rattle. *Tremmon begged a passing woman for some food. All she had were a few

tallow Tallow is a rendering (industrial), rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain techn ...

candles which he ate ravenously. * According to local historian

, local people used to refer to a no-gooder as 'a right Tremmon'. Viewpoint indicator board in the centre of Castle An Dinas hill fort - geograph

References

* Bunney, Cyril S., comp. (1973) ''St Columb Major Town and Parish: a miscellany''; p. 65 * '

Western Morning News The ''Western Morning News'' is a daily regional newspaper founded in 1860, and covering the West Country including Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset and Dorset in the South West of England. Organisation The ''Western Mo ...

', Thursday April 7, 1955 * Wright, W. H. K., ed. (1882) ''The Western Antiquary'', Vol. I. Plymouth: Latimer & Son; p. 35 Trehenban, John Trehenban, John Trehenban, John Trehenban, John Trehenban, John People executed by Stuart England Trehenban, John British people convicted of murder 17th-century executions by England Crime in Cornwall Murder in 1671 {{Cornwall-stub