Jan Tregeagle was a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

in the early 17th century, a steward under the

Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...

, and was known for being particularly harsh; darker stories circulated as well, that he had murdered his wife or made a

pact with the Devil A deal with the Devil (also called a Faustian bargain or Mephistophelian bargain) is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to t ...

. As a lawyer, he was a peculiarly evil agent, and very hard upon the tenants. Many legends have grown up around him, and he has evolved into Cornwall's version of

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

, having bargained his soul for power, fame and success. One story goes that sometime after his death, a case was going through the courts in which the defendant had illegally obtained some land. The defendant, sure that the dead Tregeagle could not testify against him, cried, "If Tregeagle ever saw it, I wish to God he would come and declare it!" To the court's astonishment, Tregeagle materialised in the witness box and testified that he had forged some crucial document or other. Justice having been done, the court would not countenance sending him back to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

, and so set him a series of impossible tasks to while away the time until

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

. He was set the task of dipping the water out of

Dozmary Pool Dozmary Pool is a small lake, in the civil parish of Altarnun on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK. It is situated from the sea and lies about north-east of Bodmin and south of Bolventor. It originated in the post-glacial period. The outflow fro ...

with a limpet shell, but decided to escape to Roche Rock before being set another task, weaving ropes from the sand of Gwenor Cove. Tregeagle's dismal fate inspired "The Ballad of the Haunted Moor," in which "the soul Tregeagle, a deathless soul/Flies from the Pool with a shriek, a shriek!"

References

External links

Baring-Gould, Sabine. ''Castles and Cave Dwellings of Europe''. Project Gutenberg.
* ttp://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/cornwall/legends/jan-tregeagle.html Jan Tregeagle: Mysterious Britain & Irelandbr>The tasks of Jan Tregeagle's ghost
Cornish folklore English ghosts People from Cornwall {{Cornwall-stub