Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for MARAZION, or MARKET-JEW

MARAZION, or MARKET-JEW, a small town, a chapelry, and a sub-district, in Penzance district, Cornwall. The town stands on Mounts bay, under a hill, near the West Cornwall railway, 3¼ miles E by N of Penzance; was formerly called Marghasjewe and Marghasion; is called, by Leland, Marhasdethon or Forum-Jovis, -and by the editors of the old Mag. Brit., Market-Jupiter, Market-Jew, or Market-Ju; is supposed, by some writers, to have been settled or inhabited by Jews, for collecting and selling tin, and to have been named by them MaraZion, signifying "Bitter-Zion;'' appears to have been once a place of considerable consequence, both as a seat of trade, and as the head-quarters of pilgrims to St. Michael's Mount; was pillaged by the French in the time of Henry VIII., and by the Cornish rebels in that of Edward V.; obtained a charter from Queen Elizabeth, vesting its government in a mayor, 8 aldermen, and 12 capital burgesses; lost much of its importance by the suppression of the neighbouring priory, and the growing prosperity of Penzance; was not included in any of the schedules of the new municipal act; is irregularly aligned, and indifferently built; is connected with St. Michael's Mount by a causeway 1,200 feet long, but above water during only 4 hours of every 12 of the tide; carries on rope-making, a large pilchard fishery, an import trade in coal, iron, and timber, and some business in connexion with neighbouring mines; and has a head post office‡ of the name of Marazion, Cornwall, a railway station, of the name of Marazion-Road, three inns, a church, four dissenting chapels, a public school, and charities £10. The church stands at some distance, and was recently rebuilt. The chapels are for Independents, Quakers, Wesleyans, and United Free Methodists. A weekly market is held on Saturday; and fairs, chiefly for cattle, are held on 20 March and 20 Sept.-The chapelryincludes the town, and is in the parish of St. Hilary. Acres, 871; of which 190 are water. Real property, £4,260. Pop. in 1851,1,379; in 1861,1,545. Houses, 312. A large tract of marsh was reclaimed by Dr. Moyle. The land is notable for producing a superior variety of turnip. Asbestos, actinolite, iron-ore, and other rare and useful minerals are found. About 1,000 Roman coins were discovered at the reclaiming of the marsh. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £66. * Patron, the Vicar of St. Hilary.—The sub-district contains also the rest of St. Hilary parish, all Perranuthnoe parish, and St. Michael's Mount extra-parochial tract. Acres, 4,909. Pop., 5,098. Houses, 1,037.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a chapelry, and a sub-district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Marazion Ch/CP       Penzance RegD/PLU       Cornwall AncC
Place names: MARAZION     |     MARAZION OR MARKET JEW     |     MARGHASION     |     MARGHASJEWE     |     MARKET JEW
Place: Marazion

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