Penzance | Towns and Cities of Cornwall
Penzance; town, a chapelry, a sub-district, and a district, in Cornwall; the town is in Madron parish; stands at the head of Mounts bay, and at the terminus of the West Cornwall railway, 9 miles NE of Lands-End, and 26 SW of Truro; derives its name, signifying “holy-headland,” from a chapel of St. Anthony, which stood on a point adjoining the pier; is said to have had a castle on a site at the Barbican, near the quay; was burnt by the Spaniards in 1595, and plundered by Fairfax in 1646; was a coinage-town from the time of Charles II.till 1838, when the tin dues were abolished; witnessed the wreck of an Algerine corsair in its vicinity in 1760; was the birthplace of Lord Exmouth, Davies Gilbert, and Sir Humphrey Davy; received a charter of incorporation from James I.; is governed, under the new act, by a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors; is a seat of petty sessions, a polling-place, a coast-guard station, and a head-port;
1284 Penzance is first mentioned in history
1332 Penzance is given a charter (a document granting the people certain rights). Penzance becomes a small but busy market town. It also has an annual fair.
1404 Penzance is given 2 weekly markets and 3 annual fairs
1512 Henry VIII gives Penzance the right to keep the harbour dues
1578 Penzance suffers an outbreak of plague
1595 The Spanish sack and burn Penzance
1614 Penzance is given a mayor and a corporation
1647 Penzance has another outbreak of plague
1648 Penzance is plundered by soldiers again
1663 King Charles I makes Penzance a coinage town, where tin is weighed and taxed
1740 A battery of guns is built to defend Penzance against attack
1743 Penzance gains its first fire engine
1768 The first Jewish Synagogue is built in Penzance
1770 Penzance has
Penzance; town, a chapelry, a sub-district, and a district, in Cornwall; the town is in Madron parish; stands at the head of Mounts bay, and at the terminus of the West Cornwall railway, 9 miles NE of Lands-End, and 26 SW of Truro; derives its name, signifying “holy-headland,” from a chapel of St. Anthony, which stood on a point adjoining the pier; is said to have had a castle on a site at the Barbican, near the quay; was burnt by the Spaniards in 1595, and plundered by Fairfax in 1646; was a coinage-town from the time of Charles II.till 1838, when the tin dues were abolished; witnessed the wreck of an Algerine corsair in its vicinity in 1760; was the birthplace of Lord Exmouth, Davies Gilbert, and Sir Humphrey Davy; received a charter of incorporation from James I.; is governed, under the new act, by a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors; is a seat of petty sessions, a polling-place, a coast-guard station, and a head-port;
1284 Penzance is first mentioned in history
1332 Penzance is given a charter (a document granting the people certain rights). Penzance becomes a small but busy market town. It also has an annual fair.
1404 Penzance is given 2 weekly markets and 3 annual fairs
1512 Henry VIII gives Penzance the right to keep the harbour dues
1578 Penzance suffers an outbreak of plague
1595 The Spanish sack and burn Penzance
1614 Penzance is given a mayor and a corporation
1647 Penzance has another outbreak of plague
1648 Penzance is plundered by soldiers again
1663 King Charles I makes Penzance a coinage town, where tin is weighed and taxed
1740 A battery of guns is built to defend Penzance against attack
1743 Penzance gains its first fire engine
1768 The first Jewish Synagogue is built in Penzance
1770 Penzance has a population of about 3,000
1779 A grammar school is founded in Penzance
1797 The first bank opens in Penzance
1801 Penzance has a population of 3,382
1826 North Parade is built
1827 Clarence Street is built
1829 Victoria Place is built
1830 Penzance gains gas street light. Penzance gains a piped water supply
1835 Adelaide Street is built
1838 The Egyptian House is built
1839 Regent Square is built. Penzance gains its first newspaper
1847 The Albert Pier is built
1852 The railway reaches Penzance
1866 Wharf Road is built
1873 An infirmary opens in Penzance
1884 A floating dock is built
1889 Morrab Gardens opens
1893 Princess Mary Recreation Ground opens
1901 Penzance has a population of 13,136
1903 Alexandra Grounds opens
1901 Penzance gains electric street lights. Penzance gains its first cinema.
1926 The Winter Gardens open
1933 St Anthonys Gardens open
1949 Penlee House opens to the public
1991 A National Lighthouse Museum opens
1999 Wharfside Shopping Centre opens