The Lizard

50°02′N5°11′W/ 50.033°N 5.183°W/50.033; -5.183

The Lizard(Cornish:an Lysardh) is apeninsulain southernCornwall,England, United Kingdom. Themost southerly pointof theBritish mainlandis nearLizard Pointat SW 701115;Lizardvillage, also known as the Lizard, is the most southerly on the British mainland, and is in thecivil parishofLandewednack,the most southerly parish. The valleys of theriver HelfordandLoe Poolform the northern boundary, with the rest of the peninsula surrounded by sea.^[1]^[2]The area measures about 14 by 14 miles (23 km × 23 km). The Lizard is one of England'snatural regionsand has been designated as aNational Character Area157 byNatural England.^[3]The peninsula is known for itsgeologyand for itsrare plantsand lies within theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB).^[4]

The Lizard's coast is particularly hazardous to shipping and the seaways round the peninsula were historically known as the "Graveyard of Ships". TheLizard Lighthousewas built at Lizard Point in 1752 and theRNLIoperatesthe Lizard lifeboat station.

Etymology

The name "Lizard" is most probably a corruption of the Cornish name "Lys Ardh", meaning "high court";^[5]it is purely coincidental that much of the peninsula is composed ofserpentinite-bearing rock. The peninsula's original name may have been theCelticBridanoc,fromBritannakon( "the" British one "), preserved in the name of the former village of Predannack, now site ofPredannack Airfield.^[6]

History

There is evidence of early habitation with severalburial moundsand stones. Part of the peninsula is known as theMeneage(land of the monks).

Helston,the nearest town to the Lizard peninsula, is said to have once headed the estuary of theRiver Cober,before it was cut off from the sea byLoe Barin the 13th century. It is speculated that Helston was once a port, but no records exist.^[7]Geomorphologistsbelieve the bar was most likely formed by rising sea levels, after thelast ice age,blocking the river and creating abarrier beach.The beach is formed mostly of flint and the nearest source is found offshore under the drowned terraces of the former river that flowed between England and France, and now under theEnglish Channel.^[8]The medieval port of Helston was atGweek,possibly from around 1260 onward, on theHelford riverwhich exportedtinand copper. Helston was believed to be in existence in the sixth century, around theRiver Cober(Dowr Kohar).^[9] The name comes from the Cornish "hen lis" or "old court" and "ton" added later to denote a Saxon manor; theDomesday Bookrefers to it as Henliston (which survives as the name of a road in the town).^[10]It was granted its charter byKing Johnin 1201.^[11]It was here that tin ingots were weighed to determine the duty due to theDuke of Cornwallwhen a number ofstannarytowns were authorised by royal decree.^{[citation needed]}

The royal manor ofWinnianton,which was held by King William I at the time of theDomesday Book(1086), was also the head manor of thehundred of Kerrierand the largest estate in Cornwall.^[12]It was assessed as having fifteen hides before 1066. At the time of Domesday there was land for sixty ploughs, but in the lord's land there were two ploughs and in the lands held by villeins twenty-four ploughs. There were twenty-four villeins, forty-one freedmen, thirty-three smallholders and fourteen slaves. There was 6 acres (24,000 m²), eight square leagues of pasture and half a square league of woodland. The livestock was fourteen unbroken mares, three cattle and one hundred and twenty-eight sheep (in total 145 beasts); its value was £12 annually. 11 of the hides were held by theCount of Mortainand there is more arable and pasture and 13 more persons are recorded:Rinsey,Trelowarren,Mawgan-in-Meneageand seventeen other lands are also recorded under Winnianton.^[13]

Mullionhas the 15th century church of St Mellanus, and the Old Inn from the 16th century. The harbour was completed in 1895 and financed by Lord Robartes ofLanhydrockas a recompense to the fishermen for several disastrous pilchard seasons.

Coverackis a coastal village on the eastern side of the Lizard (2017)

The small church of St Peter inCoverack,built in 1885 for £500, has a serpentinite pulpit.

TheGreat Western Railwayoperated aroad motorservice to the Lizard fromHelston railway station.Commencing on 17 August 1903, it was the first successful British railway-run bus service and was initially provided as a cheaper alternative to a proposedlight railway.

TheSolar eclipse of 11 August 1999departed the UK mainland from the Lizard.

The transatlantic record run of the unaccompanied one hand sailorThomas Covillewithin less than 5 days in his sailboatSodebo Ultimfrom New York to Europe landed here on 15 July 2017.^[14]

Nautical

The Lizard has been the site of many maritime disasters. It forms a natural obstacle to entry and exit ofFalmouthand its naturally deep estuary. At Lizard Point stands theLizard Lighthouse,where a light was erected bySir John Killigrewat his own expense. It was built at the cost of "20 nobles a year" for 30 years, and caused many problems over the following years, as King James I considered charging vessels to pass. Thus, the lighthouse was demolished. It was rebuilt in 1751 by order ofThomas Fonnereauand remains almost unchanged today. Further east lieThe Manacles,nearPorthoustock:1+1⁄2square miles (4 km²) of jagged rocks just beneath the waves.

In 1721 theRoyal Anne Galley,an oared frigate, was wrecked at Lizard Point. Of a crew of 185 only three survived; lost was Lord Belhaven who was en route to take up the Governorship ofBarbados.
A 44-gun frigate,HMSAnson,was wrecked at Loe Bar in 1807. Although it wrecked close to shore, many lost their lives in the storm. This inspiredHenry Trengrouseto invent the rocket-fired line, later to become theBreeches buoy.
The transport shipDispatchran aground on the Manacles in 1809 on its return from thePeninsular War,losing 104 men from the 7th Hussars. The following day, with local villagers still attempting a rescue, theCruizer-class brig-sloop HMSPrimrosehit the northern end of these rocks. The only survivor of its 126 officers, men and boys was a drummer boy.
5 Sept 1856 the Cherubim and Ocean Home collided off Lizard Point
TheSSMohegan,a 6,889GRTpassenger liner, also hit the Manacles in 1898 with the loss of 106 lives.^[15]
The American passenger linerPariswas stranded on the Manacles in 1899, with no loss of life.

The biggest rescue in theRNLI's history was 17 March 1907 when the 12,000-tonne linerSSSuevichit the Maenheere Reef nearLizard Pointin Cornwall. In a strong gale and dense fog RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescued 456 passengers, including 70 babies. Crews from the Lizard,Cadgwith,CoverackandPorthlevenrowed out repeatedly for 16 hours to rescue all of the people on board. Six silver RNLI medals were later awarded, two toSueviccrew members.^[16]

TheBattle at the Lizard,a naval battle, took place off the Lizard on 21 October 1707.

Smuggling was a regular, and often necessary, way of life in these parts, despite the efforts ofcoastguardsor "Preventive men". In 1801, the king'spardonwas offered to any smuggler giving information on the Mullion musket men involved in a gunfight with the crew of HM Gun VesselHecate.

Aeronautical

In theFirst World Wara Naval Air Station was established atBonython,flying mainlyblimpsused for spottingU-boats.One was sunk and several probably damaged by bombs dropped by the blimps. The airfield site is now occupied by the wind farm.

RAF Predannack Down (seePredannack Airfield) was aSecond World Warairbase, from whichCoastal Commandsquadrons flew anti-submarine sorties into theBay of Biscayas well as convoy support in the westernEnglish Channel.The runways still exist and the site is used by a local Air Cadet VolunteerglidingSquadron 626VGS and as an emergency/relief base forRNASCuldrose(HMSSeahawk).

RNAS Culdrose is Europe's largesthelicopterbase, and currently hosts the Training and Operational Conversion Unit operating theEH101 "Merlin"helicopter. It is also the home base for Merlin Squadrons embarked uponRoyal Navywarships, theWestland Sea King airborne early warning(AEW) variant helicopter, a Search And Rescue (Sea King, again) helicopter flight, and someBAe HawkT.1 trainer jets used for training purposes by the Royal Navy. The base also operates some other types of fixed wing aircraft for calibration and other training purposes. As befits the base's name, a non-flying example of aHawker Sea Hawkforms the main gate guardian static display. RNAS Culdrose is a major contributor to the economy of the Lizard area.

Political

Sketchmap of civil parishes on the Lizard

The Lizard peninsula is in theSt Ives parliamentary constituency,which comprises the whole of the former district ofPenwithand the southern part of the former district ofKerrier). The parishes northeast of the river Helford are inCamborne and Redruth parliamentary constituency

To the north, the Lizard peninsula is bordered by thecivil parishesofBreage,Porthleven,Sithney,Helston,Wendron,Gweekand – across theHelford River– byConstantine, KerrierandMawnan.

The parishes on the peninsula proper are (west to east):

Northern parishes:
Southern parishes:

The Lizard's political history includes the 1497Cornish rebellionwhich began inSt Keverne.The village blacksmithMichael Joseph(MichaelAn Gofin Cornish, meaning blacksmith) led the uprising, protesting against the punitive taxes levied byHenry VIIto pay for the war against the Scots. The uprising was routed on its march to London and the two leaders, Michael Joseph andThomas Flamank,were subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered.

Technological

Titaniumwas discovered here by the ReverendWilliam Gregorin 1791.

In 1869, John Pender formed the Falmouth Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph company, intending to connectIndiato England with an undersea cable. Although intended to land at Falmouth, the final landing point wasPorthcurnonearLand's End.

In 1900Guglielmo Marconistayed the Housel Bay Hotel in his quest to locate a coastal radio station to receive signals from ships equipped with his apparatus. He leased a plot "in the wheat field adjoining the hotel" where the Lizard Wireless Telegraph Station still stands today. Recently restored by the National Trust, it looks as it did in January 1901, when Marconi received the distance record signals of 186 miles (299 km) from his transmitter station atNiton, Isle of Wight.The Lizard Wireless Station is the oldest Marconi station to survive in its original state, and is located to the west of the Lloyds Signal Station in what appears to be a wooden hut. On 12 December 1901 Poldhu Point was the site of the firsttrans Atlantic,wireless signal radio communicationwhen Marconi sent a signal toSt John's,Newfoundland.The technology is one of the key advances to the development ofradio,television,satellitesand theinternet.^[17]

A radar station calledRAF Dry Treewas built duringWorld War II.The site was later chosen for theTelstarproject in 1962; its rocky foundations, clear atmosphere and extreme southerly location being uniquely suitable. This became theGoonhilly satellite earth station,now owned by Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd. Some important developments in television satellite transmission were made at Goonhilly station. Awind farmexists near to the Goonhilly station site.

Geology

Sketchmap of the Lizard geology

Known as theLizard Complex,the peninsula's geology is the best preserved example of an exposedophiolitein the United Kingdom.

An ophiolite is a suite of geological formations which represent a slice through a section ofocean crust(including the upper level of themantle) thrust onto thecontinental crust.

The Lizard formations comprise three main units; theserpentinites,the "oceanic complex" and themetamorphicbasement.^[18]The serpentinite contains significant samples of theserpentinepolymorphlizardite,which were named after the Lizard complex in 1955.^[19]

Ecology

Several nature sites exist on the Lizard Peninsula; Predannack nature reserve,Mullion Island,Goonhilly Downs,and theCornish Seal SanctuaryatGweek.An area of the Lizard covering 16.62 square kilometres (6.42 sq mi) is designated anational nature reservebecause of its coastal grasslands and heaths and inland heaths.^[20]The peninsula contains 3 mainSites of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI), both noted for their endangered insects and plants, as well as their geology. The first isEast Lizard Heathlands SSSI,the second isCaerthillian to KennackSSSIand the third isWest Lizard SSSI,of which the important wetland,Hayle Kimbro Pool,forms a part of.^[21]^[22]

The area is also home to one of England's rarest breeding birds — theCornish chough.This species ofcorvidis distinctive due to its red beak and legs and haunting "chee-aw" call. Choughs were extinct in Cornwall but returned naturally in 2001 and began breeding on Lizard in 2002 following a concerted effort by theNational Trust,English Natureand theRSPB.

The Lizard contains some of the most specialised flora of any area in Britain, including manyRed Data Bookplant species. Of particular note is theCornish heath,Erica vagans,that occurs in abundance here, but which is found nowhere else in Britain. There are more than 600 species of flowering plants on the Lizard, nearly a quarter of all UK species.^[23]The reason for this richness is partly because of the many different and unusual Lizard rocks on the Lizard Peninsula. But above all, it is a coming together of multiple factors: a very mild maritime climate, but one prone to gales and salt winds; waterlogged and boggy soils, but ones that often parch and dry out in the summer; soils of greatly contrasting fertility and pH; and lastly man's influence. Any single factor taken on its own would influence the flora; taken together, they combine, overlap and interact. Contrasting plant communities grow side-by-side in a mosaic that changes within a few metres but also changes markedly over time with the cycle of heath fires. It's not so much that conditions are ideal for growth, but that there is such a variety of different, difficult conditions. Each habitat, with its own combination of factors, attracts its own specialist plants.^[24]It is also one of the few places where the rareformicine ant,Formica exsecta,(thenarrow-headed ant), can be found.

In pop culture

Daphne du Maurierbased many novels on this part of Cornwall, includingFrenchman's Creek.

The Lizard was featured on theBBCtelevision programmeSeven Natural Wondersas one of the wonders of the South West, and on the BBC seriesCoast.

InJames Clavell's novelShōgun,ship's pilot Vasco Rodrigues challenges John Blackthorne to recite the latitude of the Lizard to verify that Blackthorne is the Pilot of the Dutch vesselErasmus.

The Jennifer McQuiston 2015 novelThe Spinster's Guide to Scandalous Behavioris set primarily in the fictional village Lizard Bay on the Lizard in the mid-nineteenth century.

In the television adaptation of "Horatio Hornblower",an order is given to"Weather the Lizard"in the episodeHornblower:Mutiny.

"Lizard Point" is also a track on the 1982 albumAmbient 4: On Landreleased byBrian Eno.

The book series "Fenton House" by Ben Cheetham is set on the Lizard Peninsula.

References

^Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203Land's EndISBN 978-0-319-23148-7
^Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204Truro & FalmouthISBN 978-0-319-23149-4
^NCA Profile:157: The Lizard (NE434)at publications.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 8 September 2013
^Lawman, Jean (1994).The Natural History of the Lizard Peninsula.Redruth: Institute of Cornish Studies and Dyllansow Truran. p. 120.ISBN 1 85022 071 9.
^Mills, A. D. (1991).The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names.Parragon Book Service Ltd & Magpie Books. p. 213.ISBN 0-7525-1851-8.
^Padel, O.J."Cornish Place Names", page 146.
^"Helston, Cornwall on the river Cober".cornwall-calling.co.uk.
^May, V.J. "Loe Bar". In May, V. J. and Hansom, J. D. (2003)Coastal Geomorphology of Great Britain,(Geological Conservation Review Series, No. 28), 754 pp. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.
^A Short History of Helston – Helston History
^Padel, O.J."Cornish Place Names", p. 96.
^Toy, "History of Helston"
^Conder, Kelly (October 2012)."Notes From Members' Evening 2011. Gunwalloe and King Dunvallo"(PDF).Cornwall Archaeological Society Newsletter(130): 3–4. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 July 2014.Retrieved13 July2014.
^Thorn, Caroline, et al. (eds.)Cornwall.Chichester: Phillimore; entry 1,1
^Segler stellt Rekord für Atlantik-Einzelüberquerung auforf.at, 16 July 2017, retrieved 16 July 2017 (German)
^"Lizard Peninsula: Coverack and Area".Cornwall on line.Retrieved11 March2010.
^"Biggest RNLI rescue is remembered".BBC News. 11 March 2007.
^Kirkham, Graham; Herring, Peter, eds. (2006)."Recent work by the Historic Environment Service, Cornwall County Council".Cornish Archaeology Hendhyscans Kernow.41–42 (2002–3). Cornwall Archaeological Society: 170, 177–180.ISSN 0070-024X.
^Kirby, G. A. (1979). "The Lizard Complex as an ophiolite".Nature,London, 282, pp. 58–61.
^"Lizardite: Mineral information, data and localities".mindat.org.
^"The Lizard NNR".Natural England.Retrieved31 January2010.
^"East Lizard Heathlands"(PDF).Natural England.1995.Retrieved31 October2011.
^"West Lizard"(PDF).Natural England.1995.Retrieved31 October2011.
^"The Lizard Guidebook". pp. 21.
^"The Lizard Guidebook". pp. 21–37.