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Penfound Manor
Continuing a long history in North Cornwall
This was intended to be an indoor event. With the sun growing paler and the dampness gathering strength, it was time to start thinking about dowsing in a more predictable environment. Yet, as so often happens with the TDs, things don't always run to plan - but it all works out for the best in the end.
For a man who spends much of his life in the intensely practical and high-tech world of motorsport, Penfound Manor's current owner, Richard Betts, is engagingly open-minded about the outlook of the dowser and disarmingly matter-of-fact about the unseen world around him. He has owned this site for about 12 years and has seemingly spent much of that time - and not a little of his own money - restoring it to something of its former glory.
On this visit, we were only able to walk through the house on the hallway with the solid brick floor. The spongy woodwork of much of the rest of the Manor was understandably out of bounds. While this could have been disappointing, the end result was a very pleasant afternoon spent in the autumn sunshine, sensing the history of the wider site - and getting a few surprises.
The immediate feeling of the building was a bit uncertain. With a long and chequered history and a considerable amount of ongoing building work, it was not surprising that the energy was a bit disturbed. However, there were energies of many types, readily apparent. Even if we could not chase them through the rooms with our rods, we could certainly feel it was there, awaiting investigation.
We dowsed the well by the back door and the consensus of its depth accorded with Richard's own knowledge. A good start. We located a former chapel to the west of the main building and traced the route of a 'tunnel' from the courtyard out into the orchard and beyond.
As the group dispersed, Gay was surprised to find her rods twirling at a spot near the eastern wall. Further investigation identified this to be the site of the death of a young girl - with perhaps a burial too, close by. With the help of Larry & Jen, the energy there was rebalanced and, after a little while, we moved away. (I had an email subsequently from Margaret to say that a sensitive friend felt that a little girl with pigtails or plaits may have fallen on a knife at this spot in 1858 - but more of this another time!).
By the southern door, with its new portico, carefully styled to match the main entrance of 1642, there was another surprise. Peggy had found the outline of a building, dating from pre-Christian times, on the lawn. A debate ensued as to the age and purpose of this building - with everything from a pagan shrine to a modern garage being suggested and tested. The outcome pointed to at least two small buildings at this location, both older than the house itself. One had certainly been a religious place, the other perhaps an outbuilding.
Beneath the living quarters, inside the Manor, there seemed to be a strong energy of running water - quite a wide band and only a few feet down. This somewhat alarming piece of water divining accorded well with the story of the need, in times gone by, for the servants to wipe their wet feet on rush matting at certain times of the year, between leaving their quarters and entering the owners' part of the Manor.
A ley crosses the grounds, emphasising the importance of Penfound in ancient times, but it does not cross the footprint of the current house.
There are a number of stories concerning the former inhabitants of the Manor. It was in its heyday during the Civil War and the Elizabethan period. The owners suffered through ending up on the unsuccessful side more than once - and the ambience of parts of the location seemed appropriately melancholic. At least one murder was known to have taken place there - and Larry sensed another. A few contented remanences were detected by various members of the group, with the unspookable Richard noting the views of his unusual guests with admirable calm.
By the entrance to the main pathway stands an ancient stone cross which, for reasons that are lost in the gloom of history, is clearly out of place and time. Dave commented that it felt like a large tooth that had been extracted - very prosaic. The group debated where it may have once stood, with a number of suggestions (some more plausible than others) being considered. If we could not put the artefact back in its intended position, we could at least bring it back to life a bit. Jen brought a couple of nearby small streams of earth energy to the stone and we left it shining invisibly in the gathering twilight.
Penfound is a place steeped in history - a site of significance long before the 'Penfou' of the Domesday Book, and well before the construction of the current Manor. It is doubtless one which will retain its special character for a long time to come - Richard is clearly putting a lot of himself into the reconstruction and with that sort of commitment, it will not be long before the building starts to again fulfil the role that was intended for it.
From the number of people who subsequently contacted me to say how much they had enjoyed the visit, it was apparent that the group had had a cracking afternoon. Richard was kind enough to offer a further visit, when the building work has been completed - so maybe next winter, we can have another look, this time at the powerful and varied energies inside the house.
In amongst it all, we gave one of Richard's somewhat surprised house guests a bit of impromptu dowsing training - and provided some of his neighbours with an intriguing afternoon's entertainment.
Many thanks indeed to Richard, not only for inviting us to his home, but for being so patient with the welter of questions that we asked throughout the visit. We wish him well with his architectural endeavours and look forward to a future visit to dowse the fully refurbished Penfound.
Nigel Twinn
Tamar Dowsers
October 2005