PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The legend goes that sometime around 1,200 years before Christ Brutus the Trojan landed on these shores at Totnes. He liked the country and decided to settle here. But Britain was inhabited by giants and on a day when Brutus and his friends were holding a festival to the gods, the giants attacked. [1] After a terrific struggle, the Trojans got the upper hand and killed all except Goemagot, the leader of the giants, who was said to be 'twelve cubits high, and of such strength that with one stroke he pulled up an oak tree as it had been a haze wand'. He was saved in order to do battle with Corinĉus, one of the chiefs of the Trojans and who, it is said, thought nothing of fighting giants. [1] Goemagot broke three of Corinĉus's ribs and this so enraged the Tojan that he took the giant upon his shoulders, ran with him to the shore and hurled him down into the sea, where he fell upon craggy rocks and was torn to pieces. [1] And where did this legendary battle take pace? None other than on Plymouth Hoe. [1] The legend was quite clearly taken seriously because two enormous figures were cut into the turf above the entrance to Sutton Pool to commemorate this event. There are several references to them in the old Municipal records. In the year 1494-95 a gentleman named Cotewyll was paid seven pence for 'ye renewyng of ye pyctur of Gogmagog a pon ye howe' and a few years later, in 1500-01, eight pence was paid by the Corporation 'for makyng clene of gogmagog'. John Lucas, the Town Sergeant, got paid 8d 'for cutting gogmagog' in 1514-15 and some unknown person was paid another 8d in 1526-27 'for Clensyng & ryddying of gogmagog apon ye howe'. This was repeated in 1529-30. [2] Likewise, a Mr William Hawkyns, baker, was paid eight pence in 1541-42 for 'cuttyng of Gogmagog the pycture of the Gyaunt at hawe'. By 1566-67 the price for making a new cutting of Gogmagog had risen to 20d or 1s 8d. [2] Worth states that the origin of Lambhay Hill is thought to have been derived from "Lam", the old Cornish for 'leap', and thus might mean "leap-field or close", which is a curious but by no means certain link to the legend. [1] The last known reference to the figures is by Westcote in his "View of Devon" published in 1630 and it is believed they were destroyed sometime around 1671, during the construction of the Royal Citadel. [1] Sources:
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