a town of Cornwall in England, seated on the river Tamar, 214 miles from London. It is also called Dunhavid, from its situation on a down. King Henry III. made it a free borough. It was composed before of two other boroughs, viz. Dunhavid and Newport. It has been the place for choosing knights of the shire ever since the reign of King Edward I. and the affizes town ever since Richard II. till by a late act of parliament the lord chancellor or lord keeper was empowered to name any other place in the county for it; since which the summer affizes have been held at Bodmin. It was incorporated by Queen Mary in 1555. It is governed by a mayor, recorder, and eight aldermen, has a free school which was founded by Queen Elizabeth, and is a populous trading town. In the 3rd of Henry VIII. an act was made for the repair of this and other decayed Cornish boroughs; and it endowed this town with the privileges of a sanctuary, though it does not appear to have used them. It had a monastery and a noble castle, which, because of its strength, was called castle terrible, and was given by King Richard I. to his brother, afterwards King John. Here are two charity schools for 48 children of both sexes, where the girls are taught to knit, sew, and make bonelace, and are allowed what they can earn. Leland says it was walled in his time, and one mile in compass. The lower part of its ancient castle is used for the gaol.