Tregeagle (pronounced
'Dree-gaygle'), the Cornish Bluebeard, was popularly
supposed to have sold his soul to the devil that his
wishes might be granted for a certain number of
years.
He is supposed to
have married and murdered several heiresses for their
money. One day, just before his death, Tregeagle was
present when one man lent another a large sum of
money without receipt or security on the behalf of
Tregeagle.
Soon after
Tregeagle's death the borrower denied he ever had the
money. He was taken to court and there said "If
Tregeagle ever saw it I wish to God that Tregeagle
may come into court and declare it."
As soon as the
words were spoken Tregeagle appeared and gave witness
for the plaintiff against the man saying that he
could not speak falsely "but he who had found it
so easy to raise him would find it difficult to lay
him."
The money was paid,
but Tregeagle's spirit followed the man day and
night. Finally the Parson was able to exorcise the
spirit from the man with great difficulty.
There are
variations on this story, including that Tregeagle
himself received the money but failed to enter it in
his books.
His ghost was
doomed to do many impossible things, such as to empty
Dosmery Pool, near Bodmin Moor, with a shell with a
hole in the bottom. This pool had the reputation of
being bottomless.
Strange tales are
told of Tregeagle appearance to people and his dismal
howls at not being able to fullfil his tasks. Mothers
say in Cornwall of their crying children "He is
wailing louder than Tregeagle!"
Other stories have
ghosts on the shore of this lonely pool trying to
bind sand into bundles with bands of sand. Tregeagle
had to remove sand from one cove to another only to
have the sea return it.
On one of these
sand hauling expeditions he is supposed to have
dropped a bag of sand at the mouth of Loe-pool, near
Helston (we finally got to Helston!).
Now, in the wet
seasons, the waters of this pool rise and obstruct
the workings of the mills on its banks and heavy seas
silt up the mouth of the pool. At these times the
mayor of Helston by ancient custom presents two
leather purses with three halfpense each as his dues
to the Lord of Penrose who owns the pool and asks for
permission to cut a path through the sand to the sea.
Another task for
Tregeagle is to make and carry away a bundle of sand
tied with a rope of sand near a cove at Land's End.
But the spirit never rests with these neverending
tasks and the devil haunts the spirit until it hides
for refuge in a hermit's ruined chapel on St. Roche's
rocks. Near Land's End, when the sea roars before a
storm, people say "Tregeagle is calling!"
and his voice can be heard aroung Loe-pool.
