John Knill
Encyclopedia
John Knill born at Callington in Cornwall
was a slightly eccentric
mayor of St Ives, Cornwall
, in 1767 and Collector of Customs at St Ives from 1762–1782. He built his own memorial, a 50 feet (15.2 m) high granite obelisk known as Knill's steeple. He built this obelisk
on the summit of Worvas hill, with the intention of being buried in a vault within it, but his body was interred elsewhere. The steeple bears on one side the painted coat of arms of Knill, with the Latin Nil Desperandum (Never Despair); also inscribed on the monument are the words of Johannes Knill 1782, Resurgam (I shall arise), and, in English, I know that my Redeemer liveth.
In his will Knill left money for the upkeep of his obelisk and also £25 for celebrations to take place every five years on St James
' Day, 25 July. He directed that every five years £10 should be expended on a dinner, and that ten young girls dressed in white should walk in procession with music, from the market house to the monument, around which the whole party was to dance singing the hundredth psalm (All people that on earth do dwell). This quintennial commemoration is made the occasion for a good deal of jollity, in which the entire population joins, indeed the whole proceeding is quite mirth-provoking; nor is the least laughable part of it the look on the faces of the vicar and mayor, as they sedately waltz
around on the upper step of the monument, hand in hand with the ten young girls. The first ceremony, in which Knill himself participated, took place in 1801.
The £25 was to be spent thus:-
It has been surmised that the building of the monument followed a pamphlet Knill allegedly authored castigating the repeated use of consecrated ground for burial, which mirrored a contemporary minor philosophical movement. Certainly, the parish church nearest to Knill's residence (St Ia) has, in modern times, a greatly raised churchyard partly as a result of this practice, being over seven feet higher than the pavements and walkways which lead around it. However, Knill's work and official appointments led him away from St Ives and his intended mausoleum, whether or not his philosophical rapprochement with ecclesiastical internment ever actually occurred. Knill was buried in St Andrew's Church, Holborn in 1811.
The next ceremony takes place on 25 July 2011. The two hundredth anniversary of Knill's death will occur on March 29 of the same year.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
was a slightly eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
mayor of St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, in 1767 and Collector of Customs at St Ives from 1762–1782. He built his own memorial, a 50 feet (15.2 m) high granite obelisk known as Knill's steeple. He built this obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
on the summit of Worvas hill, with the intention of being buried in a vault within it, but his body was interred elsewhere. The steeple bears on one side the painted coat of arms of Knill, with the Latin Nil Desperandum (Never Despair); also inscribed on the monument are the words of Johannes Knill 1782, Resurgam (I shall arise), and, in English, I know that my Redeemer liveth.
In his will Knill left money for the upkeep of his obelisk and also £25 for celebrations to take place every five years on St James
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
' Day, 25 July. He directed that every five years £10 should be expended on a dinner, and that ten young girls dressed in white should walk in procession with music, from the market house to the monument, around which the whole party was to dance singing the hundredth psalm (All people that on earth do dwell). This quintennial commemoration is made the occasion for a good deal of jollity, in which the entire population joins, indeed the whole proceeding is quite mirth-provoking; nor is the least laughable part of it the look on the faces of the vicar and mayor, as they sedately waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
around on the upper step of the monument, hand in hand with the ten young girls. The first ceremony, in which Knill himself participated, took place in 1801.
The £25 was to be spent thus:-
- £10 for a dinner for the Trustees, who are the Mayor, Vicar, and Customs Officer, and two guests each. This to take place at the George and Dragon Inn, Market Place, St Ives.
- £5 to ten young girls who have to be the daughters of either fishermen, tinners, or seamen.
- £1 to the fiddler.
- £2 to two widows.
- £5 to the man and wife, widower or widow who shall raise the greatest family of legitimate children who have reached the age of ten years.
- £1 for white ribbon for breast knots.
- £1 to be set aside for a vellum book for the Clerk to the Trustees to record the proceedings.
It has been surmised that the building of the monument followed a pamphlet Knill allegedly authored castigating the repeated use of consecrated ground for burial, which mirrored a contemporary minor philosophical movement. Certainly, the parish church nearest to Knill's residence (St Ia) has, in modern times, a greatly raised churchyard partly as a result of this practice, being over seven feet higher than the pavements and walkways which lead around it. However, Knill's work and official appointments led him away from St Ives and his intended mausoleum, whether or not his philosophical rapprochement with ecclesiastical internment ever actually occurred. Knill was buried in St Andrew's Church, Holborn in 1811.
The next ceremony takes place on 25 July 2011. The two hundredth anniversary of Knill's death will occur on March 29 of the same year.