Yet again Cornwalls History being undervalued. This building is, as it says, the Duchy Palace, evidently the Palace of the Duke, Monarch of Cornwall at that time. It is possibly one of the oldest Government Buildings in Brtain as well. This Building must be treated with the respect it deserves and taken into Cornish ownership. IMHO the plans suggested are like making Buck House a YMCA or Windsor Castle into a Village Hall, that would never happen. Maybe a group could be formed to give this building the respect it deserves.

Trouble is, Angofbew, you'll never persuade government departments and their heritage quangos to recognise it's true importance as one of the oldest Government buildings in Britain (and quite possibly wider).  It isn't politically expedient from their point of view.  Remember that "English" Heritage refused point blank to recognise the five Anglo-Cornish battlefields of 1549, or to include them on the Register of British Battlefields, even though they ranked among the biggest and bloodiest battles ever fought on British soil.

I've put together a 56 page screed on 1549 for a projected book on aspects of Cornish history, Carbilly.  Blackheath was the 1497 battle site, but the five battles of 1549 were:

Fenny Bridges 28/7; Woodbury Common 4/8; Clyst St Mary 5/8; Clyst Heath 6/8 (this following the mass-murder of 900 prisoners at the orders of Lords Russell and Grey); Sampford Courtney 17/8.

There is plenty of literature:  Philip Caraman's 'The Western Rising' is a good start; and Pol Hodge produced a small book called 'Cornwall's Secret War" which is worth getting hold of.  Avoid A.L. Rowse – he did his best to play the whole thing down, and to minimise the casualty rate which was reported by contemporary observers (mostly from the English side – so they'd hardly be biased towards the Cornish cause).

Many writers on the subject minimise the cause of the war (which it was) to the introduction of an English language prayer book and an English state religion.  There was rather more to it than that.  In 1508, Henry VII had reinstated Cornwall's own parliament with additional powers – these including the right of veto over any Act or Statute made at Westminster.  The English/English language state religion was enforced by the Act of Uniformity in January 1549 with immediate effect.  The Cornish veto was ignored.  I believe that the Articles of Demand issued by the Cornish leaders represented that veto but what it boiled down to was the fact that London took just 41 years to trample all over the rights granted to Cornwall by Royal Charter (and, of course, they've done so ever since).  That, I think, was what really lit the fuse.

Doing my best, Carbilly.  Just completed the section on the 1595 Spanish raid on Mount's Bay, no longer having to rely on Carew's third-hand account, but also from an eye witness – the Spanish commander himself whose log, in the form of a report to his king, turned up in the late 70s.  This gives the names of all four ships, himself and his senior officers, as well as the English catholic agent he had aboard.  It also has some fascinating snippets like when they burned Paul Church.  Carlos de Amezola wrote that it contained the 'effigy of a horse, richly wrought and worshipped as an idol by the people'.  'Obby Oss?  Pedn Glaz?

It also mentions the 'fort' at Penzance, evidently a battery to protect the harbour, which had one piece of ordnance, which was captured by the Spaniards.  This predated the 18th century battery (much of which remains although threatened by the current harbour proposals).