Knill House Fore Street St.Ives

01736 797356

John Knill was born in Callington, East Cornwall on the 1st January 1733. The details of his early life are largely unknown, though it is known that he held some form of position at a Penzance solicitor's office. He was made Collector of Customs for St Ives in 1762 and was elected Town Mayor in 1767, at the age of 34. He remained in both posts until 1782, when he was called to civil positions within the burgeoning Empire including magistracy, being called to the Bench at Gray's Inn. At some point between 1760 and 1762 Knill took up residency in a large, well positioned house near the end of Fore Street, with views over the surrounding cottages into both bays of St Ives. From two windows still extant on the top floor of the house he had a clear view of vessels leaving and entering the harbour.

In 1779, Knill procured the design for a 50 foot obelisk, to be built on a prominent hill (Worvas) above the town. This was to act as a mausoleum for him, following a growing minor theological development. This development castigated internment within church ground on several points, one of which was particularly relevant in St Ives. At the other end of Fore Street is the Parish Church of St Ia, where burials in the churchyard and sand deposition have raised the height of the church yard to over eight feet higher than the surrounding pathways. Knill himself states in a letter of 1782 to W Praed (a local landowner) that the churchyard was already too small for the people.

He formed a Masonic Lodge (The Ship) in 1780, which was broken up only following his absences in 1782, not to mention his subsequent call to the Bar at Gray's Inn, London. Also in 1782 his mausoleum was completed, it being the same year he resigned his commission as Customs Collector. In 1797 he drew up a trust to ensure that the mausoleum remained in good repair. Every five years, beginning 1801, a Celebration would be held to honour his name with monies distibuted amongst the populace. Oddly, Knill attended the inaugural dance in his memory - whilst still alive.

In later years, his will was changed to allow his body to be buried at places other than Worvas Hill. This has been interpreted as a rapprochement with orthodox theology over the practice of internment, but most likely relates to difficulties in having the site consecrated in those more theologically conservative times. He died March 29th, 1811 and was buried in St Andrew's Church, Holborn. Sadly, the churchyard was heavily bombed during World War II.

Knill House Limited was incorporated in 2009 to restore this historic St Ives building, and preserve it for the future.

Links relating to John Knill:

Wikipedia, biography of John Knill - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Knill

St Ives Trust, John Knill - http://www.stivestrust.co.uk/html/john_knill.html

Follies, the Knill Monument - http://www.follytowers.com/Knill.html

John Knill Monument - http://www.btinternet.com/~ptaffs/knillmon/knill.html

John Knill - the man behind the steeple and its unique ceremony - http://steeplewoods.org/#/john-knill/4532190801

John Knill, a biographical sketch - http://www.archive.org/stream/johnknill00jjrp/johnknill00jjrp_djvu.txt