This building was part of a very large complex, covering more than , built by
Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall in around 1280 during the reign of
King Edward I. When the Black Prince paid his first visit to Lostwithiel and
Restormel Castle in 1353, he installed the Prince of Wales' plume of feathers on the apex of the exchequer hall roof where they remain. The Cornish stannaries were suspended as a consequence of the
Cornish rebellion of 1497.
Henry VII restored the stannaries in return for a payment from the tin miners of the, at the time, enormous sum of
£1,000, to support his war on Scotland. In addition to restoring the stannaries and pardoning the people who participated in the rebellion, Henry's
Charter of Pardon of 1508 provided that no new laws affecting miners should be enacted without the consent of twenty-four stannators, six being chosen from each of the four stannaries at
Lostwithiel,
Launceston,
Truro and
Helston. In 1533,
John Leland stated that "in Lostwithiel is the Shire Hall for Cornwall and it is the Shire town for Cornwall." In August 1644, the
English Civil War was at its height and the town of Lostwithiel was taken by
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex who made it his headquarters. During the
battle of Lostwithiel the town, including the great hall, was badly damaged. After the great hall fell into a state of decay, the surviving exchequer hall became the main meeting place for the stannators i.e. leaders of the tin making industry. the building slowly fell into decay and was sold to the local freemasons lodge in 1878. Following refurbishment by contractors Carrek, to a design by Purcell, Miller Tritton, the building was re-opened by the
Duke and
Duchess of Cornwall on 17 July 2013. ==See also==