The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall The History Of The Name,
Porthleven. There are two theories of how the name Porthleven
came about: 1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning
port and "leven" meaning smooth. 2. It came from "porth" meaning
port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed
on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was
originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan. Early maps
showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port
Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of
Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from
Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east. Early
Settlements - The History Of Porthleven Originally Porthleven
was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of
the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the
mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe
Bar. Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time
the Cober valley was naviga