the Castle Hill for the convenience of the steamboats which ply between the town and Bristol, Ilfracombe, &c. The trade of Tenby is inconsiderable, but the fisheries, for which the place was noted at an early period and which gave it its Welsh name of Dinbych y Pysgod, are of great value.
The name of Tenby is undoubtedly a corrupted form of Daneby, recalling the Scandinavian origin of the place. The real importance of Tenby dates from the 12th century, when walls, castle and church were erected for the convenience of the Flemish colonists, who were then being planted in Dyfed. On more than one occasion the newly-founded town was captured, sacked and destroyed by marauding bands of Welshmen, notably in II 52; but on each occasion the place was rebuilt and refortified by the earls-palatine of Pembroke, who greatly favoured this important settlement. The first earl of Pembroke to grant a charter of incorporation was William de Valence, 9th earl (temp. Henry III.), and these privileges were extended, by his successor, Earl Aylmer. Henry IV., by a charter obtained in 1402, vested the government of the town in a mayor and two bailiffs to be elected annually. Elizabeth in 1580 confirmed all previous charters and incorporated the freeholders under the designation of “ the mayor, bailiffs and burgesses of the borough of Tenby.” During the 15th century and under the Tudors the town grew extremely prosperous, and contained many wealthy mercantile families, of which that of White offers the most striking example. A member of this house, Thomas White, whilst mayor of Tenby, did signal service to the Lancastrian cause in 1471 by harbouring jasper Tudor, earl of Pembroke, and his nephew Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond (afterwards King Henry VII.), prior to their escape to France. John Leland (c. 1540) described Tenby as being “ very wealthy by merchandise,” and noted its stone pier and well-built walls. The town suffered severely during the Civil Wars, undergoing two sieges, firstly in 1644 when the parliamentarian, Colonel Laugharne, took the place by storm, and secondly in 1648 when it capitulated to Colonel Horton. After the Restoration the importance and wealth of Tenby showed a constant tendency to decline, but towards the close of the 18th century it rose into great popularity as a watering-place, and it has since maintained its reputation as the most picturesque seaside resort of South Wales. Since 1536 Tenby has been a contributory borough to the Pembroke (now Pembroke and Haverfordwest) parliamentary district.
TENCH (Tinca vulgaris), a small fish of the Cyprinid family, which is one of the commonest and most widely spread freshwater
fishes of Europe. It is generally distributed in all suitable localities throughout England, but is limited to a few lakes and
ponds in the south of Scotland and in Ireland. As the tench
is of comparatively uncommon occurrence in unenclosed waters,
its place among the indigenous fishes of Great Britain has been
denied, and it has been supposed to have been introduced
Tench
from the Continent; a view which, however, is not supported
by any evidence, and is practically disposed of by the fact that
fossil remains of the fish are found in the Pleistocene deposits
of Great Britain. In central Europe it thrives best in enclosed,
preserved waters, with a clayey or muddy bottom and with an
abundant vegetation; it avoids clear waters with stony ground,
and is altogether absent from rapid streams. The tench is
distinguished by its very small scales, which are deeply imbedded
in a thick skin, whose surface is as slippery as that of an eel.
All the fins have a rounded outline; the short dorsal fin is
without a spine, but the males possess a very thick and flattened
outer ray in the ventral fins. The mouth is rather narrow and
provided at each corner with a very small barbel. Tench if
kept in suitable waters are extremely prolific, and as they grow
within a few years to a weight of 3 or 4 lb, and are then fit for
the table, they may be profitably introduced into ponds which
are already stocked with other fishes, such as carp and pike. They
live on small animals or soft vegetable substances, which they
root up from the bottom. The albino variety especially, which
is known as the “golden tench,” can be recommended for ornamental
waters, as its bright orange colours render it visible for
some distance below the surface of the water. This variety,
which seems to have been originally bred in Silesia, is not less
well-flavoured than the normally coloured tench, and grows to
the same size, viz., to 6 and even 8 lb.
The tench is really an excellent fish for the table, if kept in cool, clear water for a few days, as it is the custom to do in Germany, in order to rid it of the muddy flavour imparted to it by its favourite abode.
TENCIN, CLAUDINE ALEXANDRINE GUERIN DE (1681–1749), French courtesan and author, was born at Grenoble.
Her father, Antoine Guerin, sieur de Tencin, was president of
the parlement of Grenoble. Claudine was brought up at a
convent near Grenoble and, at the wish of her parents, took the
veil, but broke her vows and succeeded, in 1714, in gaining
formal permission from the pope for her secularization. She
joined her sister Mme. de Ferriol in Paris, where she soon established
a salon, frequented by wits and roues. Among her
numerous lovers were the Chevalier Le Camus Destouches, the
duc de Richelieu, and according to her biographer many other
persons of distinction. The last of her liaisons had a tragic
ending. M. de la Fresnaye committed suicide in her house,
and Mme. de Tencin spent some time in the Chatelet in consequence, but was soon liberated as the result of a declaration
of her innocence by the Grand Conseil. From this time she
devoted herself to political intrigue, especially for the preferment of her brother the abbe Tencin, who became archbishop
of Embrun and received a cardinal’s hat. Eventually she
formed a literary salon, which had among its habitue's Fontenelle,
Montesquieu, the abbé de Saint Pierre, Pierre Marivaux, Alexis
Piron and others. Hers was the first of the Parisian literary
salons to which distinguished foreigners were admitted, and
among her English guests were Bolingbroke and Chesterfield. By
the good sense with which she conducted what she called her
“menagerie,” she almost succeeded in effacing the record of
her early disgrace. She was a novelist of considerable merit.
Her novels have been highly praised for their simplicity and
charm, the last qualities the circumstances of the writer's life
would lead one to expect in her work. The best of them is
Mtmoires du comte de Comminges (1735), which appeared, as
did the other two, under the name of her nephews, MM. d’Argental and Pont de Veyle, the Teal authorship being carefully
concealed. Mme. de Tencin died on the 4th of December 1749.
Her works, with those of Mme. de la Fayette, were edited by Etienne and Jay (Paris, 1825); her novels were reprinted, with introductory matter by Lescure, in 1885; and her correspondence in the Lettres de Mmes. de Villars, de La Fayette el de Tencin (Paris, 1805-1832). See P. Masson, Madame de Tencin (Paris, 1909).
TENPIN, PIERRE GUERIN DE (1679-1758), French ecclesiastic, archbishop of Embrun and Lyons, and cardinal, was born at Grenoble on the 22nd of August 1679. H e owed his quick advance to power to his sister Claudine (see above). He was a strong opponent of the Jansenists, and in 1742 was appointed a minister of state to Louis XV., though he held no portfolio. He died on the 2nd of March 1758.
TENDER. (1) An adjective meaning soft, either physically or figuratively, derived from Fr. tendre, Lat. tener, soft, allied to tennis, thin, and ultimately to be referred to the root, tanto stretch out, as in Lat. tenders. (2) A legal term meaning an offer for acceptance, particularly an offer in money for the satisfaction of a debt or liability or an offer to pay or deliver
