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St Mellion

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St Mellion, (Cornish: Sen Melyan), is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of East. It is bounded on the north by the parishes of Callington and St Dominick, on the east by St Dominick and Pillaton, on the south by Pillaton and Quethiock, and on the west by St Ive. The parish name is taken from from St Melaine, a 6th century bishop of Rennes. There was an episode in his life when he was upset by two British priests who had come to work in Brittany and who tried to introduce their Celtic form of worship.

St Mellion is a small parish immediately south of Callington on the A388. Its only village is the Churchtown.

Most parish and church description(s) on these pages are from Lake's Parochial History of the County of Cornwall by J Polsue (Truro, 1867 - 1873)

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Cemeteries

  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions on-line for the Parish Church - 569 entries.
  • Callington Area Heritage Centre (broken link) have placed on-line monumental inscriptions for the parish church only completed in 1988 on site.
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Census

Census information for this parish (1841 - 1901) is held in the Cornwall Record Office. The Cornwall Family History Society offers a census search service for its members.
Specific census information for this parish is available as follows:

  • 1841.
    • The 1841 Census of St Mellion (HO107/133), Enumeration District 8, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
    • The 1841 census for this parish has been filmed by the LDS church - film No. 241258.
  • 1851.
    • The 1851 Census of St Mellion (HO107/1900), Enumeration District 9, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
    • The New Zealand Society of Genealogists have compiled separate surname indexes of the 1851 Census for each Cornish registration district; St Mellion is listed in Volume 9. The booklets are available in Cornwall at the Cornwall Centre, (formerly known as the Cornish Studies Library), and is also available in the Cornwall FHS Library.
  • 1861. The 1861 Census of St Mellion (RG9/1525), Enumeration District 4, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1871. The 1871 Census of St Mellion (RG10/2231), Enumeration District 4, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1881. The 1881 Census of St Mellion (RG11/2282), Enumeration District 5, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1891. The 1891 Census of St Mellion (RG12/1808), Enumeration District 5 is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
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Church History

  • Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SX3865; it is dedicated to St Melanus. It consists of a chancel, nave, south transept and north aisle. The arcade consists of five four-centred arches supported on monolith granite pillars; the material is granite. The entrance is a south porch; the north door is blocked and a central-heating system was installed in the north porch in the 19th century. The tower is built of Roborough stone; it has three stages, is buttressed at the angles, and is finished with battlements and crosses at the angles. The belfry contained five bells. The church was restored in 1862.
  • Non-Conformist. There was a Wesleyan chapel at Bealbury.
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Church Records

  • LDS Church Records.
  • The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1558 - 1880, Burials 1558 - 1932, Marriages 1558 - 1979, Boyd's Marriage Index 1558 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1790 - 1812.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
    • Pre 1813 Marriages
    • 1813-37 Marriages
    • 1813-37 Burials.
  • Baptisms.
    • Callington Area Heritage Centre (broken link) have placed on-line baptism records for St Mellion parish 1650 to 1845.
    • The OPC has made the following baptism records in this parish available on-line:
    • Baptisms 1675 to 1805 (Bishop's transcripts), and parish transcripts 1558 to 1812 and 1813 to 1880, for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • The Parish Chest have published on CD, baptisms 1696 to 1860 for this parish.
  • Banns.
  • Marriages.
    • The OPC has made the following marriages in this parish, available on-line:
    • Callington Area Heritage Centre (broken link) have placed on-line marriage records for St Mellion parish 1813 to 1837.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1558 to 1837, which is available in CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
    • Phillimore's marriages 1558 to 1812, parish marriages 1558 to 1910, 1558 to 1624, and Bishop's Transcripts (BTs) 1675 to 1805, for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Burials.
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Civil Registration

The parish of St Mellion is in the St Germans Registration District, and has been since 1st July 1837; there were sub-districts at Antony, St Germans and Saltash but they have now been abolished. Parishes within the district were: Antony, Botusfleming, Landrake, Landulph, Maker, Millbrook, Pillaton, Quethiock, Rame, St. Erney, St. Germans, St. John's, St. Mellion, St. Stephen's, Saltash, Sheviock, Torpoint.

The Superintendant Registrar of St Germans can be contacted at: Ploughastel Drive, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 6DL. Tel: 01752 842624.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of St Mellion which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"ST. MELLION, (or St. Mellyn), a parish in the middle division of the hundred of East, county Cornwall, 3 miles S.S.E. of Callington. It is a small agricultural village. About two-thirds of the land is arable, the remainder pasture, common, and woodland. The lower grounds are watered by the small river Lynner, a branch of the Tamar. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £225. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Exeter, value £216. The church is an ancient structure, with a lofty granite tower. It contains some rich Norman details and monuments to the Coryton family.

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Genealogy

OPC Assistance. The On-line Parish Clerk (OPC) scheme operates a service to help family historians; the OPC page for this parish is available on-line, from where the OPC can be contacted by email.

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Historical Geography

The Domesday Settlements of Cornwall, a study undertaken by the Cornwall Branch of the Historical Association, has identified and located settlements listed in the Exeter and Exchequer Domesday Survey of AD 1086. The following places have been identified in St Mellion ecclesiastical parish:

  • Newton Ferrers (Niuuetona, Niweton, Niwetone), Grid Reference 346659.
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History

Callington Area Heritage Centre (broken link) have placed on-line a webpage for the history of St Mellion parish.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX371663 (Lat/Lon: 50.473591, -4.297403), St Mellion which are provided by:

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • St Mellion parish was part of the St Germans Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
  • Overseers' Accounts (1737 to 1821) are available in the Cornwall Record Office.
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Population

  • Population in 1801 - 284 persons
  • Population in 1811 - 326 persons
  • Population in 1821 - 321 persons
  • Population in 1831 - 330 persons
  • Population in 1841 - 395 persons
  • Population in 1851 - 324 persons
  • Population in 1861 - 299 persons
  • Population in 1871 - 303 persons
  • Population in 1881 - 309 persons
  • Population in 1891 - 285 persons
  • Population in 1901 - 298 persons
  • Population in 1911 - 287 persons
  • Population in 1921 - 265 persons
  • Population in 1931 - 215 persons
  • Population in 1951 - 218 persons
  • Population in 1961 - 195 persons
  • Population in 1971 - 180 persons
  • Population in 1981 - 160 persons
  • Population in 1991 - 248 persons
  • Population in 2001 - 377 persons
  • Population in 2011 - 408 persons
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Statistics

The parish comprises 2984 acres of land.