Hide

Boyton

hide
Hide

Boyton, Boietone, or Boyyeton. The parish of Boyton (Cornish: Trevoya) lies in the Hundred of Stratton and the Deanery of Trigg-Major; it is about five miles north of Launceston. The parishes of Week St Mary and North Tamerton join it on the Cornish side, otherwise it abuts, and is nearly surrounded by, the former Devon parishes of North Petherwin, Werrington, St Giles-in-the-Heath, and the Devon parish of Luffincot and a Devon village called Northcott Hamlet which crosses the River Tamar. The road to Boyton from Launceston crosses through more than two miles of Devon.

The parish is named after Boia's Farm. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Boitone. Boyton sits almost on the border between Devon and Cornwall, the surrounding country gives pleasant views over wooded hills and valleys with Dartmoor prominent in the distance. The Bude canal passes through this parish on the east side, and there was a wharf at Boyton Bridge.

"BOYTON, a village and parish, 5 miles N.W. of Launceston, has 600 souls, and about 4200 acres of land, all in Cornwall, except NORTHCOTT hamlet, which has 100 inhabitants, and 740 acres of land, in the valley of the river Tamar, occupied by the following farmers :- Digory Downing, John Downing, John Martin, Thos. Stapleton, and Wm. Walters. Northcott supports its highways with Werrington. The Rev. Edw. Rudall, M.A., is the vicar." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

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)

Hide
topup

Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for:

  • The Parish Church - 438 entries
  • Methodist Chapel - 89 entries.
topup

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:

topup

Church History

  • Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SX3292 and was dedicated to 'The Holy Name' in the 14th Century. There was a church here from Norman times. The present church was a plain structure of two aisles built towards the end of the reign of Henry VI in the 14th century. The tower also dates from the fourteenth century and is of two stories and contains five bells. Some of the earlier Norman building can be seen in the chancel, a strange goose like creature has been carved on one of the roof bosses. The font, claimed by some to be Saxon, is a simple, crude bowl standing on a pillar. The ancient screen has some fine carving particularly on the sixteenth century base. The church was fully restored in 1876, with a chancel, nave and south aisle, in addition to its tower.
  • Non-Conformist. Both the Wesleyans and Bible Christians had chapels here.
topup

Church Records

  • LDS Church Records.
    • The LDS Church batch numbers for Boyton are: E006201, M006201/2, P006201. These are searchable by surname.
    • The IGI coverage for this parish is: Christenings 1568-1870, Marriages 1568-1876.
  • The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1568 - 1870, Burials 1568 - 1970, Marriages 1568 - 1837, Boyd's Marriage Index 1568 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1790 - 1812.
  • There are copies of the Boyton registers (christenings 1568-1870, marriages 1568-1960, and burials 1568-1960) at the Royal Institution of Cornwall.
  • Baptisms.
    • Baptisms 1676 to 1805 (Bishop's Transcripts), and parish transcripts 1568 to 1871 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • The Parish Chest have published on CD, baptisms 1699 to 1870 for this parish.
  • Banns. Banns 1824 to 1911 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Marriages.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1568 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
    • Phillimore's Marriages 1568 to 1804 and 1672 to 1812, parish marriages 1568 to 1911, and Bishop's transcripts of marriages 1676 to 1804, are available on-line through the OPC search Facility (C-PROP).
    • Phillimore's Marriages at Boyton 1754 to 1812 are also available on-line from UK Genealogy Archives.
  • Burials.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book or CD format.
    • Burials 1568 to 1910, and Bishop's transcripts of marriages 1676 to 1805, are available on-line through the OPC search Facility (C-PROP).
topup

Civil Registration

The parish of Boyton is in the Launceston Registration District. and has been since 1st July 1837. There were sub-districts at Altarnun, Launceston, North Hill, North Petherwin and St Stephen-by-Launceston, but these are now all closed. Parishes within the district were: Altarnun, Boyton, Egloskerry, Laneast, Launceston, Lawhitton, Lewannick, Lezant, Northill, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Stephens by Launceston, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Thomas Street, South Petherwin, Stokeclimsland, Tremaine, Treneglos, Tresmeer, Trewen, Warbstow.

The Superintendant Registrar can be contacted at: Hendra, Dunheved Road, Launceston, PL15 9JG. Tel: 01566 772464.

topup

Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Boyton which are provided by:

topup

Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"BOYTON, a parish in the hundred of Stratton, in the county of Cornwall, extending also into the hundred of Black Torrington, in the county of Devon, 5 miles to the N. of Launceston, its post town. It is situated on the banks of the river Tamar, here forming the boundary of the two counties, and the Bude and Launceston canal; and includes the hamlet of Northcott. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Exeter, worth £120, in the patronage of the Rev. G. Prideaux. Bearden House, the old seat of the Lovice family, and Bradridge, that of the Hoblyns, are now farmhouses. Agnes Rest, one of the martyrs under Queen Mary, was an inhabitant of Northcott. A fair is held in the village on the 5th August."

"BEARDON, a village in the parish of Boyton and hundred of Stratton, in the county of Cornwall, 5 miles from Launceston."

topup

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.

topup

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 Boyton ecclesiastical parish:

topup

Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX302932 (Lat/Lon: 50.713924, -4.406563), Boyton which are provided by:

topup

Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Boyton parish was part of the Launceston Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
  • Overseers' Accounts (1810 to 1831) are available in the Cornwall Record Office.
topup

Population

  • Population in 1801 - 319 persons
  • Population in 1811 - 402 persons
  • Population in 1821 - 406 persons
  • Population in 1831 - 452 persons
  • Population in 1841 - 500 persons
  • Population in 1851 - 460 persons
  • Population in 1861 - 379 persons
  • Population in 1871 - 379 persons
  • Population in 1881 - 463 persons
  • Population in 1891 - 342 persons
  • Population in 1901 - 283 persons
  • Population in 1911 - 286 persons
  • Population in 1921 - 263 persons
  • Population in 1931 - 239 persons
  • Population in 1951 - 279 persons
  • Population in 1961 - 265 persons
  • Population in 1971 - 255 persons
  • Population in 1981 - 275 persons
  • Population in 1991 - 367 persons
  • Population in 2001 - 378 persons
  • Population in 2011 - 425 persons
topup

Statistics

The parish comprised 4195 acres of land and 11 acres of water.