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Braddock

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The parish has been called: Broad Oak, Broadoak, Brodehog, Bradock, Braddock; it is now mainly referred to as Braddock. The parish is named after the Old English for Broad Hook or Oak, it is often called Broadoak in documents. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Brodehog when Earl Aelfric had held it before 1066. At that time, it is recorded as having land for 4 ploughs but only two ploughs there with 2 slaves. There were also 3 villagers and 4 smallholders. The parish then consisted of 20 acres of woodland and 100 acres of pasture.
The parish has been known as "Broadoke", but is now spelled 'Bradock/Braddock'.
The parish lies in the Hundred and Deanery of West. It is bounded on the east by St Pinnock, on the south by Bocconnoc, on the west by St Winnow, and on the north it is separated from the parishes of Cardinham, Warleggan, and St Neot by the River Fowey. On Bradock Downs are ancient barrows from the Iron Age, from which urns of rough pottery have been found.
West Taphouse is a hamlet one and three-quarters miles north-west of the Church.

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 for the Parish Church - 207 entries.

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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 Bradock (HO107/153), Enumeration District 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1851.
    • The 1851 Census of Bradock (HO107/1903), Enumeration District 6, 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; Boconnoc is listed in Volume 3-5. 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 Bradock (RG9/1532), Enumeration District 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1871. The 1871 Census of Bradock (RG10/2244), Enumeration District 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1881. The 1881 Census of Broadoak (RG11/2288), Enumeration District 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1891. The 1891 Census of Broadoak (RG12/1813), Enumeration District 2, 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 SX1662 and was dedicated to St Mary the Virgin before 1331. The parish was consolidated ecclesiastically with Boconnoc by Act of Parliament in 1742.
    The church comprises a chancel, nave, south aisle and a north transcept. The base of the screen remained after the upper part was removed to Boconnoc. The arcade consists of five four-centred arches of granite with monolith columns of the same material. The transept contains the vestry. The tower is plain and in two stages with stump pinnacles; it contains five bells, cast in 1845.
    The present building is of the 13th century and stands on the site of a former Church of which the Tower and the Norman arch leading into the Tower still remain. The font is Norman and has four corner faces and large trees of life.
    There was formerly a chapel dedicated to St James at a place called Bellasize, but no historical account remains, but a small tenement adjacent to, and probably once part of it, still bears the name of Chapel and Chapel-hayes (chapel-of-ease).
    Bradock is now part of the united benefice of "Lanreath, Pelynt and Braddock".
  • Non-Conformist. There was a Wesleyan Chapel built at West Taphouse around 1828.
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Church Records

  • LDS Church Records.
    • The LDS Church batch numbers for Bradock are: C052711, E052711, M052711. These are searchable by surname.
    • The IGI coverage for this parish is 1578 - 1850.
  • The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1578 - 1947, Burials 1555 - 1980, Marriages 1600 - 1979, Boyd's Marriage Index 1611 - 1633, BTs 1611 - 1633.
  • Baptisms.
    • Baptisms 1578 to 1911 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD baptisms 1700 to 1865 for this parish and these are available for purchase on Parish Chest.
  • Banns. Banns 1824 to 1904 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Marriages.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1600 to 1836, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
    • Marriages 1600 to 1911 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD marriages 1700 to 1836 for this parish and these are available for purchase on Parish Chest.
  • Burials.
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Civil Registration

The parish of Bradock (Broadoak) has always been in the Liskeard Registration District. There were sub-districts at Callington, Lerrin, Liskeard and Looe. Parishes within the district are: Boconnoc, Broadoak, Callington, Calstock (1837-60), Duloe, East Looe, Lanreath, Lansallos, Lanteglos, Linkinhorne, Liskeard, Liskeard Borough, Menheniot, Morval, Pelynt, St. Cleer, St. Dominick, St. Ive, St. Keyne, St. Martin's, St. Neot, St. Pinnock, St. Veep, Southill, Talland and West Looe. The Superintendant Registrar can be contacted at: Graylands, Dean Street, Liskeard, PL14 4AH. Tel: 01579 343442.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Braddock which are provided by:

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Directories

Kelly's 1856 Directory of Broadoak.

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Gazetteers

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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 Bradock ecclesiastical parish:

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History

Bradock Down was the scene of two important events in the English Civil War. First, a victory obtained by the King's forces early in 1643 under the command of Sir Bevill Granville, Sir Nicholas Slanning, Sir Ralph Hopton, Arundell, Trevanion and other gentlemen of the county, over a much larger force commanded by Ruthven, Parliamentary Governor of Plymouth.
The victory was so complete that Ruthven escaped to Saltash with great difficulty and accompanied by just a few of his troops, from whence they were speedily driven across the Tamar. This advantage mainly contributed to the Royalist victory at Stratton on the 16th May of the same year. The second battle was on a more extensive scale. Lord Essex's Parliamentary Army had entered Cornwall in 1644, followed by the King in person. King Charles had sent up his headquarters at Boconnoc, whilist Essex had headquarted at Lanhydrock. After a number of skirmishes, Essex negotiated for a withdrawl; on 31st August, Essex abandoned his army and reached Plymouth. The Parliamentary cavalry forced its way through the Royalists, leaving the infantry to fight its way out of Bradock and Boconnoc Downs, with a great loss of life. The discomfiture of Lord Essex's army left the King without an enemy in arms in Cornwall.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX152635 (Lat/Lon: 50.441752, -4.604001), Braddock which are provided by:

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bradock (Broadoak) parish was part of the Liskeard Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
  • Overseers' Accounts 1664 to 1789, and 1790 to 1837, are available in the Cornwall Record Office.
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Population

  • Population in 1801 - 173 persons
  • Population in 1811 - 188 persons
  • Population in 1821 - 235 persons
  • Population in 1831 - 301 persons
  • Population in 1841 - 303 persons
  • Population in 1851 - 283 persons
  • Population in 1861 - 274 persons
  • Population in 1871 - 327 persons
  • Population in 1881 - 290 persons
  • Population in 1891 - 285 persons
  • Population in 1901 - 248 persons
  • Population in 1911 - 264 persons
  • Population in 1921 - 262 persons
  • Population in 1931 - 215 persons
  • Population in 1951 - 233 persons
  • Population in 1961 - 185 persons
  • Population in 1971 - 143 persons
  • Population in 1981 - 115 persons
  • Population in 1991 - 115 persons
  • Population in 2001 - 124 persons
  • Population in 2011 - 156 persons
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Religion & Religious Life

In the May of 1641 it was agreed and ordered that every Member of the House of Commons and House of Lords should make a protestation (declaration of loyalty) to the crown. The Protestation was printed and then distributed by the Members to their counties. The Protestation was to be made by everyone and the Rectors, Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor, had to appear before the Justices of the Peace in their Hundred to make their protestation and, on returning to their parishes, any two of them were to witness the taking of the Protestation Oath by all males over the age of 18 years. All names were listed and anyone who refused was to be noted.

The Protestation Returns of 1642 for Braddock are available on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprised 3389 acres of land and 15 acres of water.