Cornwall

Devon

Nearby places

Callington

Originally a Saxon settlement and probably called Celliwic, the town of Callington (Cornish: Kelliwik) grew to a community of 200 by the time of the Norman conquest. Callington (Calweton, Calvington, Killington, Killiton) is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of East. It is bounded on the north by Stoke Climsland, east by Calstock and St Dominick, south by St Mellion and St Ive, and on the west by Southill. The parish is named after the Old English for 'Bare Hill'. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Calwetone. In 1584, Callington became a Parliamentary Borough, and continued to send two members to Parliament, until disenfranchised under the Reform Act of 1832.

The town of Callington is situated on a general declivity, but the prospects from it are neither extensive nor picturesque, more especially in some directions where the boundaries are fixed by the more elevated hills. Behind it rises Hingston Downs, some of the highest land in Cornwall; at a distance the hill of Carraton (or Carradon) is visible. Frogwell was the only village in the parish.

Archives and Libraries

Callington Museum is situated in the former chapel building on Liskeard Road, Callington. It opened on 2nd June 1994 and since then has attracted over 7,000 visitors. Its exhibits span all aspects of the social and economic history of Callington and its surrounding parishes. As well as being a place of interest to visit, the Museum aims to provide a resource for those interested in our local history, whether professional or enthusiast. The Museum has a permanent display of prehistory, mining and models of Callington town centre circa 1840, and Callington Railway Station. There is also a changing display of artefacts and documents. Three exhibitions are staged from April to October each year.

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Cemeteries

• Transcriptions from Callington churchyard are available on Christine Uphill's Cornish Cemeteries site.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line Monumental Inscriptions for:
  • the Parish Church - 2326 entries
  • Plymouth Brethren Chapel - 48 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. The Cornwall Family History Society have also published on-line census detail by surname on the FamilyHistoryonLine site.

Specific census information for this parish is available as follows:

• 1841. The 1841 Census of Callington (HO107/133), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1851. The 1851 Census of Callington (HO107/1901), Enumeration Districts 3a and 3b, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1861.
  • The 1861 Census of Callington (RG9/1526), Enumeration Districts 1 and 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: the 1861 Census, which is available on CD.
• 1871 The 1871 Census of Callington (RG10/2233) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG19/2233. Enumeration District 1.
  • RG10/2234. Enumeration District 7.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Callington (RG11/2283), Enumeration Districts 1 and 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of Callington (RG12/1809), Enumeration Districts 1 and 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 SX3569 and was dedicated to 'The Blessed Virgin Mary' on 31st August 1438. In 1436, Bishop Lacy had been petitioned on burial rights, the petitioners stating that from 'time immemorial there had been a parochial chapel of St Mary at Calyngton, where all sacraments and sacramentals were duly administered, and praying that they '(the inhabitants)' may be allowed a cemetery because of the expence and inconvenience of conveying their dead to South Hill, a distance of three miles'.
  The medieval church, said to be built by Sir Nicholas Assheton, stands in the centre of the town with its battlemented porch with an 18th century sundial and 15th century tower with pinnacles springing from angels. It comprises chancel, nave, and north and south aisles. The inside of the nave is spacious with high arcades with the original clerestory. The tower is of three stages and contains six bells and a clock. The font is typical Norman decorated with head at each corner. There are a number of tombs, two of note, the first is that of Sir Nicholas Assheton, who had been a judge and whose portrait is in the chancel floor. The second is of a knight, the first Lord Willoughby de Broke, who was on Bosworth Field at the birth of the Tudor dynasty in 1485, and was a Marshal in the army of Henry VII. He had been steward of the Duchy of Cornwall and died in 1502.
  Externally the church presents an imposing appearance, being built almost entirely of large blocks of granite, and is battlemented throughout. In the 19th century it was closed for a period whilst it was extensively renovated; it reopened for divine service on 12th May 1859.
  Details about the plans of the existing church are available on-line.
  
  There is a separate church at Trevigro which was opened in 1871; details about the plans of this church are also available on-line.
• Roman Catholic The original Catholic Church of Our Lady of Victories, a small green corrugated iron building, was erected in 1931 on a plot of high ground at the junction of Greenbank and Launceston Roads. During the Second World War, the congregation was amplified by the additional attendance of Polish soldiers and Italian prisoners-of-war. In later years, the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales took over, and Callington became part of the Tavistock parish. The little church served as a Mass centre for local Catholics until 1954, when the local council decided to widen the road. This required the demolition of the little Catholic Church! However, the council provided a new site in Lower Coronation Street, and the second Church of Our Lady of Victories was opened in 1954 by Bishop Grimshaw.
• Non-Conformist. Within the Borough, there were chapels for the:
  • Wesleyan Methodists.
  • Bible Christians.
  • The United Methodist (Wesleyan) Free church.
  • The Primitive Methodists.
  • The Plymouth Brethren. This latter has its own burial ground.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for Callington are: P006381. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage of this parish is 1676 - 1773.
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1558 - 1900, Burials 1558 - 1900, Marriages 1597 - 1673, Boyd's Marriage Index 1597 - 1673, Callington Wesleyan Registers 1843 - 1896, Callington Bible Christian registers 1863 - 1870.
• Baptisms.
  • Baptisms at Callington (1861 to 1911) and those in the Callington Bible Christian Circuit (1863 to 1870) are available on-line through the OPC Search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • The baptisms of Callington Wesleyan Circuit (1843 to 1857) are available on-line.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD baptisms 1705 to 1843 for this parish.
  • Cornwall Legacy have published on CD, records of the Liskeard Primitive Methodist Circuit. These comprise Liskeard Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1856 to 1900, and Greenbank Chapel baptisms 1870 - 1900. The areas cover Liskeard, St Ive, St Cleer, Menheniot, Callington, Calstock, Lezant, Linkinhorne and Landrake.
  • Cornwall Legacy have published on CD, records of the Liskeard Wesleyan Circuit. These comprise baptisms 1834 to 1900. The areas cover Liskeard, Boconnoc, Broadoak, Callington, Linkinhorne, Looe, Menheniot, Morval, Pelynt, Quethiock, St Germans, St Ive, St Martins, St Neot, St Pinnock, St Veep, St Winnow, South Hill and Talland.
• Marriages. The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1559 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
• Burials.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book or CD formats.
  • Burials 1891 to 1911 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility (C-PROP).
  • Cornwall Legacy have published on CD, records of the Liskeard Primitive Methodist Circuit. These comprise Trenant Chapel burials 1843 - 1900. The areas cover Liskeard, St Ive, St Cleer, Menheniot, Callington, Calstock, Lezant, Linkinhorne and Landrake.
• Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC Coverage of Non-Conformist records of this parish is available.

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Civil Registration

The parish of Callington was originally in the Liskeard Registration District. There were sub-districts at Callington, Lerrin, Liskeard and Looe. It is now in the St Germans Registration District. Parishes within the Liskeard district were: 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, West Looe.

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

Description & Travel

• ePodunk's Cornwall page - providing general, plus some historical and genealogical information, about Cornwall and its parishes, together with links (mainly relating to general sites and services, rather than ones that are specific to Cornwall or particular parishes).
• Photographs of Callington are available on-line.
• More pictures of Callington are available.

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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.

Historical Geography

• Callington (Caluuitona, Calwetone), Grid Reference 359696.

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Maps

• Map of the Launceston Registration District in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of Callington in the 19th century is also available.

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Newspapers

• Cornish Times. (December 1856-1859). This newspaper was published in Liskeard and Callington, with a free supplement of the Launceston News. The Cornish and Devon Post offices hold copies from May 1857, but will not allow filming. The newspapers are wrapped in brown paper parcels, which are rather dirty and crudely wrapped, but the newspapers themselves are in quite good condition.
• Callington and Gunnislake Post. This is a little-changed edition of the Cornish and Devon Post, but the changes are irregular. The newspaper offices did not know when it was first published and have not kept a complete file of it.
• Callington Gazette. (1978-1982). This short-lived title was published by the Tavistock Gazette offices. It was not taken by the British Library Online Newspaper Archive (BLNL), but there is an almost complete set in the Cornwall Centre (formerly known as the Cornish Studies Library) in Redruth; Cornwall County Library could ask the BNLB to film these four years, which would require probably only four reels.

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Occupations

• Information about the Callington, Calstock and Gunnislake Mines is available on-line.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Callington parish was part of the Liskeard Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.

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Population

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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 Callington are available on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 2528 acres of land and 3 acres of water.

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