Cornwall

Nearby places

Chacewater

Chacewater (Chasewater), (Cornish: Penn an Chas) is in the Deanery of Powder. The parish was created in 1828 from part of Kea parish. The parish is named after the 'English Chase' or hunting ground near to a stream, or other water, feature. Chacewater comes into history as the hunting-ground of the early kings of Cornwall. In Eilhart of Oberg's twelfth-century version of the Tristan legend we are told of King Mark seeking Tristan and his love, Isuelt, in the king's forest and finding them asleep in a leafy bower in Blancheland - the manor in which Chacewater lies. But Tristan's sword lay unsheathed between them, proving that they were guiltless.

James Watt (1736-1819) used to stay at Chacewater during the erection of his famous engine at the Chacewater mine, since known as Wheal Busy. The populous village of Chacewater owed its existence in the early 19th century solely to the surrounding mines. On Creegbrawse Downs is a valuable quarry of an elvan, similar in colour to the famed Pentewan stone.

Chacewater was long distinguished by possessing one of the largest and ugliest churches in Cornwall.

Bibliography

An illustrated History of Chacewater, entitled "Chacewater - A Story of a Cornish Mining Village" has been written by The Chacewater Projects, and is available from them at: Ronda, The Terrace, Chacewater, Truro, Cornwall TR4 8LT. Email: projects@chacewater.net

Cemeteries

• The Parish Church - 1778 entries
• The Municipal Cemetery - 537 entries.

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. In the 1841 Census, Chacewater was enumerated as part of Kenwyn and Kea parishes.
• 1851. The 1851 Census of Chacewater (HO107/1910), is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Kea parish Enumeration Districts 1m, 1n and 1o.
  • Kenwyn parish Enumeration Districts 1o, 1p, 1q 1r and 1s.
• 1861. The 1861 Census of Chacewater is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG9/1560. Enumeration District 13.
  • RG9/1561.
    • Enumeration Districts 14 and 15.
    • Enumeration Districts 16 and 17.
  • RG9/1562. Enumeration District 11.
• 1871. The 1871 Census of Chacewater is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG10/2286. Enumeration Districts 13 to 17.
  • RG10/2288. Enumeration Districts 11 to 13.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Chacewater is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG11/2313. Enumeration Districts 13 - 17.
  • RG11/2314. Enumeration Districts 11 to 13.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of Chacewater is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG12/1831. Enumeration Districts 13 - 17 [including Merchant Shipping].
  • RG12/1832. Enumeration Districts 11 to 13.

Church History

• Anglican. Chacewater is in the Deanery of Powder; this ecclesiastical district was formed out of the parishes of Kenwyn and Kea in 1837. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW7544. It was built in 1828 and was dedicated to St Paul in 1837. The structure is a plain parallelogram and has little to commend it architecturally. It comprises a chancel, nave, three capacious galleries, and a vestry. At the west end stands a lofty tower of four stages, finished with battlements. In the middle of the 19th century, the church was slightly damaged by lightning, and in February 1866 the north-west corner of the church was greatly damaged by the same thunderstorm which nearly destroyed the church at Mabe. In 1892, the Church was rebuilt and completed from the design of Edward Sedding of Plymouth. St Paul's Church was re-dedicated by the Bishop of Truro on December 10th of that year.
  Details about the plans of the existing church are available on-line.
• Non-Conformist. There was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel here built in 1832, another was built by the Primitive Methodists, and one for the Bible Christians.
  The Chacewater Methodist Chapel was shut in 2002. The Chapel was declared too dangerous to be used by the congregation following an inspection by a surveyor called in as part of the Planning Application to Carrick District Council to replace the building. In the surveyor's professional opinion the risk to users was too great and the minister said it would be too expensive to repair the building for long-term future use due to the major problems found; which included a collapsed floor, flooding and questions over the foundations.

Church Records

• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1828 - 1964, Burials 1828 - 1936
  Marriages 1837 - 1974
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of 1813-37 Burials in the parish.
• LaVelda Faull of Glasgow, KY, USA. has transcribed some entries from the Parish Register of the Chapelry of Chacewater, which was originally in Kenwyn Parish:
  • Baptisms.
  • Marriages.
  • Burials.
• Baptisms. Baptisms in the parish church 1824 to 1899 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
• Marriages. Marriages in the parish church 1837 to 1899 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
• Burials.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book format.
  • Burials in the parish church 1828 to 1899 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).

Civil Registration

The parish of Chacewater has been in the Truro Registration District continuously from 1st July 1837. There were sub-districts at Kea, Kenwyn, Probus, St. Agnes, St. Clement and St Just-in-Roseland, but these have now been abolished. Parishes in this registration district are: Cornelly, Cuby, Feock, Gerrans, Kea, Kenwyn, Ladock, Lamorran, Merther, Perranzabuloe, Philleigh, Probus, Ruan Lanihorne, St. Agnes, St. Allen, St. Anthony in Roseland, St. Clement, St. Erme, St. Feock, St. Just in Roseland, St. Michael Penkevil, Tregavethan, Tregony St. James, Truro St. Mary, Veryan.

The address of the Superintendant Registrar is: Dalvenie House, New County Hall, Truro, TR1 3AY.
Tel: 01872 322241.

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).
• Pictures of Chacewater are available on-line.
• There is also a website devoted to the parish.

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.

Maps

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

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Chacewater parish was part of the Truro Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.

Population

The parish of Chacewater was created in 1828 from part of Kea parish; before that date population figures were included under Kea. In 1831 and 1841, the population was counted as part of Kenwyn.

Societies

The Chacewater Old Cornwall Society News Page is on-line.

Statistics

The parish comprises 2382 acres of land.

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