Cornwall

Nearby places

Gwennap

The parish of Gwennap (Cornish: Lannwenep) is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of Kerrier. It is bounded on the north by St Agnes, and a detached part of Kenwyn and Kea, on the east by Perranarworthal, on the south by Stithians, and on the west by Wendron and Redruth. Little is known about the saint that gave her name to this parish which is situated to the south-east of Redruth. Gwennap is better known for it's strong associations with Methodism and John Wesley. In the 18th century Wesley preached here to huge crowds in the stepped open-air amphitheatre known as Gwennap Pit. (An extract from his diary recording his visit to Gwennap is available). At that time Gwennap was the hub of Cornwall's richest mining area, but by the 20th century most pits had closed down. This parish is now a scene of desolation and dreariness; the mines are of great depth, and have been worked for ages, but they are now all stopped. For long periods together their produce exceeded in value £1000 per day, and often more. The value of the whole produce of the parish, in tin and copper, during the 19th century, cannot have been much less than £10,000,000 sterling.

Villages in the parish are the Churchtown, Carharrack, Trevarth, Crofthandy and Sunnycorner. Two new parishes were created from parts of this parish: St Day in 1833 and Lanner in 1845.

Gwennap Parish Council was formed on 4 December 1894 and Carharrack formed part of the area looked after by that Council until, after a government review and pressure from the local inhabitants, Carharrack became a civil parish in its own right in 1985. The first meeting of the newly-formed Carharrack Parish Council took place on 28 May 1985.

Cemeteries

• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church.
• War Memorial inscriptions for Gwennap parish (1914-1918 and 1939-1945 Wars) are separately available.

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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 Gwennap with St Day (HO107/137) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • Enumeration Districts 1 to 6.
    • Enumeration Districts 7 to 12.
    • Enumeration Districts 13 to 18.
    • Enumeration Districts 19 to 25.
  • The 1841 census for this parish (Gwennap with St Day) has also been filmed by the LDS church - film No. 241260.
• 1851.
  • The 1851 Census of Gwennap (HO107/1914) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • Enumeration Districts 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g and 2h.
    • Enumeration Districts 2i, 2j, 2k, 2l, 2m and 2n.
    • Enumeration Districts 20, 2p, 2r and 2t.
    • Enumeration District 2u, 2w and 2x.
  • The New Zealand Society of Genealogists have compiled separate surname indexes of the 1851 Census for each Cornish registration district; Gwennap is listed in Volume 34. 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 from which it can be purchased.
• 1861.
  • The 1861 Census of Gwennap is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • RG9/1576.
      • Enumeration Districts 3 to 5.
      • Enumeration Districts 8 to 10.
    • RG9/1577.
      • Enumeration Districts 11 to 14.
      • Enumeration Districts 17 to 19.
    • RG9/1578. Enumeration Districts 21 and 23.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: 1861 Census of this parish, which is available in Book or CD formats.
• 1871.
  • The 1871 Census of Gwennap is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • RG10/2312. Enumeration Districts 11 to 14.
    • RG10/2313. Enumeration Districts 15 [including Schools] and 16.
  • The 1871 Census of Gwennap is also available from the Cornwall Family History Society.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Gwennap is also available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG11/2328. Enumeration Districts 11 to 14.
  • RG11/2329.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of Gwennap is also available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG12/1844. Enumeration Districts 1 to 3.
  • RG12/1844. Enumeration Districts 6 to 11.
  • RG12/1845. Enumeration District 12.

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Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW7340 and was dedicated to St Wenappa. It comprised a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, three western galleries, and a vestry. The arcades each have seven obtuse arches supported on tall pillars of granite, chiefly monolith. The north wall of the church was rebuilt in the early 19th century; it is strongly buttressed. There are north and south porches, and a blocked priest's door in the north wall. The church is mostly of the 15th century, but parts of it (as e.g. a trefoil-headed piscina) may be earlier, while the north aisle is at least a century later. The tower is detached, as in a few other cases in the county. it is situated near the south entrance to the chuirchyard. It is a large building of two stages, with a pyramidal roof.
  The parish formerly went by the name of the manor, Pensigenans, by which name the church was, in 1226, granted to the dean and chapter of Exeter. There is a separate church at Carharrack.
  In the late 1970s the parish of Gwennap was added to the benefice of Stithians together with the village of Perran-ar-worthal which had been linked since the 12th century and, although they are only one parish, they operate as two, both serving populations in excess of two thousand souls. The three churches are now served by a Vicar, a NSM Curate, a lay reader and a retired priest.
  Details about the plans of the existing churches at Lanner, Carharrack and Gwennap are available on-line.
• Non-Conformist. [Pictures are provided courtesy of the OPC].
  • The Wesleyan Methodists built a substantial chapel at Caharrack in 1815, to which was attached a Sunday School.
  • There was a Bible Christian chapel nearby.
  • There is a Non-Conformist Chapel at Frogpool.
  • There was also a large Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Gwennap at Sunnycorner.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for Gwennap are: C025471/2, Carharrack Wesleyan Methodist chapel C065051. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage of this parish is 1674 - 1772; it is NOT believed to be fully included in the LDS Church's International Genealogical Index (IGI).
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1658 - 1891, Burials 1658 - 1924, Marriages 1660 - 1990, Boyd's Marriage Index 1610 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1790 - 1812, BTs 1610 - 1670, Non-Conformist records 1820 - 1857.
• Baptisms.
  • The OPC has provided baptisms in Gwennap 1773 to 1831.
  • The OPC has transcribed a list of parishioners from Gwennap who were baptised in Stithians.
  • The OPC has also transcribed a list of parishioners from Gwennap who were baptised in Redruth.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD, baptisms 1728 to 1812, and 1813 to 1840 for this parish.
  • Cornwall Legacy have published on CD, baptisms (1839 to 1900) of the Redruth Methodist Circuit. The Circuit covers Redruth, Gwennap, Illogan, St Agnes, Portreath, and Carn Brea.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1863 to 1900) of the Truro Bible Christian Circuit. The Circuit covers Truro (all parishes), St Allen, Probus, Grampound, Perran, Creed, Gwennap, Cornelly, Goonhavern, Kea, Tregony and St Agnes.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1837 to 1862) of the Falmouth Bible Christian Circuit. The area covers Falmouth, Camborne, Lanner, Penryn, Gwennap, St Agnes, and Kenwyn.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1857 to 1900) of the St Day Primitive Methodist Circuit. The area covers: St Day, Scorrier, Gwennap, St Agnes, Kea, Kenwyn, Perranzabuloe.
• Marriages.
  • Marriages.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1610 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
    • Phillimore's marriages 1660 to 1812 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • The OPC has provided marriages as follows:
      • marriages 1620 to 1837. (There may be gaps in these transcriptions).
      • A list of parishioners from Gwennap who were married in other parishes between 1724 and 1743.
      • A list of parishioners from Gwennap who were married in other parishes between 1830 and 1837.
  • Burials.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book or CD formats.
    • The OPC has provided burials 1720 to 1850. (There are gaps in these transcriptions).
    • The OPC has also transcribed a list of parishioners from Gwennap who were buried in Redruth between 1816 and 1823.
  • Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC Coverage of Non-Conformist records of Carharrack in this parish is available.

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  Civil Registration

  The parish of Gwennap was originally in the Redruth Registration District until its dissolution. There were sub-districts at Camborne, Gwennap, Illogan, Phillack and Redruth which have now been abolished. It is now part of the Registration District of Truro. Parishes in this registration district were: Camborne, East Phillack, Gwennap, Gwinear, Gwithian, Illogan, Phillack, Redruth, St. Sithian's, West Phillack.
  
  The address of the Superintendant Registrar of Truro is: Dalvenie House, New County Hall, Truro, TR1 3AY.
  Tel: 01872 322241.

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  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 Gwennap are available on-line.
  • Pictures of Carharrack are available on-line.

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  Directories

  • Doidge's Directory of Redruth, Illogan, Gwennap and Stithians 1866.
  • Gwennap Directory by Name in 1866.
  • Kelly's Directory of Gwennap - 1883.
  • Kelly's Directory of Gwennap - 1910.

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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.
    • The The OPC for Gwennap (including Lannarth, but excluding St Day) has produced a genealogical website.
  • A list of Web Sites which contain Gwennap family histories is available

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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 Gwennap ecclesiastical parish:
  • Tolgullow (Talgollo, Talgolle), Grid Reference 730430.

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  Maps

  • Map of the Camborne and Redruth Registration district in which the parish lies.
  • An old map of the parish of Gwennap in the 19th century is also available.

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  Newspapers

  The OPC has produced a webpage of extracts from local Newspapers which relate to events in Gwennap in the 19th century.

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  Occupations

  • The OPC has posted information about Mining in Gwennap.
  • Information about the Gwennap Mining District is available on-line.
  • Information about Stonemen in Gwennap is also available.

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  Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

  Gwennap parish was part of the Redruth Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief. Overseers' Accounts (1818 to 1821) are available in the Cornwall Record Office.

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  Population

  Two new parishes were created from parts of this parish: St Day in 1833 and Lanner in 1845. Figures reflect the inclusion of part of this Parish in Redruth and the formation of Carharrack & St Day civil parish in 1985.

  Population in 1801 - 4594 persons Population in 1811 - 5303 persons Population in 1821 - 6294 persons Population in 1831 - 8539 persons Population in 1841 - 10794 persons Population in 1851 - 10465 persons Population in 1861 - 10535 persons Population in 1871 - 8397 persons Population in 1881 - 6209 persons Population in 1891 - 6269 persons

  Population in 1901 - 5662 persons Population in 1911 - 5483 persons Population in 1921 - 4985 persons Population in 1931 - 4866 persons Population in 1951 - 1138 persons Population in 1961 - 1095 persons Population in 1971 - 1232 persons Population in 1981 - 1480 persons Population in 1991 - 1460 persons Population in 2001 - 1501 persons

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  Probate Records

  • Wills & Admons (Burials, Wills & Bonds 1570 to 1661 from the W L BAWDEN TRANSCRIPTS and transcribed by Helen Webster), are on-line.
  • Wills & Admons for Gwennap parish, 1660-1729 are also available on-line.

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  Religion & Religious Life

  • The OPC has provided pictures of the parish church together with a list of the incumbent clergy.
  • 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 Gwennap are available on-line.

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  Societies

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

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  Statistics

  The parish comprises 3659 acres of land.

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