Cornwall

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Lawhitton

The parish of Lawhitton, (Cornish: Nansgwydhenn), is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of East. It is bounded on the north by St Stephens-by-Launceston and Lifton in Devon, on the east by Lifton and Bradstone in Devon from which it is separated by the River Tamar, on the south by Lezant, and on the west by South Petherwin and Launceston (St Mary Magdalene). The Celtic name is Landwithan or Languiton. This small, thinly populated, scenic parish is off the beaten track immediately south-east of Launceston. In medieval times there was a flourishing market in the village, but the nearness of Launceston has tended to kill off any trade in the village. The parish is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Languitetone.

The chief villages of the parish are the Churchtown, Carzantick, and Lewcombe.

Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church for:

• Parish Church - 530 entries
• Tregada Methodist Chapel - 125 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 Lawhitton (HO107/134), Enumeration District 1, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census Project.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish 1841 Census, which is available in CD format.
  • It has also been filmed by the LDS church - film No. 241258.
• 1851.
  • The 1851 Census of Lawhitton (HO107/1899), Enumeration District 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish 1851 Census, which is available in CD format.
• 1861.
  • The 1861 Census of Lawhitton (RG9/1520), Enumeration District 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish 1861 Census, which is available in CD format.
• 1871. The 1871 Census of Lawhitton, Enumeration District 4, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Lawhitton, Enumeration District 4, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1891.
  • The 1891 Census of Lawhitton (RG12/1804), Enumeration District 4, is available on-line from the Cornwall On-line Census project.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish 1891 Census, which is available in CD format.
• 1901. The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish 1901 Census, which is available in CD format.

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Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SX3582; it is dedicated to St Michael. There has been a church at Lawhitton since the 9th century. King Egbert gave the parish to the Saxon bishop of Sherborne in 830. In 905 it was transferred to Eadulph, the bishop of Crediton.
  The present church building is dated to the 13th century. It comprises a chancel, nave and south aisle. The arcade consists of five arches supported on tall, monolith granite pillars. There is a south porch and a priest's door. The tower is situated on the south side of the church; it consists of three stages, and is finished with battlements and stump pinnacles. The belfry contains six bells. There was a major restoration of the church which took place under the Rev. F Du Boulay in 1871. This work included a new east window, an oak chancel screen, new pavements in the nave and the chancel and new seats where the old ones were too decayed for re-use.
  Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
• Non-Conformist. The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel at Carzanteck.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records. This parish is NOT included in the LDS Church's International Genealogical Index (IGI).
• Registers commenced in 1640. The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1640 - 1947, Burials 1640 - 1952, Marriages 1640 - 1982, Boyd's Marriage Index 1608 - 1675, BTs 1608 - 1675.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
  • 1813-37 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Burials.
• Baptisms.
  • Baptisms 1640 to 1901 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD, baptisms 1722 to 1840 for this parish.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, records of the Launceston wesleyan Circuit. These comprise baptisms (1837-1900). The areas cover Launceston, South Petherwin, Lewannick, North Hill, Altarnun, Linkinhorne, St Stephens, Lezant, Egloskerry, Egloskerry, Treneglos, Stoke Climsland, Laneast and Lawhitton.
• Marriages.
  • Marriages 1640 to 1910 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1608 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD, marriages 1738 to 1812 for this parish.
• Burials.
  • Burials 1640 to 1901 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book and CD formats.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, records of the Launceston wesleyan Circuit. These comprise burials (1818-1880), St Thomas Wesleyan Burials 1842- 1892). The areas cover Launceston, South Petherwin, Lewannick, North Hill, Altarnun, Linkinhorne, St Stephens, Lezant, Egloskerry, Egloskerry, Treneglos, Stoke Climsland, Laneast and Lawhitton.

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Civil Registration

The parish of Lawhitton 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.

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).

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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

• Lawhitton (Languitetona, Langvitetone), Grid Reference 356824.

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Manors

• 1. Fines 1396/97 (ref: SC 11/151) in the Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond TW9 4DU (Email: enquiry@pro.gov.uk);
  
• 2. Presentments 1749-1857, terrier 1746, surveys c1849-59, court rolls 1855-90 (ref: Church Commissioners), book of maps, no date (ref: 382/add/P40) in Devon Record Office, Castle Street, Exeter EX4 3PU (Email: devrec@devon.gov.uk).
• 3. Book of maps and map of episcopal estates nd in Devon Record Office (ref: 382/add/P40-41).

Further enquiries about these records should be addressed to the staff at the relevant repository.

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Maps

• Map of the Launceston Registration District in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of Lawhitton in the 19th century is also available.
• An old map of Launceston (St Mary Magdalane, St Stephen, St Thomas the Apostle) and Lawhitton in 1835 is available from GENMAPS.

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Occupations

Apprenticeship Indentures for Lawhitton (1818) can be found in the Cornwall Record Office.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Lawhitton parish was part of the Launceston Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
• Overseers' Accounts (1728 to 1837), Settlement Papers (1729) and Bastardy bonds (1778, 1822), are available in the Cornwall Record Office.

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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 Lawhitton are available on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 2339 acres of land.

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