GENUKI: Madron, Cornwall

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The ancient parish of Madron (or St Madron), (Cornish: Eglosvadern), with Morvah is situated in the Deanery of Penwith, and in the western division of the Hundred of Penwith. Named after an unknown saint, this parish is located north-west of Penzance with pleasant views across Mounts' Bay and St Michael's Mount. It was formerly known as Madderne. It comprises two parts: the larger is bounded by Gulval to the north, to the east by the Borough of Penzance and the sea, to the south is Paul and Sancreed and on the west is Morvah. The lesser detached part is bounded on the east, south and west by Gulval and to the north by Zennor. Madron is not mentioned as such in the Domesday Survey of 1086; Madron Church, Tregwainton and Landithy were originally part of the Manor of Roseworthy in Gwinear. However the rest of the parish was taxed under the jurisdiction of the Manor of Alverton.

Its history goes back into the early middle ages. It possesses the mother church of Penzance and the famous holy well of St Madron, where it is claimed many miraculous cures took place. North of Madron is the prehistoric holed stone known as Men-an-Tol, also believed to have had the power of healing. Naked children suffering from rickets were passed through the hole three times in the hope of restoring their health.

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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Bibliography

The illustrated Story of Madron (entitled Madron's Story) covering the history of the parish has been published by: Bossiney Books, Langore, Launceston, Cornwall PL15 8LD (ISBN 1-899383-48-4).

Cemeteries

In addition to the churchyard, a municipal cemetery of three-quarters of an acre was formed at Heamoor in 1880. There is also a Private burial ground attached to, but not part of, Wesley Rock Methodist Church in Heamoor; the records of this ground have been recovered and published by Peter Doe. The following records are available:

The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for:
- The Parish Church - 194 entries
- Heamoor Wesleyan Chapel - 369 entries
War Memorial inscriptions for Madron parish.

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:

1676. The first census of Madron was undertaken on 5th April 1676. It reads:
"Complete Census Return, Maddern Parish Aprill 5th 1676.
1st - We suppose there may be in the Parish of Maddern and town of Penzance...at least a thousand inhabitants.
2nd - We know None popish recusant among the sayd inhabitants, and believe there are none such.
3rd - The dissenters and such as obstinately refuse and absent themselves from the communion of the Church of England at such times as by law they are commanded - of this sort we know of but one man."
1841. The 1841 Census of Madron (HO107/143), which then included Penzance, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
1851.
- The 1851 Census of Madron (HO107/1918) (Enumeration Districts 3b, 3c, 3d, and 3e [including the Workhouse], ), is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  (The Borough of Penzance is enumerated separately).
- The New Zealand Society of Genealogists have compiled separate surname indexes of the 1851 Census for each Cornish registration district. Entries for Madron are contained in Volume 28. The booklets are available in Cornwall at the Cornwall Centre, (formerly known as the Cornish Studies Library), and is also in the Library of the Cornwall FHS.
1861. The 1861 Census of Madron is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
- RG9/1593.
  - Enumeration Districts 10 to 13 [including Workhouse].
  - Enumeration Districts 14 to 16 [Penzance].
- RG9/1594:
- RG9/1595: [Penzance].
1871.
- The 1871 Census of Madron is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  - RG10/2339:
    - Enumeration Districts 10 and 11.
    - Enumeration Districts 12 and 13.
  - RG10/2342: Workhouses.
1881. The 1881 Census of Madron (RG11/2345) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
- Enumeration Districts 10 [including Workhouse] to 12.
- Enumeration Districts 13 and 14 [Madron - Borough of Penzance].
1891. The 1891 Census of Madron (RG12/1857) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
- Enumeration Districts 9 and 10 (including Workhouse).
- Enumeration Districts 11 and 12.

Churches

**Anglican**
St Madernus, Madron, Church of England

Church History

Anglican. Madron is the Mother Church of Penzance. Until the middle of the 19th century, the whole of the town on Penzance, and half of Newlyn, were in the parish of Madron. The Christian history of Madron can be traced back to the very earliest days of Christianity in Britain; no doubt it was a centre of worship in the Celtic Church. In Madron is the ancient domain of Landithy, meaning the "Lan" or sacred enclosure of Dithy. St Dithy is believed to have been one of the companions of St.Ia, who came to Cornwall in the 5th Century. Landithy is close to the parish church, which may stand on the ground where St Dithy built his little church.
About 100 years later, in the 6th Century, St Maddern came to West Cornwall from Brittany. His name is variously spelled as Madern, Padern, Badern, Patern, etc., and some historians suggest that he may have been a Bishop. He was evidently a man of some influence, and it is his name which is preserved in the place-name of Madron, the official name of the parish which locally is often called Maddern.
The chief town of the parish is Penzance, which became three separate parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW4531; it is dedicated to St Madernus (or Madderne) and is probably the third built on this site.
A church had been here since the earliest of times. The Knights Hospitaliers were given the living by the second Sir Henry de Pomeroy between 1164 and 1186. In 1203 Thomas de Chimelly had been appointed to the benefice of Madron for life. In 1309 the Knights Hospitaliers had turned the living of Madron from a rectory to a vicarage, which it has remained ever since. This arrangement allowed the church taxes to go to the Order. This income was used for their work in helping pilgrims and building Hospitals. The church remained with the Order until 1540 when it was supressed and its possessions confiscated by Henry VIII.
A new church was begun during the time of the Hospitaliers, and the church building was consecrated on July 10th 1336 by the Bishop Grandisson of Exeter. However it was not finished before 1500 when the north aisle was added. During the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I, Madron Church became a Royal benefice.
The church comprises a chancel, nave, and north and south aisle. In the base are 3 funeral hatchments: two of which are of the Borlase and Price families. The arcades each have six arches; those in the north are four-centred, those in the south are pointed. The material in both arcades and pillars of of Caen stone.
The tower is in two stages, the second resting on a corbel table. It is finished with battlements and pinnacles; it contains five bells; these bells were refurbished and rehung in 2005.
In 1379 a Chapel in Penzance near the harbour, dedicated to St Mary, was licensed for Services. This was to remain a daughter church (which later became known as the Madron Chapelry, Penzance) for some 500 years. This is the historic basis for St Mary's parish in Penzance.
Heamoor. The Mission Church of St Thomas's was built in Heamoor in the late 19th century as a chapel-of-ease to serve those living in the outskirts of Penzance. The Church of St Thomas's is part of Madron parish and was dedicated in 1892. This Church was licenced for weddings in 1975.
Morvah. In 1390 a chapely at Morvah was licensed for Services, and the parish of Morvah has been united with Madron since the dawn of parochial history.

Madron is now part of the United Benefice of Gulval-Madron.

Non-Conformist. By 1884, there were five chapels for the Wesleyan Methodists in Madron parish. These were at: the Churchtown, Trenere Road, Tregevera, Boswarthen, and Bosullow. Pictures of Madron Methodist Church are available.
There was a chapel for the Bible Christians at Hea Moor (Heamoor), and another for the Primitive Methodists in the Churchtown.

Church Records

The church registers for marriages and burials commenced in 1577; baptisms commenced in 1592. (there were earlier records but these have all been lost). They were kept tolerably well for the first 100 years or so, then confusion set in until about 1700. The records of Heamoor are combined with those of Madron; Morvah records were maintained separately.

LDS Church Records.
- The LDS Church batch numbers for Madron are: C001693, E001691, M001691/4, P001691/2. These are searchable by surname.
- The IGI coverage of this parish is 1577 - 1876.
The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1592 - 1888, Burials 1577 - 1877, Marriages 1577 - 1870, Boyd's Marriage Index 1577 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1790 - 1812, Non-Conformist records 1812 - 1837.
The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
- Pre 1813 Marriages.
- 1813-1837 Marriages.
- 1813-1837 Burials
They also have transcripts of 1909-1953 Marriages.
Baptisms.
- Baptisms 1784 to 1901 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
- Madron Wesleyan-Methodist Circuit baptisms 1806 to 1837, and Madron Wesleyan chapel baptisms 1877 to 1911, are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
- The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD, baptisms 1700 to 1840 for this parish which can be purchased on Parish Chest.
Marriages.
- The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1577 to 1837, which is available in CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
- Phillimore's marriages 1674 to 1812, and parish transcriptions 1754 to 1901 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
- Marriages in Madron 1863 to 1903 have been transcribed by Diane Donohue which have now been placed on-line by the West Penwith Resources.
Burials.
- The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in CD or Book format.
- Burials 1756 to 1910 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
- Burials in Madron 1813 to 1902 have been transcribed by Diane Donohue which have now been placed on-line by the West Penwith Resources.
Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC Coverage of Non-Conformist records of this parish is available.
Mixed Records.
- The First Book of the Parish Registers of Madron, containing compiled baptisms, marriages and burials from the start of the registers in the parish until: 1726 (baptisms), 1678 (marriages) and 1728 (burials), is available on-line in .pdf format. It was edited by George Bown Millett, of Penzance, in 1877.

Civil Registration

The parish of Madron is in the Penzance Registration District and has been since 1st July 1837. There were sub-districts at St Buryan and at St Just but these have now been abolished. Parishes within the district are: Gulval, Ludgvan, Madron, Marazion, Morvah, Penzance, Perranuthnoe, St. Buryan, St. Erth, St. Hilary, St. Ives, St. Just in Penwith, St. Levan, St. Michael's Mount, St. Paul, Sancreed, Sennen, Towednack, Uny-Lelant, Wolfe Rock Lighthouse, and Zennor. The Superintendant Registrar can be contacted at: Alphington House, Alverton Place, Penzance, TR18 4JJ. Tel: 01736 330093.

Description & Travel

Kelly's Directory of Cornwall 1856 covering Madron.
Kelly's Directory of Cornwall 1883 covering Madron.
Kelly's Directory of Cornwall 1893 covering Madron (including Hea Moor).

You can see pictures of Madron which are provided by:

Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"MADRON, a parish in the hundred of Penwith, county Cornwall, 8 miles N.E. of the Land's End, and 17 S.W. of Redruth. It is situated to the N.W. of Mount's Bay, and the higher grounds command sea views. The parish includes the market and post town of Penzance. Mining operations are carried on here, chiefly in copper, lead, and tin. The principal portion of the tin is obtained from the Wherry mine, which extends for a considerable distance under the sea. Alumina, fire-clay, granite, and porphyry are also worked. The workhouse for the Penzance Poor-law Union is situated in this parish. Brickmaking is carried on in this neighbourhood, and the bricks are much esteemed for smelting-houses and furnaces, being capable of enduring an intense degree of heat. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £431 10s. 10d., and the vicarial for £660. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter, value with that of Morvah annexed, £740. The parish church is an ancient stone edifice in the Gothic style of architecture, with an embattled tower and porch. It contains several stained-glass windows, and is dedicated to St. Madern, whose sacred well is still shown. There is also a district church at Penzance, a perpetual curacy, to which is annexed St. Paul's chapel, value £150, in the gift of the vicar. The register dates far back. In the churchyard are numerous monuments of the Borlase, Nicholls, Trengwainton, and other families. The charities consist of endowments to Daniel's school amounting to about £100 annually. The Wesleyans have five chapels, and there are schools for boys and girls belonging to the Church and the Wesleyan body. The Rev. John Wesley preached here for about eighteen years.

In the vicinity of the town of Penzance are remains of stone crosses, and at Lanyon is a cromlech computed to weigh about 20 tons, also a stone with an ancient British inscription, said to be a monument to Rialobran, son of Cunovalue Within the parish are a number of good seats and residences, some very old."

"NEWLYN, a village in the parish of Madron, W. division of the hundred of Penwith, county Cornwall, half a mile S.W. of Penzance. It is a fishing port, situated on Mount's Bay, in the English Channel. This place was of considerable importance previously to its being burnt by the Spaniards in 1595. The harbour is small but commodious, and is accessible to vessels of 100 tons. There are about 300 boats employed in the fisheries belonging to the port. The village consists of one principal thoroughfare nearly half a mile in length, with several alleys branching off in different directions. There is a large brewery. The Independents and Wesleyans have places of worship."

"PENDEEN, a hamlet in the parish of Madron, hundred of Penwith, county Cornwall, 7 miles N.W. of Penzance. It is a coastguard station on Portherras Cove, in Mount's Bay. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Exeter, value £170. Borlase, the county historian, was born here."

"PENZANCE, a seaport, market town and municipal borough in the parish of Madron, hundred of Penwith, county Cornwall, 44 miles S.W. of Bodmin, and 80 from Plymouth by the Cornwall and West Cornwall railway, of which it is the terminus. It is situated on the north-western shore of Mount's Bay, and is the most westerly town in England, being only 10 miles distant from Land's End. A religious house formerly stood on the site of the present pier, and is said to have given the name of Holy Headland to the town, which was afterwards called Buriton, or Castle Town. The Spaniards, in 1596, landed at the village of Mousehole, a short distance from this town, and having laid that place waste, they burnt Penzance. Fifty years later it was sacked by the parliamentary troops under Fairfax. The trade of Penzance chiefly consists in the export of copper, tin, earthen-wares, and fish; large quantities of iron, timber, coals, hemp, and tallow are imported; most of the tin procured from the mines in Cornwall is shipped at Penzance. The pilchard fishery is very extensive, employing upwards of 2,000 persons and 300 fishing boats; but has recently declined. The town of late years has very much increased; the streets for the most part are well paved and lighted with gas. The population was 9,214 in 1851, with 1,878 inhabited houses, which, in 1861, had increased to 9,414, with 1,941 inhabited houses. The first charter was granted by James I. in 1615, which was afterwards confirmed by Charles II. Under the late Municipal Reform Act, the town is divided into two wards, and is governed by a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, with the style of "mayor, aldermen, and commonalty of the town of Penzance."-The climate is considered so mild as to be exceedingly beneficial to invalids, more particularly during the winter months. One of the chief features is the pier, upon which a large amount has at different times been expended, upwards of £30,000 having been voted within the last few years for this purpose by the corporation, The western arm of the pier, which is 600 feet long, was commenced about the year 1770. There is a lighthouse on the point of the pier 33 feet high. The present townhall is a Grecian structure of granite, surmounted by a cupola, and was completed in 1838. It contains several spacious rooms, comprising the sessions and police offices, the museums of the Natural History and Antiquarian Societies, and the Council Chamber: in this last is a painting of "The Daughter of Herodias receiving the head of John the Baptist," and another of "The Queen and the late Prince Consort departing from St. Michael's Mount in 1846." On the basement floor immediately beneath the cupola is the butchers' market, which is well supplied. A pile of granite building is nearly completed, to the left wing of which the townhall will shortly be transferred. The centre will receive the public library, and will also contain a public hall with an organ. The right wing will become the museum of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, which contains a first-class collection of minerals. The market-house for poultry, fish, and butter is in Princes-street. In Parade-street is a building occupied by the public library and newsroom and savings-bank. Besides these must be mentioned the custom-house, the dispensary, in Chapel-street, the public baths on the esplanade, the gaol, the gas and water works, three banks, and the railway station. A local board of health has recently been established. Quarter sessions and weekly petty sessions are held in the townhall, as also a new county court. Penzance Poor-law Union contains nineteen parishes and townships. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Exeter, value £300, in the patronage of the Vicar of Madron, The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is a chapel-of-ease to the parish church of Madron, which is a mile off. It was rebuilt in 1833, at an expense of about £9,000, and is in the pointed style of architecture, with a pinnacled tower containing a peal of eight bells. The E. window is of stained glass, and the ceilings are arched and painted in panels. There is also the chapel of St. Paul, built by W. Batten, Esq., at the cost of £5,000. It is built of granite, in the decorated style of the 13th century. The pulpit is carved out of a solid block of granite, and all the interior is decorated. The E. window is of stained glass. Here are also places of worship for Roman Catholics, Primitive Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Bible Christians, Society of Friends, besides a Jews' synagogue. The free grammar school is supported by the corporation, and there are National and ether schools. Sir Humphrey Davy and Lord Exmouth were natives. The former willed £100 to the grammar school, upon condition of a holiday being given on each anniversary of his birth. There are several seats in the neighbourhood. Steamers go to London and to the Scilly Islands. The Penzance Gazette is published here. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are market days. Fairs are held on the 25th March, Thursday after Trinity Sunday, 8th September, and Thursday before Advent Sunday. A regatta is held during the summer."

Ask for a calculation of the distance from Madron to another place.

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 West Penwith Resources has produced a website for Madron to help family historians.

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 Madron ecclesiastical parish:

Alverton (Aluuartona, Alwaretone), Grid Reference 463301.

Manors

Alverton Manor was in existence before 1066; it comprised the greater portion of the parish of Madron, Penzance, as well as part of Paul and Mousehole.

Maps

Map of the Penzance Registration District in which the parish lies.
A map showing Madron in the context of its neighbours is available.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SW438324 (Lat/Lon: 50.136382, -5.586655), Madron which are provided by:

OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
Bing (was Multimap)
Old Maps Online
National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Medical Records

The plague hit this part of Cornwall in 1647 as shown by these figures from the Madron burial register (thanks to Tom Hill on CORNISH-L 21 March 2003).

1646 - 32 burials
1647 - 170
1648 - 48
1649 - 19
1650 - 26
(approx figures).

Occupations

Apprenticeship Indentures for Madron (Register 1759 - 1831, 1732 to 1835 Register) can be found in the Cornwall Record Office.

Poor Houses, Poor Law

Madron parish was part of the Penzance Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
The Penzance Union Workhouse was erected in Madron in 1838 from designs by the Architects G. Gilbert Scott and W. Bonython Moffatt. It was located on Mount View, Penzance, and it later became the Penzance Institution and was closed on the Introduction of the National Health Service in 1948.
Overseers' Accounts (1757 to 1841), Settlement Papers (1797, 1803 and 1746 to 1837 - Register) and Bastardy Bonds (1769 to 1830, 1717 to 1840 Register) are available in the Cornwall Record Office.

Population

Population in 1801 - 1564 persons
Population in 1811 - 1819 persons
Population in 1821 - 2011 persons
Population in 1831 - 2058 persons
Population in 1841 - 2441 persons
Population in 1851 - 2529 persons
Population in 1861 - 2512 persons
Population in 1871 - 2765 persons
Population in 1881 - 2328 persons
Population in 1891 - 2629 persons
Population in 1901 - 3364 persons

Population in 1911 - 3584 persons
Population in 1921 - 3148 persons
Population in 1931 - 3167 persons
Population in 1951 - 1420 persons
Population in 1961 - 1333 persons
Population in 1971 - 1280 persons
Population in 1981 - 1285 persons
Population in 1991 - 1320 persons
Population in 2001 - 1533 persons
Population in 2011 - 1591 persons

Probate Records

Wills & Admons for Madron parish (including Penzance), 1660-1730 are available on-line.

Societies

The Madron Old Cornwall Society News Page is on-line. The Penwith Local History Group aims:
- To encourage and sustain public interest in the history of Penwith to provide mutual support and encouragement to members in their individual research projects, whether related to Penwith or of wider historical interest.
- To work as a group on specific research projects, with the aim of publication to an academic standard.
- To encourage the strong link with the Morrab Library, supporting the Library in its aims and activities.

Statistics

The parish comprises 5589 acres of land.