Cornwall

Nearby places

Newquay

The parish and town of Newquay, (Cornish: Tewynn Pleustri), is a thriving tourist resort on the north coast of Cornwall. This one-time fishing village, was originally called Towan Blystra and unknown apart from its pilchard catch. The shoals of fish were sighted by the huer perched in the Huer's Hut on the headland - giving rise to the expression "hue and cry' as he shouted to the villagers to direct them to the pilchards off the coastline. The quay here was first recorded in 1439. This pilchard industry has now gone, and the town is now famed for its large beaches and surfing. The international surfing championships are held here on Fistral Beach from time to time.

The cliffs on this part of the coast are lofty and interesting. The town has a railway station and the nearby RAF St Mawgan military air base also doubles as Newquay airport. During the summer months the town is very busy with visitors from all over the UK and many from Europe and the rest of the world.

The ecclesiastical parish of Newquay was created 1882 from part of St Columb Minor parish. In 1960 Newquay formally subsumed St Columb Minor civil parish, which has become a suburb of Newquay.

Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for OLD Cemetery - 542 entries.

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Census

Census information for this parish from its creation, and that for St Columb Minor (1841 - 1901) is held in the Cornwall Record Office. In the 19th century it was always enumberated under St Columb Minor.
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, Newquay was enumerated under St Columb Minor.
• 1851.
  • In the 1851 Census, Newquay was enumerated under St Columb Minor.
  • Ray Woodbine has compiled the 1851 Census for many Cornish parishes. Entries for St Columb Minor are contained in Volume 5-4. This is available in the Library of the Cornwall Family History Society from which it can be purchased.
• 1861. In the 1861 Census, Newquay was enumerated under St Columb Minor.
• 1871.
  • In the 1871 Census, Newquay was enumerated under St Columb Minor. The 1871 Census of St Columb Minor is available from the Cornwall Family History Society.
  • A transcription of the 1871 Census of Cornwall is available on-line.
• 1881. In the 1881 Census, Newquay was enumerated under St Columb Minor.
• 1891. In the 1891 Census, Newquay was enumerated under St Columb Minor.

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Church History

Anglicans. The parish was created 1882 from part St Columb Minor parish. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW8161. There had been a chapel-of-ease here before the present church was built in 1910, in a fine Cornish Perpendicular style. It is dedicated to St Michael.
Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
• Roman Catholics. There is a record of Mass being celebrated at Newquay, occasionally, in 1897, in a private chapel of "The Tower" (now the Golf Club), a house owned by Lady Molesworth. Great efforts were made to organise a weekly Mass. In 1902, the Canons Regular from Bodmin agreed to send a priest every Sunday. In 1903, Lady Molesworthy donated part of her estate for a Church and Miss Ellis of Hayle donated five hundred pounds for the building.
  With great joy on Trinity Sunday 1903, the Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity was opened. In 1918, Newquay was made a Parish. The Lady Chapel was built in 1935 and the Parish Hall in 1938. In 1981, the Church was extended by the provision of a narthex. Although for some time the Parish continued to be served by the Bodmin Fathers, in 1985 it was transferred to the Diocese of Plymouth. The induction of the first diocesan priest in Newquay by His Lordship Bishop Christopher Budd took place in January 1988.
• Non-Conformist. The Wesleyan Methodists and Bible Christians both had chapels here.

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Church Records

• Baptisms. Non-Conformist baptisms at Newquay (St Columb Circuit) 1857 to 1902 are available in the OPC Database.
• Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC coverage of other Non-Conformist records of this parish is also available.
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings of Newquay parish are not known.
• Cornwall Legacy have published on CD: baptisms (1839 to 1900) of the St Columb Wesleyan Methodist Circuit. Areas include: St Columb, Summercourt, Newquay, Padstow, St Stephens, St Enoder, St Dennis, St Issey, St Wenn and Colan.
• Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD baptisms (1838 to 1900) of the St Columb Bible Christian Circuit. Areas include: St Columb, St Dennis, St Stephens, St Enoder, Roche, St Mawgan, Ladock, Newquay, St Wenn, St Eval, St Merryn and Perranzabuloe.

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Civil Registration

The parish of Newquay was originally in the St Columb Registration District. It is now in the Registration District of St Austell. There were sub-districts at Newlyn, Padstow and St Columb Major, but these have now been abolished. Parishes within the old St Columb district were: Colan, Crantock, Cubert, Little Petherick, Mawgan-in-Pydar, Newlyn, Newquay, Padstow, St. Breock, St. Columb Major, St. Columb Minor, St. Enoder, St. Ervan, St. Eval, St. Issey, St. Merryn, St. Wenn.

The Superintendant Registrar of St Austell can be contacted at: 12 Carlyon Road, St Austell, PL25 4LD. Tel: 01726 68974. Fax: 01726 68974.

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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 Newquay are available on-line.
• There are webcam views of Mawgan Porth Beach, and also for Fistral Beach, Newquay.

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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.
• Susan Old is undertaking the reconstruction of parishes in the Hundred of Pydar. Information and a point of contact on this project can be found on-line.

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Maps

• Map of the St Austell Registration district in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of Newquay in the 19th century is also available.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Newquay parish was part of the St Columb Major Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.

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Population

The parish was created 1882 from part of St Columb Minor parish. From 1961 the figures include those of St Columb Minor parish which was no longer separately enumerated.

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Societies

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

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Statistics

The parish comprises 3467 acres of land.

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