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North Hill

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The parish of North Hill, (Cornish: Bre Gledh), is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of East. It is bounded on the north by Lewannick, on the east by Lezant and Linkinhorne, on the south by Linkinhorne and St Cleer, and on the west by Alternun. North Hill (or now more commonly spelled Northill) is a pleasant small village but within a large parish located on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. The parish is divided into east and west portions by the River Lynher. The parish occupies an attractive hilly remote area with farming country to the east. Stone for the construction of Westminster Bridge was quarried from this district. The Trebartha estate, one of four farms mentioned in the Domesday Book, remained in the possession of the same family from 1066 until 1940, when it was sold to the Latham family. The hall was then used as an RAMC hospital during the Second World War, but it was eventually demolished in 1948.

The principal villages of the parish are the Churchtown, Coads Green, Bathpool, Middlewood, Congdons Shop, Illand or Yeiland, Newtown and Trebartha.

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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Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for the Coads Green Methodist Chapel - 673 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.
Specific census information for this parish is available as follows:

  • 1841.
    • The 1841 Census of North Hill (HO107/134), Enumeration Districts 12 to 14, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
    • The 1841 census for this parish has been filmed by the LDS church - film No. 241258.
  • 1851. The 1851 Census of North Hill, (HO107/1899), Enumeration Districts 3a, 3b and 3c, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1861. The 1861 Census of North Hill (RG9/1521), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1871. The 1871 Census of North Hill (RG10/2226), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1881. The 1881 Census of North Hill (RG11/2278), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1891. The 1891 Census of North Hill (RG12/1805), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
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Church History

  • Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SX2776 and was dedicated to St Torney. Nothing is known about this saint, whose Holy Well is situated near by the river, except that he is also remembered at St Erney, near St Germans. It consists of a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, the rector's vestry, and a parochial vestry meeting room. The chancel was restored in the middle of the 19th century. The arcades each have four expansive four-centreed arches supported on monolith granite pillars. There is a priest's door to the chancel, and a south porch. The tower is built of granite ashlar; it has three stages, is buttressed on the square, and is finished wioth battlements and crocketeed pinnacles. The belfry contains six bells.
  • Non-Conformist. Wesleyan Methodist chapels were at the Churchtown, Coads Green (which had a cemetery attached), Bathpool. The Bible Christians had chapels at Middlewood and Congdons Shop.
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Church Records

  • LDS Church Records.
  • CRO. The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1630 - 1979, Burials 1630 - 1959, Marriages 1555 - 1990, Boyd's Marriage Index 1608 - 1673, BTs 1608 - 1673, North Hill Wesleyan registers 1848 - 1915.
  • CFHS. The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
    • Pre-1813 Marriages
    • 1813-37 Marriages
    • 1813-37 Burials.
  • Baptisms.
    • Baptisms 1750 to 1812 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • North Hill Wesleyan Methodist Chapel baptisms 1870 to 1890 are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Marriages.
    • Marriages 1675 to 1804 (Bishop's transcripts), and parish transcripts 1750 to 1764, 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 1555 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
  • Burials.
    • Burials 1675 to 1772 (Bishop's transcripts), and parish transcripts 1760 to 1865, for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • Coads Green, North Hill, burials 1828 to 1897 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 format.
  • Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC Coverage of Non-Conformist records of this parish is available.
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Civil Registration

The parish of North Hill 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.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of North Hill which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"NORTH-HILL, a parish in the N. division of the hundred of East, county Cornwall, 6½ miles S. by W. of Launceston, and 9 W. of Callington. The parish, which is of large extent, contains, beside the village of its own name, the hamlets of Bath Pool, Coad's Green, Congdon Shop, Illand, and Trebartha. It is bounded on the N. by the river Inny, and intersected by the Lynher, or Lynhoe, a branch of the Hamoaze. The soil is light, upon a subsoil of granite and slate. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats, green crops, and grass. The substratum abounds in good building stone, especially in the southern portion, where granite predominates, and is extensively wrought at the Kilmar quarries. Vast quantities of this stone have recently been sent to London by the Cheesering Company for building the new Westminster Bridge. Manganese is found, and in the S. some stream tin works have been opened. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £538, and the glebe comprises 50 acres, valued at £60. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Exeter, value £411. The church, dedicated to St. Torney, is an ancient structure of granite, with a lofty embattled tower crowned with pinnacles and containing a peal of six bells. The porch has a groined ceiling of granite, and in the interior of the church are two monuments, one to the Vincents of Battens, and the other to the Spoure family, once the owners of Trebartha Hall. At Trebartha and Landreyne were formerly chapels of ease. There are places of worship for Wesleyans and Bryanites, also National and Sunday schools. The principal residence is Trebartha Hall, situated in a small park, watered by a tributary stream of the Lynher, which forms in its course a series of cascades. Arthur's Hall is an opening in the rock 60 feet long by 35 feet broad, and on a neighbouring for are several rock basins called "Arthur's troughs.""

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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

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 North Hill ecclesiastical parish:

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Land & Property

The Parliamentary Survey (not currently available online 8/18) of the Duchy of Cornwall was undertaken in 1649 to 1650 to record and value all the lands in the Duchy that had been owned by the Crown. A transcript of this survey with explanatory notes was published by the Devon & Cornwall Record Society in 1982 and 1984, it was edited by NJG Pounds.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX266767 (Lat/Lon: 50.564541, -4.449941), North Hill which are provided by:

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Occupations

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

North Hill parish was part of the Launceston Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.

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Population

  • Population in 1801 - 782 persons
  • Population in 1811 - 803 persons
  • Population in 1821 - 1089 persons
  • Population in 1831 - 1155 persons
  • Population in 1841 - 1217 persons
  • Population in 1851 - 1193 persons
  • Population in 1861 - 1263 persons
  • Population in 1871 - 1392 persons
  • Population in 1881 - 1059 persons
  • Population in 1891 - 971 persons
  • Population in 1901 - 830 persons
  • Population in 1911 - 771 persons
  • Population in 1921 - 688 persons
  • Population in 1931 - 696 persons
  • Population in 1951 - 736 persons
  • Population in 1961 - 665 persons
  • Population in 1971 - 650 persons
  • Population in 1981 - 760 persons
  • Population in 1991 - 836 persons
  • Population in 2001 - 917 persons
  • Population in 2011 - 1019 persons
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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 North Hill are available on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 7235 acres of land and 25 acres of water.