Cornwall

Nearby places

Phillack

The parish of Phillack, (Cornish: Sen Felek), is located to the north of Hayle, and is now one of Nature Conservancy's Sites of Special Scientific Importance. It was situated in the Deanery and Hundred of Penwith; it is bounded on the north by Gwithian, on the east by Gwinear, on the south St Erth, and on the west by St Ives Bay and Hayle estuary - the latter separates it from Lelant. This is an area of sand dunes stretching from the mouth of the Hayle river at Riviere Towans, northwards to Godrevy Point. It is not mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086, but the site once appeared to have a Celtic monastery.

The parish church is dedicated to an unknown saint, Felek. St Elwyn in Hayle was created from part of this parish 1888. In 1935 Phillack was amalgamated with Hayle civil parish.

Cemeteries

• The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church - 1900 entries.
• Monumental Inscriptions for Phillack are also available on-line.

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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 Phillack (HO107/143) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 and 2.
  • Enumeration Districts 3 [including Merchant Shipping] and 4.
• 1851.
  • The 1851 Census of Phillack (HO107/1916) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • Enumeration Districts 3a and 3b.
    • Enumeration District 3c and 3d.
  • Part of the 1851 Census of Phillack is also available from the West-Penwith resources as part of the 1851 British Census 2% sample - Cornwall.
  • The New Zealand Society of Genealogists have compiled separate surname indexes of the 1851 Census for each Cornish registration district. Entries for Philleigh are contained in Volume 38. 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 from which it can be purchased.
• 1861. The 1861 Census of Phillack (RG9/1586) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 and 2.
  • Enumeration District 3.
  • Enumeration District 4.
• 1871.
  • The 1871 Census of Phillack (RG10/2327), s available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • RG10/2327. Enumeration District 3.
    • RG10/2328.
  • The 1871 Census of Phillack is also available from the Cornwall Family History Society.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Phillack (RG11/2337), Enumeration District 4, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of Phillack (RG12/1852) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration District 3.
  • Enumeration Districts 4 and 5 (part).
  • Phillack Merchant Shipping.

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Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW5638 and was dedicated to St Felicitas. On this site probably there was an original wooden oratory, followed around 700 A.D. with a stone chapel. It is more than likely this was situated under the nave and chancel of the later Norman Church.
  During the 15th century the tower was added, possibly encroaching on the western end of the Norman work. The northern aisle was built at this time replacing the older north transept, and the doorway, formerly at the western end, was moved to the position in which it stands today. At the same time, the Norman altar was replaced by a larger construction. Fragments of the rood screen and carved benches have been incorporated into the modern pulpit.
  The parish population quadrupled between 1801 and 1871, largely due to the growth of Hayle as an industrial centre. The church was nearly completely re-built in 1856/57 to increase the accomodation available inside the church; only the tower remained virtually untouched.
  The church comprises a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, and a vestry. The tower is 57 feet in height; it has three stages, and is finished with battlements, crocketed pinnacles and a pyramidical roof surmounted with a vane.
  Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
  A history of Phillack church is on-line.
• Non-Conformist. The arrangements for Non-Conformists in this parish have not yet been determined.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for Phillack are: C0223191/2/3, E023191, M023191/2. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage of this parish is 1561 - 1875.
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1560 - 1966, Burials 1560 - 1985, Marriages 1572 - 1971, Boyd's Marriage Index 1572 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1790 - 1812, Non-Conformist records 1819 - 1837.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
  • Pre 1813 Marriages.
  • 1813-37 Marriages.
  • Burials 1813-37.
• Baptisms.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD baptisms 1716 to 1840 for this parish.
  • Baptisms (1560 to 1899) at Phillack parish church are available on-line from the OPC.
  • Baptisms (1815 to 1837) at Phillack Copperhouse Wesleyan Chapel are available on-line from the OPC.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1866 to 1900) of the Hayle Wesleyan Methodist Circuit. The area covers Hayle, Phillack, Breage, Crowan, Gwinear, St Erth and Gwithian.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, records of the Hayle Wesleyan Circuit (Wall Section). These include: baptisms (1862 to 1900), Wall Chapel marriages (1867-1884, 1899-1900, Connor Downs Chapel baptisms 1900. The areas covers Hayle, Phillack, Breage, Crowan, Ludgvan, Gwinear, Copperhouses, St Erth and Gwithian.
• Marriages.
  • A marriage index 1813 to 1879 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Phillimore's Marriages at Phillack - 1572 to 1812 are available on-line.
  • Marriages (1572 to 1899) at Phillack are available on-line from the UK Genealogy Archives.
• Burials.
  • Burials (1577 to 1884) at Phillack are available on-line from UK Genealogy Archives.

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Civil Registration

The parish of Phillack 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 Camborne-Redruth. 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 Camborne-Redruth is: Roskear, Camborne, TR14 8DN. Tel: 01209 612924.

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Description & Travel

• An aerial view of Hayle and the surrounding area is available on-line, courtesy of Multimap.com.
• Photographs of Phillack are available on-line.
• More pictures of Phillack are also available.

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Directories

The entry for the Parish of Phillack in 1873 from the Kelly's Directory of Cornwall - 1973 is available on-line.

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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 OPC for Phillack has produced a genealogical website for the parish.
• Strays. Persons living in a parish but born elsewhere are known as "Strays". Strays found in the 1851 Census of Phillack are available on-line.
• Those researchers, with family history interests in Phillack and Hayle, are listed on-line together, where appropriately, with email links.

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Land & Property

• The parish and town tithe maps, and accompanying survey books of c1840, provide a fascinating snap-shot of land use and ownership in the 19th century. In order to preserve the documents and improve access to them, the Cornwall Record Office are digitising these maps and survey books. The CD ROM tithe package include a map and survey books, together with a reader, for this parish; it is now available from the Cornwall Record Office. Details are on their website.

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Manors

• The Manorial Documents Register (MDR), maintained by the Historical Documents Commission notes that, so far as can be established, the parish of Phillack contained only the manor of Connerton, which was also associated with the parish of Gwithian.
• The MDR contains the following information for this manor:
  • Accounts with other manors 1387-1797 (non consecutive), court rolls 1488-90, 1524, 1570-75, 1742, court rolls (copies) 1588-89, court rolls with other manors 1451, 1557-65, 1572-73, court books with other manors 1670-75, 1733-37, 1792-96, rentals with other manors 1460-65, 1499, 1571, 1578, 1586-1603, 1618, c1627, 1662-1799, list of freehold tenants 1715, accounts, bills and expenses rel to court dinner 1712-42, court expenses 1704, presentments with other manors 1732-72, presentments (extracts and copies 1695-1759 rel to right of wreck), papers rel to right of wreck c1750, court proceedings 1755, notes and extracts (incl from court roll 1594 and from audit book 1582-1668) rel to right of wreck made 1755 and survey 1673 in Cornwall Record Office, Old County Hall, Truro TR1 3AY (ref: AR/2/92-98, 740, 749-51, 755-6, 768, 778-9, 782-816, 818, 885-12151337, 1340-79; AR/3/88-96; AR/15/48-9, 68, 101, 117-18, 138).
  • Account roll with other manors 1575-76 in Cornwall Record Office (ref: DDX 609).
• Further information on Manor Houses in Phillack parish can be found online.

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Maps

• Map of the Penzance Registration District in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of Phillack in the 19th century is also available.
• There are some other maps of Phillack and Hayle available.

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Newspapers

• Newspaper Extracts. Pages containing extracts from newspapers of the time that report events at Phillack or Hayle are available on-line. The extracts are courtesy of the willing band of transcribers and cover: Birth, Death, Marriage announcements and other news items

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Occupations

• Some of the people who were connected with the Cornish Copper Company of Hayle, which was located in Phillack, are listed on-line.
• Information on Mines in the Hayle area, is available on-line.
• Information on shipbuilding in the area is also available on-line.
• Some information on 18th and 19th Century Inns and Innkeepers in Hayle and Phillack, by John Higgans, is available.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Phillack parish was part of the Redruth Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
• Settlement papers (1695 to 1828) and Bastardy Bonds (1729 - 1828), are available in the Cornwall Record Office

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Population

Hayle St Elwyn parish was created from part of this parish in 1888.
Phillack was incorportated into Hayle (St Elwyn) parish in 1935. In 1891, West Phillack contained 694 persons, and in 1901 the population was 668; after 1931 Phillack population figures were included as part of Hayle.

A STUDY OF THE POPULATION OF THE PARISH OF PHILLACK by John Higgans (and taken from Old Cornwall Magazine, published in Autumn 1969 on pages 222 -231) is available on-line.

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Probate Records

• Wills & Admons for Phillack parish, 1660-1768 are available on-line.

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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 1641 for Phillack are available on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 2905 acres of land, 4 acres of water, 29 acres of tidal water and 279 acres of foreshore.

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