Cornwall

Nearby places

Poundstock

Poundstock, (Cornish: Treggorlann), is situated in the Deanery of Trigg Major and Hundred of Lesnewth. It is bounded on the north by Marhamchurch, on the east by Marhamchurch and Week St Mary, on the south by Jacobstow and St Gennys, and on the west by Widemouth Bay. The name Poundstock is Saxon and means 'cattle enclosure', and the cattle pound was a feature of the village for centuries.
From time immemorial a fair was held at Poundstock on Rogation Monday, and the revel or Dedication Festival is still observed on that day, the Monday before Ascension Day. It is recorded as Pondestock in the Domesday Book of 1086. A church has stood upon this spot for 14 centuries, and the mediaeval Guildhouse which stands nearby is the only surviving one of its kind in Cornwall.

Poundstock is a rural parish on the north coast between Bude and Boscastle. Penfound Manor to the east, was given to Robert, Count de Mortain, by William the Conqueror. The Archbishop of Canterbury came to the parish in 1282, after the Rector of Morwenstow had seized the church and installed his own man as incumbent. No sooner had the Archbishop departed than his candidate was evicted. In 1357, at a time of bitter rivalry amongst robbers and pirates in the area, the assistant curate, William Penfound, was hacked to death before the altar, and it is said that his ghost may still be seen. The last of the Penfounds died in the poorhouse in 1847. There is a tale of one Kate Penfound who attempted to elope with John Trebarfoot of Trebarfoot Manor. As she was leaving, her father intervened with his sword, and in the ensuing fight all three were killed.

The chief villages are the Churchtown, Tregole, and Treskinnick.

Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church - 467 entries.

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 Poundstock (HO107/140), Enumeration Districts 6 and 7, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1851.
  • The 1851 Census of Poundstock (HO107/1897), Enumeration District 4a, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • The New Zealand Society of Genealogists have compiled separate surname indexes of the 1851 Census for each Cornish registration district; Poundstock is listed in Volume 5. The booklets are available in Cornwall at the Cornwall Centre, (formerly known as the Cornish Studies Library), and is also available in the Cornwall FHS Library from which it can be purchased.
• 1861. The 1861 Census of Poundstock (RG9/1514) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration District 2B.
  • Enumeration District 1.
• 1871. The 1871 Census of Poundstock (RG10/2217), Enumeration Districts 1B and 2B, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Poundstock (RG11/2271), Enumeration Districts 1 and 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of Poundstock (RG12/1798), Enumeration Districts 7 and 8, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.

Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SX2099 and was originally dedicated to St Neot; it is now dedicated to St. Winwaloe. It consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle, and south transept. The arcade comprises six four-centred arches supported on granite pillars. In the north aisle, the arms of the Penfound family are displayed, dated 1638. There is a south porch a north door, and a priest's door. The tower is well-proportioned; it has four stages, and is finished with battlements and pinnacles. The belfry contained five bells.
  Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
• Non-Conformist. There was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel and also a Bible Christian one, adjoining the high road to Stratton.

Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for Poundstock are: C023121/2, E023122, M023121/2. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage for this parish is 1597 - 1875.
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1614 - 1974, Burials 1614 - 1974, Marriages 1614 - 1975, Boyd's Marriage Index 1597 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1790 - 1812, BTs 1597 - 1673.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
  • Pre 1813 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Burials
• Baptisms.
  • Baptisms 1754 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 1740 to 1838 for this parish.
• Marriages.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1597 to 1837, which is available in CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
  • Phillimore's marriages 1615 to 1814, and parish transcriptions 1813 to 1911, for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
• Burials.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book or CD formats.
  • Burials 1759 to 1903 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).

Civil Registration

The parish of Poundstock is in the Stratton Registration District, and has been since 1st July 1837; there were sub-districts at Kilhampton, Stratton and Week St Mary but these have now been abolished. Parishes within the district are: Jacobstow, Kilkhampton, Launcells, Marhamchurch, Morwenstow, Poughill, Poundstock, St. Gennys, Stratton, Stratton and Bude, Week St. Mary, Whitstone. The Superintendant Registrar can be contacted at: The Parkhouse Centre, Ergue Gaberic Way, Bude, EX23 8LF. Tel: 01288 353209.

Description & Travel

Photographs of Poundstock are available.

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.

Historical Geography

• Penfound (Penfou, Penfov), Grid Reference 220997.
• Penhalt (Pennalt), Grid Reference 193001.
• Poundstock (Podestot, Pondestoca, Pondestoch), Grid Reference 202995.
• Tregole (Tregal), Grid Reference 193980.
• Widemouth (Witemot), Grid Reference 203012.
• Woolston (Vlnotestona, Vlnodestone), Grid Reference 225021.

Maps

• Map of the Stratton Registration District in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of Poundstock in the 19th century is also available.

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Poundstock parish was part of the Stratton Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
• Overseers' Accounts (1742 to 1838) are available in the Cornwall Record Office.

Population

Statistics

The parish comprises 4798 acres of land, 2 acres of tidal water and 214 acres of foreshore.

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