Cornwall

Nearby places

St Gluvias, Penryn

This parish of St Gluvias, (Cornish: Bosheydhlann), was once known as Behethlan, Betheldan or Bohellan. It is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of Kerrier; it is bounded on the north by Perranarworthal and Mylor, on the east by Mylor and Budock, on the south by Mabe and on the west by Stithians. The area known as St Gluvias is actually part of the town of Penryn, whose name comes from the Cornish 'pen rynn', meaning the 'end of a point or promontory'. Penryn Town was founded by the Bishop of Exeter in 1216. Until the Reform Act of 1830, it was also a borough; as a result of that act, Penryn was united with Falmouth.

The town of Penryn lies north west of the port of Falmouth, projecting into the creeks of Falmouth harbour, and until recently was an active port situated at the head of a creek that leads into the sheltered Carrick Roads. The town is behind the main Falmouth to Truro road.

Penryn was the location of the Glasney Theological College which was consecrated in 1267.

Apart from the town of Penryn. the principal village of Gluvias is Ponsanooth, which had its own Wesleyan Methodist chapel to which a cemetery was attached, and a Primitive Methodist chapel. Other villages are Burnthouse, and Treluswell, which also had its own Methodist chapel.

Archives & Libraries

There is a Museum in Penryn:

Penryn Museum
Town Hall,
Higher Market St.,
Penryn
Cornwall TR10 8LT

Tel: 01326 372158

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Cemeteries

• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church - 3852 entries.
• The names inscribed on the War Memorial is 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 Census.
  • The 1841 Census of Penryn Borough (HO107/137), Enumeration Districts 1, 2, 3 [including schools], and 4 [including Workhouses], is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • The 1841 Census of St Gluvias parish with Ponsanooth Hamlet (HO107/137), Enumeration Districts 5 and 6, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • The 1841 census for this parish has also been filmed by the LDS church; film No. 241260.
• 1851.
  • The following 1851 Censuses for Penryn and St Gluvias (HO107/1911) are available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • The 1851 Census of St Gluvias parish (except Penryn), Enumeration Districts 1a and 1b.
    • The 1851 Census of Penryn Borough is available as follows:
      • Enumeration Districts 2a [including Workhouses] and 2b.
      • Enumeration Districts 2c and 2d [including schools].
  • The New Zealand Society of Genealogists have compiled separate surname indexes of the 1851 Census for each Cornish registration district; St Gluvias (Penryn) is listed in Volume 23. 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.
• 1861.
  • The 1861 Census of Penryn Borough (RG9/1567) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • Enumeration Districts 1 and 2.
    • Enumeration Districts 3 and 4 [including Merchant Shipping].
  • The 1861 Census of St Gluvias ecclesiastical parish (RG9/1567), Enumeration Districts 5 and 6, is also available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1871. The 1871 Census of St Gluvias and Penryn Borough is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG10/2296. Enumeration Districts 1, 2 [including Schools] and 3.
  • RG10/2297. Enumeration Districts 4, 5 and 6 [including Merchant Shipping].
• 1881. The 1881 Census of St Gluvias (including Penryn) (RG11/2319) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 to 3.
  • Enumeration Districts 4 to 6 [including Merchant Shipping].
• 1891. The 1891 Census of St Gluvias (including Penryn) (RG12/1837) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 and 2.
  • Enumeration Districts 3 and 4.
  • Enumeration Districts 5 and 6 [including Merchant Shipping].

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Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW7834 and was dedicated to St Gluvias the Martyr. St Gluvias is said to have been the nephew of St Petroc. In the 6th century the saint settled by the Penryn river. The area where the church now stands was known as Behethlan; and contained a monastic building. In 1266, Bishop Bronescombe, Bishop of Exeter, laid the foundation stone of Glasney colligate church. Funding for the upkeep of Glasney came from the funds collected by St Gluvias, St Budock and St Feock Churches. The incumbent of St Gluvias was pacified by a ruling of the Lateran Council which said a house had to be provided for the priest at a minimum income of five Marks.
  The church was dedicated on 25th July 1318. It comprises a cancel, nave, north and south aisles, extreme south aisle, north, south and west galleries, vestry and store-room. The roofs, which are semi-circular, and rest on moulded cornices, are supported by three rows of tall Composite columns, which give the structiure the appearance of some metropolitan churches. The tower is of three stages, is buttressed on the square, and is finished with battlements. It contains six bells.
  Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
  There was a separate Chapel of St. Mary in Penryn which had opened before 1322; it closed at the time of the dissolution in about 1546. There are no registers extant.
  Some useful history of the church in Penryn, including names, is available on-line, courtesy of the OPC.
• Non-Conformist.
  • A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1789 and enlarged in 1814; it was registered for marriages.
  • A Congregational chapel was built in 1805 and opened on 1st January 1806; it closed in 1934.
  • A Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1860.
  • A Bible Christian chapel was built in 1866. Further information, including lists of those involved with the Bible Christian chapel here, is available on-line, courtesy of the OPC.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for St Gluvias are: C022371/2/3, C053171, E035552, M035551/2. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage for St Gluvias is 1599 - 1876.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for Penryn are: Penryn New Street Independent C079371, Penryn Wesleyan Methodist C065271. These are also searchable by surname.
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1598 - 1975, Burials 1601 - 1975, Marriages 1599 - 1977, Boyd's Marriage Index 1599 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1800 - 1812, Non-Conformist records of Penryn 1806 - 1837.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
  • Pre 1813 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Burials.
• Baptisms.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD baptisms 1727 to 1831 for this parish.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1838 to 1852) of the Falmouth Wesleyan Circuit. These include two registers from Pikes Hill Chapel - baptisms 1871 to 1900 and 1889 to 1900, which include a few marriages. The Circuit covers Falmouth, Budock, Mylor, Stithians, Mawnan, St Gluvias, Wendron and Constantine.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1837 to 1900) of the Falmouth Wesleyan Circuit (Penryn Section), and Penryn Wesleyan Chapel marriages (1893 to 1899). The area covers Penryn, Mabe, Mawnan, Constantine, Budock, St Gluvias, Stithians, Flushing, Edgcumb and Mylor.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1837 to 1862) of the Falmouth Bible Christian Circuit. The area covers Falmouth, Camborne, Lanner, Penryn, Gwennap, St Agnes, and Kenwyn.
• Marriages.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1599 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
  • Marriages at St Gluvias 1867 to 1901 are on-line courtesy of the OPC.
  • Phillimore's Marriages at St Gluvias - 1599 to 1812 are available on-line from UK Genealogy Archives.
• Burials. The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book format.

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Civil Registration

The parish of St Gluvias, and town of Penryn, is in the Falmouth Registration District and has been since 1st July 1837; there were sub-districts at Constantine, Falmouth, Mylor and Penryn, but these have now been abolished. Parishes and towns within the district are: Budock, Constantine, Falmouth, Mabe, Mawnan, Mylor, Penryn, Perranarworthal and St. Gluvias. The Superintendant Registrar can be contacted at: Berkely House, 12-14 Berkeley Vale, Falmouth, TR11 3PH. Tel: 01326 312606.

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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).
• Bailey's Directory of 1783.
• Universal Commercial Directory of 1791.
• Holden's 1805 Commercial Directory.
• Pigot's 1823 Commercial Directory.
• Pigot's 1830 Commercial Directory.
• Pigot's 1844 Commercial Directory.

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Genealogy

• 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 has produced a website to help those researching their family history in Penryn.
• There is also another genealogical website for St Gluvias with Penryn.

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Historical Geography

• Cosawes (Cudawoit, Cvawoid), Grid Reference 761373.

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History

There is an Historical Timeline for Penryn on-line.

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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 Penryn; it is now available from the Cornwall Record Office. Details are on their website.
• Persons resident in Penryn in 1873, who owned more than an acre of land. These do not include those who owned land in Penryn but did not live there. The List does not include St. Gluvias.

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Maps

• Map of the Falmouth Registration District in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of St Gluvias in the 19th century is also available.
• An old map of Falmouth and Penryn (including St Gluvias) in 1835, is available from GENMAPS.

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Military Records

Some military records, including prisoners in the Napoleonic Wars, are available.

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Names, Personal

The OPC has placed on-line information about the Treneer and Warmington families in Penryn.

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Newspapers

Newspaper extracts about individuals resident in Penryn 1836 to 1900 are available on-line courtesy of the OPC.

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Politics & Government

A list of Members of Parliament 1553 to 1701 is available.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Penryn parish was part of the Falmouth Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
• Overseers of the Poor are listed.

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Population

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Religion & Religious Life

A list of the Vicars of St Gluvias is available on-line.

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Societies

The Penryn & Falmouth Old Cornwall Society News Page is on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 2142 acres of land.

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Taxation

• Those who partook in the Free and Voluntary Present to the King in 1661 are listed.
• A list of some of the Ratepayers on June 10, 1782 is available on-line.

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Town Records

• A List of the Names of Persons who receive Parochial Pay from the Borough of PENRYN [ca 1790] is available.
• A list of Capital Burgesses of 1823, is also available.

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