Cornwall

Nearby places

Probus

The parish of Probus, (Cornish: Lannbroboes), is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of Powder. It is bounded on the north by Ladock and St Stephen-in-Brannel, on the east by Grampound, Creed, and Cuby, on the south by Cornelly, Lamorran, and Merther, and on the west by St Clement's and St Erme. It is named after St Probus, to whom the church is dedicated and about whom nothing is known. The parish is directly north of Tregony, the village being on the A390 between Truro and St.Austell. A new by-pass has considerably reduced traffic on this road through the village. The church, constructed of Cornish granite, dominates the village. The 125ft tower is the highest in the county.

The parish is mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086, as follows:

The Canons of St Probus hold PROBUS. During his life, King Edward (the Confessor) held it. 1 h. and 1 v. of land. It never paid tax. Land for for 8 ploughs; 4½ ploughs there; 5 slaves, 3 villagers and 8 smallholders. Pasture, 20 acres, 20 cattle; 160 sheep. Value 40 shillings.

The Churchtown is a large village; the other main village is Tresillian, part of which lies outside this parish.

Cemeteries

• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church - 1474 entries.
• Some gravestones from Probus are available.

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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 Probus (HO107/148), Enumeration Districts 6 to 8 [including parish Workhouse] and part of Enumeration District 2, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1851.
  • The 1851 Census of Probus (HO107/1909), Enumeration Districts 1a, 1b and 1c (including Workhouses), 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; Probus is listed in Volume 17. 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 Probus (RG9/1552), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1871. The 1871 Census of Probus (RG10/2272), Enumeration Districts 1B, 2B, 3E and 3 [Schools], is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of Probus (RG11/2306), Enumeration Districts 1 to 3 [including Schools], is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of Probus is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG12/1825. Enumeration District 1 (Probus).
  • RG12/1826. Enumeration Districts 1 to 3.

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Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW8947 and was dedicated to St Probus & St Grace. It consists of a chancel, nave, and north and south aisles. The south arcade has five lofty pointed arches, and the north seven; the material is porcelain stone. The entrances are a south porch, a north porch, and a priest's door. The north wall of the church is heavily buttressed. The tower is the tallest in Cornwall; it is built entirely of St Stephen's porcelain stone. It has three stages, and is finished with battlements and eight crocketed pinnacles of 13 feet in height - each pinnacle supported by four lesser ones - making 40 altogether! This imposing structure is 108 feet in height to the battlements. The tower is buttressed on the square, every buttress terminating in a crocketed pinnacle.
  Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
• Non-Conformist. There are Wesleyan Methodist chapels in the Churchtown and in that part of Tresillian village which is in this parish.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for Probus are: C053011/2, C023141, Wesleyan Methodists C065321. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage of this parish is 1597 - 1875; it is NOT believed to be fully included in the LDS Church's International Genealogical Index (IGI).
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1642 - 1979, Burials 1641 - 1939, Marriages 1641 - 1981, Boyds Marriage Index 1641 - 1812, BTs 1597 - 1670, Wesleyan Church Baptisms 1837 - 1910.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
  • Pre 1813 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Burials.
• Baptisms.
  • The Parish Chest have published on CD, baptisms 1694 to 1850 for the parish of Probus.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have also published on CD, baptisms 1694 to 1850 for this parish.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1863 to 1900) of the Truro Bible Christian Circuit. The Circuit covers Truro (all parishes), St Allen, Probus, Grampound, Perran, Creed, Gwennap, Cornelly, Goonhavern, Kea, Tregony and St Agnes.
• Marriages.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1597 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
  • Phillimore's marriages 1641 to 1812 for this parish are available on-line through the OPC search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Phillimore's Marriages of Probus 1641 to 1812 are also 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 or CD formats.
• Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC Coverage of Non-Conformist records of this parish is available.

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Civil Registration

The parish of Probus has been in the Truro Registration District continuously from 1st July 1837. There were sub-districts at Kea, Kenwyn, Probus, St. Agnes, St. Clement and St Just-in-Roseland, but these have now been abolished. Parishes in this registration district are: Cornelly, Cuby, Feock, Gerrans, Kea, Kenwyn, Ladock, Lamorran, Merther, Perranzabuloe, Philleigh, Probus, Ruan Lanihorne, St. Agnes, St. Allen, St. Anthony in Roseland, St. Clement, St. Erme, St. Feock, St. Just in Roseland, St. Michael Penkevil, Tregavethan, Tregony St. James, Truro St. Mary, Veryan.

The address of the Registration Office is: Dalvenie House, New County Hall, Truro, TR1 3AY.
Tel: 01872 322241.

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Description & Travel

Photographs of Probus are available on-line.

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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 for Probus has produced a genealogical website for the parishes of Probus and Cornelly, and offers searches of parish documents and records.

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Historical Geography

• Carvean (Carbihan), Grid Reference 882478.
• Helland (Henlant, Henland), Grid Reference 901491.
• Probus (Lanbrabois, Lanbrebois), Grid Reference 899477.
• Tregeagle (Treghingala, Tregingale), Grid Reference 867470.
• Trenowth (Trenuwit, Trenwit), Grid Reference 930506.
• Trewirgie (Trewitghi), Grid Reference 889451.

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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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Maps

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

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Names, Geographical

Places in Probus parish are listed on-line.

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Names, Personal

Family names of Probus and Cornelly families which appear most frequently in the OPC's database are listed.

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Occupations

Apprenticeship Indentures for Probus (1740 - 1830) can be found in the Cornwall Record Office.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Probus parish was part of the Truro Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.
• Overseers' Accounts (1731 to 1820), Settlement Papers (1706 to 1718) and Bastardy Bonds (1737 to 1810), are available in the Cornwall Record Office.

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Population

From 1951, the population figures include Cornelly.

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Religion and 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 Probus are available on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 8084 acres of land, 12 acres of water and one acre of tidal water.

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