Cornwall

Nearby places

St Columb Major

Often referred to just as St Columb, the large parish of St Columb Major, (Cornish: Sen Kolomm Veur), is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of Pydar. It is bounded on the north by Little Petherick and St Issey, on the east by St Wenn, Roche and St Dennis, on the south by St Enoder and Colan, and on the west by St Columb Minor, Mawgan-in-Pydar and St Ervan. A whole area of North Cornwall bears the name of St Columb; it is divided between the parishes of St Columb Major and St Columb Minor. Until relatively recently these were known as Higher and Lower St Columb. These parishes are both named after their patron, Saint Columba.

William of Worcester wrote of an ancient castle at Carloggas, which was in ruins in the medieval period in which he lived; also of a turretted mansion, which had belonged to John Tregoos Esq., but of these no vestiges remain. About two miles south-east of St Columb town stands Castle-an-Dinas, which appears to have been from the pre-Roman Iron Age period. There are other relics from this period in the parish. The Arundells were the most influential family here; Sir John Arundell, who died in 1379, lies buried in the church.

The town of St Columb is built on an eminence, and had a number of good-quality houses. Edward III granted a market here to Sir John Arundell in 1333. A little below the town to the eastwards stood the St Columb Union Workhouse. The principal villages in the parish are: Glivian, Halloon, Lanhizey, Rosedinick, Rosevanion, Ruthvoes (or Ruthvos), Tolskedy, Tregamere, Tregaswith, Tregatilian, Trekenning, Trebadannon, Trevarron, Trevolgas and Trugo. A number of mines were worked in the parish - both tin and manganese; there was also much good farming.

Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church - 350 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. 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 St Columb Major (HO107/149), Enumeration Districts 2 to 6 [and Workhouse], is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
• 1851.
  • The 1851 Census of St Columb Major (HO107/1905) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
    • Enumeration Districts 2a and 2b [including Workhouses].
    • Enumeration District 2c, 2d and 2e.
  • UK Genogold have produced a list of over 2000 records covering around two-thirds of the 1851 census of St Columb Major: 400+ households, over 2000 people. You can search on a household unit or a name recorded at St Columb Major.
• 1861. The 1861 Census of St Columb Major (RG9/1542) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 and 2.
  • Enumeration Districts 3 [including Workhouse] and 4.
• 1871. The 1871 Census of St Columb Major is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • RG10/2255. Enumeration Districts 1k, 2c, 3d [including Workhouses], and 4c.
  • RG10/2256. Merchant Shipping at St Columb.
• 1881. The 1881 Census of St Columb Major (RG11/2296) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 [including Workhouse] to 4.
  • Enumeration District 5.
• 1891. The 1891 Census of St Columb Major (RG12/1819) is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project as follows:
  • Enumeration Districts 1 to 3 (including Workhouse).
  • Enumeration Districts 4 to 6 (including schools).

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Church History

• Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW9163 and is supposed to be dedicated to St Columba the Virgin, but there is no written record of this; adjacent to the parish is the smaller parish of St Columb Minor. It is not known whom St Columba was, but some historians believe she may have been a French saint. Like the majority of Cornish Churches, the Parish Church of St Columb is dedicated in the name of a Celtic Saint-Columba. She was a holy woman who probably came from Ireland to preach the Gospel to fellow Celts here and in Brittany. According to tradition Columba was pursued up the river by a heathen tyrant who wished her to marry his son, and was martyred at Ruthvoes, about 2 1/2 miles from St Columb Town. (Columba in Latin means a Dove- the emblem of tenderness and purity).
  The church occupies a splendid position at the head of the Vale of Lanherne. The site was quite possibly a large tumulus or burying place in pre-Christian times. but we know that a church has occupied it for at least 1000 years.
  The church building has a cathedral-like appearance; it was erected in about the 12th century. It comprises a chancel, north and south chancel aisles, north and south transepts, nave, and north and south aisles. The chancel arcades are of two arches each, and the nave arcades each of three lofty pointed arches. The material is chiefly Pentewan stone, but occasionally Caen stone is used. The aisles are separated from the transepts by transverse arches. The south chancel aisle was formerly a peculiar chapel for the Arundell family, and thereunder several of them are buried. In 1676 some youths set fire to a store of gunpowder which was kept in the church for defence which resulted in their death and great damage to the church. Money was raised locally and the church was rebuilt. In the course of further repairs in 1846, much medieval frescos (wall paintings) were discovered.
  The tower stands about 80 feet in height and is unusually built with a passage beneath, wide enough to admit carts; it formed a right of way to parishioners to the college. It is of three stages; the first stage is open - having north and south arches. It is buttressed on the square, has battlements and pinnacles and contains eight bells. The tower was damaged by lightning in 1690.
  Details about the plans of the modern church are available on-line.
  
  A chapel in this parish, dedicated to St Thomas, was licensed on 21st December 1374. The Arundell chapel, attached to the church, is said to have been built by Refry Arundell, who died in 1310, and for whom there was formerly a memorial in the church. Further information about the church in the 21st century is available.
• Non-Conformist. There were several non-conformist chapels in the parish.

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Church Records

• LDS Church Records.
  • The LDS Church batch numbers for St Columb Major are: C031221, Bethesda Chapel Independent C065381. These are searchable by surname.
  • The IGI coverage of this parish is 1540 - 1780; it is NOT believed to be fully included in the LDS Church's International Genealogical Index (IGI).
• The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1540 - 1964, Burials 1539 - 1965, Marriages 1544 - 1970, Boyd's Marriage Index 1539 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1800 - 1812, Non-Conformist records 1795 - 1837.
• The Cornwall Family History Society have published on-line transcripts of:
  • 1813-37 Marriages
  • 1813-37 Burials
• Baptisms.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD baptisms 1680 to 1780 for this parish.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD: baptisms (1839 to 1900) of the St Columb Wesleyan Methodist Circuit. Areas include: St Columb, Summercourt, Newquay, Padstow, St Stephens, St Enoder, St Dennis, St Issey, St Wenn and Colan.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD baptisms (1838 to 1900) of the St Columb Bible Christian Circuit. Areas include: St Columb, St Dennis, St Stephens, St Enoder, Roche, St Mawgan, Ladock, Newquay, St Wenn, St Eval, St Merryn and Perranzabuloe.
  • Cornwall Legacy have also published on CD, baptisms (1838 to 1900) of the St Ervan Bible Christian Circuit. The Circuit covers St Ervan, St Breock, St Wenn, St Issey, Padstow, Roche, St Dennis, St Columb, St Merryn, St Eval, St Enoder, Little Petherick, Egloshayle, Wadebridge, Mawgan-in-Pydar and Colan.
• Marriages.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1544 to 1837, which is available in CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
  • The Cornish Forefathers' Society have published on CD marriages, 1598 to 1780, for this parish.
• Burials.
  • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in CD or Book formats.
• Other Non-Conformist Records. OPC Coverage of Non-Conformist records of this parish is available.
• Mixed Records.
  • Cornwall Legacy have published on CD: parish baptisms (1540 to 1780), Marriages (1544 to 1780) and Burials (1539 to 1780).
  • UK Genogold have produced a list of baptisms, marriages, burials and graves recorded at St Columb Major and Minor. The bulk of these currently relate to burials at St Columb Major.
  • Esther Scott has produced a list of some baptisms, marriages and burials, which are recorded in the St Columb Major parish registers.

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Civil Registration

The parish of St Columb Major was originally in the St Columb Registration District. There were sub-districts at Newlyn, Padstow and St Columb Major, but these have now been abolished. It is now in the Registration District of St Austell. Parishes within the old St Columb district were: Colan, Crantock, Cubert, Little Petherick, Mawgan-in-Pydar, Newlyn, Newquay, Padstow, St. Breock, St. Columb Major, St. Columb Minor, St. Enoder, St. Ervan, St. Eval, St. Issey, St. Merryn, St. Wenn.

The Superintendant Registrar of St Austell can be contacted at: 12 Carlyon Road, St Austell, PL25 4LD. Tel: 01726 68974. Fax: 01726 68974.

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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).
• Photographs of St Columb Major are available on-line.
• Further information and photographs relating to this parish are available.
• There is a website devoted to St Columb Major, which includes some items of historic interest.

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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.
• Susan Old is also undertaking the reconstruction of parishes in the Hundred of Pydar. Information and a point of contact on this project can be found on-line.
• There is a mailing list for St Columb Major. The list discusses all genealogy to do with the town and parish. To join or leave a list, send an email to: eng-cornwall-st-columb-major-l@rootsweb.com with the single word 'subscribe' or unsubscribe (as appropriate) in the text. The subscribing/unsubscribing (joining/leaving) process is entirely automatic. It should be realised that there isn't any person involved in adding or subtracting list members, so such messages should not be sent to the mailing list itself; they will not be actioned.
• British-Genealogy also have a mailing list for those wanting to discuss ancestry in St Columb Major.

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Historical Geography

• Carworgie (Careuurga, Carewrge, Carevrga), Grid Reference 904602.
• Trevornick (Trefornoc, Trefoznohc), Grid Reference 927653.

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Land & Property

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Maps

• Map of the St Austell Registration district in which the parish lies.
• An old map of the parish of St Columb Major in the 19th century is also available.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• St Columb Major parish was part of the St Columb Major Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief; this workhouse was located within this parish.
• The St Columb Major Union Workhouse was built in about 1840 on a site at the north of St Columb Major. It was designed by George Gilbert Scott and his partner William Bonython Moffatt who were also the architects for other Cornish workhouses. Intended to accommodate 150 inmates, the Poor Law Commissioners authorised the sum of £5,150 on its construction.
  The Union comprised the parishes of St Breock, St Columb Major, St Columb Minor, Colan, Crantock, Cubert, St Ervan, St Eval, St Enoder, St Issey, Little Petherick, St Merryn, Mawgan-in-Pydar, Newlyn East, Padstow and St Wenn.
• Overseers' Accounts (1828 to 1856) for St Columb Major parish are available in the Cornwall Record Office.

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Population

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Societies

The St Columb Major Old Cornwall Society News Page is on-line.

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Statistics

The parish comprises 12875 acres of land and 9 acres of water.

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