Hide

Cornelly

hide
Hide

The parish of Cornelly (Cornish: Gorgoes) is situated in the Deanery and Hundred of Powder. It is bounded on the north by Probus, on the east by Cuby, Tregony St James, Veryan and Ruan Lanihorne, on the south by Lamorran creek, and on the west by Lamorran. The parish is thought to be named after its patron: St Cornelly, or possibly taken from an unknown local word. This is a sparsley-populated parish which, for civil purposes, was absorbed by Tregony in 1934.

There is no village of Cornelly and the little church of St Cornelius is tucked away down a lane off a by-road between Probus and Tregony. Cornelly has within it the hamlets of Penvose, Trelasker, Trewarthenick, Killiow, Freewater, Grogarth and is bounded on the east by the river Fal.

Most parish and church description(s) on these pages are from Lake's Parochial History of the County of Cornwall by J Polsue (Truro, 1867 - 1873)

Hide
topup

Cemeteries

The Cornwall Family History Society have published Monumental Inscriptions for the Parish Church - 118 entries.

topup

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.
Specific census information for this parish is available as follows:

  • 1841. The 1841 Census of Cornelly (HO107/147) (Enumeration District 3), is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1851.
    • The 1851 Census of Cornelly (HO107/1909) (Enumeration District 6), 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; Cornelly 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.
  • 1861. The 1861 Census of Cornelly (RG9/1552), (Enumeration District 8), is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1871 The 1871 Census of Cornelly (RG10/2273), Enumeration District 8A, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1881. The 1881 Census of Cornelly (RG11/2306), Enumeration District 8, is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
  • 1891. The 1891 Census of Cornelly (RG12/1826) (Enumeration District 8), is available on-line from the Cornwall Online Census project.
topup

Church History

  • Anglican. The parish church is located in OS Grid Square SW9145 and was dedicated to St Cornelly. St Cornelly (or in Latin Cornelius) was the patron saint of all animals until the time of St Francis of Assisi. He is not the saint of horned animals. This saint is also patron to two churches in Brittany those of Carnac and Morbihan. The existing church stands on a raised site, overlooking the valley of the River Fal, which could have been an Iron age round. The present building seems to have begun in the 13th Century. It is possible that Brittany sailors brought the faith to this area of Cornwall. whilst it is difficult to recognise it now, the river Fal was at one time navigable to a point above Tregony, and the town was an important port, predating possibly Falmouth and certainly Truro. It wasn't until the reign of Henry VIII (1509- 1547) that it ceased to be primarily a port.
    The church comprises a chancel, nave and a short north aisle (called the Gregor aisle, which was wholly appropriated to the use of that family); it is separated from the chancel by an arcade of two obtuse arches of granite. There is a south porch and a north door. The tower is of three stages and is battlemented; it is very small, internally measuring only three feet by three feet six inches. It contained one bell.
    From 1333 until 1973, the church was under the care of the Vicar of Probus but this duty has now switched to the vicar of Cuby-with-Tregony.
  • Non-Conformist. It is not clear what chapels (if any) the Non-Conformists held in Cornelly.
topup

Church Records

  • LDS Church Records.
    • The LDS Church batch numbers for Cornelly are: C022241/2, M022241. These are searchable by surname.
    • The IGI coverage of this parish is 1561 - 1875.
  • The Cornwall Record Office holdings: Baptisms 1561 - 1947, Burials 1561 - 1956, Marriages 1679 - 1897, Boyd's Marriage Index 1612 - 1812, Pallot's Marriage Index 1800 - 1812, BTs 1612 - 1673.
  • Baptisms.
    • Baptisms in the parish 1660 to 1913 are also available on-line through the OPC Search Facility - (C-PROP).
  • Marriages.
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Marriages 1612 to 1837, which is available in Book, CD or downloadable .pdf file formats.
    • Phillimore's Marriages in the parish 1679 to 1811, and parish transcripts 1842 to 1897, are available on-line through the OPC Search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • Phillimore's Marriages of Cornelly 1679 to 1812 are available on-line from UK Genealogy Archives.
  • Burials.
    • Burials in the parish 1685 to 1772 (Bishop's Transcripts), and 1813 to 1903 (parish transcripts), are also available on-line through the OPC Search Facility - (C-PROP).
    • The Cornwall Family History Society have published transcripts of: Parish Burials 1813 to 1837, which is available in Book format.
topup

Civil Registration

The parish of Cornelly is in the Truro Registration District and has been since 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.

topup

Description & Travel

    You can see pictures of Cornelly which are provided by:

    topup

    Gazetteers

    The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

    "CORNELLY, a parish in the western division of the hundred of Powder, in the county of Cornwall, 6 miles E. of Truro, and 1 mile from Tregony. Its ancient name was Grogoth. The soil is poor, on a substratum of slate. There is no village, only a few scattered houses. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Exeter, value £47, in the patronage of the Vicar of Probus. The church, dedicated to St. Cornelius, is a small edifice."

    topup

    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.
    topup

    Historical Geography

    The Domesday Settlements of Cornwall, a study undertaken by the Cornwall Branch of the Historical Association, has identified and located settlements listed in the Exeter and Exchequer Domesday Survey of AD 1086. The following places have been identified in Cornelly ecclesiastical parish:

    topup

    Maps

    You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SW908442 (Lat/Lon: 50.261001, -4.93711), Cornelly which are provided by:

    topup

    Poor Houses, Poor Law

    Cornelly parish was part of the Truro Union for Poor Law administration and parish relief.

    topup

    Population

    The parish became part of the parish of Cuby-with-Tregony for civil purposes in 1934. From this date population figures are included with that parish.

    Most parish and church description(s) on these pages are from Lake's Parochial History of the County of Cornwall by J Polsue (Truro, 1867 - 1873)

    • Population in 1801 - 137 persons
    • Population in 1811 - 151 persons
    • Population in 1821 - 168 persons
    • Population in 1831 - 170 persons
    • Population in 1841 - 119 persons
    • Population in 1851 - 102 persons
    • Population in 1861 - 99 persons
    • Population in 1871 - 92 persons
    • Population in 1881 - 93 persons
    • Population in 1891 - 84 persons
    • Population in 1901 - 71 persons
    • Population in 1911 - 79 persons
    • Population in 1921 - 55 persons
    • Population in 1931 - 77 persons
    topup

    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 1642 for Cornelly are available on-line.

    topup

    Statistics

    The parish comprised 1361 acres of land and 7 acres of water.