The ancient town of St Columb Major has a wonderful Church at its heart. The tower is 15th century and 80 feet high with a passage from south to north through it that is as wide as a hand cart. This was a right of way to the College founded by Sir John Arundel in 1427 as the Church did not own the land on three sides of the tower until 1820.
The parish is bounded by St Ervan, Little Petherick, St Issey, St Wenn, Roche, St Dennis, St Enoder, Colan, St Columb Minor and St Mawgan in Pydar. Edward III granted a market in St Columb Major to Sir John Arundell in 1333. It is still a busy market town and the largest settlement in the parish. The Union Workhouse for 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 was built in St Columb Major town in about 1840. This means that a large number of "strays" from other parishes are recorded here in the censuses and baptismal registers.
As well as farming, there was mining in this parish.
The Online Parish Clerk for St Columb Major is Susan Old, who may be reached via Email.
I have been an OPC since the scheme began and have transcribed parish registers, and census returns - see below.
I keep my records in a unique form all stored in Family Treemaker 2005 and thus joined to all possible relations as far as they are known to me at this point in time. This record is not confined to my OPC parishes, which include St Eval, St Ervan, St Mawgan and St Merryn, but also covers other Parishes which may, or may not, have their own OPCs.
Susan
I have completed the transcriptions of all censuses up to & including 1881, and included the information in my database. You may view census transcriptions at FreeCen, COCP, and LDS FamilySearch (1881). GenUKI has information about alternatives, such as CDs and booklets to purchase.
Church records are extensive and are: Baptisms 1540-1964, Marriages 1544-1970 and Burials 1539-1965 all held at CRO. I am indebted to Moira Tangye for her wonderful register transcripts (up to January 1862 for baptisms and also marriages to 1875). There are selected burials too. These transcripts have all been incorporated into my database with her permission.
Please contact me for information.
For a transcription of a Bastardy Bond, dated 24 Sep 1812, naming William and James FLAMANK of this parish, click here.
A transcription of a Re-settlement Order between Padstow and St Columb Major, dated 10 May 1833, naming Samuel BREWER and his wife, Joan
To view a transcription of a bankruptcy indenture, dated 2 Apr 1898, involving Thomas HICKS of St Columb Major, click here.
I have other publications in my collection which I'll be glad to check, if you would please contact me at the address shown above.
For a Parish Locator map, please click here. St Columb Major can be located at coordinates F - 5.
For further map information, please visit GenUKI (Genealogy - United Kingdom & Ireland).
To see a current, zoomable Ordnance Survey map, please visit
MultiMap, or for maps and satellite
images use
Google Maps.
