CORNWALL ONLINE PARISH CLERKS - helping bring the past alive


The parish of

CONSTANTINE

Constantine
The Parish Church

Constantine is situated in the deanery and Hundred of Kerrier, and is one of the largest Parishes in Cornwall. In 1869, it was bounded on the east by Budock and Mawnan, on the south by Helford Creek, which separates it from Manaccan, St Martins and Mawgan-in-Meneage, and on the west and north by Wendron, Stithians and Mabe. The parish is named after its patron, Saint Constantine. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Saint Constantin.

The population of the parish is just over 2,000, about half living in the village of Constantine itself, and the rest in other smaller villages or hamlets - Gweek, Seworgan, Brill, Port Navas, Budock Vean, Helford Passage - or on isolated farms.

On approaching Constantine, the high tower of the Church stands prominently upon an ancient mound that is probably the remains of an original Celtic monastery. Built between 1420-1480, it is dedicated to St. Constantine who, according to legend, was a chieftain or prince around the 5th century A.D. From the main porch the view southwards is superb, with a deep valley ahead and the Goonhilly Downs beyond.

Employment over the centuries has centred on the river, farming and granite quarries. Now, with very little quarrying done, and no schooners and barques using the river, tourism is very important, with lots of vessels enjoying the river with its beautiful creeks and small beaches. Walkers, garden lovers and golfers all recharge their batteries in this lovely area.


Cornwall Online Parish Clerks

The Online Parish Clerk for Constantine is Damien Willey, who can be contacted by Email.

Damien's website for this Parish can be viewed here.
 


PARISH INFORMATION

CENSUS:

Please visit COCP (Cornwall Online Census Project), which is complete for 1841 to 1891 and validated, FreeCens at Rootsweb - both are free, searchable databases - or check GenUKI for other alternatives.

REGISTERS:

For Parish Register information, please see our searchable database (C-PROP) which is updated frequently or GenUKI. The C-PROP coverage page is here.

DIRECTORIES:

Please visit the University of Leicester's Directories website, which has many directories online to view for free.

OTHER:

Bastardy/Filiation Documents:

  1. dated 31 Dec 1790, naming James MITCHELLS of this Parish

Voters Lists:

  1. 1832/34

For a document dated 28 Dec 1894, listing lunatic paupers, click here.

For more information regarding history, population, etc., visit GenUKI.

MAPS:

For a Parish Locator map, please click here. Constantine can be located at coordinates E - 2.

For further map information, please visit GenUKI (Genealogy - United Kingdom & Ireland).

To see a current, zoomable Ordnance Survey map, visit MultiMap, or for maps and satellite images use Google Maps.

ADJACENT PARISHES:

Budock, Mawnan, Mabe, Stithians and Wendron.

ONLINE BOOKS:

  1. Constantine is included in The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume I by Davies Gilbert, William Hals, Thomas Tonkin, Henry Samuel Boase, originally published in 1838 (page n276). Also downloadable as a pdf.
  2. The Circle, or Historical Survey of Sixty Parishes and Towns in Cornwall, by William Penaluna, first published in 1819.
  3. Phillimore's Marriages Vol XV transcripts including Constantine (transcribed and in our database)