|
|
|
|
Most of the historical records for Callington, Parish Registers, Census Records, Land Tax, etc. have been deposited at the Cornwall Record Office in Truro and can be viewed there. The Museum have transcripts of many of these records and wardens will readily assist any visitors with their research. Some research work can be undertaken for those unable to visit Callington personally. The following indexed parish register transcriptions are available on the shelf:-
Registers for Linkinhorne & St Ive are being completed and some registers for St Dominic, St Mellion and Stoke Climsland will also be available next season.
Census have been taken almost every 10 years from 1801. The early censuses did not contain names and all censuses after 1901 have protected information and limited access. The main censuses of use to historians are from 1841 to 1901. Callington Heritage Centre has the following:- Name index and transcriptions of:-
1901 census are being transcribed and will be available next spring. Censuses for St Mellion and St Dominic will be available shortly. Census CD’s The Heritage Centre has a complete set of CD’s which have copies of the enumerators sheets for all the census in Cornwall and Devon for the following years:- Cornwall 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 Devon 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 1881 and 1901 will be available as soon as they are published. These CDs do not have a name index, you have to search them page by page. You will find instructions on using these CDs on the Heritage Centre computer in the box by the side of the computer. Photocopies of the original pages can be ordered. Census on-line
Memorial Inscriptions [MIs] Further details can be obtained when a memorial with a monumental inscription is placed above the grave. For some of the non-conformist chapels in Callington no burial register is available, so the memorials provide the only details. The Local History Group have transcribed MIs in the following locations:- St Mary’s church yard Callington Town Cemetery, Liskeard Road South Hill church yard Golberdon Methodist Cemetery Linkinhorne church yard Rilla Mill Methodist church Upton Cross church yard Darley Methodist Burial Ground The above transcriptions are in a grey file on the book shelf. Upon request a pictorial record of the Plymouth Brethren cemetery in Liskeard Road can be provided, also all of St Ive church yard.
Once you have the bare skeleton of your family tree it is interesting to try to fill in details of your ancestor’s lives. Some of the following records can reward a careful search as they mention many ordinary residents and artisans. Churchwardens Accounts 1750 - 1810 Churchwardens Accs. & Pew Rents 1864 - 1896 Overseers Accounts 1815 - 1824 Vestry Minutes 1818 - 1851 Rate Book 1847-1849, 1852, 1853, 1855 Directories From around 1840 to well into the middle of the 20th century many street, trade and postal directories were published. On the shelf is a folder with photocopies of the Callington entries. For earlier research there are: Military Survey 1522 Subsidies 1520s — 1540s You will also find the books giving a pictorial view of the parish and other local history books on the shelves worth searching. There is also a large collection of photographs featuring people from 1860 onwards.
Computer Records Most [but not all] of the register and census records referred to above are on a database at the Heritage Centre. This can be read and searched in a programme called Filemaker. If you wish to use this programme please see the instructions sheet at the side of the computer.
Computer Based research Many records are available on the internet, but like all transcriptions there may be mistakes, you are always advised to check the original source by getting photocopies of the original records either from County Record Offices or Census CD’s For UK research the best site to start with is www.genuki.org.uk . This huge site has links to virtually all other sources of data.
All PCC Wills held by the Public Record Office are available on Documents Online, cover the period from 1384 to 1858. The Prerogative Court of Canterbury, the most important of these courts, dealt with the relatively wealthy individuals or persons with property in more than one county who lived mainly in the south of England and most of Wales (what was originally the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury). An index of all these wills can be searched and copies can be downloaded for a fee. Fifty wills of Callington residents are available dating from 1466. Wills of the less wealthy were proven at the Consistory Court of Exeter or Cornwall. These will are held at the County Record Offices in Truro or Exeter, although unfortunately a lot of the Devon wills were lost during the last World War. Calendars [or indexes] of these wills were compiled in the early 20th century.
These indexes cover: An index of wills proven after 1857 are held local Probate Offices and other locations. The following index of wills only covers those from the above mentioned calendar of wills and the wills at the PRO
This is a difficult and often unrewarding task for those wanting to unravel the story of their house. Callington being a small territorial parish and mostly urban, there is little to be found before c1850, when Lord Ashburton began to sell off some of his town property. Cottages and farms could be identified by their name, but street numbering was rarely used (the census returns give schedule numbers but not house numbers), so a search for a town house would have to rely on a chain of leaseholders. The town houses of Callington were mostly terraces built in the 19C for renting out by the Lord of the Manor Deeds Your own deeds are the best place to start, unfortunately in recent years with mortgage companies only wanting to retain details of the last few transactions many older deeds have been lost. Very few Callington properties pre-date 1850. If you have deeds you do not want the Heritage Centre will take them, we also have a growing collection of extracts from deeds contributed by house owners. It is also worth checking with the Cornwall Record Office to see if your deeds have been lodged there. The Heritage Centre has data relating to deeds for:- Bulls Head, Castlewich, Masonic Hall, 7 Moonsfield, Mount Lodge, Pengelly, Tillie Street, Tollgate Hotel, Turnpikes, Wonnacroft, Woodcockwell. Census As mentioned above census are of limited value unless your property has a specific name that has been associated with it for centuries. Street numbers have only been allocated in the last century or so and with re-numbering can be very confusing. 14 Fore Street today may not be the same as 14 Fore Street 50 years ago. Maps These can be of assistance, the most useful being the 1841 tithe map. There is a map and what is known as the ‘apportionments’. This give details of every leasehold dwelling and piece of land, often stating owner, tenant, land use and value. However a lot of properties have been grouped together and this does not assist the house historian. The Heritage Centre has the 1963, 1907, 1881, 1809 Ordnance Survey maps and also some estate and town maps of varying dates; 1722, 1798, 1811, 1880, 1888, 1940. Most of the above items can be found in the map draws. Property Sales The Heritage Centre holds various documents relating to property sales. In the reference library you will find:- ‘Summary of Contents of sale catalogues held by Callington Museum’ This lists most of the documents relating to property sales and includes such items as letters, maps, posters, etc. Posters Many of the ‘Venning Posters’ [these posters were printed by James Venning], mention property sales. Rate Book In the reference area are copies of the rate books for 1847-1849, 1852, 1853, 1855. This provides some information on proprietors and tenants of dwellings. Photographs The Heritage Centre has a large collection of photographs, old and new. A photographic survey took place in 1998 to 2000 and this is on the shelf in the reference area. There is also a survey of 1990. To the left of the library are boxes of photographs, however it is generally difficult to be certain about the location of a dwelling in many of the older pictures. Newspapers A long and careful search is needed to find sale details in newspapers. The Heritage Centre has a set of extracts from 1989. Microfilm of the Cornish Times is available from 1855 at the Liskeard Library. We are usually able to assist with family history and other research. Reimbursement of any expenses is required and a contribution towards time spent is expected, such contributions go towards the maintenance of museum and preservation of the archives. In the first instance please contact the Town Clerk.
Free copies of these walks are available at the Heritage Centre or the Town Hall. Alternately you can print off copies from the Publications page.
|
