Blisland, Cornwall Family History Guide
Blisland an Ancient Parish and Civil Parish in the county of Cornwall. Abolished ecclesiastically in 1972 with the creation of Blisland with Temple Ecclesiastical Parish.
Blisland with Temple Ecclesiastical Parish created in 1972 by the union of Blisland Ancient Parish and Temple Ancient Parish.
Parish church: St. Protus & St. Hyacinth
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1539
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1608
Nonconformists include: Wesleyan Methodist
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Helland
- Bolventor (post-1849)
- Cardynham
- Temple
- St Neot
- St Tudy
- St Mabyn
- St Breward
- Altarnon (pre-1849)
Blisland Parish Registers
Blisland Marriages 1539 to 1812
The Blisland Marriages 1539 to 1812 are available free to read online, with options to download the pdf for personal research
Marriages at Blisland, 1539 to 1812 Cornwall Parish Registers Marriages Vol. 4. Edited by W. P. W. Phillimore, Thomas Taylor and Mrs. J. H. Glencross. Published London 1903. Issued to the Subscribers by Phillimore & Co.
Marriages at Blisland, 1539 to 1812 Cornwall Parish Registers Marriages Vol. 4. Edited by W. P. W. Phillimore, Thomas Taylor and Mrs. J. H. Glencross. Published London 1903. Issued to the Subscribers by Phillimore & Co.
Parish History
Parochial and Family History of the Parish of Blisland 1868
The name of this Parish is derived from that of the manor which was anciently written BLUSTON and BLISTON. The Parish is five miles in length and two and a half in breadth, and is in the form of a parallelogram, except that the little parish of Temple slightly protrudes through the boundary on the SE side. It lies north east and south west. On the north west side it is, throughout its whole length, bounded by the Delank river, which separates it from St Breward. On the north east side it adjoins the parishes of St Breward, Alternon, and St Neot. On the south east side it is bounded by the parishes of St Neot, Temple, and Cardinham, and on the southwest by Helland and St Mabyn, from which latter parish it is separated by the river Camel, whilst an angle of St Tudy touches the boundary at the north west corner.
The village or Church-town as it is called, is situate about five miles from Bodmin, which is the post town, but the southern extremity of the parish is not more than three miles from that place. The parish contains 6338 statute acres upwards of one third of which is moor. The land on the eastern side of the parish overlies a granite formation which in places crops through the surface in rugged tors. This land is generally coarse and unprofitable but the strata on the western side consists of alternate layers of schist and compact rock some of which approaches nearly to greenstone. This part of the parish is fertile and well wooded whilst an abundance of water gives it always a fresh and verdant appearance.
Besides the Church-town there are two ancient outlying hamlets containing a few tenements, each called respectively Tregenna and Pendreve or Pendrift, and a modern one which has arisen within the present century called Waterloo.
Streaming for tin has been practised on the moors from time immemorial perhaps in ancient days to a greater extent than at present for now the works are of a very insignificant character. The toll belonged to the lord of the manor and formed items of account in the fifteenth century. Of late china clay of good quality has been discovered on Durfold and on Carwen and works have been opened and are being still carried on with the expectation of profit to the adventurers. The immediate result is the pollution of the bright rippling rivulets with which the parish was once enriched and the destruction of the fish.
In other respects the parish is purely pastoral. The land generally is better adapted for the pasturage of cattle than for the cultivation of corn nevertheless corn is grown to a considerable extent especially on the western side. Wool is one of the staple productions of the parish as the extensive commons admit of large flocks of sheep being kept at a comparatively trifling expense. A great number of horned cattle also are grazed on the moors.
Wages are somewhat low. Men employed in the clay works receive about 12s a week and good agricultural labourers receive not much less. They also have generally the advantage of garden plots attached to their cottages, and moreover of hiring from the farmers small quantities of land for the growth of potatoes, for which the labourers provide manure. This enables them to keep and feed one or two pigs for the support of their families. The condition of the peasantry therefore upon the whole is not inferior to that of the same class in other agricultural districts.
Fairs. An ancient fair & for the sale of horses cattle and sheep is held at Blisland Church-town on the Monday within the octave of St Protus. Two other fairs have been established at Poundscawnse in this parish within the last fifty years for a similar purpose. One is held on the 24th June and the other on the last Monday in November.
The parish registers are of early date but the earliest appears to have fallen into bad condition and was rebound in 1786. It is in places torn and illegible and some of the leaves have been lost. The entries of marriages and burials begin in 1539 at which date it is probable the register was commenced. The earliest baptism is in 1563 some leaves being missing. The earliest names recorded are Robyns, Martyn, Kempe, Rogers, Layne, Marrett, John, and Burnard. Some of these names still continue in the parish.
Source: Parochial and Family History of the Parish of Blisland, in the County of Cornwall By Sir John Maclean. 1868.
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
BLISLAND, a parish in Bodmin district, Cornwall: on the border of the moors, 4 miles NNE of Bodmin, and 5½ N of Bodmin Road r. station. Post Town, Bodmin. Acres, 6,338. Real property, £3,649. Pop., 553. Houses, 121. The property is divided among a few. Granite, schist, stream-tin, and other minerals are found. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £571. Patron, the Rev. F. W. Pye. The church has a fine brass of 1410; and is good. There is a Wesleyan chapel. A fair is held on 25 Sept.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
A Topographical Dictionary of England 1848
BLISLAND (St. Pratt), a parish, in the union of Bodmin, hundred of Trigg, E. division of Cornwall, 4½ miles (N. N. E.) from Bodmin; containing 688 inhabitants. It comprises 5643 acres, of which 2460 are common or waste. A cattle-fair is held on the Monday next after September 22nd. The living is a rectory, valued in the king’s books at £13. 10.; net income, £571; patron and incumbent, the Rev. F. W. Pye. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis 1848
Blisland Strays
| Details | Place of Marriage |
|---|---|
| John Kemicke & Agnes Browne, of Blisland 2 Nov. 1672 | St Breward |
| Humphricus Kemick & Thamsina Foote of Blis. [Blisland] 13 – 1677 | St Breward |
| Abednego Hocker, of Blisland, & Joan Symonds 13 Dec. 1741 | St Breward |
| William Harris & Mary Hawken, of Blisland 28 Feb. 1741 | St Breward |
| John Chepman & Mary Rouse, both of Blisland 24 June 1745 | St Breward |
| George Rogers, of Blisland, & Aquila Hocken 27 Oct. 1765 | St Breward |
| Thomas Walters, of Blisland, & Elizabeth Thorn 23 July 1722 | Lanteglos by Camelford |
| Thomas Hosken, of Blisland, & Mary Honey, of Advent 28 Nov. 1737 | Lanteglos by Camelford |
Administration
- County: Cornwall
- Civil Registration District: Bodmin
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall
- Diocese: Exeter
- Rural Deanery: Trigg Minor
- Poor Law Union: Bodmin
- Hundred: Trigg
- Province: Canterbury