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Camelford, Cornwall

Historical Description

Camelford, a small town and a parish in Cornwall. The town stands on the river Camel, on the skirt of a moorish upland tract, 12 miles N by E of Bodmin. It has a station on the L. & S.W.R. from Launceston. The parish bears also the name of Lanteglos, and is called properly Lanteglos-by-Camelford. Population, 1570. The manor belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall. Camelford is an ancient place, was incorporated by one of the Cornish Earls, sent two members to Parliament till disfranchised in 1832. Two battles were fought near it, the one in 543, between King Arthur and his nephew Mordred, fatal to both; the other in 823, between Egbert and the Cornishmen. " Ossian" Macpherson represented the borough in Parliament, and Captain Wallis, the discoverer of Tahiti, was born in its vicinity. The town has recently undergone considerable improvement, and it contains a town-hall, with market-house, a free school, a grammar school, and places of worship for Wesleyans, United Free Methodists, and Bible Christians. It has a head post office, three banks, inns, and is a seat of petty sessions. A weekly market is held on Friday, and fairs on the Friday after 10 March, and on 26 May, 17 and 18 July, 6 September, the first Friday in October, and the second Wednesday of November. The town gave the title of Baron to the Pitts of Boconnoc, and the Smiths. A deer park, attached to the manor, was disparked by Henry VIII. Slate and stone are worked. Traces of an ancient camp are seen on St Siths Beacon. The church stands 1½ mile west of the town, was restored in 1866, and contains a fine font, and monuments of several old Cornish families. A chantry chapel of the 14th century stood in the town, but was shut up at the Reformation, and has disappeared.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyCornwall 
Civil parishLanteglos cum Camelford 
HundredLesnewth 
Poor Law unionCamelford 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Camelford from the following:


Maps

Online maps of Camelford are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Cornwall papers online:


Visitations Heraldic

We have a copy of The Visitations of Cornwall, by Lieut.-Col. J.L. Vivian online.

CountyCornwall
RegionSouth West
CountryEngland
Postal districtPL32
Post TownCamelford

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