Calstock, Cornwall

Historical Description

Calstock, an extensive parish in Cornwall, on the Cornish bank of the river Tamar, 1 mile from Beer-Alston station on the L. & S.W.R., and 6 miles from Tavistock. The parish contains several considerable villages, of which the largest are Gunnislake and Calstock, each of which has its post, money order, and telegraph offices; and there are also receiving offices at Albaston, Harrowbarrow, St Anne's Chapel, and Latchley. Acreage, 6133; population, 6150. The manor, which formerly belonged to the Duchy of Cornwall, is now the property of the Williams family. Cotehele, an ancient mansion of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, is in the parish, and Harewood House, once a seat of the Trelawnysr At Gunnislake there are considerable granite quarries, and various beds of clays, washed down from Hingston (or Hengist's Down), a lofty granite ridge of 700 feet, have at different times led to the establishment of pottery and brick works. There are also mines of tin, copper, and lead, of which the most ancient is Drake Walls. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Truro, the tithe rent charge being commuted at £440. Patron, the Duke of Cornwall. The parish church is a conspicuous object with a handsome granite tower, and contains several memorial windows. There is also a mortuary chapel of the Edgcumbe family. A second church at Gunnislake was consecrated in 1880, and there are mission chapels at Harrowbarrow and Latchley. The churchyard was enlarged in 1861 and 1887, and a cemetery opened in 1888. There are several chapels belonging to different denominations.

Administration

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

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

Census Records

We have transcribed the following census returns for Calstock:

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Calstock from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Calstock (St. Andrew))

Maps

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

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Newspapers and Periodicals

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

• Royal Cornwall Gazette
• Cornishman
• West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser
• Lake's Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser

Visitations Heraldic

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