Ludgvan, Cornwall
Historical Description
Ludgvan or Ludjan, a village and a parish in Cornwall. The village stands on a rising ground, 1 mile WNW of Mara-zion station on the G.W.R., and 3 miles NE of Penzance; was anciently called Ludham; commands a charming view southward over St Michael's Mount and Bay; and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Penzance. Acreage of parish, 4541; population, 2234. The manor belonged at Domesday to the Earl of Mortaigne; passed to the Ferrers, the Champernownes, the Willoughbys de Broke, and the Paulets. Varfell was the residence of Sir Humphrey Davy in his early years, and belonged for several generations to his ancestors. Granitic and schistose rocks abound, and tin and copper ores are obtained. A granitic rock very rich in mica, and known as Ludgvan stone, was once in much request, but appears now to be exhausted. A double-ditched camp, called Castle-an-Dinas, and measuring 436 feet in diameter, occupies the summit of the highest hill, and commands extensive views. Earthworks, thrown up by the Parliamentarian force at the siege of St Michael's Mount, are on the road to Marazion. A mineral spring is at Collurian. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Truro; value, £600 with residence. Patron, the Duke of Cleveland. The church has a fine Norman arch, and contains tablets of the Davy family, and the remains of Dr Borlase, author of the " Antiquities and Natural History of Cornwall," and for fifty-two years rector of the parish; the building was thoroughly restored in 1888. There are six chapels for Wesleyans, two for Primitive Methodists, and one for Bible Christians. Remains of an ancient chapel are at Collurian. An annual cattle fair is held on the second Tuesday in October.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Cornwall | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Ludgvan St. Paul | |
Hundred | Penwith | |
Poor Law union | Penzance |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Ludgvan from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ludgvan (St. Paul))
Maps
Online maps of Ludgvan 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.