St Stephen in Brannel, Cornwall

Historical Description

Stephens-in-BranneI, St, a parish in Cornwall, 2 miles NW of Burngullow station on the G.W.R., and 4½ W by N of St Austell. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Grampound Road. Acreage, 9292; population, 3590. There is a parish council consisting of fifteen members. The manor was known at Domesday as Brennel, and belonged then to the Earl of Mortaigne. Large quantities of fine china stone and porcelain earth are sent hence to Staffordshire. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Truro; net value, £300 with residence. The church is partly Norman, and was well restored in 1893. There are Wesleyan, Bible Christian, and Free Methodist chapels.

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.

Church Records

The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at St Stephen's in Brannel 1681-1812, Cornwall is available to browse online.

The register of baptisms and marriages dates from the year 1694; burials, 1695.

Churches

Church of England

St. Stephen (parish church)

The church of St. Stephen is a building of granite of the Early Decorated period, and consists of chancel, nave of four bays, south porch, aisles and an embattled western tower, with octagonal crocketed pinnacles, containing a peal of 8 fine toned bells, of which the first 4 were cast in 1730 and 2 in 1799; in 1909 they were re-cast and two new ones added: the arch of the south doorway is Norman, with nail head ornament: a piscina remains in the chancel, and some ancient carving is worked into the panelling of the pulpit and desk: the Norman font is sculptured with grotesque animals and foliated ornaments: this church was the burial place of the Tanners, of Court, and here, in 1652, was interred Hugh Wolridge M.D. of the universities of Cambridge and Breda, and a native of Penkivell: the church was restored gradually but thoroughly from 1854 to 1871 at considerable cost, and again in 1893, at a cost of £1,500, under the direction of Mr. Prynne, architect, of Plymouth. There are 400 sittings.

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 St Stephen in Brannel from the following:

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

Maps

Online maps of St Stephen in Brannel 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.