- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia
The ecclesiastical parishes to which the Forrabury and Minster parish churches belong were united in 1779 to form Forrabury and Minster ecclesiastical parish, within Cornwall, England. The main settlement in the parish is Boscastle. Forrabury remained a civil parish independent of Minster until 1918.
The original Forrabury / Minster boundary crossed the river so the harbour end of Boscastle was in Forrabury and the upriver area in Minster. The churches were established some time earlier than the settlement at Boscastle (in Norman times when a castle was built there).
A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Forrabury from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:
- "FORRABURY, or Fotherbury, a parish in Camelford district, Cornwall; on the coast, 5 miles NNW of Camelford, and 17½ N of Bodmin-Road [railway] station. It includes part of the town of Boscastle, which has a post office under Camelford. Acres: 508. Real property: with Minster, £4,123. Rated property of [Forrabury] alone: £1,233. Population: 366. Houses: 83. The property is divided among a few. The manor belongs to J. R. Avery, Esq. Slaty anthracite, dark shale, and manganese occur. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value: £70. Patron: J. R. Avery, Esq. The church stands above Boscastle, adjacent to the lofty headland of Willabark; is dedicated to St. Simphorian, who is traditionally said to have been buried in it; has a tower, without a bell; and is in good condition. An ancient granite cross, on a limestone pedestal, is outside the churchyard, and commands a view of the coast. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a national school, and charities £5."
Finding vital records for people who lived in the area before 1918 may involve searching two or three registers.
Research Tips
One of the many maps available on A Vision of Britain through Time is one from the Ordnance Survey Series of 1900 illustrating the parish boundaries of Cornwall at the turn of the 20th century. This map blows up to show all the parishes and many of the small villages and hamlets.
The following websites have pages explaining their provisions in WeRelate's Repository Section. Some provide free online databases.
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- GENUKI makes a great many suggestions as to other websites with worthwhile information about Cornwall as well as providing 19th century descriptions of each of the ecclesiastical parishes.
- FamilySearch Wiki provides a similar information service to GENUKI which may be more up-to-date.
- A Vision of Britain through Time has
- organization charts of the hierarchies of parishes within hundreds, registration districts and rural and urban districts of the 20th century
- excerpts from a gazetteer of circa 1870 outlining individual towns and parishes
- reviews of population through the time period 1800-1960
- More local sources can often be found by referring to "What Links Here" in the column on the left.
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/CON/Jacobstow
Categories: Cornwall, England | Lesnewth Hundred, Cornwall, England | Camelford Rural, Cornwall, England | Forrabury and Minster, Cornwall, England | Camelford Registration District, Cornwall, England | Forrabury, Cornwall, England |
