Place:Sithney, Cornwall, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Sithney (Cornish: Merthersydhni) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is named for Saint Sithney, the patron saint of the parish church. Saint Sithney was one of the band of Irish missionaries who came to west Cornwall. William Worcester recorded in 1478 that the body of the saint lay within the church. In 1230 the church belonged to the Antrenon family who attached to it a charge of 4 shillings yearly to the priory of St Germans. In 1267 it was appropriated to Glasney College; the last rector ceded his benefice to the college in 1270.

The parish church is of Norman foundation but the present structure is more or less of the 15th century. The old Norman font of this church was removed to the new church of Carnmenellis (since demolished). A 13th century coffin slab was brought to the church from St Johns. In the churchyard is a monument to John Oliver, 1741. John Rogers, the landowner, mineral lord and biblical scholar, is buried here.

At St Johns near Helston Bridge a hospital was founded c. 1250 by Henry de Bollegh, Archdeacon of Cornwall, and endowed with the manor of Penventon by the Reskymer family. This foundation consisted in 1324 of a prior and two brethren. The hospital was abolished in 1545; by this time the priors had been non-resident for 50 years, the building was ruinous and a lone chaplain served the chapel. A leper hospital was founded nearby in the 15th century and dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. At Truthall is the mansion of the Nance family which has an old chapel of c. 1500.

Sithney was part of the Helston Rural District from 1894 until 1934. In 1934 it was split between Helston Municipal Borough and Kerrier Rural District. There were no further changes until 1974.

Research Tips

Above: Map from Wikimedia Commons produced by Andy F

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.

• Repository:Cornwall Record Office
• Repository:Cornish Studies Library
• Repository:Cornwall Family History Society
• Repository:Cornwall Online Parish Clerks
• Repository:Cornwall Online Census Project
• Repository:West Briton Transcripts Database (Transcriptions from a Cornish newspaper of 1836-1887)

• 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

1. organization charts of the hierarchies of parishes within hundreds, registration districts and rural and urban districts of the 20th century
2. excerpts from a gazetteer of circa 1870 outlining individual towns and parishes
3. 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