St Levan Cornwall Family History Guide
St Levan is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Cornwall, created in 1850 from St Buryan Ancient Parish.
Other places in the parish include: Treen.
Alternative names: Levan
Parish church:
Parish registers begin:
- Parish registers: 1700
- Bishop’s Transcripts: 1694
Nonconformists include: Baptist and Wesleyan Methodist.
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
Parish History
Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales 1895
St. Levan, a parish in Cornwall, on the coast, 3 miles SE by E of Land’s End, and 8 SW of Penzance station on the G.W.R. Post town and money order office, Treen (R.S.O.); telegraph office, Porthcurnow. Acreage, 2406; population, 629.
The coast is bold and granitic, and presents fissured, shattered, columnar-looking cliffs, which have a rude resemblance to pinnacles or spires. Tol-Pedn-Penwith, or “the holed headland of Penwith,” is a promontory at the SW extremity of Mount’s Bay, and takes its name from a deep well-like chasm called the Funnel Rock, through which the sea during a storm dashes with terrific noise. A famous logan or rocking-stone crowns one of three rocks, called Castle Treryn or Trereen Dynas Camp, overhanging the sea; is so delicately poised as to be easily rocked to and fro by a single person, has a computed weight of not less than ninety tons, was long believed to be irremovable by any number of men with any ordinary mechanical appliances; was, nevertheless, dislodged in a frolic, in 1824, by a party of seamen, and caught in its descent by a narrow chasm, and was afterwards by the same party hoisted up and replaced with the aid of capstans and chains.
An entrenchment of earth and stones, forming a triple line of defence, isolates the headland, and occasions the name castle or camp, and the outer vallum of it is about 15 feet high. There are offices and houses belonging to the Eastern Telegraph Company, and they have three cables (to Gibraltar, Lisbon, and Vigo) landed on the beach; the post office has also one to the Scilly Isles. A copper mine was worked to the depth of 260 yards, and employed 460 hands.
The living is a rectory in the diocese of Truro; net value, £159. Patron, the Duke of Cornwall. The church stands on a lonely spot, beside two cottages, is a stone edifice with a tower, and contains a monument with Latin inscription to Miss Dennis, the author of “Sophia de St Clare,” and a native; the building was thoroughly restored in 1876. The churchyard has lych-stones at the entrances, and contains a fine old cross. The ruin of an ancient baptistery is on the bank of a rivulet, at what is called the Well of St Levan; and this, together with the parish, takes name from an ancient anchorite who was canonized after his death. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. This place gives the title of Baron to the St Aubyn family.
Source: Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales; Brabner, John Henry Fryden; Volume: 4; William Mackenzie, London. 1895.
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
LEVAN, or ST. LEVAN, a parish in Penzance district, Cornwall; on the coast, 3¾ miles SE by E of Lands End, and 8 SW of Penzance r. station. Post town, St. Buryan, under Penzance. Acres, 2,328. Real property, £3,037. Pop., 447. Houses, 89. The property is much subdivided. The coast is bold and granitic; and p resents fissured, shattered, columnar-looking cliffs, which have a rude resemblance to pinnacles or spires. Tol-Pedu-Penwith, or “the holed headland of Penwith,” is a promontory at the SW extremity of Mount’s bay; and takes its name from a deep well-like chasm, called the Funnel Rock, through which the sea, during a storm, dashes with terrific noise.
A famous logan or rocking.stone crowns one of three rocks, called Castle Treryn, or Trereen Dynas Camp, overhanging the sea; is so delicately poised, as to be easily rocked to and fro by a single person; has a computed weight of not less than 90 tons; was long believed to be irremoveable by any number of men, with any ordinary mechanical appliances; was, never the less, dislodged, in a frolic, in 1824, by a party of seamen, and caught in its descent by a narrow chasm; and was afterwards, by the same party, hoisted up and replaced with the aid of capstans and chains. An entrenchment of earth and stones, forming a triple line of defence, isolates the headland, and occasions the name castle or camp; and the outer vallum of it is about 15 feet high.
A copper mine was worked to the depth of 260 yards, and employed 460 hands. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, not reported. Patron, the Crown. The church stands on a lonely spot, beside two cottages; is a stone edifice, with a tower; and contains a monument of Miss Dennis, the author of “Sophia de St. Clare,” and a native. The churchyard has lich-stones at the entrances, and contains a fine old cross. The ruin of an ancient baptistry is on the bank of a rivulet, at what is called the well of St. Levan; and this, together with the parish, takes name from an ancient anchorite, who was canonized after his death. There are chapels for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists; and there is a national school for the parishes of St. Levan and Sennen.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Parish Registers
St Levan Marriages 1694 to 1812
Parish Records
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England, Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-2010
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Administration
- County: Cornwall
- Civil Registration District: Penzance
- Probate Court: Pre-1848 – Court of the Royal Peculiar of St Buryan, Post-1847 – Court of the Bishop (Consistory) of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall
- Diocese: Exeter
- Rural Deanery: Pre-1848 – None, Post-1847 – Penwith
- Poor Law Union: Penzance
- Hundred: Penwith
- Province: Canterbury