Map of the Historical Cornwall Parishes

You can use the magnification lens to magnify areas of interest.

The parish is the basic fundamental unit of the Church of England. It is believed the parish boundaries were originally those of Saxon manors. These boundaries are in some cases derived from Roman age estates. The parish boundary might correspond to those of an Anglo-Saxon estate more than one thousand years ago. Parish boundaries have become fixed and have changed little after about 1180. There are currently 218 parishes in Cornwall.

The manor originally served as the principal local administrative center and the parish managed ecclesiastical matters. After the Reformation, the parish increasing replaced the manor for administration.

The church tower originally was used as a defensive fortification against invaders. It survived the reformation untouched.

The Beating the Bounds is an ancient custom of walking the boundaries of the parish.

Parish Finder

To find a particular parish that is covered by this database use the Parish Finder