Some records of the manors and mines shown on the detailed map are available for study.

Statistics

The church is dedicated to St. Briget (Birgitta) of Sweden and Morwenna.

Detail of reredos of church featureing St. Birgitta

St. Birgitta in a reredos from Törnevalla Church, Östergötland, Sweden. Now in the Historiska Museet, Stockholm.

With the current boundaries the area is now 1,270 acres plus 1 acre of water and 14 of foreshore [[Off Site] GENUKI 1997]. Posue measured it at 1,226 acres in 1868. The population of Morvah has varied considerably over the years, increasing and declining with the mining fortunes. It must now be one of the smallest parishes in the country. In 1817 there were just 57 houses, there are presumably fewer now.

Year Population Year Population Year Population
1801 282 1901 116
1811 273 1911 105
1821 325 1921 112 1992 85
1831 377 1931 86 1993 85
1841 407 1994 80
1851 367 1951 72 1995 80
1861 380 1961 65 1996 70
1871 356 1971 77 1997 75
1881 184 1981 65 1998 75
1891 172 1991 80 (76)

The later figures were obtained from from the [Off Site] Country Socio-Economic Statistics of Morvah civil parish.

Online Parish Clerk

A new (Jan 2001) initiative that has started in Cornwall is the [Off Site]Online Parish Clerk. One person is encouraged from the CORNISH-L or CORNISH-GEN-L mailing list to be the custodian of historical records, including transcripts of registers, for each parish and will supply extracts to researchers as they need them. This person may be geographically distant from the parish, but their heart will be there. Parish information

Links

[Off Site] SOSKernow (friends of Cornwall) have a [Off Site] detailed history of Morvah church and St. Briget of Sweden to whom it is dedicated.

[Off Site] The Morvah Page run by Kathie Weigel, a past OPC for the parish.

Morvah Action for the Community & Arts are a charity that is renovating the [Off Site] Schoolhouse as a gallery and community space. Their web iste has a lot of local information.

See also the general West Penwith Links.

Lysons’ History & Topography—1814

The following description is lifted directly from [Lysons 1814]. It must be read in the context of that date.

Morvah, in the deanery and in the west division of the hundred of Penwith, lies about seven miles west-south-west from St. Ives, and about six north-west from Penzance, which is the post-office town. The principal village in this parish is Tregaminian.

The manor of Carvolghe or Carvaghe, in the parishes of Morvah and St. Ives was formerly in the family of Tregian: is was seized by the Crown on the attainder of Francis Tregian, granted to Cary Lord Hunsdon, repurchased by Tregian, and sold to Grosse: we cannot learn who is the proprietor of this estate. The barton of Tregaminian, which was, for several generations, in the Lanyons, and the seat of a younger branch of that family, was purchased, in the reign of Queen Anne, by John Borlase, Esq., of Pendeen: it is now a farm-house, the property of the son of a descendant of the same name.

Morvah, although a separate parish, is a daughter-church to Madron, and included in the same presentation. There are the remains of an ancient chapel at Tregaminian, and a well called the chapel-well.

Additions and Corrections

The great tithes of this parish belong to W. J. G. Nicholls, Esq.

Topographical Dictionary of England—1831

The following is from [Lewis 1831] and must be read in the context of that date.

MORVAH, a parish in the hundred of Penwith county of Cornwall, 6 miles (N.W.) from Penzance, containing 325 inhabitants. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Madron, in the archdeaconry of Cornwall, and Diocese of Exeter. The church has lately received an addition of two hundred and ninety-two free sittings, the Incorporated Society for the enlargement of churches and chapels having granted £250 towards defraying the expense. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. The parish is bounded on the north by St. George’s channel. At Tregaminian are the remains of an ancient chapel; and Castle Clum [sic.], in the neighbourhood, is the most regular Danish fortification in the country.