Cornish Memory

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An archive now running to over 30,000 items accessible by subject, collection, location or by simply searching using the provided search tool. Includes photographs, film and sound recordings. Caution needed in using this collection as captions and details (eg photo orientation) are not always correct.

Cornish Wills

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Includes abstracts of over 950 Cornish wills and admons, probate indices for Penwith parishes, abstracts of the Manor Court records of Ludgvan Lese, Cornish Court Deposition abstracts, the Gwithian Page and mini trees and outlines of various Penwith area families. Also includes a description of Cornish Probate Records available on film through the LDS Family History Centres. No longer updated but lots of useful info.

Cornwall Image Bank

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This is the online photo archive of the Cornish Studies Library and contains a wide range of images. Searchable via a rather unfriendly interface but worth persisting.

Census Schedules and Listings, 1801 - 1831:
An Introduction and Guide

Website

A valuable assessment of the first four census takings in the UK which includes a county by county directory of individual or household level data which was known to have survived at the time the guide was published in 2012.

British Newspaper Archive

Website

A searchable archive of 663 British newspaper titles (and growing) including the Cornishman, Cornish Telegraph, Cornish Times, Royal Cornwall gazette, Sherborne Mercury, West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. Somewhat clunky interface but good retrieval. Requires subscription for a fixed period or pay as you go.

Archive CD Books

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Source of old books and documents on CD. Eg county guides, census enumerator's books, trade directories, parish histories.

West Penwith Resources

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No longer maintained but a wealth of resources and references including some transcribed texts.

Belerion Books

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Email

Specialises in books on Cornwall and Devon and has many electronic versions.

Bal Maidens and Mining Women

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The place for info on bal maidens, includes the full text of The Royal Commission for Inquiring into the Employment and Condition of Children and Young Persons in the Mines of Cornwall and Devonshire, 1842 (Barham Report). Site owner Lynne Mayers has produced a series of books on bal maidens by mining district eg Bal Maidens of the St Just Peninsula.

Cornwall Online Census

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There are lots of places to access online census data but this one has a killer attraction, it's free. Although it has a limited search facility and only covers 1841-1901 (the project came to an end in 2008) it still has many uses.

Cornish Global Migration Programme

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Email

Devoted to the history of the Cornish diaspora CGMP counts as its main asset a complex and substantial database of Cornish migrants, including those who left for England, Wales or Scotland. Consult the database at CGMP office but check opening times on the website.

Morrab Library Photo Archive

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Email

A growing online archive of photographs of Penzance and Penwith.

BBC & TV Archives

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This is now an archived section of the BBC website but it remains a valuable resource for broadcasts on a wide variety of topics. Content is retrievable by subject/collection, programme and people. No specific search facility so difficult to find out whether the archive has anything for you without spending time browsing.

Cornwall Association of Local Historians

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Email via website

Formed in 1981 as a forum for local historians in Cornwall and publishes both a newsletter and a journal twice a year. Also organises an annual conference and up to four full day visits each year. Website features a useful links directory.

Cornish Studies Library

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Email

Dedicated to Cornish subject matter there is a great deal for the local historian here. Said by the Cornish Studies Institute to hold "the World's best collection of printed and published items relating to the the history, geography, customs, industries and other aspects of Cornish life." The catalogue is available online and always worth checking before a visit. Very helpful staff and a great location just down the hill from Redruth railway station. Good source for old newspapers and maps and much much more.

Camborne School of Mines

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No longer in Camborne after becoming part of Exeter University and moving to Penryn Campus. Lots of resources for the local historian including a very good collection of mining maps. Make use of the online catalogue before making a visit.

Morrab Library

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Penzance subscription library established in 1818. Two hundred years of collection building has seen the gathering of some real treasures and resources of real value to local historians.

Cornwall Online Parish Clerks

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Cornwall Online Parish Clerks

Although describing itself as providing genealogical information, this national project is a mine of information for local historians and includes an easily searchable database of parish records including BMD, hearth tax, protestation returns, apprenticeship, bastardy, voters, muster rolls etc. Key resource for Cornish history.

British History Online

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Based at the Institute for Historical Research this is a digital library of key sources for the history of Britain and Ireland 1300-1800. Subscription required for full access but much of the collection is available and searchable free of charge.

Newlyn Archive

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Holds a wide range of catalogued general material such as postcards, bills of sale, family trees, census data etc much of which has been digitised. There is also an art archive containing information and artefacts organised into galleries, modern art, arts and crafts and the Newlyn Artists.

Cornwall County Record Office

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Email

Fantastic resource for anyone interested in the history of Cornwall, whatever the subject. Located very near Truro station and with much of the catalogue searchable online. Very helpful staff. Photography allowed on payment of a modest fee. Best to ring before making a visit. Check opening times on the website.

Royal Cornwall Museum Image Archive

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Like many museums RCM is busily digitising its collection of old photographs and making it available online. Organised by broad topic with sub-categories by district where necessary. Includes quite a number of Penwith photographs and a good selection on mining themes. Includes the J.C. Burrow collection of underground photographs.

Cornwall Archaeological Society

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Very active society of over 50 years standing which organises numerous events, regular digs and publishes an excellent annual journal.

Cornwall Family History Society

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Email

Runs a library in Truro and will carry out research on your behalf for a modest fee. Very small so you are advised to ring and make a booking before a visit.

Genuki Cornwall

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The Cornwall section of a country wide county by county survey of genealogy resources, parish structure and administration. An excellent reference point for genealogy and parish based research.

Historic Cornwall

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The website of Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service. Includes the Historic Environment Record, Access to Monuments (a guide to historic sites), Flying Past (aerial photography), Mining World heritage and the urban and industrial settlement surveys. Linked to the mapping service which can provide invaluable insights but needs a bit of persistence to come to to terms with it.

Humble History

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This is the personal website of Dr Lesley Trotter of St Day whose main area of research she describes as "The Cornish Wives Left Behind". The married women who were left in Cornwall when their menfolk left for overseas mining camps in their thousands, the women of the diaspora. Not so much an information source as an example of where local history may take you.

Hayle Community Archive

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Email

The strength of this site is the collection of photographs of Hayle and its residents but don't overlook the fact that the archive is open to visitors twice a week.

Old Cornwall Societies

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Your local OCS is always worth contacting with local history queries. This site includes a full directory of all branches as well as news from the network. OCS was established in 1920 to support and promote Cornish culture and heritage, encourage the study and use of the Cornish language and support the preservation of Cornish antiquities and relics.

Cornwall's Regimental Museum

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Email

As well as the museum there is an extensive library and archive telling the story of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, the volunteers, militia and the home guard over some 300 years.

St. Hilary Heritage Centre

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Email

Focused on the history of St Hilary church and parish the centre houses a unique collection of Newlyn School paintings formed by a former vicar, Bernard Walke. The centre also houses a collection of Walke's plays together with information on local mining, emigration and dialect.

Institute of Cornish Studies

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Department of the University of Exeter created to study all aspects of Cornish history and culture, past, present and future. Publishes the journal Cornish Studies and disseminates its archive content via www.cornishstory.com which includes a wealth of multimedia resources. (previously CAVA)

Penlee House Museum and gallery

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Email

Focusing on Penzance and Newlyn the Penlee, which is owned by Penzance Council, has some splendid items in its collection, including the work of several members of the Newlyn School. It has recently acquired the Gibson collection of historic photographs (1870-1905) to add to its large photo archive.

Cornwall Heritage Trust

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The Trust owns and manages a number of significant heritage site in Cornwall including: the Hurlers, Trethevy Quoit, Tregiffian Burial Chamber, Carn Euny, Sancreed Beacon and the Treffry Viaduct. It also provides educational materials and various forms of funding. The Trust also administers the Sir Richard Trant Memorial Award for "unsung heroes" who have made a significant voluntary contribution to Cornwall's heritage - an award won in 2013 by Cedric Appleby of the Penwith Local History Group.

Courtney Library

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Email

The library of the Royal Cornwall Museum. Limited space but wonderful collection and extremely helpful librarian, Angela Broome, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of her stock. Have a look at the Borlase Atlas of Tin Bounds surveyed by Charles Moody in the 1780s.

Local History Online

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This is the online presence of Local History magazine so it's no surprise to find a fair bit of advertising. Beyond the advertising there is some solid content in the form of local history news, events, a directory of local history societies, courses and speakers.

National Archives

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The official public archive of the government of the United Kingdom and while it holds a vast amount of top down information of government origin there is an equally large volume of material from local communities heading the other way. With such a vast quantity of material you need a good search engine and you get that with the National Archives. Also searches local archives.

St. Ives Archive

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Email

Lots of information on the St Ives fishing industry and more besides including history of the local beaches, custom houses, disasters at sea, boatbuilding and other topics of local interest.

St. Keverne Local History Group

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Site includes transcripts of the St Keverne parish registers, St Keverne Census 1841-1891, information shipwrecks, seine fishing, Methodism, wells and the Diggens archive of material gathered by the local vicar at the end of the 19th century.

Victoria County History: Cornwall

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Following publication of Volume 1 in 1906 the Cornwall VCH ground to a halt but has now been revived and probate transcription using volunteers and heritage lottery funding is under way. Of more immediate relevance to Penwith is the second book produced by the revived project, "Cornwall and the Coast: Mousehole and Newlyn"

Hayle Oral History Project

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Email

Exactly what is says, a collection of oral history recordings capturing details of the recent past in Hayle and district.

Trevithick Society

Website

The Society is the leading industrial archaeology organisation in Cornwall with an active publications programme, regular meetings and a large and growing collection of documents and artefacts.