Camelford
Camelford
| |
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OS grid reference | SX101831 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CAMELFORD |
Postcode district | PL32 |
Dialling code | 01840 |
Police | Devon and Cornwall |
Fire | Cornwall |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Camelford (
Camelford is in the North Cornwall parliamentary constituency represented by Scott Mann MP since 2015. Until 1974, the town was the administrative headquarters of Camelford Rural District. From 2009 to 2021, the town was represented on Cornwall Council by the Camelford division. From the 2021 local elections, it will be represented by the Camelford and Boscastle division.
The two main industrial enterprises in the area are the slate quarry at Delabole and the cheese factory at Davidstow and there is a small industrial estate at Highfield.
The
Toponymy
The Cornish language name for the town, Reskammel, comes from a combination of the Middle Cornish "Rys" (ford) + the River Camel's Cornish name Kammel (crooked, skew-whiff). It is a modern formation.[citation needed]
The English name of Camelford was formed by a Anglicisation of the river's name to Camel + Ford, giving it an identical meaning to its Cornish counterpart.[6] The earliest records of the name are in 1205 and 1256 and it has the meaning "ford over the (river) Camel".[7]
Due to the river's name sounding similar to the English word camel, the animal is seen as a symbol of the town. As such it can be seen on the town's coat of arms and the Sir James Smith's School logo, among other uses in the area.
Geography
Its position near the highest land in Cornwall makes the climate rather wet. On 8 June 1957, 203 millimetres (8.0 in) of rain fell at Camelford.
Places of interest
Camelford is the home of the
Transport
The main road through Camelford is the
History
Early history
Camelford has been linked to the legendary
Camelford has sometimes been linked to Gafulford the site of a battle against the West Saxons. This link goes at least as far back as the 16th Century and William Camden's Britannia, but the battle is currently considered more likely to have been at Galford in Devon.[15] Nearby Slaughterbridge has been supposed to be the site of a battle; an error arising because the derivation of "slaughter" in this case from an Anglo-Saxon word for "marsh" was not understood.
Manor of Helston in Trigg
Modern history
Camelford was made a borough in 1259.
The seal of the borough shows: Arg. a camel passing through a ford of water all proper with legend "Sigillum Vill: de Camelford".[20]
Reskammel / Camelford was the venue for Gorsedh Kernow in 2012.
Water pollution incident
In July 1988, the water supply to the town and the surrounding area was contaminated when 20 tons of
Churches and schools
The
In Market Place is the Methodist Church (originally a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel).[25] The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, visited Camelford on several occasions during his journeys in Cornwall.[26] In the 1830s and 1840s the Camelford Wesleyan Methodist circuit underwent a secession by more than half the members to the Wesleyan Methodist Association.[27] There is an older Methodist chapel (now disused) in Chapel Street.
Soul's Harbour Pentecostal Church is situated on the Clease adjacent to the car park. It is affiliated with
Sir James Smith's School provides secondary education to the town and surrounding area and there is also a primary school.
Cornish wrestling
Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, were held in Camelford in the 1800s.[28]
Notable people associated with Camelford
The naval officer Samuel Wallis was born near Camelford (among his achievements was the circumnavigation of the world). Francis Hurdon, the Canadian politician was also born at Camelford. Two members of the Pitt family held the title of Baron Camelford: Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford (1737–1793) and Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford (1775–1804). Samuel Pollard, missionary to China was also born in Camelford. Jason Dawe, former presenter of Top Gear, is from the town.
See also
- Camelford RFC, rugby union club
References
- ^ "Cornish Language Partnership : Place names in the SWF". Magakernow.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-319-22938-5
- ^ Camelford Archived 10 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Camelford Ward population 2011". Ukcensusdata.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ "Lanteglos by Camelford population 2011". Genuki.org. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ISBN 9780191578472. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1940). The Concise Dictionary of English Place-names; 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 80.
- ^ Historic England. "Library (1138348)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Parishes and settlements in Cornwall | Explore Britain". Explorebritain.info. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Former quarry to become reservoir". News.bbc.co.uk. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2018 – via BBC News.
- ^ A pictorial and descriptive guide to Newquay and North Cornwall. Red guides (9th (revised) ed.). London: Ward, Lock & Co. 1927. p. 68.
- ^ Mee, Arthur (1955). Arthus Mee's Cornwall. The King's England (7th ed.). London: Hodder and Stoughton. pp. 46–48.
- ^ "The Death of Arthur [by Layamon] | Robbins Library Digital Projects". Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-902129-50-4.
- ^ "William Camden,Britannia (1607)". The philological museum. The University of Birmingham. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ Thorn, C., et al. (eds.) (1979) Cornwall. Chichester: Phillimore; entry 5,1,4
- ^ A pictorial and descriptive guide to Newquay and North Cornwall. Red guides (9th (revised) ed.). London: Ward, Lock & Co. 1927. pp. 68–69.
- ^ A pictorial and descriptive guide to Newquay and North Cornwall. Red guides (9th (revised) ed.). London: Ward, Lock & Co. 1927. p. 69.
- ^ The Blue Book Guide to Cornwall. Newquay: H. Liddicoat. 1949. p. 33.
- ^ Pascoe, W. H. (1979) A Cornish Armory. Padstow: Lodenek Press; p. 132, ASIN: B001HWDTU8
- ^ "Poisoned: The Camelford scandal". The Independent. 16 April 2006. Archived from the original on 20 May 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2006.
- ^ "Parish of Lanteglos by Camelford". Achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ^ Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 133
- ^ Langdon, A. G. (1896) Old Cornish Crosses. Truro: Joseph Pollard
- ^ "Heritage Gateway - Results". 18 February 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ Pearce, John (ed.) (1964) The Wesleys in Cornwall: Extracts from the Journals of John and Charles Wesley and John Nelson. Truro: D. Bradford Barton
- ^ Shaw, Thomas (1967) A History of Cornish Methodism; chap, 5. Truro: D. Bradford Barton, ASIN: B0000CO4DB
- ^ West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, 11 July 1845.
Further reading
- Maclean, John (1872–79) The Parochial and Family History of the Deanery of Trigg Minor. 3 vols. London: Nichols & Son