In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described St Columb Major like this:
COLUMB-MAJOR (St.), a small town and a parish in St. Columb district, Cornwall. The town stands on an eminence, the reputed site of a Danish fort, on the left side of the river Trent, 9 miles NW of St. Austell r. station, and 14 NNE of Truro. It consists chiefly of one good street; contains some good new Gothic houses; is a seat of petty sessions and a polling-place; and has a head post office, ‡ of the name of St. Columb, Cornwall, a banking office, two chief inns, a market-house, a parish church, five dissenting chapels, and a workhouse. ...
One of the inns was kept by Polkinhorne, the famous wrestler. The church is chiefly of the 13th century; presents features of much beauty; consists of aisled nave, aisled chancel, and a transept, with pinnacled tower; and has a curious font, and monuments of the Hoblyns, the Vyvyaus, the Bealinges, the Pendarvises, and the Arundels. A college for six priests stood adjacent to the church, and was destroyed by accidental fire in 1701. A weekly market is held on Thursday; and fairs on the Thursday after Mid-Lent Sunday, and after 12 Nov. The parish comprises 12, 697 acres. Real property, £14, 153. Pop., 2, 879. Houses, 587. The property is sub-divided-Granite, felspar, tin, copper, cobalt, and bismuth are found. The ancient camp, called Castle-an-Dinas, is 2 miles SE of the town; and there are several Druidical monuments. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £1, 515.* Patron, the Rev. Dr. Walker. Charities, £50. Bislhop Arundel, who died in 1504, was a native.
St Columb Major through time
A Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing St Columb Major has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of Restormel. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering St Columb Major and units named after it.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of St Columb Major, in Restormel and Cornwall | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/5880
Date accessed: 20th May 2013
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