In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Boscastle like this:
BOSCASTLE, a village and a subdistrict in Camelford district, Cornwall. The village is in the parishes of Minster and Forrabury; stands ½ a mile from the coast, 5½ miles N of Camelford; occupies a romantic site on the sides of hills, overhanging two deep vales; and has a post office‡ under Camelford, a ruined-ancient chapel, and a Methodist chapel. ...
It was once a market-town, and still has fairs on the first Thursday of May, 5 Aug., and 27 Nov. Its name is a corruption of Bottreaux-Castle; and was taken from a baronial mansion, the seat of the Norman family of De Bottreaux, which stood on what is now a green mound. The manor went, in the time of Henry VI., by marriage, to Lord Hungerford; descended to the Earls of Huntingdon; passed to the Marquis of Hastings, who takes from it the title of Baron Bottreaux; and was purchased by the late T. R. Avery, Esq. Boscastle Port, at the nearest part of the coast, is the harbour of the village; lies in the debouch of a narrow, high-flanked vale; has a small pier and breakwater; and carries on an export coasting trade in corn, slates, and mangauese. The scenery around the village is strikingly picturesque; and that on the coast, very grand. The subdistrict comprises seven parishes. Acres, 17,368. Pop., 2,429. Houses, 530.
Boscastle through time
Boscastle is now part of North Cornwall district. Click here for graphs and data of how North Cornwall has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Boscastle itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Boscastle in North Cornwall | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20193
Date accessed: 18th April 2024
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