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| Camborne Church | ||||
| Early Camborne Before the boom in the tin and copper-mining industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, Camborne was little more than a hamlet - a handful of cottages around the Church and situated in a large area of downs and rough moorland. The name may mean 'crooked hill' from cam meaning crooked and bron, the slope of a hill. The first recorded mention of Camborne is the Pipe Roll of 1181 - a medieval record of the monarch's financial transactions.The present Church was built around the end of the 15th century on the site of an earlier one. A notable feature is the reredos in Sienna marble. This was erected in 1761 courtesy of Samuel Percival of Pendarves at a cost of £300 - an enormous sum in those days. The alter slab is reckoned to be over a thousand years old. There is also one of King Charles' letters of thanks, painted on wood, acknowledging the support of the people of Cornwall during the Civil War. The oldest memorial in the Church is to Alexander Pendarves who died in 1655. A descendant of his, Sir William Pendarves, is said to have had a coffin made from the first copper raised from the nearby North Roskear mine. He had it placed on his table in his mansion and it was filled with punch for his visitors. It was later used for the originally intended purpose. As late as 1815 Camborne could still be called a village but between 1820 and 1830 it doubled in size and became a rough, tough mining community. In 1830 there were as many inns and pubs as there were grocers' shops quite apart from the many 'kiddleywinks' or beer-shops. The availability of cheap drink inevitably led to disorder and in 1841 the more law abiding citizens decided that some action was required. The following appeared in the local newspaper:- 'in consequence of the frequent depradations and disturbances in this town a few of the inhabitants have raised a subscription and procurred a policeman from London, who commenced his duties on Saturday last. The appointment so far seems to auger well, and it is hoped that a great improvement in the peace and good order of the town will be the result..' The 1840's were known as the 'hungry forties'. With poor harvests and mines closing there was a great deal of poverty and unrest. This was a major factor in the great migration as Cornish miners left Cornwall to seek a new life in various parts of the world. However one of the mines to survive was the nearby Dolcoath mine. Originally a copper mine it started to produce tin around 1850 and it reached its peak production in 1860. The 1841 census statistics make interesting reading The population of the entire Parish was 10,074 of which 4,377 lived in the town itself (in 832 houses). In Camborne there were 609 miners, 124 mine boys and 222 mine women and girls. Other occupations included 75 smiths, 40 masons, 12 bakers, 47 shoemakers, 45 tailers, 12 butchers, 3 clock makers, 58 dressmakers, 27 grocers and drapers, 5 inn keepers, 7 beerhouse keepers, 1 attorney, 2 clergymen, 3 dissenting ministers, 3 schoolmasters, 7 schoolmistresses, 4 hatters, 5 saddlers, 3 wheelwrights, 3 barbers, 5 carriers, 5 coopers, 4 gardeners and 5 medical men. (source- The Wheels Went Around by Janet Thomas) family tree page
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