Camelford
Coordinates: 50°37′01″N 4°40′59″W / 50.617°N 4.683°W
| Camelford | |
| Cornish: Ryskammel | |
 The Town Hall, Camelford |
|
 Camelford
Camelford shown within Cornwall |
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| Population | 2,256 (Civil Parish, 2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SX101831 |
| Civil parish | Camelford |
| Unitary authority | Cornwall |
| Ceremonial county | Cornwall |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CAMELFORD |
| Postcode district | PL32 |
| Dialling code | 01840 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North Cornwall |
| List of places: UK • England • Cornwall | |
Camelford (Cornish: Ryskammel) is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately ten miles (16 km) north of Bodmin[1] and is governed by Camelford Town Council.[2]
Lanteglos-by-Camelford is the ecclesiastical parish in which the town is situated (not to be confused with Lanteglos-by-Fowey).
Camelford is in the North Cornwall parliamentary constituency. Until 1974, the town was the administrative headquarters of Camelford Rural District.
The two main industrial enterprises in the area are the slate quarry at Delabole and the cheese factory at Davidstow but there is a small industrial estate at Highfield.
The A39 road (dubbed 'Atlantic Highway') passes directly through the town centre: a bypass has been discussed for many years. Camelford Station was some distance from the town and closed in 1966; the site was subsequently used as a cycling museum.
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[edit] History
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Due to its name, it has been linked to the legendary Camelot, and even Camlann, but historians have been quick to refute these suggestions. (Also sometimes to Gafulford the site of a battle which is more likely to have been at Galford in Devon.) Nearby Slaughterbridge is supposed to be the site of a battle. The origin of the name is probably from the original name of the river (Allen) in combination with cam- = crooked and the English 'ford', though this is not accepted by all.
The town elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons: the first MPs sat in the Parliament of 1552. It was later considered a rotten borough and its franchise was abolished in 1832: the article Camelford (UK Parliament constituency) provides more information.
The seal of the borough shows: Arg. a camel passing through a ford of water all proper with legend "Sigillum Vill: de Camelford".[3]
[edit] Water pollution incident
In July 1988, the water supply to the town and the surrounding area was contaminated when 20 tons of aluminium sulphate was poured into the wrong tank at the nearby Lowermoor Water Treatment Works on Bodmin Moor. An independent inquiry into the incident (the worst of its kind in British history) was started in 2002, and a draft report issued in January 2005, but questions still remain as to the long-term effects on the health of local residents. Michael Meacher, who visited Camelford in his post as environment minister, called the incident and its aftermath, "A most unbelievable scandal."[4]
[edit] Churches and schools
The parish church of Camelford is at Lanteglos by Camelford though there is also a Church of St Thomas of Canterbury (opened in 1938) in the town.[5] Langdon (1896) recorded the existence of seven stone crosses in the parish, including three at the rectory (Lanteglos Rectory was converted into a guesthouse in the mid-20th century). There was in medieval times a chapel of St Thomas which probably fell into disuse after the Reformation (it is recorded in 1312).[6] The Rector of Lanteglos is also responsible for the adjacent parish of Advent.
In Market Place is the Methodist Church (originally a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel).[7] The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, visited Camelford on several occasions during his journeys in Cornwall.[8] In the 1830s and 1840s the Camelford Wesleyan Methodist circuit underwent a secession by more than half the members to the Wesleyan Methodist Association.[9] 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 The Assemblies of God of Great Britain and was founded in 1987. The building the Church occupies was built as the Church School in 1846.
Sir James Smith's School provides secondary education to the town and surrounding area and there is also a primary school.
[edit] 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. Roughtor is the nearest of the hills of Bodmin Moor to the town and numerous prehistoric remains can be found nearby as well as a china clay works. The Town Hall was built in 1806, but is now used as a branch public library. By the riverside is Enfield Park; hamlets in the parish include Helstone, Tregoodwell and Valley Truckle. The economy depends largely on agriculture and tourism; there is a china clay works at Stannon.
[edit] Manor of Helston in Trigg
Helstone (or Helston in Trigg) was in the Middle Ages one of the chief manors of the Hundred of Trigg and perhaps in Celtic times the seat of a chieftain. In the Domesday Book this manor was held by Earl Robert of Mortain: there were 2 hides, land for 15 ploughs; the lord had 4 ploughs & 18 serfs; 20 villagers & 18 smallholders had 8 ploughs; 10 acres (40,000 m2) of woodland; 6 square leagues of pasture; five kinds of livestock, in total 195 beasts. The manor of Penmayne was a dependency of this manor.[10] It was one of the 17 Antiqua maneria of the Duchy of Cornwall.
[edit] Places of interest
Camelford is the home of the North Cornwall Museum and Gallery which contains paintings and objects of local historical interest. To the northwest at Slaughterbridge is an Arthurian Centre and at nearby Camelford Station is the Cycling Museum (temporarily closed 2010). To the east are the hills of Roughtor and Brown Willy and to the south the old parish churches at Lanteglos and Advent.
[edit] Transport
For 70 years the town had a station on the North Cornwall Railway. The main road through Camelford is the A39 (Atlantic Highway) and there are infrequent bus services to Plymouth and parts of North Cornwall. Traffic problems have never been relieved by a planned bypass.
[edit] 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.
For the patrons of the parliamentary borough see the separate article.
[edit] See also
- Camelford RFC, rugby union club
[edit] References
- ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 Newquay & Bodmin ISBN 9780319229385
- ^ [1] Cornwall Council website. Retrieved May 2010
- ^ Pascoe, W. H. (1979) A Cornish Armory. Padstow: Lodenek Press; p. 132
- ^ The Independent, 16 April 2006, Poisoned: The Camelford scandal
- ^ A Church Near You. "Parish of Lanteglos by Camelford". http://www.achurchnearyou.com/lanteglos-st-julitta/. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ^ George Oliver, Monasticon
- ^ http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=68517&resourceID=5
- ^ 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
- ^ Thorn, C. et al. (eds.) (1979) Cornwall. Chichester: Phillimore; entry 5,1,4
[edit] External links
- Camelford at the Open Directory Project
- Camelford Town Council
- Government Inquiry Report, 2005
- Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Camelford
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