Colan Genealogical Records
Colan Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
A searchable transcript of the baptism registers of Colan. Baptisms are the primary source for birth documentation before 1837. They may record the date a child was baptised, their parents' names, occupations, residence and more.
Baptism registers are the primary source for birth documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They record the date a child was baptised, their parents' names and more.
Browsable images of Church of England baptism, marriage and burial registers for the county of Cornwall.
A searchable database containing over 1,000,000 baptisms from Anglican churches in Cornwall.
Colan Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
A searchable transcript of the marriage registers of Colan. Church marriage registers are the primary source for pre-1837 marriages. They may record the bride and groom's residence, the groom's occupation, parents' names, marital status and witnesses.
A searchable transcript of the marriage registers of Colan. Church marriage registers are the primary source for pre-1837 marriages. They may record the bride and groom's residence, the groom's occupation, parents' names, marital status and witnesses.
Marriage registers record Anglican marriages in Colan. They are the primary marriage document before 1837 and contain the same details as marriage certificates from then on. They typically record residence and marital status, though may contain ages and father's names.
Brief notes on marriages that occurred at the church between 1665 and 1811.
Colan Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Records of burial for people buried at Colan between 1813 and 1837. Details include the deceased's name, residence and age.
A searchable transcript of burials in the churchyard of Little Colan, Colan. These records essentially record deaths in and around Colan between 1666 and 1707.
A searchable transcript of burials recorded at Colan. These records essentially record deaths in and around Colan between 1661 and 1762. Details may include the age of the deceased, their residence and name of relations.
Transcriptions of burials from 215 parishes in Cornwall.
Colan Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Transcripts of surviving returns of heath and poll taxes for the county of Cornwall.
A searchable transcript of documents signed or marked by people swearing to uphold the reformed protestant religion.
An index to documents recording residents liable to pay tax based on the number of hearths they possessed.
Newspapers Covering Colan
A politically independent newspaper, covering the affairs of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. It includes family notices.
A newspaper including local news, family notices etc. from across the county of Cornwall.
A short regional paper covering local occurrences, business news, family notices and more.
A regional newspaper including news from the Cornwall area, family announcements, business notices, advertisements, legal & governmental proceedings and more.
A liberal newspaper covering the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It includes family notices.
Colan Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
An index to 295,609 wills of people who lived in or were connected to Devon. The wills they reference can contain a great deal of genealogical information.
An index to thousands of probates and administrations granted by the Diocese and Archdeaconry of Exeter, covering parts of Devon & Cornwall.
A searchable index to surviving wills and administrations proved in the Connotorial Archidiaconal Court of Cornwall. The index contains the name of the testator, residence and date & type of grant.
An index to some Cornish wills. Names of beneficiaries have been extracted.
Colan Immigration & Travel Records
A database containing genealogical, biographical and immigratory data for Cornish men who emigrated to Latin America.
Extracts from passenger lists, detailing the emigration and transportation of people from Cornwall, primarily to the New World and British colonies.
Historical details of the Cornish migration to Latin America.
An index of Cornish men an women who died out of county.
Abstracts of documents recording the forced movement of people and families between parishes.
Colan Military Records
Extracts from records listing those liable for militia service. Details of arms have been transcribed.
A list of names found on World War One monuments in Cornwall, with some service details.
A list of names found on World War Two monuments in Cornwall, with some service details.
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Details on around 165,000 men serving in the British Army, Navy and Air Force who were held as prisoners during WWII.
Colan Court & Legal Records
A searchable transcript of documents signed or marked by people swearing to uphold the reformed protestant religion.
Abstracts of documents recording people incarcerated in Cornwall. Index may include name, age, abode, occupation, crimes and numerous other details.
An index to defamation, divorce & alimony, marriage contract and church rate records in Cornwall Archdeaconry.
An index to names and places mentioned in act books of the Province of Canterbury. It records various licences and conferments, such as marriage and physician licences.
A handful of names, with ages, occupations and abodes appearing in depositions in various courts.
Colan Taxation Records
Transcripts of surviving returns of heath and poll taxes for the county of Cornwall.
An index to documents recording residents liable to pay tax based on the number of hearths they possessed.
An index to land tax records and the 1873 landowners return from Cornwall.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
Colan Land & Property Records
An index to land tax records and the 1873 landowners return from Cornwall.
Extracts from lists recording those eligible to vote. Index contains place of residence and entitlement to vote.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
Poll books record the names of voters and the direction of their vote. Until 1872 only landholders could vote, so not everyone will be listed. Useful for discerning an ancestor's political leanings and landholdings. The collection is supplemented with other records relating to the vote.
Colan Directories & Gazetteers
An exhaustive gazetteer, containing details of settlement's history, governance, churches, postal services, public institutions and more. Also contains lists of residents with their occupation and address.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
A directory of residents and businesses; with a description of each settlement, containing details on its history, public institutions, churches, postal services, governance and more.
Colan Cemeteries
An index to vital details engraved on over 300,000 gravestones and other monuments across the county of Cornwall.
An index to almost 20,000 gravestones, with extracted details.
An index to monuments recording deaths, such as gravestones, with some transcriptions and abstracts of memorials.
Photographs and descriptions of Cornwall's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Colan Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Colan Histories & Books
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
A general and parochial history of the county, with sections for each parish.
Photographs and images of churches in Cornwall.
A history of turnpikes and tollhouses in Cornwall. Includes profiles of individual turnpikes.
Histories of parish churches in Cornwall. Includes some photographs.
Colan School & Education Records
A database of children admitted to Cornwall schools. The index contains the name(s) of parents and guardians. Original records will contain further details.
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
Colan Occupation & Business Records
Background information on women employed by the mining industry in Devon & Cornwall. Includes a database of over 25,000 women and oral histories.
An index of documents recording the apprenticeship of children to a master. Original records usually contain ages and names of relatives.
An introduction to smuggling in Devon, Cornwall & the Bristol district.
Histories of Cornwall pubs, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
Profiles of coal and metal mines in the south of England.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Colan
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Colan Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
Three books recording the lineage, marriage and collateral lines of Cornish families. Compiled form 16th and 17th century genealogical manuscripts, these works contain biographical and heraldic information.
Photographs and descriptions of Cornwall's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.
Colan Church Records
The primary source of documentation for baptisms, marriages and burials before 1837, though useful to the present also.
The primary source of documentation for baptisms, marriages and burials before 1837, though extremely useful to the present. Their records can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
A searchable transcript of documents signed or marked by people swearing to uphold the reformed protestant religion.
Browsable images of Church of England baptism, marriage and burial registers for the county of Cornwall.
Biographical Directories Covering Colan
Biographies of Cornish men who emigrated to Latin America.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.
Colan Maps
A collection of digitalised maps covering the county.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Maps of parishes in England, Scotland and Wales. They are useful in determining which parish records may be relevant to your research.
Colan Reference Works
Short descriptions of Cornish surnames, with details of their prevalence.
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
Civil & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Historical Description
COLAN (or St. Colan) is a parish on a stream called the Ryalton, near the north coast of Cornwall, 4 miles north-north-west from St. Columb Road station on the Newquay branch of the Great Western railway, 4 miles south-west from St. Columb Major, in the Mid division of the county, hundred and petty sessional division of Pydar, St. Columb Major union and county court district, rural deanery of Pydar, archdeaconry of Cornwall and diocese of Truro. The church of St. Colan is an ancient building of stone, in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, stated in an inquisition of the bishops of Lincoln and Winchester to have been erected by Walter Branscombe, bishop of Exeter, about 1250, and by him assigned to the Augustine Canons of his College of Glasney, near Penryn; it consists of chancel, nave of three bays, north aisle, south transept, south porch and an embattled western tower, with pinnacles, containing 3 bells: in the south wall of the chancel is a large slab, formerly on the floor, with brasses to John Cosowarth, of Cosowarth esq. receiver-general of the Duchy of Cornwall, ob. 20 Dec. 1575; these include effigies of himself in armour, his wife, Dorothy (Lock), seven sons and one daughter, two shields of arms and a marginal inscription: in the wall of the north aisle is a slab of slate with another brass to ffrancis Bluet, ob. 20 May, 1572, and Elizabeth (Colon), his wife, with effigies of both, standing on either side of an impaled shield of arms, and below these figures of 13 sons and nine daughters; the verge of the slab bears an incised inscription, and below the brass is an admonition as from the deceased: there are other memorials to the Rev. John Gurney, a former vicar of this parish, d. 1790, and to James Magor Cardell, d. 1864: the rood stairs remain in the south wall, and some portions of the screen, well carved, still exist: the tower was re-built and the bells rehung in 1879, at a cost of £490, and the church was thoroughly restored in 1884, when it was reseated and refloored, the chancel repaved and a very elaborate brass lectern provided at a cost of £1,150: at the same time the east window was filled with stained glass as a memorial to the Rev. John Creser, for 34 years vicar of this parish, and other windows inserted in the north aisle to members of the Creser family; in the south aisle is one to John and Elizabeth Rouse, of Trebudannon, and one in the tower to the Rev. Matthew Nixon Brougham M.A. vicar 1872—81: there are sittings for 113 persons. The register dates from the year 1665. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £103, including 17 acres of glebe, with house, in the gift of the Bishop of Truro, and held since 1892 by the Rev. Charles John Louis Lavanchy. A new Wesleyan chapel was erected at Mountjoy in 1892, and the old one is now used as a Sunday school. The annual feast is held on the first Sunday after the first Thursday in May. An ancient circular encampment exists here, near to which a flint implement was discovered by W. P. Hoblyn esq. in 1870. At Lady Nance, in this parish, is an ancient well or spring, to which it is said in former days people resorted in order to ascertain their fortunes for the coming year by throwing crosses of wood into the water and watching if they sank or swam. The Rev. Sir Vyell Donnithorne Vyvyan bart. of Trelowarren, Mawgan, and William Paget Hoblyn esq. of the Fir Hill, Colan, are the chief landowners. The soil is clay slate; the subsoil is clay slate. Brown umber is raised on the estate of W. P. Hoblyn esq. in this parish. The chief crops are wheat, barley, turnips, oats and mangold wurtzel. The area is 1,973 acres; rateable value, £2,053; the population in 1891 was 222.
MOUNTJOY is a township ½ male south; BOSOUGHAN, a hamlet nearly half a mile from the church.
A School Board of 5 members was formed Dec. 29, 1874; R. Rundle, jun. St. Columb Minor, clerk to the board.
Board School (mixed), for 50 children; average attendance, 45.
Most Common Surnames in Colan
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Pyder Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkyn | 13 | 1:19 | 6.70% | 349 |
| 2 | Hicks | 11 | 1:22 | 0.69% | 16 |
| 2 | Osborn | 11 | 1:22 | 4.09% | 251 |
| 4 | Oliver | 10 | 1:24 | 1.14% | 46 |
| 4 | Veale | 10 | 1:24 | 4.85% | 326 |
| 4 | Brenton | 10 | 1:24 | 2.94% | 192 |
| 7 | Lobb | 9 | 1:27 | 1.03% | 47 |
| 7 | Landry | 9 | 1:27 | 13.64% | 878 |
| 9 | Hocking | 8 | 1:30 | 0.51% | 17 |
| 9 | Tabb | 8 | 1:30 | 4.04% | 343 |
| 11 | Gill | 7 | 1:35 | 1.17% | 77 |
| 11 | Solomon | 7 | 1:35 | 2.48% | 236 |
| 11 | Rundle | 7 | 1:35 | 0.87% | 54 |
| 11 | Bennetts | 7 | 1:35 | 0.77% | 45 |
| 11 | Kingdon | 7 | 1:35 | 10.45% | 870 |
| 11 | Gummow | 7 | 1:35 | 8.86% | 752 |
| 17 | Williams | 6 | 1:41 | 0.09% | 1 |
| 17 | Rowe | 6 | 1:41 | 0.16% | 4 |
| 17 | Curtis | 6 | 1:41 | 1.28% | 111 |
| 17 | Henwood | 6 | 1:41 | 1.52% | 156 |
| 17 | Tippett | 6 | 1:41 | 1.39% | 134 |
| 17 | Trebilcock | 6 | 1:41 | 1.59% | 168 |
| 17 | Hugo | 6 | 1:41 | 3.87% | 426 |
| 24 | Jones | 5 | 1:49 | 0.72% | 65 |
| 25 | Stephens | 4 | 1:61 | 0.17% | 8 |
| 25 | Brewer | 4 | 1:61 | 0.85% | 107 |
| 25 | Moyses | 4 | 1:61 | 10.81% | 1,346 |
| 28 | Salmon | 3 | 1:81 | 2.01% | 440 |
| 28 | Plummer | 3 | 1:81 | 5.88% | 1,069 |
| 28 | Hawke | 3 | 1:81 | 0.39% | 60 |
| 28 | Jolley | 3 | 1:81 | 18.75% | 2,149 |
| 28 | Bettinson | 3 | 1:81 | 3.90% | 774 |
| 33 | May | 2 | 1:122 | 0.16% | 27 |
| 33 | Vivian | 2 | 1:122 | 0.38% | 94 |
| 33 | Lean | 2 | 1:122 | 0.47% | 138 |
| 33 | Libby | 2 | 1:122 | 0.90% | 302 |
| 33 | Cardell | 2 | 1:122 | 3.08% | 884 |
| 33 | Hoblyn | 2 | 1:122 | 3.77% | 1,040 |
| 33 | Rounsevell | 2 | 1:122 | 16.67% | 2,510 |
| 40 | Harrison | 1 | 1:243 | 4.35% | 1,773 |
| 40 | Bray | 1 | 1:243 | 0.07% | 22 |
| 40 | Blackmore | 1 | 1:243 | 1.64% | 934 |
| 40 | Jefferies | 1 | 1:243 | 16.67% | 3,835 |
| 40 | Honey | 1 | 1:243 | 0.30% | 194 |
| 40 | Cocking | 1 | 1:243 | 0.25% | 150 |
| 40 | Carne | 1 | 1:243 | 0.27% | 176 |
| 40 | Northey | 1 | 1:243 | 0.34% | 225 |
| 40 | Crews | 1 | 1:243 | 1.23% | 738 |
| 40 | Trembath | 1 | 1:243 | 0.23% | 130 |
| 40 | Bunt | 1 | 1:243 | 0.31% | 204 |
| 40 | Blamey | 1 | 1:243 | 0.33% | 222 |
| 40 | Hobb | 1 | 1:243 | 3.23% | 1,493 |
| 40 | Rickeard | 1 | 1:243 | 1.11% | 665 |