Paul parish

Parish

The ancient parish of Paul (Cornish: Pluw Bowl)^[1] included Newlyn and Mousehole as well as the village of Paul. In 1851 Newlyn was separated to form the new ecclesiastical parish of Newlyn St Peter.^[10] The ancient parish became a civil parish in 1866, and in 1894 became the Paul Urban District. The urban district was abolished in 1934. Newlyn and the villages of Paul and Mousehole were transferred from the civil parish and urban district of Paul to the municipal borough of Penzance,^[11] now the civil parish of Penzance. The western part of the civil parish of Paul remained a separate, smaller parish (which did not include the village of Paul), from 1934 to 1974 in West Penwith Rural District.^[12]

In 2020 Cornwall Council announced that the neighbouring parishes of St Buryan and Paul would be abolished on 1 April 2021 with the land amalgamated to form a new parish known as St Buryan, Lamorna and Paul.^[13] The new parish has 12 councillors elected for a period of 4 years.

At its abolition, the civil parish of Paul consisted of a number of scattered settlements west of the village at 50.09°N 5.58°W, including Chyenhal, Castallack, Kemyel Crease, Kemyel Drea, Bossava and Kerris. The population of the civil parish (i.e. excluding the village) was 269 in 2011.^[14]

Arthur Langdon (1896) recorded the existence of five stone crosses in the parish. One is at Carlankan, one at Halwyn and one at St Paul Down. There are also crosses in the vicarage hedge and on the churchyard wall (the latter has a crude crucifixus figure on one side).^[15]

In the north of the former civil parish is Chyenhal Moor, a Site of Special Scientific Interest noted for its biological interest.^[16]

Cornish wrestling

Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, were held in Paul for centuries. Venues for tournaments included field just in the rear of the national schools^[20] and in the Ring and Thimble field at Chywoone Grove.^[21]

Paul Perusals | Penwith Genealogy