Extract from Kelly’s Directory of Cornwall, 1883 (page 178) MEVAGISSEY Mevagissey (anciently Lamarrack) is a township, parish, and seaport town situated on a fine bay, 3 miles west from the Blackhead, and 1 mile north from Chapel Point by the road, 6 miles south from St Austell, and 15 south- east from Truro; it is in the Eastern division of the county, east division of the hundred of Powder, St Austell union and county court district, rural deanery of St Austell, archdeaconry of Cornwall, and diocese of Truro. A pier was erected in 1770-3, and has since been greatly improved, the area encircled by the pier will contain 60 or 70 vessels, it is dry at low water, but has a good bed for the shipping to rest on. The church of St Mevan and St Issy, situated a little to the north-west of the town, is a plain building of stone, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, aisle and south transept, the lower portion only of the tower remains and contains 1 bell, dated 1684: at the east end of the chancel is a very fine mural monument to Lewis Dart esq 1632: there is also a tomb with effigies to Otwell Thill, 1617, and Mary, his wife, to the Carew family and others: the font is Norman; there are sittings for 300 persons. The church, dating from an early period, is now in a very dilapidated state. The register dates from the year 1598. The living is a vicarage, tithe rent-charge £161, gross yearly value £265, with residence and 23 acres of glebe and fish tithes, in the gift of and held since 1882 by the Rev. William James Mitchell Young M.A. of Trinity College, Dublin. The Congregational chapel, built on the site of a former chapel, was opened on the 25th January, 1883, it is in the Gothic style, and will seat 400; minister, Rev. E.W. Bickley. There is also a Wesleyan chapel, built in 1842; a Bible Christian, built 1826, and a Free Methodist chapel, built in 1857. The market day is Saturday. A fair is held on St Peter’s day. A cemetery of 2 acres, under the control of a Burial Board of 5 members, was formed in 1882, at a cost of £400, but has no mortuary chapel; one half is consecrated, the remainder is for the use of Dissenters, who are about to build a mortuary chapel. Mevagissey Bay is an excellent fishing ground, and the place has been celebrated from time immemorial for the quantity of pilchards taken herein; it is asserted that in the year 1724, 16,000 hogsheads were taken from this bay alone, but in later years the shoals of these fish have not been so large and the quantity caught is now less. The inhabitants depend almost wholly for subsistence on the fishery and other products of the sea, and latterly the trade of the town has considerably improved. The Cornish Sardine Co. have a factory here for the preservation of so-called sardines, and another company of the same kind is in course of formation; there are also several establishments for the curing of pilchards for which a new method has been introduced by Mr. Mathias Dunn, a resident, by pickling them in barrels instead of the old system of bulking, and this has given a great impetus to the export fish trade. Being surrounded on three sides by high hills, the very excellent natural harbour is safe and sheltered, and there are substantial quays. The imports are coals, timber, salt and general merchandise; exports chiefly pilchards and pilchard oil. The principal landowners are the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, John Tremayne esq B.A. (Oxon), J.P., D.L. who is lord of the manor, and J.M. Williams esq. The soil is rich loam; subsoil, slate. The chief crops are barley and roots. The area is 1,344 acres; rateable value, £3,864, and the population in 1881 was 2,186. Post, money order & Telegraph Office & Savings Bank – Benjamin Harris Roberts, jun. postmaster. Letters arrive from St Austell at 7.47 a.m.; dispatched 10 a.m. & 4.11 p.m. Here is a branch of the Commercial Bank of Cornwall Limited; James Kemble, manager Insurance Agents – Gresham, J. Kemble, Fore Street Norwich Equitable Fire, B.H. Roberts, jun. Fore Street Sun Fire, J. Barber West of England, W.W. Duncalf Public Officers – Clerk to the Burial Board, Richard Shinner [sic - misprint for SKINNER] Collector of Poor Rates, William T. Kelly, Trewinney Harbour Master, William Robins A School Board of 5 members was formed in 1874; C.G. Pedlay, clerk to the board Board School, Alfred John White Carrier – Craggs’ van to St Austell, daily at 10 a.m. PRIVATE RESIDENTS ALLEN, Mrs. BALL, Benoni T Fore Street BICKLEY, Rev. Ed. Wm. [Congregational] COPE, Mrs. CREGOE, Thomas Henry Portmellon DUNN, Mathias HARLEY, Capt. George James Church Street HUNKIN, Capt. John Fletcher Polkirt Street KIMBRELL, Mrs. KITTO, Joseph LAING, William Alexander Gordon Tregony House LIBBY, Mrs. Tregony Hill McGREGOR, Mrs. YOUNG, Rev. William James Mitchell M.A. Vicarage COMMERCIAL ALLEN, Jane (Miss) grocer Fore Street BALL & FURZE shopkeepers Church Street BALL, James shopkeeper Church Street BALL, James master mariner BALL, Bononi Timothy surgeon & medical officer, public vaccinator, Mevagissey district, St Austell union Fore Street BARBERY, James farmer Chapel Hill BICE, Lewis tailor BLAMEY, Louisa (Mrs) baker Church Street BODY, Joseph carpenter BODY, William carpenter Tregony Hill BRAY, NORTHCOTT & CO. seed exporters &c & at Truro – see advertisement BURNETT, Richard butcher Church Street CARVETH, Hy. Harris butcher & farmer Treleaven Cemetery (Richard Skinner, clerk to the burial board) Commercial Bank of Cornwall Limited (branch)(James Kemble, manager), draw on Robarts, Lubbock & Co. London Cornish Sardine Company (Thomas Henry Cregoe, manager) CRAGGS, Edmund baker Tregony Street CRAGGS, Samuel miller (water) Tregony Street DUNCALF, William Williams general outfitter Fore Street DUNN, Mathias general merchant FARRAN, John B grocer &c Church Street FOARD, John Fountain Cliff Street FOARD, Thomas shopkeeper Cliff Street FOARD, William shopkeeper & shoe maker Cliff Street FURSE, Emily (Miss) milliner Fore Street FURZE, William Ivey sail maker Church Street GILL, Thomas market gardener Church Lane GLASSON, W.G. saddler HICKS, Thomas farmer Church Street HICKS, Thomas farmer & Registrar of births & deaths for Mevagissey sub-district, St Austell union Peruppa HILL, William farmer Cheesewarn HOCKING, Joseph farmer Church Street HOCKING, Kenneth market gardener HOCKING, Melchizedec farmer HOCKING, William market gardener Tregony Street HUNKIN, Peter & Co. fish merchants HUNKIN, Matthew shopkeeper JENKIN, Joseph farmer & baker Cliff Street JOHNS, James master mariner JOHNS, Richard master mariner JORY, Henry blacksmith Polkirt Street KELLY, William farmer KELLY, William Tregilgas farmer & rate collector Trewinney KEMBLE, James chemist & manager of branch of Commercial Bank of Cornwall Ltd. Fore Street KENDALL, Mary (Mrs) shopkeeper Cliff Street KENT, Elizabeth (Mrs) grocer Church Street KENT, William farmer Church Street KITTO, Joseph, jun. builder Church Street KYMBRELL, Thomas watch maker & ironmonger Fore Street LAING, William Alexander Gordon M.B. & C.M., surgeon LELEAN & Son sail makers & ship chandlers see advertisement LELEAN, Margaret (Mrs) lodging house Polkirt Street LELEAN, William Davies ship builder LEY, Thomas cutch & tar merchant Polkirt Street LIBBY, Walter blacksmith Church Street MELLOW, James farmer Penwarn MORRIS, Samuel butcher Chapel Hill MORRIS, William butcher Cliff Street NICHOLLS, Richard shopkeeper Fore Street OVER, Edward shopkeeper Cliff Street PAWLYN, James fish merchant & salesman, orders for fish promptly supplied to all parts; netting for fruit trees always on hand PAWLYN, Mary Elizabeth (Mrs) shopkeeper PAWLYN, Richard carpenter Polkirt Street PEARCE, Robert Thomas King’s Arms PILL, William mason Church Street RACKET, Mary (Mrs) boot & shoe maker Fore Street RETALLACK, William coal dealer Church Street ROBERTS, Benjamin Harris builder ROBERTS, Benjamin Harris, jun. stationer, grocer, draper, shoe dealer & postmaster, Fore Street ROBERTS, William shopkeeper & builder Market Strand ROBINS, William rope maker Upper Cliff Street ROWE, John Coffin farmer & butcher ROWE, Henry Ship Inn SCANTLEBURY, Josiah general merchant Tregony Hill SCANTLEBURY, William baker Fore Street SMITH, Elizabeth (Miss) grocer Fore Street SYMES, Elizabeth Ann (Mrs) shopkeeper Porthmellon TEAGUE, Robert baker &c Market Strand THOMAS, Jane (Mrs) shopkeeper Polkirt Street TREGILGAS, Wm. market gardener Fore Street VARCOE, Henry fish merchant Cliff Street WARREN, John eating house WEAVER, James shopkeeper Cliff Street WILLIAMS, John butcher WILLIAMS, Joseph master mariner Transcribed by John Evans .