Welcome to North Hill or Bre Gledh, as it was in the Cornish tongue

Please note:

The North Hill Local History Group (2012-2023) has ceased to function. This website will continue to be published until the funds held by the group have been exhausted or until it can longer be maintained. Updates may be made on an infrequent and irregular basis, and unannounced. Click for more information on the current status.

 

St Torney's Church Re-Opening Date Set For Saturday 19th October 2024

An Introduction to North Hill, Cornwall

North Hill Parish nestles into the western side of the Tamar Valley, between Launceston and Liskeard, in eastern Cornwall.

There are three distinct parts to the parish:
- the western edges are on the upland granite of Bodmin Moor
- the central part, which includes North Hill Churchtown, lies in the valley of the River Lynher which flows into the River Tamar
- the eastern side forms part of the rolling hills of the beautiful Tamar Valley and the main centre of population in this area is Coad’s Green with its own identity; this is in part due to the Methodist Church (shown here) which over the years has attracted a congregation to Coad’s Green from an area wider than the bounds of the civil parish.

 Coad's Green Church before the spire was removed.
Venning’s directory describes the parish in 1887, 1901 and 1907.

Click on a date to see an extract from the appropriate directory.

There is evidence of prehistoric settlement across the parish, mostly up on the open moorland. In the Lynher valley there are places which are mentioned in The Domesday Book of 1086 AD.

The eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, bounded by the River Lynher in North Hill parish, is an area rich in minerals and stone and the source for the once prosperous mining and quarrying industries in the parish. In 1851 at The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London there was an exhibit sent by the local Rodd family that showed some of the wonderful porphyry found on the Trebartha Estate.

Many of the buildings around the parish can trace their origins back for hundreds of years. Trebartha Hall has been the seat of the titled families in the parish for about 1000 years.

The parish church, shown here and drawn by Richard Moyse in March 2020, is dedicated to St Torney and has parts which are 13th century; the font is even earlier, dating back to Norman times when it is likely that the church was a wooden structure. The church has two highly impressive monuments to the Vincent and Spoure families. The Spoure monument is shown here. You will find a fascinating deduction of the age of the North Aisle in St Torney’s by clicking here.

The church registers date back into the 1500s; (you may need to register on the Family Search website to access the registers).

 

Special Features

 

The image that makes up the banner at the top of this page is a view of North Hill village with St Torney’s Church showing prominently in the centre.