Discover your family story in millions of detailed Cornwall records online

Do you have links to the Lizard Peninsula or ties to Truro? Dig deeper into your family history using Cornwall archives online at Findmypast. Mull over millions of Cornwall marriage records and peruse old parish registers to see who pops up. Whatever your Cornwall connection, epic family discoveries await.

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A small chunk of Cornwall history and culture

Historically, it was accepted that Cornwall had a separate identity, culture and heritage to the rest of England. Truro is its only city, while some of its larger towns include Falmouth, Penzance and St Ives.

The county’s economy has depended on tin mining at different times in its history, as well as the china clay trade, fishing and farming. Tourism is now a key industry for Cornwall and its importance is growing in the space and aerospace sectors.

Cornwall has its own language which almost died out in the 18th century. However, Kernowek survived and has been passed on within families for generations.

The county is the UK’s capital of surfing. The Cribbar, a reef on the north coast, has created waves over 30 feet high. In honour of Falmouth’s long maritime history, the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival is held every summer.

Cornwall is a county of myth and legend. Tintagel Castle has strong links to the King Arthur stories while the River Fowey is believed to be the setting for Kenneth Grahame’s Wind In The Willows. The county is also famed for its Cornish pasties, cream teas, and for being the birthplace of Mick Fleetwood of the legendary band Fleetwood Mac.

The magnificent castle on St. Michael's Mount has been home to the St Aubyn family since the 1600s.

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Cornwall 1921 census: Collage of life in the 1920s

Life in Cornwall in the 1920s

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Records that tell richer stories

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