G2G: What churchyard was Stephen Bawden buried 19 March 1839 in Gwennap.

Question

He's the earliest I've found and many databases start in the 1830s, with previous records possibly listed with churches, outside the parameters of my tree.

There has to be national archives for these people. Otherwise how do people find tree members for 1700-1600-1500 etc?

Comments

I have added a link to his profile, and the Cornwall tag.

Answer 1

He's not listed in the Gwennap burial ground, though other Bawdens are. https://www.cornwallminingvillagechurchyards.net/church/gwennap/?doing_wp_cron=1738234150.9184920787811279296875

Perhaps he was buried somewhere else? Early people are found by searching every nook and cranny :)

Comments

The parish register just says Gwennap, so I imagine it would be the main churchyard. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J8V7-868 Perhaps his gravestone was unreadable?

There are a couple of "Unknowns" in that database, so he could have been one of those.

Unknown     Unknown     ????     Main Church     137

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There's a bit more about the church and it's burial grounds here https://www.cornwallminingvillagechurchyards.net/churchyards/gwennap-churchyard/

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In answer to your question about  archives, there is The National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/, but also regional county archives (usually easily found by searching Google). For early profiles it's a combination of those, parish registers, Wills, books (archive.org) etc.

Answer 2

To answer your second question (about 1700-1600-1500 ancestors):

Prior to civil registration starting in 1837, parish records are the way to go (baptism, marriage, burial instead of birth, marriage, death).  These are held by the relevant County Record Office, but can be seen online at sites like Ancestry or FindMyPast.

Answer 3

From www.freereg.org.uk :-

St Wenappa, Gwennap; burial date 19th March 1839; Stephen Bawden aged 86; person's abode - Redruth