Bodmin

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Bodmin Bosvenegh
Coordinates: 50.4664° N 4.7177° W
Population	12,778 (Civil Parish, 2001)
OS grid reference	SX071665
Parish	Bodmin
District	North Cornwall
Shire county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BODMIN
Postcode district	PL31
Dial code	01208
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	North Cornwall
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Cornwall

Bodmin (Cornish: Bosvenegh) is a town in Cornwall, United Kingdom, with a population of 12,778 (2001 census). It was the county town of Cornwall, until the Crown Courts moved to Truro, which is also the administrative centre. It is in the North Cornwall district.

Contents 1 Situation 2 Origin of the name 3 History 4 Sites of interest 5 Transportation 6 Town twinning 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Situation

Bodmin lies in the centre of Cornwall, along the western edge of Bodmin Moor. St. Petroc founded a priory in Bodmin in the 6th century and gave the town its alternate name of Petrockstow. Bodmin is one of the oldest towns in the county, and the only Cornish settlement of size recorded in the Domesday Book of the late 11th century. In the 15th century the Norman church of St. Petroc was heavily rebuilt and stands as one of the largest churches in Cornwall. Also built at that time was an abbey, now mostly ruined. For most of Bodmin's history, the tin industry was a mainstay of the economy.

[edit] Origin of the name

It has been suggested that the town's name comes from an archaic word in the Cornish "bod" (meaning a dwelling; the later word is "bos") and a contraction of "menegh" (monks). This speculation is both unproven and unprovable since the name is also thought to predate the institution of the monastery which is popularly supposed to support it; it may however refer to an earlier monastic settlement instituted by St. Guron, which St. Petroc took as his site.

[edit] History

Bodmin was the centre of three Cornish uprisings. The first was the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 when a Cornish army, led by Michael An Gof, a blacksmith from St. Keverne. and Thomas Flamank, a lawyer from Bodmin, marched to Blackheath in London where they were eventually defeated by 10,000 men of the King's army under Baron Daubeny. Then, in the Autumn of 1497, a man named Perkin Warbeck tried to usurp the throne from Henry VII. Warbeck was proclaimed King Richard IV in Bodmin but Henry had little difficulty crushing the uprising. Finally, in 1549, Cornishmen rose once again in rebellion when the staunchly Protestant Edward VI tried to impose a new Prayer Book. Cornish people were still strongly attached to the Catholic religion and again a Cornish army was formed in Bodmin which marched across the border to lay siege to Exeter in Devon. This became known as the Prayer Book Rebellion. Proposals to translate the Prayer Book into Cornish were suppressed and in total 4,000 people were killed in the rebellion.

[edit] Sites of interest

Bodmin Gaol, now a semi-ruin, was built in the late 18th century, and was the first British prison to hold prisoners in separate cells (though often up to 10 at a time) rather than communally. Also, during World War I the prison held some of Britain's priceless national treasures including the Domesday Book and the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Other buildings of interest include the former Shire Hall, now a tourist information centre, and the Regimental Barracks of the now defunct Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, now a regimental museum. It includes the history of the regiment from 1702, plus a military library. The original barracks make the regimental museum and it was founded in 1925. There is a fine collection of small arms and machine guns, plus maps, uniforms and paintings on display.

In 1966 the "Finn VC Estate" was named in honour of Victoria cross winner James Henry Finn who once lived in the Town.

[edit] Transportation

Bodmin Parkway railway station is served by main line trains and is situated on the Great Western Main Line about 3.5 miles south-east from the town centre. A heritage railway, the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, runs from Bodmin Parkway station via Bodmin General railway station to Boscarne Junction where there is access to the Camel Trail.

[edit] Town twinning

• Bederkesa, Germany
• Grass Valley, California
• Relecq-Kerhuon, Brittany, France

[edit] See also

• List of topics related to Cornwall
• Bodmin NHS Treatment Centre (Bodmin Hospital)

[edit] External links

• A Brief History of Bodmin
• About Bodmin
• Bodmin Town Council
• Bodmin OCS

Civil Parishes of North Cornwall District
United Kingdom |  England | Cornwall
Advent | Altarnun | Blisland | Bodmin | Boyton | Bude-Stratton | Camelford | Cardinham | Davidstow | Egloshayle | Egloskerry | Forrabury and Minster | Helland | Jacobstow | Kilkhampton | Laneast | Lanhydrock | Lanivet | Launcells | Launceston | Lawhitton Rural | Lesnewth | Lewannick | Lezant | Marhamchurch | Michaelstow | Morwenstow | North Hill | North Petherwin | North Tamerton | Otterham | Padstow | Poundstock | St Breock | St Breward | St Clether | St Endellion | St Ervan | St Eval | St Gennys | St Issey | St Juliot | St Kew | St Mabyn | St Merryn | St Minver Highlands | St Minver Lowlands | St Stephens | St Teath | St Thomas the Apostle Rural | St Tudy | South Petherwin | Stoke Climsland | Tintagel | Tremaine | Treneglos | Tresmeer | Trevalga | Trewen | Wadebridge | Warbstow | Week St Mary | Werrington | Whitstone | Withiel

	Settlements on the A38, Bodmin to Exeter	edit
Heading north: Bodmin | Bodmin Parkway | Liskeard | Tideford | Saltash | St Budeaux | Plymouth | Plympton | Ivybridge | South Brent | Buckfastleigh | Ashburton | Bickington | Chudleigh | Exeter