Mawgan-in-Pydar, Police Station

[DavidGreenall110]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to locate where the Police Station was in Mawgan-in-Pydar. My Great Grandfather Thomas Sambles was stationed there in the early 1910's/1920's prior to being moved to St Issey. My Nan was also born there in 1918.

Thanks

David

[tonepad]

Try contacting the local Police Museum:

https://www.dcpolicingmuseum.co.uk/contact-us


Tony

[ShaunJ]

Looking at the 1939 register, the police station (PC Reginald Darlington) is listed amongst the Council Houses.

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=tna%2fr39%2f6729%2f6729j%2f007

[PatLac]

AI reply

Details about John Henry Rundle:
Occupation: Police Constable.
Age in 1911: 38 years old.
Place of birth: St. Just-in-Penwith, Cornwall.
Residence in 1911: Rundle lived with his family at the Police Station in St. Mawgan.
John Henry Rundle's family in 1911:
Wife: Elizabeth A. Rundle (age 34).
Children:
Winifred J. Rundle (age 11)
Mabel E. Rundle (age 9)
John R. Rundle (age 7)
Marjorie Rundle (age 4)
Lillian Rundle (age 1)

Perhaps there is more information about John Henry Rundle's address in other sources?


There is a newspaper notice mentioning "PC Sambles" in 1919 in Mawgan. Have you searched his address in the 1921 Census?

[AlanBoyd]

A Pol Sta (Police Station?) in Carloggas just to the south of St Mawgan on this early 1970s OS map, but there is no strong reason to believe this would be the same premises as 50-60 years earlier.

https://maps.nls.uk/view/189247046#zoom=6.1&lat=2649&lon=5639&layers=BT

[ShaunJ]

AI reply

Details about John Henry Rundle:
Occupation: Police Constable.
Age in 1911: 38 years old.
Place of birth: St. Just-in-Penwith, Cornwall.
Residence in 1911: Rundle lived with his family at the Police Station in St. Mawgan.
John Henry Rundle's family in 1911:
Wife: Elizabeth A. Rundle (age 34).
Children:
Winifred J. Rundle (age 11)
Mabel E. Rundle (age 9)
John R. Rundle (age 7)
Marjorie Rundle (age 4)
Lillian Rundle (age 1)

Can anyone find that 1911 census entry?

[AlanBoyd]

AI reply

Details about John Henry Rundle:
Occupation: Police Constable.
Age in 1911: 38 years old.
Place of birth: St. Just-in-Penwith, Cornwall.
Residence in 1911: Rundle lived with his family at the Police Station in St. Mawgan.
John Henry Rundle's family in 1911:
Wife: Elizabeth A. Rundle (age 34).
Children:
Winifred J. Rundle (age 11)
Mabel E. Rundle (age 9)
John R. Rundle (age 7)
Marjorie Rundle (age 4)
Lillian Rundle (age 1)

Can anyone find that 1911 census entry?

I tried and failed. I searched for JHR and also for Winifred and Lilian. If it’s an AI hallucination it’s a very specific one.

[PatLac]

I agree 

I guess this is the OP's nan.

https://www.cornwall-opc-database.org/search-database/more-info/?t=baptisms&id=6559436

Maybe there was no actual police station in Mawgan-in-Pydar, just a council house where the police constable and his family lived?

 

Looking at the 1939 register, the police station (PC Reginald Darlington) is listed amongst the Council Houses.

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record/browse?id=tna%2fr39%2f6729%2f6729j%2f007

[AlanBoyd]

Another AI contribution:

In early 20th‑century rural Cornwall, most small parishes did not have purpose‑built police stations but were part of a **county constabulary division** centred in larger towns like **St Columb Major or Newquay**. Within these divisions, individual officers were often **assigned to a parish “beat”** and required to **reside within that community**. Their rented cottages or police‑provided dwellings functioned as **“police houses”**—domestic homes doubling as local contact points for residents.[1][2]

Such constables lived with their families and were expected to be on duty at all times, patrolling on foot and managing local incidents. A married constable’s wife often handled inquiries if villagers came to their home while he was out on patrol.[2][3]

Given this widespread practice and the absence of an official police station in St Mawgan‑in‑Pydar, it is highly likely that **a constable based locally maintained the village’s police presence from his own residence**, operating under the supervision of the **St Columb Major (or possibly Newquay) division** of the Cornwall Constabulary.

Sources
[1] History text_070803 https://www.narpo-wilts.org.uk/files/Wiltshire-Police---The-Oldest---The-Best.pdf
[2] Policing the Village - Lacey Green & Loosley Row https://www.laceygreen.com/Sections/Policing.php
[3] The Oldest https://narpo-wilts.org.uk/files/History-Wilts-Const.pdf