For a description of the parish one need not look further than that provided by Sir John Maclean in his 1868 volume “Parochial and Family History of the Parish of Blisland”.
The name of this Parish is derived from that of the manor, which was anciently written BLUSTON and BLISTON. The Parish is five miles in length and two and a-half in breadth, and is in the form of a parallelogram, except that the little parish of Temple slightly protrudes through the boundary on the S.E, side. On the north-west side it is, throughout its whole length, bounded by the Delank river which separates it from St Breward. On the north-east side it is bounded by the parishes of St Neot, Temple, and Cardinham, and on the south-west by Helland and St Mabyn, from which latter parish it is separated by the river Camel, whilst an angle of St Tudy touches the boundary at the north-west corner. The village, or Churchtown as it is called, is situate about five miles from Bodmin, which is the post-town, but the southern extremity of the parish is not more that three miles from that place. The parish contains 6338 statute acres, upwards of one-third of which is moor.
The land of the eastern side of the parish overlies a granite formation, which in places crops through the surface in rugged tors. This land is generally coarse and unprofitable, but the strata on the western side consist of alternate layers of schist and compact rock, some of which approaches nearly to greenstone. This part of the parish is fertile and well-wooded, whilst an abundance of water gives it always a fresh and verdant appearance. This description bears out the character given by Norden in 1584, who says that “Blisland or Bliston is a parishe standing nere the moares and craggie hills, yet there are pastures within the parishe that will kepe fatt oxen all the winter, and in as good case as in some places the can be kepte with haye, and the soyle beareth as good conre.”
Besides the Church-town there are two ancient outlying hamlets containing a few tenements, each, called respectively Tregenna and Pendreve or Pendrift, and a modern one which has arisen within the present century, called Waterloo.
To view whole of the interesting historical document please click here.