Boconnoc

Boconnoc (Boskennek) is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of Lostwithiel. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 121.

The parish is rural in character and is fairly well wooded. It is bordered to the west by St Winnow parish, to the south by St Veep parish, to the southeast and east by Lanreath parish, and to the north by Broadoak parish.

History
Boconnoc is mentioned in the Domesday book as Bochenod. The first known owners were the De Cant family in 1268.

The present house was built on the site of a medieval house owned successively by the families of Carminow and Mohun. Lord Mohun's widow sold the estate to Governor Thomas "Diamond" Pitt, a wealthy trader who had made a fortune in India. Pitt founded a political dynasty that included numerous MPs, including his grandson William Pitt and great-grandson William Pitt the Younger. After Governor Pitt's death in 1726 the estate passed to his son Robert Pitt and then the following year to his son Thomas Pitt. In 1872 Mr Cyril Fortescue of Boconnoc was listed in the top ten landowners in Cornwall with an estate of 20148 acre, or 2.65% of Cornwall.

The country estate is steeped in history and includes the largest landscaped park in Cornwall. It is home to a cricket team who play in Deer Park. In 1993, the estate was used as a location for the film The Three Musketeers.

A chapel stood in the hamlet of Trecangate between 1820 and 1954. It was built using cob walls; a sign marking its position was erected in 2009.

Boconnoc House
Boconnoc House (Grade II listed) was built in the 18th century by two members of the Pitt family: one wing was built ca. 1721 by Thomas Pitt, Governor of Madras, and the other in 1772 by Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford. The two wings formed an L-shape and the grounds are finely landscaped: on a hill behind the house is an obelisk in memory of Sir Richard Lyttelton (1771). During the 19th century the estate passed into the ownership of the Fortescues who made some alterations to the structure in 1883: therearea some more recent additions and the south wing was demolished in 1971. The parish church is behind the house and fairly small: it contains an interesting 15th century font and a monument to Penelope Mohun, 1637.