The parish was constituted in 1870, being carved out of the western part of the parish of Phillack. This tiny parish of only 198 acres was centered around the the needs of the Harvey iron foundry at the western end of Hayle, whilst the medieval Parish of Phillack mainly served the needs of the eastern end of the town where he Cornish Copper Company was based.

For the first eighteen years of it’s existence the new parish did not have a church, services were conducted in the neighbouring parish of Phillack in the Mission Church of St. John’s. In 1884 a site was found for the parish church and designed by the architect John D. Stedding and built by R. Stanslake of Plymouth, the foundation stone was laid on 5th May 1886 and the church consecrated on 5th August 1888 and dedicated to the fifth century Irish missionary St. Elwyn, The Martyr.

There is no burial ground in this parish and so there are no Parish burial records. The parish has maintained baptism amd marriage records since 1888.

Historically Hayle was one of Cornwall’s most important industrial towns. It is internationally important as some of the world’s largest steam engines were manufactured in the town and these were designed by some of the most renowned engineers, including Richard Trevithick. Engines were exported to mining regions over the world. Located on the north Cornish coast, the beautiful Hayle estuary has been a maritime centre from ancient times. During the eighteenth century the port gained great importance importing coal from South Wales and returning copper ore for smelting. Hayle was the home of The Cornish Copper Company as well as the Copperhouse Foundry and Harvey’s Foundry. This latter foundry was located in the west end of the town, adjacent to the area called Foundry Square, and employed over 1,000 people in it’s heyday and there was great rivalry between the two foundries. The increase in population at both ends of this elongated town resulted in the creation of the small parish of Hayle St. Elwyn in 1870.

The foundries had ceased operations by the beginning of the twentieth century but there is much that remains of the industrial and maritime past and efforts are being made to take advantage of this both in terms of preserving the past, creating employment and enhancing the environment. The area is included within the Cornish bid for World Heritage Site status.

A Methodist Chapel was located in Foundry Square, built 1845, sadly now converted to public use as a commercial market area. This chapel has unusual 19th century window tracery. A new Methodist Chapel is located in Chapel Terrace and the former Baptist Chapel in Commercial Road was converted to a Catholic Church in the 1950s.

Despite having no burial ground a total of 51 of other types of memorial were found with 200 names.