indexes to "Feock
with Devoran and Carnon Downs In The 19th Century" by Karen
Souhrada
first posted on the RootsWeb CORNISH & CORNISH-GEN mailing lists and reproduced here with her kind
permission
Karen can be contacted at
Feock: surnames mentioned in publication - Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs In The 19th Century (Part I)
[Source: Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs In The 19th Century; copyright by the Extra Mural Department, University of Exeter, 1973]
Surnames mentioned:
BAYNARD
CARNE
CHELL
GILBERT
JENKIN
KNIGHT
LEMON
MAGOR
PEASE
PENROSE
PHILLPOTS
ROBARTES
TOWAN
FIFOOT
STEVENS
SWAN
TALLACK
TREWHELLA
WHITBURN
WILLIAMS
(page 6)
Parish of Feock roads were supervised by the local magistrates:
Mr. J. D. GILBERT of Trelissick and the Rev. T. PHILLPOTTS of
Porthgwidden, (also,mentioned on page 26, as being the 'vicar of
Feock")
(page 5)
speaking of occupations: "One family of lightermen [note:
barge owner/operator] has given its name to TALLACK's
Creek."
(page 22)
"Alfred JENKIN, the far sighted steward of the Agar Robartes
of Lanhydrock, who was also a mining agent..." [note, this
gentleman was quite involved in developing the Devoran area and
the mining industry in Feock Parish. He is mentioned many times
within this contest.]
(page 22)
in talking about Devoran, Mr. JENKIN speaks of land ownership:
"a small quay on Restronguet Creek but higher up than Lemon
Quay [named after Sir Lemon], it belongs to MAGOR, BAYNARD &
Co., Coal Merchants"
(page 23)
on the letting of land, with Alfred Jenkin in and for Lanhydrock
Estate: 1839-1840 "I have not let any more of the quay
ground, but several plots for buildings which are in course of
erection"..."On the 3rd of January 1840, William CARNE
has taken 40 -50 ft. of quay at 5s0d a foot." -12th May
1840, "let 200 ft. of quay with the reservoir behind to
Michael WILLIAMS for a timber pond. I am glad to have so potent a
party in the preservation of the navigation and trade." -
one month later M. W. (Michael WILLIAMS) takes another piece of
land at 15
pounds, 16 shillings per annum.
April 2nd 1841, Mr. JENKIN writes about a construction concern to James WHITBURN, who was in charge of construction...
April 21, 1841, Mr. Jenkin wrote to William PEASE a note of thanks along with a cheque for 5 pounds, at the desire of J. T. Agar ROBARTES...:as a mark of the obligation he feels for thy valuable services in planning the reservoir and sluices, which continue to answer very well."
(page 27)
a mention of the premises of W. TREGANOWAN, and the fact that Mr.
JENKIN "pays F. M. CHELL for making and laying 180
pipes..."
Under the Local Education in the 19th Century heading:
(page 31)
Miss Mary Botheras TOWAN was named has having been a teacher in
the local (1854 Devoran) school since it had opened seven years
before. "She was untrained and ran a school of 30 boys and
32 girls alone."
"A day school attached to the Wesley Chapel in Devoran was
opened in January 1868. The master was Charles FIFOOT who had
been trained at Westminster."
(page 32)
"...the master (by 1873 in the above school) was W. J. N.
OLIVER with his wife Martha as assistant."..."James
WHITBURN was correspondent."
Under the heading, The Smelting Works At Penpol, :
(page 36)
"In 1817, Sir William LEMON of Carclew leased 8 acres of
Penpol Croft, with stone quarries, to John SWAN, a gentleman of
the parish of Feock... In January 1818 John SWAN & Co.
advertise that they are ready to receive Copper
Ores to be shipped to Wales..."
"Lemon Quay was also to be sold and details could be
obtained from Mr. Wm. PENROSE of Tregie, Feock."
"In 1829, William STEVENS of Feock, Yeoman, leased a piece
of land "on the beach under Penpol estate"...
(page 37)
1830 THE "Lead Smelting House lease was drawn up between the
principles: Sir Charles LEMON, and William PENROSE of Tregie R
& W. MICHELL (a Truro partnership; this however was short
lived as Mr. PENROSE died quite suddenly on March 28, 1838 and
the "lease was changed. The MICHELL's continued, Juliana
(PENROSE), the widow, took William's place and William STEPHENS
joined them."
(page 37)
An accident was reported to the "West Briton"
newspaper: -on May 1, 1840, Mr. TREWHELLA, a clerk to Mr. KNIGHT,
a brewer in Truro.
Field Names: Feock and surrounds
[Source of extracted material: Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs In The 19th Century, Part II; copyright by the Extra Mural Department, University of Exeter, 1973]
Page 3 Field Names
"Some farm and field names are of equal antiquity and can be traced back to the 12th century. When farms acquired more than one field it became necessary to distinguish them by name. This was invariably in Cornish until superseded by English. As time went on, new farms were established and might be given an existing field name.
The following field names are taken from the Tithe Apportionment Schedule of 1841 which is the only comprehensive source we have. Only the more unusual ones are listed."
Tregew:
Silver Close
Park Wartha
Park Hale
Park Mullett
The Kestle
Fox Park
Bedlam Wood
Potter's meadow
Trelissick and Penhale:
The Beacons
Namprillows
Marl Pit field
Algiers
Nancassif field
The Stennack
The Stitches
Trevilla:
Park Dreans
Great Pile field
Crackadden
Colly Vease
Pons field
Moddrick
Tregoose:
Outer Ninnis
Glana
Tresithick:
Culver House meadow
The Gleaner
Stately field
Trolver:
Great Trelarren
Stennack
The Gews
Carnon Mine Croft
Lilliganoon:
The Boggan
Chygwidden
Tippett's Hill
Great Mount Field
Pease meadow
Cries meadow
Lower Devoran:
Little Park an Gully
Park an Huns
Park Hains
Lower Park Nethon
Park Gilly
The Negus
Park an Grannick
Shote Plot
Higher Devoran:
Nonesuch
Boatswain meadow
Park Braws
Clodgy
Vineyard
Harcourt:
Trelarren field
The Gears
Skipping close
Kite close
Penpol:
Park an Wilkin
Homer Great close
Chycoose:
Minnin
Lower Lambraws
Sandoes:
The Boggan
Place names: explained: Parish of Feock
[Source of extracted material: Feock with Devoran and Carnon
Downs In The 19th Century, Part II; copyright by the Extra Mural
Department, University
of Exeter, 1973]
[Page 1]
Place Names In The Parish of Feock
"According to Dr. Gover, Charles Henderson and many others,
this is a baffling subject. By far the greatest number of
place-names are in the Cornish language; a Celtic language
closely akin to Welsh and Breton.
Names were given to places to meet a practical need; as more than
one place in an area was settled they had to be named to
distinguish them and as settlements grew so did the number of
names.
The men who conferred the names had no thought of instructing or
informing their posterity but took a meaning understood by those
who used the names.
In Cornish the descriptive adjective follows the noun; for
example,
Tre-
indicates a large farmstead (Tregew, Tregye, Trelissick, etc.),
while
Chy-
is used for a smaller farm, sometimes situated among other
cottages,
e.g.
Chycoose.
The place-names given in the table were taken mainly from Dr.
Grover's unpublished typescript and Charles Henderson's works,
both in the Library at the Truro Museum. We are specially
grateful to Mr. Richard JENKIN for his personal assistance, and
have also studied works by Morton Nance and P. A. S. Pool
With regard to the three main settlements, Feock, Devoran and
Carnon Downs:-
Feock occurs as Ecclesiam Sancte Feoce in 1264 (S. R.); later
spellings vary considerably and it was first spelt with a 'k' in
1394. The name is said to come from the Irish saint Fiacc or
Fiaco.
Devoran is mentioned as Deffrion in 1278 (Ass); the name is a
derivative of dever or dover meaning water (Cornish dour) the old
name for the creek.
Carnon Downs occurs in the 1683 Recovery Rolls and means Rocky
Downs, a mixture of Cornish and English
Abbreviations used:
Ass Assize Plea Rolls
N. I. Nonarum Inquisitiones
P. R. Patent Rolls
S. R. Lay Subsidy Rolls
H. M. Charles Henderson manuscripts
B. F. Book of Fees
[Page 2 - Table of Place names. Headings as follows:]
| NAME | EARLIEST SPELLING | DATE | REF | MEANING |
| Tregew | Tregeu | 1208 | B.F. | Farm in the hollow or recess |
| Tregoose | Treguey | 1280 | Ass | Farm by the wood |
| Trevilla . | Trevelle | 1265 | R.I.C | Farm,plus a personal name |
| Tregye | Tregy | 1327 | S.R. | Farm of the dog |
| Trelissick | Trelesyk | 1280 | Ass | Farm-?bushy(Dexter) |
| Tresithick | Trevethysek | 1342 | N.I. ? | Farm |
| Chycoose | Chiencoys | 1378 | P.R. | House in the wood |
| Chyreen | Chyreene | 1692 | R.R | House on point of land/hillside |
| Clydia . | Gwealeggia | 1610 | H.Ms | Gweal- field |
| Penhale | Penhal | 1327 | S.R | Head of the marsh |
| Penpol | Penpol | 1327 | S.R. | Head of the creek |
| Ponsmain | Ponsmean | 1767 | H.Ms. | Stone bridge |
| Porthgwidden | aqua de Porthgwyn | 1284 | Ass | White Haven |
| Goon Piper | Goonpypper | 1547 | H.Ms. | Downland, plus personal name |
| Killiganoon | Kellygnohan | 1296 | Ass | Grove of the nut trees |
| Nancassick | Nanscasek | 1416 | H.Ms. | Valley of the mares |
| Lamouth . | Nansmough | 1535 | H.Ms | Valley plus ?pigs |
| Dower Ruth | Dower Ruthe | 1626 | R.I.C. | Red Water |
| Loe Vean | Loo | 1327 | S.R. | Little Pool |
| Algarnick | Heleginick | 1748 | Map | Hal - moor, gwern-alder |
| Pill | Pill juxta la Feock | 1490 | Moulton | Creek |
| Harcourt | Harcrack | 13th C | H.Ms | On the Rock? |
| King Harry | from a former chapel here dedicated to Our Lady and King Henry,VI |
Feock: surnames mentioned in publication - Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs In The 19th Century, Part II
Source of extracted material: " Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs In The 19th Century, Part II"; copyright by the Extra Mural Department, University of Exeter, 1973]
Surnames Mentioned:
BRUNE
COLLETT/TONKIN
COOK
COWLING
CROWLE
DWYER
EDWARDS
ENSTICE
GILBERT
GRAY
HEARLE
MAGOR
MARSHALL
MAY
MICHELL
NICHOLLS
PENNA
PENROASE
ROGERS
ROW
SAMPSON
SHEPHERD
SIMMONS
STEPHENS
THOMAS
WILLIAMS
WOON
[Page 4]
Origin of the Society Now Worshipping In Goonpiper Chapel:
-Mrs. Elizabeth COLLETT (also noted is her son Richard COLLETT);
NEE Elizabeth TONKIN, born in Gwinear on May 9,1762.
-re: The Bishop of Exeter's registry of Meeting-house Licenses:
April 4, 1807 mentioning Robert SHEPHERD, Charles THOMAS and
Hannibal EDWARDS. ..."This may refer to the building
traditionally regarded as the first Methodist Chapel in Feock,
which was on the road to King Harry Ferry at Sandoes."
-a mention of a document that refers to an Indenture of lease
dated July 29, 1856, when a property was to be leased for 99
years, on lives, by John SAMUEL, Charles Glynn Prideaux BRUNE and
the Hon. Anne Dorothea GILBERT to Henry MICHELL, Calenick
(Merchant), John MICHELL and William ENSTICE, Feock (Farmers),
and Richard STEPHENS, Truro (Gentleman).
[continued on Page 5:]
"By the deed of 1860 these four assigned the property to
themselves together with: John COOK (carpenter), William CROWLE
(grocer), William ENSTICE (farmer), Jeremiah MARSHALL (farmer),
Benjamin MAY (shoemaker), John MAGOR (farmer), Richard PENNA
(farmer) all of Feock, Walter HEARLE (farmer) and William MAGOR
(farmer) of Kea; these 13 became the Trustees."
-In 1879 the Trustees [of the above chapel]received a legacy from
Miss CROWLE of 20 pounds and a gift of 30 pounds from Capt. T.
GRAY..."
[Page 11]
Searching The Small Print:
-March 31, 1843 in the "West Briton" newspaper:
"The smart action of the Police Constable of Kenwyn (William
ROW)"... concerning an assault and robbery of Margaret
NICHOLLS [who testified that she lived at Quenchwell in Feock in
1843.]
-article of November 1872, reporting the death of : "Mr. R.
M. SAMPSON, aged 53, an agent for the Devoran Company and also
holding management positions in Tin Smelting works at Bissoe and
Llanelly...."
The Growth of Carnon Downs:
[Page 16]
-"South of Truro-Falmouth Road, where the land is more
fertile, there were five sizeable farms in 1841; Higher Devoran
(formerly called Dinnis's) farmed by W. WILLIAMS who also had
Carnon Crease, Carnon Treliever and cottages at Chycoose;
Tregoose covering 150 acres and keeping the same boundaries until
it was sold in 1972; Tregye occupied by Juliana PENROSE who
sub-let the farmland; Tresithick, also sub-let and Killiganoon
where Thomas SIMMONS lived and let a part of the estate to W.
HEARLE."
[Page 21]
-"There was no electricity before 1922 when Mrs. Powys
ROGERS of Tregye and the tenant of Tresithick paid 75 pounds to
get it brought up from the Carnon Valley..."
| [Page 22] ..."an explanation of some of the names in this area: they are: |
|
| Forth Noweth | New Road |
| The Stettin | A short land |
| Staggy Lane | Muddy lane |
| Parc an Creag | Enclosure of the Barrow |
| Carnon Crease | Middle Carnon |
| Woon Lane | Named after William WOON who had a cottage there |
| Cowlings Lane | Named after the previous owner of the land(COWLING) |
[Page 25]
Ship Owners in the Parish of Feock:
-..."ships from John STEPHEN'S yard at Point Yard were
usually built for one managing owner with perhaps one or two
partners..."
-..."those from Charles DYER's yard at Sunny Corner, Truro
seem to have been ordered for relatively large
syndicates..."
Feock: surnames mentioned in publication - Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs, Some Aspects of Local History, Part III
Source of extracted information: "Feock with Devoran and
Carnon Downs, Some Aspects of Local History, Part III"; by
the Feock Local History Group; copyright by the Extra Mural
Department, University of Exeter; 1975
REFERENCE TABLE, Page 6:
1. Report of the meeting of the Institute of Mechanical
Engineers, 20th July, 1873
2. Mining Journals, 1835 and 1852
3. Census returns, 1841-1871 (C)
4. Kelly's Directories, at the Royal Institution of Cornwall
Library, Truro (K)
5. Royal Cornwall Gazette (G)
6. Parish Registers for the late 17th and early 18th century, by
kind permission of the Vicar.
Surnames mentioned:
BATH
BERSEY
BRABYN
CHEGWYN
CRAPP
CROWLE
FERRIS
GREEN
HUGO
JAMES
LILLY
MICHELL
OATES
RETALLACK
RICHARDS
SEARLE
WILLIAMS
Feock South of Trevilla
[Page 1] FERRIS
"Shipbuilding was carried on by the FERRIS family, whose
name appears in the Parish Marriage Register in 1680. The founder
of the shipbuilding was Peter FERRIS, born in Feock in 1776 and
living at Marblehead in 1841 (C). He had 13 children; some of his
sons and grandsons continued the business. One great grandson,
William, is listed as a shipwright in 1923 (K). Another great
grandson, Norman, who died recently [Note: before 1975], told me
a few months before he died that he was still building a boat.
Members of the next two generations are still living in this part
of the parish."
[Page 4] BATH
"Henry BATH farmed Trolver, about 50 acres, and when he
retired to one of his newly built cottages at 'Bath's Town',. his
son Edward took over the farm. The old farmhouse at Trolver is
still used as outbuildings and the present house was the first
house in the parish to be built of concrete (Sale Catalogue,
Trelissick). Edward farmed here until he and his wife were killed
in 1872 on the way home from Truro, when "their horse became
restive on the steep descent so was pulled to the side of the
road to avoid the even steeper descent near the railway viaduct,
but the trap capsized and both were thrown out. Mr. HUGO of Feock
took them in his trap to the Cornwall Infirmary but both died of
head injuries. They leave two sons and two daughters, the eldest
son is in America." (G). The farm was then taken over by
Thomas and Ralph MICHELL, who were there until 1914; it then went
to Henry JAMES who was still there in 1939. (K).
[Page 4] RETALLACK
"In 1841 (C) the land at Trevilla, north of the road, was
leased to Daniel and Robert RETALLACK and farmed by John
RETALLACK. Daniel and Robert were then farming Tregye. By 1851
(C) Robert was living at Trevilla - 60 acres - and this land
remained in the family until 1910 (K). Another Robert RETALLACK
had La Feock Grange - 80 acres - by 1889 (K) and this family
stayed there until the 1930s when the last male member was
dragged by the bull which he was leading and was killed. At this
farm the clome oven was often used for baking until the
RETALLACKS left."
[Page 4] WILLIAMS
"The land south of the road at Trevilla appears to have
changed hands frequently during the last century. The RETALLACKS
had it in 1871 (C). It was later farmed by Richard WILLIAMS, who
also had land at Loe, east of the church, where his descendants
are still living."
"The name WILLIAMS occurs in the Parish Marriage Register in
1732. In 1851, John WILLIAMS had 12 acres at Loe, besides land at
Trevilla, and in 1883 (K) Richard WILLIAMS is given as a fruit
grower, from 1930 to 1939. Mr. N. A. WILLIAMS is listed as
"florist, Flowers and Fruit" (K). They were among the
earliest people to send flowers to distant markets and also
introduced violet growing to this area."
[Page 4] SEARLE
"During this same period there was another fruit farm at
Loe, which was run by the SEARLE family, whose ancestors were
farmers at Harcourt in the1820's; another brother was a market
gardener at Church Town."
[Page 5] BERSEY
"Mr. BERSEY, one of the first violet growers is still living
in the cottage at Trolver into which his family moved when it was
built soon after 1840."
CHEGWYN
"Among the tradesmen the oldest family who remained here are
the CHEGWYNS. John CHEGWYN, mason, lived at Trevilla in 1841 (C)
and must have been there in 1820 when his eldest son was born; he
had four sons who all became masons, and by 1871 there were 17
grandchildren. There was still a John CHEGWYN, mason, here in
1939 (K) and Miss CHEGWYN died at Penpol in 1974."
LILLY
."the best known bootmaker in 1841 was John LILLY who had
been born in Kea. Three of his sons became shoemakers and in 1861
(C) his wife and daughter gave their occupation as Bootbinders.
This family also kept the Post Office at La Feock in 1873 (K) and
continued to do so until after 1950. Their cottage is still known
as the "Old Post Office" and is one of the oldest
surviving cottages which have not been seriously
"improved".
CROWLE
"In 1841 there was a grocer at Ponsmain, Elizabeth CROWLE;
her son carried on and is given as Grocer and Draper in 1873 (K),
and was still there in 1883. Her brother James, who lived in the
next cottage, was a blacksmith and also farmed 9 acres; his son
and grandson were blacksmiths. The name occurs in the Marriage
Register in 1745."
CRAPP/OATES
"By about 1880 the Misses Mary and Elizabeth CRAPP had a
shop at Churchtown which was later named the Feock Supply Stores
and was still being run by "Miss M. CRAPP and Mrs. OATES in
1936 (K). There was a William CRAPP, born in Feock in 1813, who
later lived at Trevilla."
[Page 5-6] BRABYN
"In 1893 Thomas BRABYN is given as a Grocer and Tea Dealer
(K). He was a descendant of the Thomas BRABYN who came to this
part soon after 1800 and had two sons, William and Thomas, who
remained in the parish; one was a gardener and the other a
shipwright, and between them they had 17 children. Miss BRABYN,
the last to bear the family name, lived at Laundry Cottage,
Restronguet and died in 1972."
[Page 6] GREEN
"The only inn was at Lane End, La Feock. This was kept by
John GREEN, son of John GREEN who was living in this district by
1827 (C). The Inn was carried on by the same family until about
1914 and they are now living at Penelewey."
TRENHAIL/RICHARDS
"The first public transport was started in the early 1900s
by J. H. TRENHAIL, farmer at Feathercock, who ran a waggonette to
Truro on Wednesdays, and Saturdays; by 1930 he was running a
daily omnibus to Truro; this was continued by Mr. RICHARDS until
the Western National took over."