Cesar Piguenit

[Hardy]

I realise that the small Parish of Talland around 50 miles to the North East of the Hundred of Penwith is a locality that is well away from the general area of interest of this discussion board. Having said that I still thought it was worth asking the question among those keen Cornish researchers who visit this board from time to time.

My current line of interest revolves around the family of Cesar Piguenit. He was a Huguenot exile who appears to have arrived in Dublin in the late 1690’s.

I can find from the rather interesting "Registers of the French Conformed Churches of St Patrick and St Mary, Dublin" that between 1700 and 1704 Cesar lost 3 children and his then wife Madeline Dessau. I then pick him up again in the 1716 records of St Benet Paul's Wharf, London as marrying a Margaretta Marthea Pickering who was the granddaughter of Sir William Sherard, First Baron of Leitrim.

Cesar and Margaretta would have two children in London namely:
- Strickland Piguenit b. 1717 - d. before 1746
- John Sherard Piguenit b. 1718 - d.bef 1746

After these two births it would seem that the family then heads to Looe in the Parish of Talland. While this might seem an unusual circumstance the fact that Plymouth and all ports south, were a popular destination for Huguenot settlers, then the prospect of sailing from London rather than an overland journey seems a plausible explanation.

While in Looe, Cesar and Margaretta would have four more children

- Phillip Danby Piguent b. 1720 d. 1803
- Mary Piguent b.1722 d. 1788
- Hannah Maria Piguent b.1723
- Elizabeth Lucy Piguenit b. 1726 d.1728

Although living in both East & West Looe, we know from Lakes Parochial History of Cornwall that marriages, burials and most christenings happened in nearby Talland. This is consistent with OPC transcripts for Phillip, Hannah & Elizabeth and via FamilySearch.org for Mary.

Some time later, probably in the 1730’s, the family has then moved back to London.

There is no mention of Piguent (or variations) in any of the four volumes of Lake or within Carew’s Surveys of Cornwall

So the question is has anybody else come across the Piguenit connection in Cornwall during the 1720's??