Post by Zenobia on May 24, 2007 15:55:57 GMT -5
The Lelant Hampton family is generally shown to descend from James Hampton of Lelant, who is found on the muster roll for that parish in 1569.
From there, most sources I have seen (which I believe trace their origin to a Hampton researcher living in Kent) show James having a son Edward, who married Dwens _____ at Camborne in 1598. Then this Edward is shown having a son James, who resided at Lelant and had a number of children in the 1620s, and a son Edward, who married Eleanor Tresise in Lelant in 1622 and had a son James (who is mysteriously absent from the records) and son Robert, chr. at St. Erth in 1630. The second Edward is then shown dying at St. Erth.
Now, the chronology of this scenario seems watertight, but unfortunately, there is only one problem:
Unlikely as it seems, there was only one Edward Hampton, and he made both marriages - to Dwens as a young man in 1598 and to Eleanor in his late 40s. And he had one surviving son with each, born 30 years apart!
The key to this identification lies with the 1655 will of Edward Hampton of St. Erth. In his will he names his wife Eleanor, his son Robert, and 'the sons and daughters of my son James'. He also names a sister-in-law, Frances Kent.
Now, the wording of the will indicates that his son James must have had at least 2 sons and 2 daughters in 1654. If he was a product of the marriage with Eleanor Tresise, he would have been b. ca. 1624, giving him not a lot of time to get married and have 4 children by 1655. It is possible, but a bit of a squeeze. The other problem is that no sign of this James seems to exist at either Lelant or St. Erth. If he, a wife, and 4 or more children were extant in 1655, we should find evidence of it some years later in either parish - but there is nothing.
The only James we can find is at Lelant, having children roughly 1622-1635, and, interestingly enough, this James is known to have had at least 2 sons and 2 daughters by 1655. His eldest daughter was named Dwens and his eldest son Edward, so he is obviously a product of the 1598 Edward/Dwens marriage.
It is beginning to look at least possible at this point that Edward Hampton was one man with two marriages.
But wait - there is a clincher!
Frances Kent, sister-in-law of the Edward Hampton who left the 1655 will also left a will, in 1669. She was childless and she took great pains to leave legacies to all her siblings and/or nieces and nephews.
She left a legacy to her brother Anthony Tresise and to his seven children, with a specific legacy to his eldest daughter. She left a legacy to her brother Walter Tresise and to his four children. She left a legacy to the 3 children of her deceased brother James Tresise. She left a legacy to her nephew Robert Hampton (son of Edward and Eleanor) and to his three children so far born. And she made Robert's son Edward her main legatee.
But now who is missing...? James Hampton and his children! Why would she not leave anything to James Hampton, or, if he was now deceased, to his children?
The answer is simple: James Hampton and his children, named in the 1655 will of his father Edward, were not related to Frances.
In other words, James was born to an earlier marriage of Edward Hampton and was not a child of Eleanor Tresise.
Now the lack of records for a 'second' James begins to make perfect sense.
Edward Hampton was probably b. ca. 1575-7 and married Dwens as a young man in 1598. He settled in his home parish of Lelant, and had James. At some point Dwens died. James married ca. 1621 (his wife's name was Frances, maiden name unknown) and had a number of children chr. at Lelant (and one in St. Erth) in the 1620s and 1630s. Edward, now in his late 40s, then made a second marriage to a younger woman, Eleanor Tresise, in 1622 and removed to St. Erth, where his second son Robert was born in 1630. His son James remained at the original homestead in Lelant. Edward died at St. Erth in his late 70s and his widow survived him for about 15 years.
If there is a moral to this story, it is that things are sometimes not what they seem at first glance. We do not normally imagine two siblings born 30 years apart (with none inbetween), but this shows that a closer look at all available records can occasionally turn up family scenarios that would not at first be recognized...
From there, most sources I have seen (which I believe trace their origin to a Hampton researcher living in Kent) show James having a son Edward, who married Dwens _____ at Camborne in 1598. Then this Edward is shown having a son James, who resided at Lelant and had a number of children in the 1620s, and a son Edward, who married Eleanor Tresise in Lelant in 1622 and had a son James (who is mysteriously absent from the records) and son Robert, chr. at St. Erth in 1630. The second Edward is then shown dying at St. Erth.
Now, the chronology of this scenario seems watertight, but unfortunately, there is only one problem:
Unlikely as it seems, there was only one Edward Hampton, and he made both marriages - to Dwens as a young man in 1598 and to Eleanor in his late 40s. And he had one surviving son with each, born 30 years apart!
The key to this identification lies with the 1655 will of Edward Hampton of St. Erth. In his will he names his wife Eleanor, his son Robert, and 'the sons and daughters of my son James'. He also names a sister-in-law, Frances Kent.
Now, the wording of the will indicates that his son James must have had at least 2 sons and 2 daughters in 1654. If he was a product of the marriage with Eleanor Tresise, he would have been b. ca. 1624, giving him not a lot of time to get married and have 4 children by 1655. It is possible, but a bit of a squeeze. The other problem is that no sign of this James seems to exist at either Lelant or St. Erth. If he, a wife, and 4 or more children were extant in 1655, we should find evidence of it some years later in either parish - but there is nothing.
The only James we can find is at Lelant, having children roughly 1622-1635, and, interestingly enough, this James is known to have had at least 2 sons and 2 daughters by 1655. His eldest daughter was named Dwens and his eldest son Edward, so he is obviously a product of the 1598 Edward/Dwens marriage.
It is beginning to look at least possible at this point that Edward Hampton was one man with two marriages.
But wait - there is a clincher!
Frances Kent, sister-in-law of the Edward Hampton who left the 1655 will also left a will, in 1669. She was childless and she took great pains to leave legacies to all her siblings and/or nieces and nephews.
She left a legacy to her brother Anthony Tresise and to his seven children, with a specific legacy to his eldest daughter. She left a legacy to her brother Walter Tresise and to his four children. She left a legacy to the 3 children of her deceased brother James Tresise. She left a legacy to her nephew Robert Hampton (son of Edward and Eleanor) and to his three children so far born. And she made Robert's son Edward her main legatee.
But now who is missing...? James Hampton and his children! Why would she not leave anything to James Hampton, or, if he was now deceased, to his children?
The answer is simple: James Hampton and his children, named in the 1655 will of his father Edward, were not related to Frances.
In other words, James was born to an earlier marriage of Edward Hampton and was not a child of Eleanor Tresise.
Now the lack of records for a 'second' James begins to make perfect sense.
Edward Hampton was probably b. ca. 1575-7 and married Dwens as a young man in 1598. He settled in his home parish of Lelant, and had James. At some point Dwens died. James married ca. 1621 (his wife's name was Frances, maiden name unknown) and had a number of children chr. at Lelant (and one in St. Erth) in the 1620s and 1630s. Edward, now in his late 40s, then made a second marriage to a younger woman, Eleanor Tresise, in 1622 and removed to St. Erth, where his second son Robert was born in 1630. His son James remained at the original homestead in Lelant. Edward died at St. Erth in his late 70s and his widow survived him for about 15 years.
If there is a moral to this story, it is that things are sometimes not what they seem at first glance. We do not normally imagine two siblings born 30 years apart (with none inbetween), but this shows that a closer look at all available records can occasionally turn up family scenarios that would not at first be recognized...
