James Glasson, who was a controller of customs at Falmouth,

[Cornish Terrier]

I am tracing the family of James Glasson, who was a controller of customs at Falmouth, Carnarvon and finally London. He was born at Paul around 1809. There was a large Glasson contingent in Madron at this time but at present I'm not sure if his ancestors came from Madron or not.

Lannanta will be the person who will be able to help you most on this one I think but here is some of the information I have on James:-

James Glasson was baptised at Paul 15th October 1809 son of John Glasson and Constance Edmonds who were married at St Buryan 30th October 1790. My understanding is that he was married four times:-

1. Ann Eliza Ratsey 24th August 1838 at Paul, Cornwall
2. Jane Tocker Bosustow 16th April 1855 at Madron, Cornwall
3. Catherine Mary Green 16th February 1860 at Penwerris, Cornwall
4. Eliza Jane Hughes 9th March 1886 at St Giles, Camberwell, London

I don't have any children recorded from any of these marriages but perhaps Lannanta will be able to help with that.

CT

[Deleted]

I don't have any children recorded from any of these marriages but perhaps Lannanta will be able to help with that.

Three children from the first marriage - Charles Thomas (1839), James (1841) and Susan (1853).
One child from the second marriage, William Henry (1856) - died in Kent in 1940
No more children from the remaining two marriages. 

Susan and William Henry were the witnesses at the last marriage.

The fourth wife, Eliza Jane nee Hughes, died in Victoria, Australia in 1913.

Lannanta

[philippaberry]

Many thanks to Cornish Terrier and lannanta. It was a recent post by lannanta that gave me a vital piece of this particular jigsaw puzzle and motivated me to join this site. With your help I can now trace my Glasson descent back to the family of Thomas Glasson (d. 1715) who lived in Madron with his wife Honour Perry from Zennor. But does anyone know if there were earlier generations of Glassons in Madron or the West Penwith area? The name itself has always intrigued me - does it refer to a particular 'green place' or plot, a site which was the original Glasson homeland? And if so, where might that have been?

I'm delighted to be in touch with some fellow Cornobii!

Philippa

[Cornish Terrier]

Hi Philippa - very pleasing to be able to help. My 4thxgt-grandmother was Ann Glasson who married William Trewhella at Lelant in 1797. She also traces back to Thomas and Honour so we are distant cousins also.

Lannanta has done more work on the Glassons so I will leave it to his greater knowledge to answer your other questions.

CT

[Deleted]

Hello Philippa

With your help I can now trace my Glasson descent back to the family of Thomas Glasson (d. 1715) who lived in Madron with his wife Honour Perry from Zennor.

That would be John Glasson and not Thomas...... and they seemed to be in the tenement of Hea in the early days.. now Heamoor.

Lannanta

[philippaberry]

Thank you for the correction as to Honour Perry's husband's name, lannanta. You can see I'm still floundering a bit in all the family data I have been sent! But it's wonderful to have so much to read over and ponder on. I am still keen to know if we can trace these Madron Glassons any further back than John and Honour...?

Next week I'm off for a flying visit to West Penwith. Will be staying at Tregurnow farm in Lamorna, which was the home of the Edmonds family, parents of Constance Edmonds. If we get the chance I hope to go to Madron church in search of Glassons.

Thanks again,

Philippa

[philippaberry]

Sept 4, 2013 13:59:25 GMT -5 Cornish Terrier said:

Hi Philippa - very pleasing to be able to help. My 4thxgt-grandmother was Ann Glasson who married William Trewhella at Lelant in 1797. She also traces back to Thomas and Honour so we are distant cousins also.

Lannanta has done more work on the Glassons so I will leave it to his greater knowledge to answer your other questions.

CT

Thank you once again for your help, CT. This website is a wonderful resource. After decades of a shortage of Glasson cousins, I am now blessed with a rapidly growing number!

Philippa

[Deleted]

Hello Philippa

If we get the chance I hope to go to Madron church in search of Glassons.

I have had a look around there and as I remember there is not too much to find.. maybe you will be luckier than I was.

Lannanta

[philippaberry]

Hello Lannanta

We couldn't get into the church at Madron and there were no Glasson gravestones in the graveyard (or nearby cemetery) that we could find or decipher. We also looked at Paul where John and Constance Glasson should be buried but again nothing. The Paul pub landlady has a map of burials in the Paul churchyard but no Glassons were on it. And we found nothing in the (more recent) Paul cemetery. Do you know if there might be earlier records of early - ie early 19th century - Cornish burial locations still in existence?

Still we had a wonderful time albeit far too brief and identified the location of the Glasson farm south of Paul at Halwyn, just near the cliff top above Mousehole. It would be great to identify Glasson farms (tenements) in or around Madron. You said there was something at Heamoor. Do you know any more?

very best

Philippa

[Deleted]

Hello Philippa

We couldn't get into the church at Madron and there were no Glasson gravestones in the graveyard (or nearby cemetery) that we could find or decipher. We also looked at Paul where John and Constance Glasson should be buried but again nothing. The Paul pub landlady has a map of burials in the Paul churchyard but no Glassons were on it. And we found nothing in the (more recent) Paul cemetery. Do you know if there might be earlier records of early - ie early 19th century - Cornish burial locations still in existence?

Still we had a wonderful time albeit far too brief and identified the location of the Glasson farm south of Paul at Halwyn, just near the cliff top above Mousehole. It would be great to identify Glasson farms (tenements) in or around Madron. You said there was something at Heamoor. Do you know any more?

As I remember when I was at Madron Church I was able to get in because somebody official was visiting at the time. I remember there was at least one headstone somewhere near the fence on the wall near the road up from Penzance.

I also never found anything of interest in the Paul cemetery. I also know nothing more about Hea other than a reference to it in a will and I just assumed that things would have changed in that area over time leaving very little to discover now. I do also remember reference to Thomas Glasson being at Trewidden which I believe was in Madron also.

My immediate family were largely based around the hamlet of Polpeor ( above Lelant) and there are still some original buildings remaining there.

Lannanta

[philippaberry]

Sept 25, 2013 22:51:43 GMT -5 @lannanta said:

Hello Philippa

We couldn't get into the church at Madron and there were no Glasson gravestones in the graveyard (or nearby cemetery) that we could find or decipher. We also looked at Paul where John and Constance Glasson should be buried but again nothing. The Paul pub landlady has a map of burials in the Paul churchyard but no Glassons were on it. And we found nothing in the (more recent) Paul cemetery. Do you know if there might be earlier records of early - ie early 19th century - Cornish burial locations still in existence?

Still we had a wonderful time albeit far too brief and identified the location of the Glasson farm south of Paul at Halwyn, just near the cliff top above Mousehole. It would be great to identify Glasson farms (tenements) in or around Madron. You said there was something at Heamoor. Do you know any more?

As I remember when I was at Madron Church I was able to get in because somebody official was visiting at the time. I remember there was at least one headstone somewhere near the fence on the wall near the road up from Penzance.

I also never found anything of interest in the Paul cemetery. I also know nothing more about Hea other than a reference to it in a will and I just assumed that things would have changed in that area over time leaving very little to discover now. I do also remember reference to Thomas Glasson being at Trewidden which I believe was in Madron also.

My immediate family were largely based around the hamlet of Polpeor ( above Lelant) and there are still some original buildings remaining there.

Lannanta

[philippaberry]

Hello Allan

Thanks for your thoughts about Madron cemetery and Glasson family locations. I have had to reflect on the extent to which many early burials - certainly 18th century and before - may have been dug over and forgotten once their gravestones were illegible. Thomas Hardy wrote a moving poem about this in the late nineteenth century. And did some of the early burials even have proper gravestones, I wonder? To secure a decent plot and full stone must have depended then as now upon the financial situation of the family. I assume the Glassons of Madron were doing ok financially but haven't yet found any references to early wills (eg 18th century). Can you direct me?

We plan to make another short trip to West Penwith in December...

very best

Philippa

[Deleted]

Hello Philippa

One good site that I started with was - webs.lanset.com/azazella/cornish_database.html

there are a lot of will abstracts and good well researched information there.


Also: - crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/DServe/searchpage.htm

where if you search on Glasson you will find a lot of documents etc.

Let me know how you get on.

Lannanta

[philippaberry]

Thank you, Allan! Those links were very helpful. I am still trying to decide which Glasson documents to order as I also want to sort out the two William Bosustows who were related to my great-great grandmother Jane Bosustow Glasson, one her father the other perhaps her great uncle. I will update you with my findings, anyway, and haven't forgotten you need some Glasson birth data etc from my immediate family which I am still collecting.

very best  Philippa

[Deleted]

Hi Philippa

Just make sure that you ask me if I have any Glasson wills etc before you buy them. I have a few. CT is waiting very patiently for me to update to him what I have

Lannanta