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Post by egorrie53 on Mar 28, 2020 20:32:44 GMT -5
Hi, my name is Betty. I live in Surrey, BC Canada. I am 8 hours behind you in time if you are in Cornwall. My grandmother was born in Truro Cornwall. Some of our relatives are in Penwith and I would say quite a lot really, so I am fairly familiar with the geography.
I have read all of the material that was posted on Edwards. I think it all makes a wack of sense to me. However, I have a loose thread. I have Francis Edwards 1645 born in St Just to Richard 1619 St. Just born to John Edwards. St. Just is a mere 5 miles from Ludgvan. I am related to this persons descendants by DNA. So I have reviewed the Visitations, and Vivians Visitation Notations, along with anything else I could find on earth. Where did John Edwards who would have been born 1570-1595 come from?? He is not on the horizon anywhere. Can anyone shed any light on this fellow? Thanks a lot.
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Post by Cornish Terrier on Mar 29, 2020 13:30:05 GMT -5
Hi Betty and Welcome to the site.
I am not sure that you will find it in any way easy to find an answer to your question. Part of the problem lies in the fact that it was only in 1538 that it was decreed that registers of births, deaths and marriages be kept and maintained but moreover it took, in some places, more than 100 years before that really started to happen. And of course even where registers were being kept they were often subject to poor storage conditions which meant that many registers have become fragmented, water damaged or simply lost of the years.
The earliest surviving register for St Just covers the period 1599-1681 but whilst records of burials and marriages begin in 1599 it is not until 1630 that the baptisms begin. There are some early Bishops Transcripts but the earliest of those are for 1612, 1614, 1618 and 1619. There is one ealier than those but I cannot find a date on it and in any case the earliest it 'might' be is 1596.
In some Parishes in Cornwall, St Levan and Sennen for example, the earliest registers do not begin until 1699/1700 and yet other Parishes have records beginning earlier but with gaps of lost years in between.
Wills, if any of your ancestors wrote them and they survive, or documents such as Leases, Manorial documents etc may produce something but there can be no guarantee.
Other members with more experience in early records may be able to offer some more suggestions.
CT
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Post by trencrom on Apr 2, 2020 10:14:30 GMT -5
"Edwards" is not an uncommon surname in West Penwith. I have more than one such ancestral line myself, including the visitation family that Betty refers to. These are unrelated families so far as I can see.
In relation to the origins of John, it is unlikely that this could ever be established, given the early date, without relevant probate records or manorial records, but even then the name is so common that confirming that it is the same person could be difficult if not impossible. Searching early 17th century Edwards wills for the St Just area is probably your best bet. Certainly also check the 1569 muster roll for the parish. The Tudor subsidies could also be searched, as well as the 1522 military survey, but it is likely that these will only tell you what the distribution of men with that surname was in Cornwall for the relevant years, they will not reveal who was who, or who is related to who.
Trencrom
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