Great Cornish families

Great Cornish families: a history of the people and their houses is a book by Crispin Gill, published in 1995.[1] The author Crispin Gill, at the time of the book's publication lived in Plymouth and was Assistant Editor of the Western Morning News[1] :Dust jacket blurb.[2] This article names many notable families that have featured prominently in Cornwall's history.

Contents

Gill's Great families

Gill chooses the following families:

Additional families

Gill's list of important families not included above

In the introduction to Great families . . . [1] :pp.i - iv, the following additional potentially great families are mentioned. They were not included in the list as they failed to "found a dynasty":

Deacon's list of important families

Bernard Deacon in his History of Cornwall (2007)[7] :pp.129-131 suggests the following family names ("merchant bourgeois" who joined the "gentry" from the latter part of the 18th century): Williams, Bolitho, Fox, Davey of Redruth, Daniell of Truro, Harvey of Gwennap, Foster of Lostwithiel.

Landowners

Table of Principal Cornish Landowners, mid-nineteenth century (ranked)

  1. Lord Falmouth
  2. Lord Robartes
  3. G. M. Fortescue
  4. G. L. Basset
  5. Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  6. C. H. T. Hawkins
  7. Sir R. R. Vyvyan
  8. Col. A. Tremayne
  9. Augustus Coryton
  1. F. Rodd
  2. J. M. Williams
  3. J. J. Rogers
  4. Earl of St Germans
  5. Revd A. Molesworth-St Aubyn
  6. Sir J. Trelawney
  7. C. P. Brune
  8. Edward Coode
  9. Col. S. M. Grylls

Source: Returns of owners of land in England & Wales – House of Commons Sessional papers 1872-3: paper No. 1874 lixxii, quoted in Edwin Jaggard Cornwall politics in the age of reform 1790-1855, (1999) [8]:pp160.

Top landowners in Cornwall 1872* Acres owned in Cornwall
Mr Jonathan Rashleigh of Menabilly, Par 30,156
Viscount Falmouth of Mereworth Castle, Maidstone, Kent 25,910
Lord Robartes MP of Lanhydrock, Bodmin 22,234
Mr Cyril Fortescue of Boconnoc, Lostwithiel 20,148
Mr Gustavus Basset of Tehidy Park, Redruth 16,969
Earl of Mount Edgcumbe MP of Mount Edgcumbe, Devonport 13,288
Mr Christopher Hawkins of Trewithen, Probus 12,119
Mr Francis Thynne of Haynes Park, Bedford 10,224
Rev Sir Vyell Vyvyan of Trelowarren, Helstone 9,738
Colonel Arthur Tremayne MP of Carclew, Perranarworthal 8,823

*(Source: Who owns Britain ? by Kevin Cahill)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Crispin Gill Great Cornish families: a history of the people and their houses, Tiverton, Cornwall Books (1995). ISBN 1-871060-25-7. A4 landscape format, many illustrations, index, list of sources but no individual references.
  2. ^ Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History: article on Crispin Gill.
  3. ^ The Bolitho family's growth to prominence started with Thomas Bolitho (1765-1868), they were initially tanners, who moved into lime-burning and tin smelting before becoming bankers. Their Bank eventually merged with Barclays in 1905. Gill cites the following references:
    • Cornish Magazine and Devon Miscellany
    • Matthews, W. P. History of Barclays Bank.
    • Pool, P. A. S. History of Penzance, 1974.
  4. ^ Trevanions: Gill cites as source: Rowse, A. L. The Byrons and Trevanions, 1978.
  5. ^ Glynn of the Vivian family: an estate to the east of Bodmin. It later became a centre for biological research.
  6. ^ Pentillie Castle described in Devonshire & Cornwall illustrated, from original drawings by T. Allom (1832) p.16-17, on Google Books.
  7. ^ Deacon, Bernard Cornwall: the Concise History, (The Histories of Europe series) University of Wales Press, (November 2007) ISBN 978-0-70832032-7 (hardback) 978-0-7083-2031-0 (paperback)
  8. ^ Jaggard, Edwin (1999) Cornwall Politics in the Age of Reform 1790-1855. London: Royal Historical Society/Boydell Press ISBN 0-86193-243-9