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See also Land Records and Maps.

Domesday

Only six manors in West Penwith are, for certain, mentioned in Domesday. These are Alverton (Penzance), Eglosburie (St. Buryan), Brea and Kelynack (St. Just in Penwith), Lanisley (Gulval) and Ludgvan ?Lees?. The respective parish pages show a facsimile and translation of the extract. There is some doubt over the location of some other recorded references e.g. Trenwith (St. Ives & Towednack), Trevidor (St. Buryan) and Whitesand (Sennen). See the General Cornwall Bibliography for books about this survey.

Manorial Records

This is a list of relevant Manors whose records are held at the Cornwall Record Office. It was extracted from the CRO publication “A Gazetteer of Cornish Manors” revised 1998. As I find out more detail about the extent of records and location of lands, I will update this list.

• Alverton—Madron (seat) & Paul. Papers 1381 CRO AD628
• Amalebrea, Amalibria or Amyll-an-Tryll—Towednack (seat) & Zennor. Papers 1746–1845 CRO DG165. See also Gilbert below.
• Bojewyan—St. Just in Penwith (map ref. 392347).
• Boscawen Rose—St. Buryan (map ref. 431238).
• Boskednan—Gulval. See Lanhydrock below.
• Bosvenning—St. Just in Penwith & Sancreed.
• Boswednack—Zennor (map ref. 443378).
• Boswednan—Madron.
• Brea or Bree—St. Just in Penwith (map ref. 379280).
• St. Buryan—St. Buryan (map ref. 409257). The CRO have rent rolls and deeds of conveyance from 1716.
• Butsava—Paul.
• Carvolgh—Morvah.
• Colinack or Kelynack—St. Just in Penwith (map ref. 372299).
• Colurrian or Kellerion—Ludgvan.
• Connerton—Gulval, St. Ives & Lelant (also Gwithian, Phillack, Grinear & Crowan).
• Corva or Carva—Gulval, St. Ives (seat), Lelant, Madron, Morvah & Zennor.
• Dennis Eya (Dinas Ia) and Porth Ia—St. Ives. See also the Tregenna Castle Estate below.
• Dewvrane—St. Buryan & Sancreed.
• Driff—Sancreed.
• Eglosberrie—St. Buryan.
• Fee Marshall—Paul.
• Gurlyn—Ludgvan (also St. Erth (seat), St. Hilary & Perranuthnoe).
• Gwidden—Sancreed.
• Horwell, Werwill or Abbatisse—St. Buryan, Ludgvan, Morvah, Sennen (seat) & Zennor.
• St. Ives and Treloyhan—St. Ives. Papers 1779 CRO BRA1985. Possibly later merged into Dynas Ia & Porth Ia, see also the Tregenna Castle Estate below. The archive of the Glanville & Hamilton, land agents for this estate (CRO GHW/12) has recently been catalogued by Chris bond.
• St. Just—St. Just in Penwith (map ref. 371314). See also the Lanhydrock Estate below.
• Kemyel—Paul.
• Kenegie—Gulval.
• Kerris—Paul.
• Lanisley or Lanesley—Gulval.
• Lanyon—Madron (seat), Paul & Sancreed.
• Lelant Trevethow—St. Ives & Lelant(?).
• Ludgvan Lees—St. Ives & Ludgvan. Kathie Weigel has an abstract of the Ludgvan Lees manorial records.
  Manors of Ludgvan and Porthia, presentments, suit rolls, rentals and accounts 1668–1739 Hampshire Record Office [11M49/335–337] LDS [ 1471491/31]
  See also the Bolton Estate below.
• Mayon or Maen—Sennen (map ref. 359259).Symons family papers 1829–1903 CRO X739.
• Mousehole—Paul.
• Mulfra or Moelvre—Madron. See Lanhydrock below.
• Porth Ia—see Dennis Eya
• Portia Prior—St. Ives (also St. Anthony in Meneage & Manaccan). See also the Bolton Estate below.
• Ragennis—Paul.
• Rosemodris—St. Buryan (map ref. 440239). The CRO [class DD.BU] have the Survey Book 1711, rentals with other manors 1759–1889, rental 1788 and presentments 1809–15, 1837–65, Survey 1829. The DRO [Ref. 2065M add 28/M1] have a survey with other manors 1710–50.
• Rosemorran—Gulval. Malone family CRO [class ML]. Rosemorran House papers, 1872 CRO [AD588/4].
• Selena or Sulgena—St. Buryan (seat, map ref. 401238), Madron & Paul. The PRO [Ref. Req 2/VII/8; XX/139; XXIV/33] have unspecified documents in a Court of Requests case. The CRO has a court roll with other manors 1622–23 [Ref. Acc. Jul–Sept. 1962], court rolls 1624–28, 1632–33, rentals 1727–31 and rent roll 1714–22 [Ref. Acc. Jan–March 1965; Acc. Oct–Dec 1957], reeves’ accounts with other manors 1627–31 [Ref. X827) and rentals 1714–22, 1727–31 [Ref. Acc 323, AD 32], other papers 1769–1818 [X627/1,2,4,6,7,11].
• Talvargh—Gulval.
• Tredennick—Gulval.
• Treen or Treryn—Zennor (map ref. 435377).
• Tregarrest—Sancreed.
• Tregonebris—Sancreed.
• Trembethow—Lelant.
• Trenwith—St. Ives.
• Treseder—St. Buryan (map ref. 391241).
• Trethewy—Zennor (St. Levan? map ref. 383236). The Trethewy in St. Cleer is a different manor.
• Trevayler—Gulval.
• Treveneth or Trewarveneth—Paul.
• Trevethow—St. Ives. Papers 1920–25 CRO AD768, AD813/9–11.
• Treviddren—St. Buryan (map ref. 418238). The CRO has court notes 1716, 1729–39, surveys 1750, 1754 and rentals 1720–21, 1732 (the collection of Vyvyan of Trelowarren).
• Trevidor—St. Buryan (map ref. 431262). The CRO [Class DD.WH] have rentals c1800 and 1851.
• Trevillard—Gulval & St. Just in Penwith.
• Trewellard—St. Just in Penwith (map ref. 376337).
• Trewinnard—St. Levan (also Breage and St. Erth (seat)).
• Trewey—Zennor (map ref. 453383).
• Trewoof—St. Buryan (map ref. 439254).
• Treworlis—Ludgvan, Sennen & Zennor (also Breage (seat), St. Erth & Sithney). Rentals 1659–1662, 1671–1680, 1695, c.1700, 1701–1704, 1706–1714, 1716–1719, 1725–1733, 1735–1742 CRO [SN.261–338] LDS [ 1471925/50]
• Trezela—Gulval. See Lanhydrock below.
• Truthall, Truthwall, Tregewell, Triuall, Trithwell or Treyuthall—Ludgvan.

Estate Sales

Abstracts are available for the sales of …

• The Tregenna Castle Estate, 1871 includes the manors of Dynas Ia & Porth Ia and a little about Lelant & Trevethow. This includes a large proportion of the parish of St. Ives.
• The Bolton Estate (part 1), 1904 is property in Devon and Looe district of Cornwall.
• The Bolton Estate (part 2), 1904 includes the manors of Ludgvan Leeze and Porthia Prior.
• The Lanhydrock Estates, 1912 includes the manors of Penzance & St. Just, Trezela and Mulfra and possibly also Boskednan CRO X806/7. The family papers of Agar-Robartes (Viscount Clifden) in CRO class CL are extensive and could be useful. “Three Hundred Years on Penwith Farms” [Penwith 1994] is a valuable starting point for this estate.
• The Earl Cowley Estate, 1919 includes many houses in St. Ives.
• The Gilbert Estate, 1922 includes the manor of Amyll-on-Trylle. Other family papers are under CRO class DG.
• The Porthia Estate, 1930

The Bolton, Cowley and Lanhydrock Estates and especially the Tregenna Castle Estate include late examples of the “Three Lives Lease” system popular in Cornwall since the middle ages. An example of one of these is transcribed and online on this site.

CRO Estate records

Estate records including leases for non-manorial estates are indexed in the CRO by parish. Some examples follow as an idea of the sort of information that may be available. These are extracted from the annual accession lists.

• St. Buryan—Alsea or Alia and Rosparnell 1740–1867 X815/1–31.
  Parkan Candy, Bramble Close and Plan an Gwary 1765 FS3/1230
  Cholwell’s tennement, Penberth, Sparnons and Bosehan 1769–1818 X627/1,2,4,6,7,11
  Cholwell’s or Blackwell’s tenement 1791 X1022/3
• Gulval—Ponsandane (Bolitho estate) papers 1935–64 AD968/1–47
• St. Ives—Wellesley estates (Earl Cowley and Praed) 1611–1903 X688
  House and Cellars 1811 X864/1
  Halsetown 1866 AD595
  Quay House 1943 X732/1
  Capt. E. B. Nain properties (also Lelant) 1943–45 X732/4.
  Tithe map 1847 X1047
• St. Just in Penwith—Churchtwon 1784–1874 X650/1–11
  Boscaswell and Miners Arms 1824 AD656/33
  Begleast Moor 1834–79 X784/1,2
  Numphra 1838 BRA2517
• Lelant—Tithe apportionment 1841 AD867/2
• St. Levan—Treen 1818 X627/10
• Ludgvan—Truthall late C18th B/HEL305
  Collorian Common and Ashton Nancledra 1835–1930 AD656/34–40
  Tregerthan c1900 X807/63
  Trink’s tennement 1882 X953
• Madron—Trewidden (Bolitho estate) class BL
  The Minney 1863 X863/1
  Trereife barton and Churchtown 1865–1941 AD656/41–43
  Poltair 1869–87 PN222
  History of Castle Horneck 1863 AD1026/1
  Trengwainton, Luddras and Pulteggan mill 1760 X906
  Boswartha Wollas and Boswartha Wartha 1869 X896/2,3
  Nancealverne (Scobell estate) C19th DC/PEN/addit.
• Morvah—sadly none found yet.
• Paul—House and Cellar Newlyn 1742 X863/2
  Trewarveneth Vean, Tredavoe and Leah, Newlyn 1769–1967 X573/264–307
  Trevithal, Chyponds, Bollogas Wollas and Tresvennack 1782–1879 X627/3,5,8,9,13–18
  Chyenhall 1789 BRA2473/1–4
  Trevithal, Fox’s Lane, Mousehole and Brewinney 1822–78 X729/3–11
  Newlyn, Lower Sheffield, Mousehole Lane, Churchtown, Brewinney, Treroofe, Mousehole, Castallack, Kerris, Regennis Cliff and Tolcarne 1834–1931 AD656/44–76
  Ragennis cliff 1807 and Mousehole 1796 AD1237
• Penzance—Various 1480 B/HEL303
  Various 1722–1932 AD656/77–226
  Marketjew Street 1789–1895 BRA2029/1–14
  Tavern House and Redinnick field 1793–1880 X729/12,13
  Leskinnick Terrace and Voundervoor Lane 1840–72 X863/3–6
  Town map 1845 X638
  Mount Street 1850 AD578/1
  Regent Terrace 1852 BRA1710/21
  Shops C20th BRA2199/9
  Rentals and surveys 1787 AD947/17–20
  The General Club, Opies Hotel and others in Princes Street and New Street 1798–1966 BRA2591/18–70
  Market Place 1766–1930 AD1088/1–60
  Lescudjack 1814 AD1060/6
  High Street 1702 & 1716 and New Street 1791 X1009/1–3
  16 Penlee Street 1926 X1057.
• Sancreed—Tregerrast 1795 X784/3
  Lower Drift 1814 X627/8
  Chycoll and Rosevin 1820–63 AD656/232
  Higher Drift 1870 X866/55.
• Sennen—Sennen Cove 1909–26 AD656/236–240.
• Towednack—Georgia Croft 1840 AD588/1.
• Zennor—Wicca 1952–93 X970/1–51

Also various properties over West Penwith 1694–1909 X867/1–24.

As an example Barbara Castle posted (CORNISH-L 28 Jun 2001) this history of a modest 4 room house at 20, Rosevean Road, Penzance. The information was extracted from wills and leases.

1835    JOHN BATTEN (d. 18.6.1875) of Penzance sold  100 yr lease of land for
        building to:
JOHN THOMAS—conveyancer
1839    THOMAS HAWKE  of Penzance, Baker, rented property
1844    PETER ROBERTS of Penzance, Limeburner, rented property
1851    ROBERT EDWARD NICHOLAS of Penzance, Chandler & Shoemaker, bought
        lease (died a bachelor 6.4. 1897)
1851    ANTHONY TRIPCONY of Gulval, Miller, rented property
1865    JOHN TREWHELLA of Penzance, Gentleman, rented property
1867    JOHN TROUNSON of Penzance, Builder, rented property
1891    HENRY STEWART of Penzance, bought freehold from JOHN BATTEN (Jnr ?)
1897    EMILY LOUISA PAUL of 41, Caldswell Rd, Penzance, widow (sister of
        R.E. NICHOLAS) inherits lease
        Lease assigned to THOMAS HARRY of St. Buryan, Butcher married to
        SOPHIA (? nee PAUL)
1924    Lease assigned to executors of Sophia Harry, SAMUEL TREWHELLA of
        Sunnyside, Sennen & JOSEPH VIVIAN THOMAS of Alverton St. Penzance
1931    Freehold inherited by  MARY ANN STEWART, widow of The Weeths,
        Penzance  &
        LEONARD STEWART of St. Mary’s Terrace, Penzance, Ironmonger

There are some later names including TREVAIL, TREGONING & WILTON