My house 150 years ago… part 3

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WHO LIVED IN MY HOUSE 150 YEARS AGO?    PART III

The third and final episode of this meander through the households of Warleggan Parish as recorded in the 1851 Census – the first to provide us with reasonably detailed information on the inhabitants of each parish.

Petherick Bunt, the enumerator, travelled down the road from the busy hamlet of Boffindle to the extremely important farm of Trengoff.  The head of the household was Thomas Runnalls described as a “Farmer of 200 acres employing 2 men”.   With the 44 year old Thomas and his wife, Rebecca, lived their family of 8 children ranging from 18 years of 2 months of age.   Also living in were James Sibley a Farmworker, and 2 House Servants – Emma Rowe from Blisland and Mary Courts from Cardinham.

Just above Panters Bridge lie the remains of Carne where in 1851 lived 27 year old William Masters, a Farm Labourer, and his 48 year old wife Mary.  Visiting at the time of the census was John Landers of Blisland.

Also now no longer to be seen is Trengoff Mill where lived Richard Gains a Farm Labourer with his wife and 2 children.

Moving south we come to Great Trevorder where lived William Marshall a “Farmer of 93 acres”.   William was 47 and lived with his wife Ann and their children Rebecca, John and Elizabeth.  Living in were Johanna Courts a 13 year old House Servant and Thomas and William Richards aged 23 and 15 who appear as “House Servant Ag. Lab.”.

Little Trevorder at this time was 60 acres and run by the 69 year old widow Jane Lobb.  However I am sure although Jane was head of the household her son John did the daily work to provide for his wife and 5 children aged from 10 years to 10 months.  Living in were 2 Farm Workers – James Banderwolf (27) and Joseph Burnett (13).

Moving to the southernmost part of the parish we find ourselves at Old Road – which house was this down at what we now call Holtroad?  Here lived Danial Lobb, a Farm Labourer, and his wife Mary, with a Lodger – 20 year old Sampson Vine a Tin Miner.

Back at Panters Bridge we find two houses in Warleggan Parish – where were these?  In one cottage lived Jonathan Congdon a 61 year old Road Labourer with his wife, Elizabeth, their 28 year old unmarried daughter Mary who worked as a Tin Mine Maid and probably her daughter Elizabeth of 8 months born in the Bodmin Union.

In the other cottage lived Thomas Keast a 56 year old Agricultural Labourer with Ann his wife and their children Thomas, 15, described as “Agricultural Boy”, Jemima , 11, and William, 9.   If I may be allowed some time to expand on Thomas as he is my third great grandfather, oddly not through the Keast line.  Jemima married William Cole whose granddaughter – Ruth Cole – married my grandfather, Matthew Keast later of Torhouse, to bring the family back full circle.  Through the Keast line Thomas of Panters Bridge is my first cousin four times removed.   Are you still with me?  Shall I just say Thomas was an ancestor of mine; we haven’t travelled far and have no wish to do so.  When you find somewhere as pleasant as Warleggan Parish there is no need to leave.

Back in 1851 Barley Splat would have been a humble little cottage and there lived 70 year old John Lemin still working as an Agricultural Labourer and Jane his wife.

Another house that is now only ruins is Milltown set alongside the River Dewey upstream from Panters Bridge.  In 1851 this property was occupied by William Lean, a Farmer of 12 acres, with his wife, their 19 year old son William Bone who was the Miller at this time, John, an Agricultural Labourer, and two daughters.  Living in were two Loading Boys who presumably worked in the mill – Henery Mallett (13) and his brother Joseph (9).

Also at Milltown lived a 71 year old Road Labourer – Samual Polmeer.

Petherick Bunt now moved along to his own home of Lower Tharn where he farmed 100 acres and employed 3 men.  Living with Petherick was his wife Elizabeth, their four children and Jane Ann Rawling a 16 year old Servant.

At last we come to the village of Warleggan itself, known to Petherick and many still today as “Churchtown”.  Here in 1851 there were 8 houses including the Rectory – the same as the original houses today.

There are two houses we can recognise.  James Ramsay was a Blacksmith and he probably lived in what is now known as Forge Cottage with his wife, two daughters and 14 year old son, Thomas, who worked in the Blacksmith’s Shop.

James Cowels was a Farm Carpenter employing 2 men and he would have probably lived alongside the Carpenter’s Shop which was where Cyril and Barbara Keast now live.  With James and his wife Mary lived his brother, Danual, also a Carpenter and 20 year old Joseph Hambly an Apprentice Carpenter.   Obviously the local farms and the mine kept these men busily employed.

Elsewhere in the village lived Hugh Coppin, an Agricultural Labourer, and his wife Jane.

Ann Grose aged 70 was living on Parish Relief with her 25 year old daughter Martha who was described as “Out of Servant” – out of servant work?

William Hoare a Tin Miner lived with his wife and 3 children and they had a Lodger, Martha Honey, also on Parish Relief.

Another large family was that of Nicholas Grose (39) an Agricultural Labourer who with his wife, Mary Ann, had 6 children with the oldest, 12 year old Joseph Couch, working as a Tin Mine Boy.

Finally in the village we come to William Walsh an Agricultural Labourer with his wife and 3 young children.

Looking after the souls of the parish at this time was the 52 year old Reverend Dalston Clements living in the Rectory with his wife, Katherine, and Jane Matthews, a House Servant.

So Petherick Bunt has finished his list of 300 persons resident in Warleggan Parish on the night of March 30^th – 31^st 1851.   As I noted at the beginning of this series some 100 persons more than today.

Of particular interest is the variety of occupations.  Most people were working the land but 29 were working in the tin mine and others served this workforce as dressmakers, carpenters, shoe makers, mason, blacksmiths, school mistress, nurse, road labourers, millers and, of course, the Rector.

And look at the ages of the inhabitants – only 21 aged over 60 and of those all but 9 not in employment of some sort.

What a busy and important parish Warleggan was.   Will we ever see such enterprise here again?  It is in your hands.

John K

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More stories from the past…

Got your own memories to share?  Or any photos showing how Mount and Warleggan used to look in the old days?  Share them –  by email, through comments (below) or dropping off a pendrive/memory stick with Chris W (in Mount) or Gill K (in Warleggan)