Despite having fourteen children the Golden Lanyon had only twelve great great great grandsons to carry on the family name on the Botrea branch of the Lanyon family. There may be unrecorded children, and children who have moved away from Cornwall and not been traced, but it is a diminishing tree.

The Fowey Boys

John and Thomas (the sons of William Lanyon 1680-bef. 1776) both lived in Fowey, initially I couldn’t find their parents or where they fitted on the tree. It was the wills of William’s brother Robert and his wife Grace Chennall which helped me resolve the problem.

We don’t know the name of William’s wife but as both his eldest grand daughters are called Mary we may surmise that is her name or perhaps they were named after their great grandmother, Mary Ellis.

John Lanyon abt. 1720-1762

John was born about 1720 but there is no trace of a baptism, he married Elizabeth Joans from Fowey, at Lostwithiel, on 26 Jul 1753. John was the Officer of Excise in Fowey.

They had five children: 

• Mary 1754-1809
• Elizabeth 1756- no further trace
• John Hewet 1757- no further trace
• William 1759- no further trace
• Francis Joans (Jones) 1761-1841 

It is possible that only Francis and Mary survived to adulthood and he is the only ‘nephew’ mentioned by Grace Lanyon (Chennall) in her will.

Francis Joans Lanyon 1761-1841

Francis Joans Lanyon was a shipwright and married Jane Turner in 1786 at Charles the Martyr, Plymouth, Devon. Their children:

• John 1788-1791 died in infancy
• John Francis 1792-1863 married Jane Hicks at Plymouth in 1815, they had no children but lived with her widowed mother Betsy and nieces. From the 1859 census we can see that John was a bread baker. He died in 1863 and left an estate valued at under £200.
• Jane 1795-1872 was baptised at Devonport and married Edward Wills. They had four sons two of which were called Napoleon and Horatio! Perhaps Edward fought at Trafalgar? Edward died before 1826 as Jane remarried William Honey and had another five children including William Lanyon Honey and John Francis Lanyon Honey.
• Eliza 1798-1799 died in infancy
• Elizabeth 1805- no further trace
• Francis -1791 died in infancy

Then in 1831 Francis Joans Lanyon married Ann McFarline at East Stonehouse, Devon. They are shown on the 1841 census he is aged 80 and she is aged 30! The 1841 census doesn’t show their relationship.

Thomas Lanyon abt. 1720-1770

William’s second son was Thomas born about 1720, he was a victualler and maltster in Fowey. Thomas married Mary Varco at Fowey in 1752. Their children:

• Mary 1753- was born at Fowey and she married Walter Colmer at Fowey in 1774 and had 9 children, the eldest was called John Lanyon Colmer.
• John 1755- no further trace
• Thomas 1758-1790 he married Jane Williams by licence at Fowey in 1784. He was a ‘salt officer’. He and Jane had a daughter Elizabeth. Jane died Nov 1787, Thomas died Sep 1790 and Elizabeth died Oct 1790 aged just 6.
• William 1762- no further trace

Thomas Lanyon and his wife Mary Varco ran the Dolphin Inn at Fowey, the Dolphin’s biggest competitor was the Ship Inn (John Rashleigh and Alice Lanyon’s first town home.)

Thomas died in 1770 and left a wonderfully detailed inventory of goods which gives a real glimpse into their lives. The will describes the furnishings in each room.

Following Thomas’ death Mary continued to run the inn and in 1771 Philip Rashleigh’s expenses listed ” the widow Lanyon’s bill for the entertainment on election day £2 4/-“. Source – Old Cornish Inns by H.L Douch. 1966.

The Dolphin was taken over by her son in law Walter Colmer and daughter Mary but by 1817 it was defunct.

Mary was buried on 12 Aug 1818 at Fowey aged 99! (Royal Cornwall Gazette.)

That is the end of this branch of the tree, there are no further male heirs traced to pass on the family name.