Author: lanyongenealogy

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William of Illogan

William was the son of William Lanyon and the grandson of John Lanyon Esq.

William was baptised at Sancreed in 1603. He may have had a first wife called Catheren as there was a Catheren Lanyne buried at Illogan in 1623. He married Grace (surname not recorded) at Illogan in 1636. He signed the Protestation Return on 1641/2 as William Lanyne Illogan.

William had three children who’s baptisms and burials have not been traced. Assumption is that they were all born after their parent’s marriage in 1636 and were still alive when their father’s will was proved in 1687.

  • John aft.1636-aft.1687 married Jane
  • Jane aft.1636-aft.1687 married John Penberthy – children
  • Joan aft.1636-aft.1687 married Bloyes, no children at the time of the will.
PROB-11-391-197 William Lanyon Illogan first pageDownload

William’s will is long, I’ve only added the first page, and a transcript.

Transcript William’s willDownload

William’s son John Lanyon was married at least twice. His first wife was Prudence Brow and they married at Illogan in 1663. They had a daughter Grace baptised in 1665 and Prudence died in 1667. John married again to Jane, surname unknown. John had three more children but it isn’t clear if the mother was Jane or Prudence as we don’t know the dates of baptism just the dates of their burials:

  • William – 9 Jul 1669
  • Elizabeth – 27 Jun 1669
  • Thomas – 13 Jul 1669

It appears as though William, Elizabeth and Thomas died in an epidemic – they were buried within three weeks of one another.

There is a John Lanyon who married Ann at Illogan in 1690. Perhaps Jane died after the will and John remarried. No record of any children.

Grace baptised in 1665 married Stephen Cock at Illogan in 1683 and is mentioned in her grandfather’s will. It sounds as though she has had a child and perhaps lost it. ‘If my granddaur Grace Cock have another child in my lifetime £100 to same at 21.’

The John Lanyon of St Ives ‘my kinsman’ mentioned in William’s will is his nephew, the son of John Lanyon and Mary Ellis. William is also mentioned in Mary (Ellis) Lanyon’s will of 1676.

We don’t know much about William of Illogan but we do know he was summoned to appear at the Consistery Court of the 29 April 1663. We don’t know what the summons was for but on the 16 May he “makes humble acknowledgement of his sorrow for not appearing.” Source – letter from HL Douch, curator Royal Institution of Cornwall to WSL Lamparter. 1 Nov 1962.

With no surviving grandchildren called Lanyon this little branch of the family died out.

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Elcana Lanyon

I spent many months bemoaning the fact that Lanyon parents were not terribly adventurous about naming their children. There are over 300 John Lanyons on my tree and trying to distinguish between them is a nightmare! There are also an awful lot of Williams, Richards, Elizabeths, Janes and Marys but there is definitely only one Elcana Lanion!

I first came across Elcana/Elcaner when I saw a baptism entry in Millet’s transcript of the Madron register:- ‘4 Apr 1670 Bernard son of Eleana Lanion’. I automatically assumed it should be Eleanor and that Bernard was illegitimate. Then I discovered Elcana’s marriage to Honor in 1666. I couldn’t find a baptism or a burial for Elcana despite him having probably the most unusual name in the whole Lanyon family.

A quick trawl on Google revealed that Elkanah was a minor biblical character who was mentioned in the Book of Samuel for having two wives.

I couldn’t find anything else so I tucked the name away and moved on. Some months later I came across a will which mentioned him.

William Lanyon yeoman of Madron died 1674

Transcript:

  • To my son Hugh, lease of Bosollow Veor after mother’s death.
  • Jane my wife
  • Thomas my second son
  • William my third son
  • Daughter Jane £10
  • Mary the daughter of Elcana Lanyon
  • Margaret wife of Thomas Tonkin
  • Mary wife of Edward Primrose

Where does this William Lanyon fit on the tree? He is the grandson of Raphe Lanyon.

From this will and the Madron parish register we can put together this tree.

Madron parish register lists the baptism of Hugh son of William Lanion of Gulvall in 1648. Hugh is the eldest son according to the will so presumably his parents were married before 1648 but I can’t find a record of this anywhere.

William’s will mentions Mary daughter of Elcana but not the relationship of Elcana or Mary to William. Could Elcana be William’s son and Mary his granddaughter? Or perhaps Elcana is William’s younger brother or even a cousin?

William was probably born in the 1620s if he married in the 1640s. Elcana married Honor in 1666 almost a generation later so could be a son or younger brother. We know from the will that he had a daughter Mary and from the Madron parish register a son called Bernard.

Presumably Margaret (who married Thomas Tonkin) and Mary (who married Edward Primrose) are married daughters of William.

Hugh Lanyon 1648-1709

Hugh was a ‘tynnor’. He married Mary Tonkin from Paul in 1689 but they didn’t have any children.

Hugh’s will (Source – CRO AP/L/1104)

  • Bequeathes 1/- to several named widows
  • To Mary my beloved wife, the house that I do live in and garden adjoining, with liberty of commons for cattle
  • To brother Thomas 10/-
  • Sister Jane wife of William (possibly Harris)
  • Sister-in-law Margaret Tonkin and to brother William Lanyon all the estate I have in land what is not formerly bequeathed to my wife and executor
  • 2/- 6d for the poor man’s box, parish of Madron
  • Inventory mentions Bosollow: one old life left on small tenement. Inventory apparently signed by Thomas Lanyon and Thomas Tonkin.

Brother Thomas Lanyon was baptised on 10 Apr 1652 but there is no trace of a marriage or burial. No trace of a baptism for brother William Lanyon. A possible marriage: William Lanyon married Susanna at Madron in 1675 and she died several months later.

Mary Primrose, wife of Edward was buried at Gulval 8 Mar 1729. She had two daughters: Kathren and Mary.

There is no further trace of Elcana, Honor or Bernard so presumably they died (probably before 1674 as they are not mentioned as beneficiaries in William’s will) and their burials are not recorded. There is no further trace of Elcana’s daughter Mary.

Fields of Bosollow VeanDownload
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John Lanyon of New York

I came across this Lanyon quite by chance whilst looking at a book about the history of Harlem.

On 9 Jun 1722 John Lanyon married Hanna Rierden in New York.

New York City marriage index 1600-1800

Hanna was the daughter of Thomas Pearsall/Parcell and Christina Van Hattem. She was born about 1680 at Dutch Kills, New York. In 1708 she married Jeremiah Rierden but he died and there were no children of this marriage.

In 1723 Thomas Pearsall wrote his will:-

John Lanyon New YorkDownload

Hart Island (City Island) is still called that today and is known as Potter’s Field.

Wikipedia – Hart Island

Excerpt from History of Harlem by James Riker

Great Barents Island (now Randalls & Wards Islands) at Harlem was sold 9 Aug 1687 by Jacob Milborne to Thomas Parcell. Thomas Parcell was the son of John Parcell also known as ‘John the butcher’ from Huntingdon county, England, who early settled at Dutch Kills. When John died in 1680 he left his children: Thomas, William, Henry and Catherine an estate worth 6,000 guilders. Thomas, born 1653 and bred a blacksmith, married Christina Van Hattem. On removing to Great Barents Island, he sold his lands at Dutch Kills to Bourgon Broucard and Hans Covert on 21 Jun 1690 for 4,087 pounds. Parcell built a grist mill at the upper side of his island. His son John bought the northern half of the island 4 Jun 1722 and on 29 Mar 1723, Thomas and Christina sold the other half to son-in-law John Lanyon of New York, innkeeper. Parcell died prior to 1732 on Spectacle or Hart Island (Now City Island) which he then owned. His will mentions his children: Nicholas, John, Henry, Hannah and Eda.

  • Nicholas Parcell married a daughter of the Hon, Rip Van Dam.
  • John Parcell kept his half of Great Barent’s or Parcell Island until his death in 1751 age 75. He married Leah Van Alst and they had nine children. He gave his share to his son Thomas Parcell who married Deborah Penfold. Thomas was drowned in Hellgate on 1 Aug 1766 in the evening attempting to swim his horse to the island
  • Henry Parcell succeeded to Hart Island.
  • Eda married Walter Dobbs.

John Lanyon died, probably 1733 and his will was proved 8 Jan 1734.

Hanna and John had no children and there are no clues in his will as to his origins. Could he be the John Lanyon who was the son of Hugh Lanyon and Mary Tonkin (Morvah branch), he was baptised in 1692 and there is no trace of him?

On 17 Jan 1735 Hanna married for a third time, to Thomas Behena. There were no children from this marriage. In 1765 she mortgaged her half of the island.

Great Barents (Barn) Island in New York City
Randalls and Wards Islands
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Navigating the Site

This is my first attempt at building a website and it shows! About half way through I realised that a different layout might have worked better but it was too late to go back and start again. It’s also a work in progress and new posts and material is added all the time.

How to find your way round

Home

As the name suggests this is the the starting point.

It’s easier to start with the Medieval Lanyons and work forward, the site layout is broadly chronological however the posts were all written at different times so reading the ‘previous post’ or ‘next post’ won’t necessarily be in order. It’s easier to go back to the drop down and navigate from there.

Medieval Lanyons

The drop down box contains a list of posts which are broadly chronological.

If you double tap the header ‘Family Tree -Medieval Times’ a landing page will open.

Lanyon Branches

After the Tudor Lanyons the family breaks off into separate branches and each branch has its own set of posts.

‘Lanyon Tree Branches’ are the earlier branches of the family whilst ‘More Lanyon Branches’ are the later branches of the family.

Some of the posts are a bit like Books of the Old Testament with lots of ‘William begat John’ and not much else, I did consider leaving out anyone without a back story but it’s a lot easier to include them.

Distaff Side

The people who have married into the Lanyon family.

The Black Sheep

The bad boys of family history – these are the people the genealogists secretly like! They won’t necessarily be called Lanyon, they’re the people I’ve stumbled upon and then spent months trying to track them down!

‘Loose’ Lanyons

The Lanyons that don’t quite fit on the tree….yet!

Miscellaneous

All those Lanyons and iterations of the name I’ve come across whilst carrying out research.

About

Me! How to contact me and the various sources I’ve used.

History

Some links and information about the bigger historical picture.

Cornwall-Kernow

Somewhere for all the stories about Cornwall that didn’t quite fit anywhere else. This is not a comprehensive list of all things Cornish just a home for some of the information I came across while researching the family.

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Miscellaneous – Places

The Lanyons have travelled to just about every corner of the world and have left their name on various buildings, roads and landmarks. These are a few of them.

Lanyon Homestead – Canberra Australia

Lanyon is an historic homestead and grazing property located on the southern outskirts of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. James Wright and his friend John Lanyon settled at Lanyon in 1833 as squatters after arriving from London earlier that year. Wright and Lanyon established farm but when Wright died in 1837 Lanyon returned to London but the farm lived on.

Lanyon Homestead – Sheba_Also 43,000 photos, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lanyon House – Mineral Point Wisconsin USA

Lanyon House was built in 1854 by William Lanyon (Snr) from St Allen. William emigrated from Cornwall in 1840 and founded an iron foundry – he was a foundry founder!

Wisconsin Architecture and History 309 Front St – ref 58367

Lanyon Street – Bracken Ridge Queensland Australia

Bracken Ridge is a suburb of Brisbane. The first settlers arrived there in 1857. We don’t know who Lanyon St is named after but it is the location of the of the library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where it is possible to locate many of the records used on this website!

Lanyon Vale – Orange River South Africa

Lanyon Vale is a diamond mine in South Africa

Lanyon Place Railway Station – Belfast

It was Belfast Central but following an upgrade it was renamed Lanyon Place in 2018. Named after the famous Irish architect Sir Charles Lanyon.

Lanyon Place Station

Lanyon Suite -Ten Square Hotel Belfast

The exquisitely appointed Lanyon Suite on the Sixth Floor at Ten Square is the absolute pinnacle of luxury – a beautiful suite to immerse yourselves in, romantically set amongst the rooftops in the heart of the City.

Lanyon House – Retirement Homes Plymouth

Founded by John Lanyon of Plymouth in the 17th Century the homes were rebuilt in the 19th Century and are still in use today.

Lanyon St – Cheshire New Haven Connecticut USA

Lanyon St – Mandurah Australia

Lanyon Coach Builders

The Lanyon coach builders were on the Falmouth Rd in Redruth at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Miscellaneous – Artists

The most famous Lanyon artist is Peter Lanyon, but he’s by no means the only Lanyon artist.

Portrait of an artist – Jacques Lebrun, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Arthur Lanyon

https://www.arthurlanyon.co.uk/

Guardian Article about Arthur Lanyon

Andrew Lanyon

Andrew Lanyon

Amy Lanyon

Amy Lanyon

Bo Lanyon

Bo Lanyon

Deborah Lanyon

Deborah Lanyon

Ellen Lanyon

Matthew Lanyon

E. Jean Lanyon

E.Jean Lanyon

Catherine Rosina Lanyon

Catherine Lanyon

Kate Lanyon

There are two Kate Lanyon’s painting in Cornwall. One is Catherine Rosina and the other is Catherine Septima Lanyon.

Kate Lanyon (Catherine Septima)

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Miscellaneous – Literature

This post is all about the various Lanyon authors and books mentioning Lanyons.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dr Hastie Lanyon is one of the characters in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, he represents the traditional scientist uninterested in the ‘other world’. Lanyon and Jekyll had been firm friends but Lanyon broke off the friendship when Jekyll became too focused on delving into the darker aspects of science. Jekyll/Hyde decide to take their revenge on Lanyon and Hyde arranges a metamorphosis to occur before the good doctor Lanyon. Lanyon is so horrified that Jekyll has been successful in releasing his own evil that Lanyon cannot face the thought that there resides a similar Edward Hyde within him; three weeks after Hyde’s contrived baiting of Lanyon’s curiosity, the meek doctor is dead of shock. (Cliffs Notes.)

Dr Hastie Lanyon – Charles Raymond Macauley (1871 – 1934), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The House of Lanyon by Valerie Anand

The War of the Roses rages around the Lanyons in Exmoor. When two ambitious families occupy the same patch of English soil, rivalry is sure to take root and flourish. A glimmer of initiative swells into blind desire, and minor hurts, nursed with jealousy, fester into a malignant hatred. When a bitter feud is born the price for this wild and beautiful piece of ground will take more than three generations to settle. (Amazon.)

John Penrose by John Coulson Tregarthen

Set in the countryside near Penzance (around Lanyon) is the early nineteenth century, this engaging novel chronicles the adventures of John Penrose, a farm labourer’s son – from poaching on the moors and smuggling to a near-fatal skirmish. Full of rich character and vivid depictions of the countryside, wildlife and farming customs, John Penrose is a thoroughly entertaining read, offering a fascinating portrait of life in rural Cornwall.

Swell by Christopher Lanyon

Christopher Lanyon’s playful, topographical poems embody what it means to swell: in the rising and falling breath of landscape, in the joyous vulnerability of intense friendship and love, in the wake of the inexorable changes to which body and world are bound. This pamphlet takes a kaleidoscopic view of the material; full of flex and growth, feather and claw. In dialogue with fathers and poets, quarries and coastlines, Lanyon asks who we are, and who we want to be. (Bad Betty Press.)

Walter Clemow Lanyon

Walter was born in America in 1887 the son of Simon Lanyon and Ellen Tresedder (St Allen branch) and travelled all over the world investigating and studying the various presentations of Christian teachings. He wrote numerous spiritual books. He died in 1967.

  • And It Was Told of a Certain Potter (1917)
  • Embers (1918)
  • Your Home (1918)
  • Has It Ever Occurred To You? (1919)
  • Abd Allah, Teacher, Healer (1921)
  • A Royal Diadem (1921)
  • Treatment (1921)
  • Demonstration (1921)
  • Your Heritage (1923)
  • The Joy Bringer (1925)
  • Leaves of the Tree (1925)
  • London Notes and Lectures (1928)
  • Impressions of a Nomad (1930)
  • It Is Wonderful (1931)
  • The Laughter of God (1932)
  • The Eyes of the Blind (1932)
  • Behold the Man (1933)
  • Out of the Clouds (1934)
  • A Lamp Unto My Feet (1936)
  • The Temple Not Made With Hands (1936)
  • Thrust In the Sickle (1936)
  • A Light Set Upon a Hill (1938)
  • I Came (1940)
  • That Ye Might Have (1940)
  • Life More Abundant (1940)
  • Without the Smell of Fire (1941)
  • 2 A.M. (1944)
  • The Impatient Dawn (1946)
  • Ask (1970)
Walter Clemow Lanyon

Carla Lanyon Lanyon

A ‘virtual’ Carla reading her poem.

I don’t know where Carla fits in the tree.

Craig M Lanyon

‘Thoughts from a Mountain’ poetry.

The Spectre of Lanyon Moor

Dr Who episode written by Nicholas Pegg.

Richard Lanyon

Richard Lanyon wrote two books ‘Draining Chicago’ and ‘Building the Canal to Save Chicago’.

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

Heyer’s 1958 novel is about Venetia Lanyon

Wikipedia – Venetia

John Owen Lanyon

The Four Wordsmen Of The Apostrophe formed in 2012 when Rob Stepney invited three fellow poets, John Lanyon, Adrian Lancini and Edward Fenton, to join him in publishing a book of their poetry, prose and stories.

Four Swordsmen
Feeling Winter Become Spring
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William Owen Lanyon – Eaten by the Cape Colony Monster!

William Owen Lanyon 1842-1887

William was the son of Sir Charles Lanyon and Elizabeth Helen Owen. He was born in Belfast in 1842 and was a famous British colonial administrator. He served in the West India Regiment and was secretary to the Governor of Jamaica. He was administrator of the southern African territories in the 1870s. His autocratic outlook and low opinion of the local peoples made him immensely unpopular during his terms of office. He was governor of Griqualand West and described it as the most “hideous and disgusting” place he had ever seen.

William Owen Lanyon ‘The Major’
Sir William Owen Lanyon – AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He became a Companion of the Order of the Bath and a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. He married Florence Levy but she died in childbirth and the child was stillborn. He died of cancer of the jaw in New York.

Major William Owen Lanyon, the British Imperial Administrator of Griqualand West, is shown being devoured by the Cape Colony monster.

Caricature showing the bearded Sidney Godolphin Alexander Shippard (right) and R.W. Murray “Limner” (left) tripping up the Lieutenant Governor of Griqualand West, Major William Owen Lanyon. Image relates to the unsuccessful attempt by Major Lanyon to sue the newspaper editor Murray for libel, and Shippard’s support for the newspaper.

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Map of South Africa

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Charles Mortimer Lanyon 1813-1889

Charles was the son of John Jenkinson Lanyon and Catherine Anne Mortimer and was baptised at Eastbourne in 1813. He was articled to Jacob Owen of the Irish Board of Works in Dublin to learn engineering. He secretly married his daughter Elizabeth Helen Owen. He was appointed county surveyor for Kildare and then asked for a transfer to Antrim. He was responsible for many of the important buildings and infrastructure in Northern Ireland. He was elected Mayor of Belfast and Conservative MP for the city.

Sir Charles Lanyon


Charles Lanyon

They had ten children:

  • Catherine Anne 1816-1872 married Sir Owen Randal Slacke – two children
  • John Mortimer 1839-1900 he was also an engineer and architect married Hannah Hyde – two children, he died in Tenerife
  • Charles 1840-1877 – unmarried
  • William Owen 1842-1887
  • Owen 1845-1845 died in infancy
  • Louis Mortimer 1846-1900 married Laura Phillips – three sons
  • Mary Owen 1848- married FW Hollams – three children
  • Herbert Owen 1850-1900 married Amelia Hind – three sons
  • Elizabeth Helen 1853-1936 married Henry James Cameron – two children
  • Florence Louisa 1856-1892 married Patrick Savage Young, she died at Valparaiso in Chile

Charles died at The Abbey, White Abbey, Antrim in 1889.

Sir Charles Lanyon

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John Jenkinson Lanyon

Every Lanyon researcher who has found John Jenkinson Lanyon has been left scratching their heads and wondering where he fits into the Lanyon tree.

We know he was born abt. 1770 but there is no record of his baptism and no record of his parents’ names. Jane Veale Mitchell notes that he was raised by the Bulteel family of Devon but gives no more detail. He died in 1835 and left a will but no clue as to his family roots.

He did use a gold fob seal with the Madron arms which suggests that he is descended from that branch of the tree. Jane Veale Mitchell speculated that he was the son of Robert Lanyon and Martha Dyer; Robert was baptised in 1735 at Madron and married Martha Dyer at Plymouth, St Andrew in 1759. They had two documented daughters: Sarah and Mary Jensen. Could this be where John Jenkinson fits on the tree?

There is also a Hugh Lanyon who married Sarah Row at Plymouth, Charles the Martyr in 1747 and had children at Plymouth Dock. He’s mentioned in his father’s will (Francis Lanyon 1680-1757) could Hugh be a father or grandfather of John Jenkinson?

It’s possible that he was illegitimate, his mother packed off to Devon to give birth in secret. If so the stain of illegitimacy didn’t prevent him making a good marriage.

We may never know for sure who his father was but it seems certain that he was connected to the Madron branch of the family somehow.

He married Catherine Anne Mortimer (1773-1840) at St Clement Danes, London on 22nd May 1806. He was a purser in the Royal Navy. They had three sons:

  • John Hamilton Mortimer 1807-1841 he went to Australia and founded Lanyon Homestead near Canberra.
  • William 1810-1831 died Guangzhou, China, drowned alongside eight others when their boat sank – bachelor. His memorial reads: Sacred to the memory of William Lanyon second son of John Jenkinson and Catherine Ann Lanyon of this parish. 4th Officer of the Honble. Co. Ship Hythe, who was drowned with Eight of the Crew of the said ship by the upsetting of her boat in the river of Canton in China on the 18th day of November 1831 in the 21st year of his age. An affectionate and dutiful son and beloved and respected by all who knew him.
  • Charles Mortimer 1813-1889
Will of John Jenkinson Lanyon – Source NA PROB 11; Piece: 1849