William Laniene and Thomasine Tregian had four sons: Richard, William & Walter and a previously undocumented son – Edward.
Richard was the son and heir, Walter lived at Madron, we lose track of Edward after 1586 and William founded the Breage branch of the Lanyon tree.
William was probably born about 1520 in Gwinear. There is no mention of any Lanyon on the Breage Subsidy Roll of 1543 so his move to that area happened after that date, possibly 1569.
William’s first wife was Tamson, we don’t know the date of marriage nor how many children they had. William and Tamson had a son Baldwin who was buried on 24 Jun 1563 at Gwinear aged 2 and Tamson was buried two days later.
Sometime after 1563 William married Margaret. Variously I’ve seen her named as Margaret Tresilian or Margaret Kekewich but can’t find any proof for either.
There are a further seven children but it is not clear if they are from the first or second marriage.
- William abt. 1550-1630
- Phelype abt. 1558-
- Mary -1614
- Elizabeth abt. 1560-
- Margaret abt. 1560-1634
- Bennett abt. 1566-
- Francis abt. 1566-
In 1553 William is mentioned in a pre-marital settlement on Benedict Penrose and Jone Lanyon, his sister. William is a trustee and is called ‘junior’ as his father William Laniene is still alive.
William is listed on the 1569 Muster Roll for Breage, Cornwall. “Furnished long bow sheaf arrows steel cap and black bill. Willm Lanyne”
In 1581 William Lanyon of Tregonen in Breage, gent, and William Lanyen (sic) junior his son and heir to William Painter of Trelysick heir in St Erth ‘Trelysick Walbert in Erghe’. (Source – Royal Institution of Cornwall.) This is the only mention of their home ‘Tregonen’ that I’ve come across. Tregonen may be Tregonning today.
In 1582 William was appointed overseer by John Rashleigh of Fowey (his brother-in-law).
William appears in the records again in 1595 at Helston, William Lanion (sic) gent of Breage, 4 pieces of tin of 1726lbs for coining.
He was buried on 7 Aug 1597 at Breage and left a will which is now sadly lost. In the Breage parish records he is described as ‘generosi’ due to his generosity.
Jane Veale Mitchell suggests that George Lanyon, gent, of Sancreed is the son of this William. I have found no documentary evidence but she did have access to wills which are now destroyed.
William Lanyon’s Children
William Lanyon abt.1550-1630
William Junior (eldest son and heir) married Elizabeth Kerne alias Tresilian the daughter of Paskowe Kerne alias Tresilian and Margaret Vivyan. They married at Breage in 1572 which makes it likely that he was born in the 1550s. They had two children:
- William -1591 died in infancy
- Maria -1592 died in infancy
William died at Breage in 1630 with no other heirs.
Mary Lanyon -1614
Mary married Walter Borlase at Breage in 1576 so was probably born in the 1550s. They had nine children:
- William 1577-1653
- Philippa 1579-1682 married Nicholas Hicks
- Thomas 1583-
- Walter 1584-1679
- Harry 1585-1653
- Mary 1586-1681
- Dorothie 1587-1684 married John Keigwin
- John 1600-1664 married Cheston Pawley, their daughter Mary Borlase married John Lanyon of St Ives (Botrea branch of the tree.)
- Ann
Walter Borlase died in 1601 and Mary married William Chiverton.
Elizabeth Lanyon abt. 1560–
Elizabeth married Mychell Trelobus at Breage in 1581. No further information about them.
Phelype Lanyon abt. 1558-
Phelype Lanyon married Rychard Herryes at Breage in 1583. No further information about them.
Margaret Lanyon abt. 1550-1634
Margaret married John Code at Breage in 1584. They had five children: John, Blancia, Loveday, Thomasin and Elizabeth. John’s grand daughter Patience married Ralph Lanyon (the son of Thomas Lanyon and Mary Levelis of Madron.)
Francis Lanyon bef. 1566-aft. 1587
Francis is mentioned in a legal document of 1587 which shows he is at least 21 and therefore born 1566 or earlier. There is no further trace of him.
“ME Edgcumbe family of Cotehele, Calstock and Mount Edgcumbe, Maker.
Ref No ME/501Title: Quitclaim, land in Menyghye Veor, Wendron
Date 1 May 1587
Description
Parties: 1) Bennett Lanyen and Francis Lanyen, gentlemen of Breage
2) William Lanyen of Breage, gentleman, father of party 1.
Property: Land held of demise of Edward Sparnan, gentleman, deceased, in Menyghye Veor in Wendron.”
Bennett Lanyon bef. 1566
Bennett married in 1589 to Katheren Cocke and they had four children:
- John aft. 1589-aft. 1626
- Bennet 1601-1601 died in infancy
- Grace 1609- no further trace
- William – 1616 died young
His second marriage was to Margeri Wake in 1620 at St Michael Penkevil. No children traced from this marriage.
John Lanyon aft. 1589-aft. 1626
John, the son of Bennett, married Judith Nowell at St Michael Penkevil on 26 Apr 1618. They had four children:
In 1641/2 he or his son John, signed the Protestation Return for St Michael Penkevil – name spelt John Lanine. If he signed the protestation return he must have been alive in 1641/2. There is only one Lanyon that signed the Protestation Return so it seems likely that it was signed by his son and he was dead by this date.
- Margrie 1622- a Margery Lanyne married Thomas Langdon at Truro St Mary in 1654, it’s possible that it is this Margery
- Agnes born abt 1620. there is no evidence that Agnes was John & Judith’s daughter but she married William Ceely at St Michael Penkevil 22 Jun 1646 and there is no other Lanyon family in the town at that time.
- John 1624- aft. 1664 married with five children
- Kateren 1626-1626 died in infancy
- Bennodine -1629 died in infancy
St Michael Penkevil Church is close to Lamorran on the map.
John Lanyon 1624-aft. 1664
John was the son of John & Judith. He is probably the person who signed the 1641/2 Protestation Return. In 1664 he paid Hearth Tax in St Michael Penkevil.
The Parochial History of Cornwall by Davies Gilbert. 1838 described him thus:
“Mr. John Lanyon of this parish, a sea sand barge daily labourer.”
John married Mary, we don’t know the surname of John’s wife as his marriage wasn’t recorded but they had five children:
- Johane 1648- no further trace
- John 1652-1726
- Elizabeth 1657- no further trace
- Anne 1662- no further trace
- Bennett – 1661 died young
We don’t have any record of what happened to his daughters, but we do know what happened to his son John.
John Lanyon 1652-1726
John was the eldest son and heir of John Lanyon, a ‘sea sand barge daily labourer’ and his wife Mary.
The Parochial History of Cornwall stated that John senior:
“ had a son named John Lanyon who having had his education under Hugh Boscawen, gent, Master of arts, who kept a school at St Michael Penkevill Church, became afterwards a steward to Trefusis, St Aubyn, Coryton and lastly came into the service of Brook Lord Chandos, and having by these services accumulated considerable riches he gave lands and built and endowed an almshouse for poor people.”
The almshouses built in 1726 are still there today.
John may have married Sarah Symons although I cannot find a record for this. He didn’t have any children and died in 1726 at St James in London but left a very interesting will naming lots of Cornish people.
In his will he asks to be buried ‘as near as may be to my wife Sarah.
Mentions brother -in-law Jonah Symons of Mylor (he was a clothier).
Niece Anne Tresidder, wife of Nicholas Tresidder of Budock.
Brother-in-law Richard Oliver, Wymouth, wool stapler.
Codicil dated 1726 mentions sister-in-law Mesdames Francis and Jobson.
Benjamin Brown, son of late brother-in-law Benjamin Brown.
My kinswoman Mrs Lanyon, widow of Thomas Lanyon and daughter. We don’t know which Thomas Lanyon he is referring to.
There is also a property transaction dated 29 Sep 1683 (Source – CRO CY/378) which links John to the Symons family.
- James Tillie – Middle Temple Esq
- Richard Symons of Kea, yeoman and John Lanyon of Kea, yeoman. Bargain and sale Lanner Wood and Lambe Wood in Kea, part of Manor of Landegay. To have two years ‘for the rynding, felling, cutting down, coaling, working upp and faggotting’ these coppice woods.
- This was witnessed by a John Lanyon as well.
(See the post ‘Poisoned?’ in The Black Sheep category, for more information about John.)
And here ends the Breage branch of the tree.
In many parishes, during the Civil War and Interegnum, records were poorly kept or omitted altogether. The government appointed lay people to take on this task rather than priests and as there was a charge for registering births – 4d (and it was births, not baptisms at this time), marriages 1/- and burials 4d many people did not record their family’s life events. The Breage branch may end here but there were probably descendants of this branch that we just cannot trace.
The Lanyons 