Many of the male members of the Gwinear branch of the Lanyon family were surgeons. Tobias Lanyon 1619-1698 was a surgeon and apothecary and many of his descendants followed him into the profession.
Apothecary – Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Tobias Lanyon 1763-1844
Tobias Lanyon was baptised at Gwinear in 1763. By 1780 he was apprenticed to James Keigwin, surgeon at Camborne.
Source- UK register of Duties Paid for Apprentices 1710-1811UK City and County Directory
In 1801 he married Elizabeth Budge by licence at Camborne. Tobias and Elizabeth had six children.
Edward 1802-1861 married Charlotte Grace Reynolds
Mary Anne 1803-1898 (married cousin Richard Lanyon)
Elizabeth 1804-1856 (married cousin James Lanyon)
Richard 1808-1853 married Frances Philippa Reynolds
William 1811-1876 he was a mine agent who never married
Ellen 1812-1813 died in infancy
Tobias & Elizabeth’s family
Tobias and Elizabeth’s daughters Mary Anne and Elizabeth married Tobias’ cousins Richard and James Lanyon (see post ‘Cousins’). Their sons Edward and Richard married two sisters, Charlotte Grace and Frances Philippa Reynolds. They were the daughters of William Reynolds and Philippa Tellam.
Richard Lanyon 1808-1853
Richard was a surgeon and was awarded an MRCS in 1832. He married Frances Elizabeth Reynolds in Jul 1844. They didn’t have any children.
Richard died in 1853 aged 45. He had been suffering from heart disease for some years and dropsy for three weeks. The Royal Cornwall Gazette (18 Nov 1853) described him as “one of the faculty, his loss will be greatly deplored by all who knew him; and as a kind benefactor he will be greatly lamented by the industrious and deserving of all the neighbourhood”.
He left a will and his estate was valued at less than £3000.
Richard Lanyon will – Source CRO/AP/L/2557
Beneficiaries of his will:
To my dearest wife – furniture, linen, china, jewels, books, pictures, wines, spirits, carriages, harnesses etc.
To James Lanyon of Camborne, mine agent, and to Elizabeth his wife all my one fifth part of my late father’s leasehold property upon trust, the profit for the sole use of their children Ellen and Henry
Residue to my dear wife and nephew Rodolphus Edward Lanyon son of my brother Edward.
My wife to control property during minority of Rodolphus Edward Lanyon
My wife to receive amount or share of my medical practice
To Fanny and William Lanyon children of my said brother Edward, £100 each and to my godson Frederick, son of my sister Mary Anne, the sum of £100
To my brother William Lanyon £50. If my wife die without issue residue to Rodolphus Edward Lanyon my nephew.
My wife to continue on farm for her own use.
The will was signed on 15 Oct and he died less than a month later on 12 Nov. Frances, his wife, died without issue in 1858 and was remembered in the Royal Cornwall Gazette “On Sunday last, relict of the late Richard Lanyon Esq. Her loss will be deeply felt by a large circle of sorrowing relatives and friends, as well as by the poor of the town and neighbourhood to whom she was a liberal benefactor.”
Edward 1802-1861
Edward was the eldest son of Tobias and Elizabeth and like his brother Richard he was a surgeon. He was awarded his MRCS in 1824. He worked as a surgeon at Fore Street in Camborne.
In 1836 he married Charlotte Grace Reynolds the younger sister of Frances Philippa Reynolds at Illogan. They had five children:
Richard 1836-1850 – JVM lists him as the eldest son but no trace of a birth or death (he doesn’t appear on the tree above)
Francis Philippa Austen 1837-1865 married Joseph Mumford Percival, a surgeon, she died age 28 and buried with her brother William at Chichester.
Rodolphus Edward 1840-1905 married Agnes Allen
KN 1841-bef. 1851 – sadly we don’t know the name of this child, she was mentioned as KN on the 1841 census and no further trace
William Reynolds 1841-1866 died age 25 of TB – He married Eliza Ellen Brewer, no issue. From an article (with many mistakes) by P Lanyon-Orgill 1957. “William Lanyon was the author of a large number of sentimental poems, his first appearing in the Helston Grammar-School Magazine Vol 1, pt1, April 1852. This magazine is devoted almost entirely to contributions with a classical tendency…. the sole contribution being an unsigned poem entitled ‘Arthur of Bretagne’. In the copy preserved in the British Museum this piece has the signature ‘W. Lanyon’ added in the headmaster’s hand and this example of the family’s poetical talents may perhaps be rescued from obscurity. William subsequently produced a whole volume of poems, entitled ‘My Old Carpet Bag’ and its contents’ by ‘An Old Traveller’ printed in 1873, the contents of which are uniformly bad and are not even up to the standards of his school boy effort.’)”
Of their five children only Rodolphus married and had children.
Edward died in 1861 and was buried at Camborne. His wife erected a beautiful memorial window in his memory in Camborne Church.
West Window of Inner South Aisle: Christ and the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda, erected in 1864 in memory of Edward Lanyon (died 1861). Makes : Alexander Gibbs
William Lanyon was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and twice sailed with Captain James Cook.
Captain James Cook – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
William Lanyon joined the navy when he was about 15 years old. His first recorded service was as an Able Seaman on the Orford and then the Mars. He then served on HMS Jason as a midshipman. He moved onto HMS Terrible. In 1772 he joined HMS Adventure one of the companion ships on Cook’s second voyage. In 1773 he was promoted to Master’s Mate.
He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1774 but when he was taken on for Cook’s third voyage he was a Master’s Mate again on HMS Resolution. He was eventually promoted to Second Lieutenant on HMS Discovery in 1779.
John Cleveley the younger (1747-1786) (style of) – HMS ‘Resolution’ and ‘Discovery’ in Tahiti – BHC1939 – Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg
He supposedly collected vocabularies of the South Pacific languages which were published in 1979 by Peter Lanyon-Orgill but there is some doubt as to their authenticity.
Cook’s three voyages
Between 1790 and 1796 he was in command of the Spider a cutter based at Plymouth. In 1799 he commanded the Kent. In November of that year he captured a French privateer the Four Brothers out of Calais. His last recorded command was of HMS Genereux a prison ship at Plymouth.
By 1814 he was retired and living at St Austell. He was buried there on 26 Mar 1818, the register states he was ‘paralytic’. His wife Jane had been buried at St Austell almost exactly a year earlier on 27 Mar 1817. They had no children.
So where does William fit on the tree?
‘A Genealogical & Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain & Ireland enjoying Territorial Possessions…..’ Vol IV by Burke. has the following entry in the index.
Lanyon, John, 36.
‘Jane b. in November 1765 m. to John Lanyon of Lanyon in Gwinear, grandfather of lieutenant William Lanyon R.N., well known for his various acts of heroism and benevolence in his profession, the last survivor of those gallant officers who accompanied Captain Cook in his voyages. Twice he circumnavigated the globe with that distinguished commander and was with him at the period of his melancholy end.’
The Jane referred to is Jane Willyams and Burke has transposed her date of birth from 1675 to 1765! Vivian’s ‘The Visitations of Cornwall: Comprising the Heralds’ Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620‘ prints the family tree of the Willyams family and shows the correct date.
Visitations of Cornwall -Willyams Family
Jane is shown as the daughter of Humphry Willyams of Roseworthy and Dorothy Addington of Devon. Jane was baptised 11 Nov 1675 at Gwinear and married John Lanyon of Lanyon Gwinear.
So who is John Lanyon of Lanyon Gwinear?
Assuming John was a similar age to Jane we are looking for a John born in the 1670s who lived at Lanyon Manor in Gwinear. This would probably be a child of Tobias Lanyon and Susannah Reynolds but they don’t have a child called John and don’t mention a son of that name in their wills. Tobias and Susannah’s son Tobias does have a son called John however he must have been born after 1703 and would be at least twenty-eight years younger than Jane Willyams!
We need to go back and look at the information we have for William Lanyon. There is a note on his Lieutenant’s certificate dated 29 July 1774 which says ‘we have examined Mr. William Lanyon who by certificate appears to be more than 28 years of age and find he has gone to sea more than six years….’ (Captain John Campbell and Captain Abraham North). This implies that William must have been born before 1746.
There is a baptism of William Lanyon son of Mr. John Lanyon and Mary on 2 Apr 1745 at Cuby with Tregony. They have three other children baptised there: Mary 1747, Mary 1752 and John 1755. Of their children, only William survived to adulthood.
There is a marriage between a Mr. John Lanyon and Mrs. Mary Symons at Creed in Cornwall (not far from Cuby with Tregony) on 3 Jan 1742. There is a Mary Symons baptised at Creed in 1715, the daughter of William Symons. We can’t prove it is the same person.
There is a John Lanyon son of Tobias Lanyon, deceased who is apprenticed to Philip Webber of Falmouth, Attorney at Law on 25 Sep 1722 for £52. 10/-
Proposed tree for William Lanyon
Possible tree but Jane would be far too old to give birth to William in 1745. Perhaps John & Jane had a son called John Lanyon who married Mary Symons?
The Jane Lanyon that William married appears to be the daughter of Tobias and Prudence Pawley.
John Lanyon left a will which might have helped clarify this part of the tree but it has been lost!
The Admiralty Record Office wrote to Captian Wingfield D.S.O., R.N., D.G.W. on 17 Feb 1959 and confirmed that:
William was born in 1745
Enlisted Sep 1760
Appointed lieutenant Aug 1779
Retired on half pay plus pension from Greenwich Hospital
Superannuated Commander 1814
Served on Spider 1790-1795, Kent 1795-1799, Matilda 1800-1804 and Genereux 1805-1806
Served on HMS Nelson & Resistance under Captain Cook on the voyages of discovery
The Will of William Lanyon proven on 15 May 1818 (PROB 11/1604). This is the last Will and Testament of me William Lanyon of the Parish of Saint Austell in the County of Cornwall, Esquire, Commander in the Royal Navy.
I give, devise and bequeath all that my Leasehold Dwelling House situate in the said Parish of Saint Austell in which I now reside with the Garden Courtlage and Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto Tobias Lanyon of Camborne in the said County, Surgeon, his Exors, Admors, and Assigns, for and during all the Estate and Interest which I shall have therein at the time of my decease, to and for his and their own absolute use and benefit, subject to the rent and other reservations payable by or under the Indenture of Lease by virtue of which I am intitled to hold the same.
I give and bequeath unto my Niece, Frances the Wife of Thomas Penna, all and singular my Household Furniture, Plate, Linen and China whatsoever which I may be possessed of at the time of my decease (except the Bed and Bedding hereinafter bequeathed to my Servant Mary Eplett) and I do will and direct that my Executors hereinafter named do and shall release and discharge the said Thomas Penna of and from all sum and sums of money which he may be indebted to me at the time of my decease, and particularly of and from the Sum of Two Hundred Pounds which I advanced him on a note of hand bearing date the 16th day of May last, which Note of Hand I hereby direct shall be given up to the said Thomas Penna.
I give and bequeath to my Servant Mary Eplett, if she shall be living with me at the time of my decease, over and above what may be due to her for wages, the sum of twenty pounds to be paid to her within six Months after my decease. Also I give to the said Mary Eplett the Bed and Bedding in the Garret on which she usually sleeps.
And as for and concerning all and singular other the property, Stocks, Funds, Money and Effects which I shall be possessed of or intitled to, or over which I shall have a disposing power at the time of my decease, of what nature or kind soever the same may be, I give, devise and bequeath the same and every of them unto the said Tobias Lanyon and John Carne of the said Parish of Saint Austell, Gentlemen, their Heirs, Exors & Admors upon the Trusts and to and for the several ends, intents and purposes hereinafter declared of or concerning the same, that is to say, upon Trust in the first place that they, my said Trustees, do and shall thereout with all convenient speed after my decease pay, discharge and satisfy all my just Debts and my Funeral and Testamentary Expences and the aforesaid Legacy of twenty pounds, and do and shall in the next place lay out and invest such of my Monies as shall not be already invested in the Stocks in the purchase of Parliamentary Stocks or Funds of Great Britain in the names of them my said Trustees, or the Survivor of them, his Exors or Admors and do and shall stand and be possessed of all such Stocks, Funds and Securities In Trust that they my said Trustees or the survivor of them, his Exors, or Admors do and shall pay the following Legacies (that is to say):
unto my Nephew Edward Lanyon (Son of the late William Lanyon of Surry) the sum of Eighty Pounds of lawful Money of Great Britain and my watch, unto my Nephew William Lanyon (Son of the said William Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of One hundred pounds of like lawful Money and my Sleeve buttons, unto my Niece Jane Lanyon, (Daughter of the said Willian Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of One hundred pounds of like lawful Money, unto my Nephew Richard Lanyon (Son of the said William Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of One hundred pounds of like lawful Money, unto my Nephew Henry Lanyon (Son of the said William Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of Fifty pounds of like lawful Money unto my Nephew James Lanyon (Son of the said William Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of Fifty pounds of like lawful Money, unto my Niece Elizabeth Lanyon (Daughter of the said William Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of Eighty Pounds of like lawful money, and unto my Nephew Joseph Lanyon (Son of the said Willaim Lanyon of Surry) the Sum of Fifty pounds of like lawful Money,
such several Legacies to be paid to such of my said Nephews and Nieces respectively as shall have attained the age of twenty one years immediately after my decease, and to such of my said Nephews and Nieces as shall be under that age, as and when they shall severally attain the age of twenty one years,
and my mind and will is and I hereby direct that it shall and may be Lawful to and for my said Trustees to receive the Dividends and Proceeds of such of the said Legacies as shall not be payable at the time of my decease by reason of the Legatees being under the age of twenty one years and do and shall lay out and invest the same in the purchase of the like Stock there to accumulate to and for the use and benefit of such last mentioned Legatees which accumulations shall be paid to them with their original Legacies as and when they shall severally attain the age of twenty one years, Provided always that it shall be lawful to and for my said Trustees to apply so much of the Dividends arising from any such Legacy as they shall think proper in and towards the education of the Person intitled thereto, and I direct that the Residue of my Property after payment of the before mentioned Legacies and the expences incident thereto shall be divided equally between and among my said last named eight Nephews and Nieces, to be paid to them at the time the youngest of them shall attain the age of Twenty one years, provided always that if any of my said Nephews or Nieces shall happen to die under the age of Twenty one years then it is my will and meaning and I do hereby direct that the Legacy and accumulation or Legacies and accumulations of him, her or them so dying shall go and accrue to the Survivors or such nephews and Nieces or Nephew and Niece as shall not have attained the age of twenty one years at the time of the death of such Nephew and Niece so happening to die, to be equally divided between them and to be vested, paid and payable to them at such age and in such manner as their original legacies are hereinbefore directed to be paid, Provided also and I do hereby further declare and direct that it shall be lawful for my said Trustees at any time and from time to time when and as often as they shall think fit or adviseable to sell, transfer and dispose of or vary all or any of the Funds or Stock wherein the said Trust monies shall at any time be invested and to lay out and invest the money to arise by any such sale, transfer or disposition in the purchase of other or the same or like Stocks or Funds in the joint names of them my said Trustees, and all such new or other Stocks and Funds shall stand and be in the names of such Trustees and the Dividends and annual produce thereof and of every part thereof respectively shall be applicable and applied upon and for such and the same Trusts, end, intents and purposes as the original Stocks and Funds and the Dividends thereof were subject and applicable to at the time of such Sale, Transfer, Disposition or variance thereof.
And lastly I nominate, constitute and appoint the said Tobias Lanyon and John Carne Execuitors of this my Will hereby revoking all former Wills by me made. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this eighth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and Seventeen – Wm Lanyon.Signed and sealed by the said Testator William Lanyon and by him publiched and declared as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence at his request and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our Names as Witnesses John Cary Maria Cary.
Proved at London 15 May 1818 before the Judge by the Oaths of Tobias Lanyon and John Carne the Executors to whom Admon. was granted being first sworn by Comm. Duly to Adminr.
Source NA/PROB/11/1604/220
(William Lanyon of Surrey is Tobias and Prudence’s son William born in 1741.)
We can’t prove that William Lanyon RN is the son of John and Mary Lanyon but it seems the most likely explanation.
To add to the confusion there is a newspaper cutting that further muddies the water by naming Tobias as the person who sailed with Cook!
It’s a valuable lesson on the accuracy of documents!
And finally another article where the dates aren’t quite right, is it any wonder that genealogists make mistakes?
There were Lanyons living at Gwinear long before Edward Lanyon lived there. William Laniene his grandfather in the Lay Subsidy Roll of the Hundred of Penwith paid 41 shillings for a property in Gwinear. It was also the burial ground for several Lanyons before Edward lived there. He was known as Edward of Coswin and he bought a tenement of 229 acres near Gwinear and renamed it Lanyon.
Edward was the 5th son of Richard Lanyon Esq and Margaret Treskillard. Norden’s ‘Survey of Cornwall’ 1584 mentions Edward Lanyon of Cuswyn Gwinear. We don’t know when he was born but it was probably late 1550’s early 1560’s, nor do we know when he married Margery Chappell, but their eldest surviving son was baptised in 1590.
They had three sons that are recorded:
William 1590-1652
Edmund 1592-
Raphe – 1584 died in infancy
Margery was buried in 1612 and in 1624 a room in the east wing of Lanyon Manor had the initials EL & ML 1624 with two joined hands in between.
Lanyon Manor today
The manor house was enlarged in 1680 and still stands today.
Edward was buried at Gwinear on 27 Sep 1630 and left a will.
Transcript:
Edward Lanyon gent of Gwinear 15 Mar 1630 Exeter Probate Registry
Inventory of all goods and chattels of Edward Lanyon gt. taken and approved by Alexander Stephen and Arthur Rosewarne. Son William executor.
Item: His wearing closyes £5
Item: I doo give and bequeathe to my sonne Edmunde Lanyon ‘if he be now living’ five pounds yearly during his life for his better maintenance to be paid him quarterly by equal portions or within a fortnight after every quarter.
Item: I doo give a legacy to my nephew Tobias Lanyon gent £20 (is this the Tobias who was the son of The ‘Golden’ Lanyon? see Botrea tree)
Item: To Constance my grandchild
To Margery my goddaughter and grandchild
To Grandchild Jane
Item: I doo give a legacy to my sister Jone Merefield
All the rest I bequeathe to William Lanyon my sonne.
Adds. Item: I do give and bequeathe unto my grandchild Elizabeth Lanyon £20
Present: Richard Harreye (is this Richard Herryes husband of Phelype, the daughter of William Generosi Lanyon?)
Edmund Lanyon 1592- aft.1621
Edmund was the second son baptised at Gwinear in Nov 1592. In 1621 he was granted a ‘Licence to Pass Beyond the Seas’ (an early passport!)
Register of Licences to Pass beyond the Seas
Edmund was serving as a soldier in Holland, probably in the Dutch Revolt. We don’t know if he survived or not.
William 1590-1652
William was the eldest son and heir. He married Elizabeth Ley alias Kempthorne (1591-1658) the daughter of Richard Ley alias Kempthorne and Constance Kendall. William lived at Wynyard Gwinear. They had eight children but only one surviving son, Tobias.
William & Elizabeth’s tree
Constance 1613-1691 married George Veale, an attorney of Trevaylor Gulval, Cornwall
Margery/Margaret 1615-aft. 1652 married Thomas Glynis/Gluvias
Joan/Johanna 1617-1663 married Renatus Trenwith at Gwinear in 1647, their son Thomas Trenwith married Rebecca Lanyon, the daughter of The ‘Golden’ Lanyon on the Botrea tree.
Tobias 1619-1698 married Susannah Reynolds
William 1620-1622 died in infancy
Elizabeth 1625- married Ezechiell Trenwith at St Ives in 1654
Tobias was baptised at Gwinear in 1619. In 1641/2 he signed the Protestation Return at Gwinear and in Oct 1646 he married Susannah Reynolds. There are actually two marriages for Tobias in the register, the first is to ‘Joane’ and is crossed out. (This could be a misreading of Johannah instead of Susannah.)
Tobias went to Exeter College, Oxford University and matriculated 9 Mar 1637/8. He was a surgeon and apothecary and the first of a long line of surgeons in this branch of the family.
Tobias & Susannah’s tree
He and Susannah had ten children:
Elizabeth 1647-1683 married John Arundell Esq in 1669, they had six children. Elizabeth died age 36 and her husband erected a memorial plaque.
Memorial Plaque to Elizabeth Arundell
Edward 1651-bef. 1699 Edward is not mentioned in his father’s will so must have died before 1699
Honor 1655-bef. 1699 married Samson Veale in 1675, she wasn’t mentioned in her father’s will in 1699 so presume she had died before that date
Susannah abt. 1657-1699
Constance 1657-aft. 1699
Mary 1660-aft. 1699 no further trace
Tobias 1661-1662 died in infancy
Jane 1663-aft. 1699 no trace of a marriage
Tobias 1665-1720 married Mary Penneck 1690.
Henry 1669-aft. 1699 Lay Vicar at Exeter Cathedral temporary during the Monmouth Rebellion July 1685. Mentioned in his father’s will but no trace of a marriage or children.
Tobias died in 1698 and his wife Susannah a year later.
Inventory
Will of Tobias Lanyon Source – AP/L/997
Will of Susannah Lanyon 1699 Source: AP/L/1002
Tobias Lanyon & Mary Penneck
Tobias was the eldest surviving son of Tobias and Susannah he was baptised at Gwinear in 1665 and in 1690 he married Mary Penneck at Breage.
Tobias was responsible for enlarging Lanyon Manor at Gwinear.
They had twelve children.
Tobias & Mary’s tree
Mary 1691-1740 married the Rev Hugh Ley in 1714
Dorothy 1692-aft. 1737 she was left 5/- in her mother’s will. There is a Mrs Dorothy Lanyon buried at Constantine, Cornwall in 1766. (Mrs was used to denote a gentlewoman rather than marital status)
Elizabeth 1692-1692 baptised and buried the same day
Elizabeth 1695-aft. 1737 married Rev John Collins in 1727- 2 children
Tobias 1697-1762 married Prudence Pawley
Jane 1700-bef. 1702 died in infancy
Jane 1702-1709 died young
John 1703-1703 baptised and buried the same day
Henry 1707-1709 died in infancy
Henry 1711-1754 married Catherine Davies by licence at St Erth in 1736, two surviving daughters. Rev Henry Lanyon was the curate at Breage, he succeeded his brother-in-law John Collins. When he died his brother Tobias acted as guardian for his two daughters Mary and Catherine.
Jane 1713-1716
John – aft. 1737
Tobias died in 1720 and left a long detailed will.
The Lanyons 