Gwinear Branch

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.

Gwinear

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.

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.

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
William 1630-1630 died in infancy

William died in 1652 and left a will.

Transcript:

To parish stocks 40/-
Son Tobias 12d
Daughter Constance 12d
Daughter Margaret (Margery) Glinas 12d
Daughter Jane Trenwith 12d
Daughter Elizabeth 12d
All the rest to wife Elizabeth

Witness Renatus Trenwith and William Stevens

William was buried at Gwinear church.

Gwinear Church – Jowaninpensans, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tobias Lanyon & Susannah Reynolds

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

1721 Lanyon Tobias Gwinear Download

Mary died in 1737 and she too left a will.

She wished ‘to be decently interred in private manner without any ostentation or funeral sermon and to be placed in the south chancel by my husband’.

Their son John is mentioned in both wills but his branch of the family is not quite so straight forward! We’ll follow them in a separate post.

Drawing of the Lanyon Manor at Gwinear – from ‘These Were Our People’ by Ruth Lanyon

The family coat of arms above the door way at Gwinear

28th Sep 202213th Nov 2025

The Penzance Cordwainers

Francis Lanyon 1653-1723

Francis was the son of Francis and Rosamon Lanyon of Penzance, he was born about 1653. When his grandmother died in 1655 she left him a ewe in her will.

We don’t know the name of Francis’ wife, their marriage wasn’t recorded but he did have a son also called Francis in 1680.

Like his father, Francis was a cordwainer in Penzance. In 1695 he is mentioned as the principal creditor of Edmund Lanyon who died whilst aboard HMS Weymouth.

Edmund Lanyon’s administration AP/L/969 signed by Francis and William Landry

We don’t know where Edmund fits on the Lanyon tree as there are many gaps in the records.

Francis Lanyon abt. 1680-1757

Francis was the only son of Francis Lanyon. His baptism was not recorded but he was probably born about 1680. He married Elizabeth Thomas at Madron in 1708. They had seven children:

Francis 1713-1758 married Anne Lutey
Ann 1716-1757 married Richard Lembry – one daughter
Hugh 1719- aft.1759
Charles 1721-1757 bachelor, no children
John 1723-1727 died in infancy
Elizabeth 1726-aft. 1759 no further trace
John 1729-aft. 1759 living abroad- no further trace

So many in this family died in such a short time period that there was probably some sort of epidemic in Penzance. Francis senior died in April 1757, in November Ann & Charles both died. Jan 1758 Elizabeth senior died and in June 1758 Francis junior died. In 1757 there was a smallpox outbreak which may have reached Cornwall and also epidemics of measles and scarlatina and in 1758 an influenza epidemic. Perhaps one or a combination of illnesses affected this family. Daughter Elizabeth had to administer her father’s estate as the widow and heir had both died.

In 1754 Vesuvius erupted and that caused poor weather and sickness in subsequent years. The 1750s seems to have been a time of natural disasters and disease. Gangrenous sore throat and Angina Maligna (an obsolete term for: Acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis; Diphtheria; Pseudomembranous pharyngitis) are described as being ‘very fatal’.

Vesuvius erupting in 1754 – CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Francis Lanyon 1713-1758

Francis married Anne Lutey in 1734 at Madron. They had six children.

Robert 1735-
Sarah 1736- in 1767 she married Thomas Shepherd, a hatter, they had three children.
Peter 1741-1771
Henry 1743-1747 died in infancy
David 1746-1768 unmarried
Anne 1748- married Richard White no children traced

Hugh Lanyon 1719- aft.1759

Hugh was baptised at Madron in 1719 and he married Christian Williams at Madron in 1740. There are no children from this marriage and she must have died before 1747 as Hugh married for a second time to Sarah Row at Charles the Martyr, Plymouth, Devon.

Plymouth – Charles the Martyr – bombed during the blitz

From Francis’ will of 1759 he mentions son Hugh and children now living at Plymouth Dock. There are three children traced.

Mary 1749-
Sarah 1752-59
Hugh 1757-1760

There are later marriages and burials of Lanyons at Plymouth but we can’t say if they are related to Hugh & Sarah.

Marriage register Plymouth Charles the Martyr 1747

Hugh was buried at Stoke Damerel on 17 Dec 1760.

Robert Lanyon 1735-

Francis and Anne Lutey’s son Robert was baptised at Madron in 1735 and in 1759 he married Martha Dyer at Plymouth St Andrew. Perhaps after his father’s death he went to join Uncle Hugh in Plymouth?

They had two documented children:

Sarah 1764- who married William Gains at Plymouth in 1784.
Mary Jensen 1772- no further trace
Possibly John Jenkinson Lanyon 1770-1835

Baptism register Plymouth St Andrew 1772

The researcher Jane Veale Mitchell believed that John Jenkinson Lanyon (see Irish branch) was the unrecorded son of Robert and Martha. The names Jensen and Jenkinson are both unusual and don’t appear anywhere else in the tree. John Jenkinson Lanyon used a ring with the Madron coat of arms to seal his letters so he must have had a connection to this branch of the tree somehow.

Peter Lanyon 1741-1771

In 1767 Robert’s brother Peter married Mary Carpenter at Madron. Peter was a cordwainer at Madron. They had three children

Peter 1768-1768 died in infancy
Elizabeth 1768- no further trace
Peter abt. 1769-1827

Peter senior died aged 30 and left Mary to raise the children.

Peter Lanyon abt. 1769-1827

Peter, son of Peter and Mary Carpenter had three wives. He married for the first time at Madron in 1789 to Grace Cock (1771-1793). There were two children from this marriage.

Peter 1790-1852
John 1793-1857

Grace may have died, possibly in childbirth, in 1793 as Peter remarried in 1795. His second marriage was to Mary Wall (1772-1806). This marriage produced three children.

Francis 1797-1857
Richard 1799-1973 was a grocer, he married Caroline Johns at Helston in 1822, no children
Ann 1803-1886 spinster died age 82

Mary died in 1806 and Peter married for a third time in 1807 to Ann Michell (1770-1839). They had three children.

Elizabeth 1807-1886 she married Charles Andrew at Madron in 1827 – six children
William 1810-1889
David 1813-1846 was a mason, he married Catherine Rebecca Davies in 1838 – one daughter died in infancy.

Peter was aged 58 when he was buried at Penzance in 1827. He had eight children and 26 grandchildren!

Peter Lanyon 1790-1852

Peter’s eldest son was also called Peter and like his father he too had three wives! In 1810 at the age of 20 he married Ann Barnicoat Matthews (1789-1822)

Francis 1811-1888
Peter 1813-1846 he was a mason who died in Bodmin Asylum a pauper with a ‘disease of the brain’
John Matthews 1815- John married Mary Addison Edmonds at Madron in 1836, they had one daughter Rebecca Addison 1838-1898 who married James Eva in 1855

A ‘disease of the brain’ could be anything from a disease to a head injury. Clearly it was serious as he died aged just 33.

UK Lunacy Patients Admission Registers 1846-1912

Bodmin Asylum is still a forbidding place today.

In 1817 Peter senior was convicted of larceny and sentenced to be transported for seven years. His wife and three young sons were left to fend for themselves. Peter arrived at Sydney, Australia on the ship Lady Castlereagh on 1 May 1818. He was described as 5’5″, dark complexion, dark hair and hazel eyes. He was a mason.

The Lady Castlereagh’s last journey

Having served his seven years penal servitude Peter was granted his certificate of Freedom but he wasn’t able to return home to Cornwall.

New South Wales, Australia Certificate of Freedom 1818

He appears on the 1828 census:

Item: 62824 Surname: Lanyard (Lanyon) First Name: Peter Ship: Lady Castlereagh 1818

Date: 1828 Place: Patrick Plains Source: 1828 Census

Details: Stonemason aged 36. Employed by Archibald Bell

Source: https://www.freesettlerorfelon.com

In 1824 he married Sarah Whittle at Parramatta NSW, Sarah must have died because in 1836 he requested and was granted permission to marry Bridget Delaney.

NSW Register of Convicts’ Applications to Marry 1826-51

Peter died in Australia in 1852, he never saw Cornwall or his Cornish children again.

John Lanyon 1793-1857

Peter’s brother John was a miner and in 1823 he married Rebecca Jane (1795-1870) at Kea in Cornwall. They had five children.

Joseph 1826-1889 he was a tin miner, he married Cecilia Rose Emidy in 1848. Cecilia had an illegitimate daughter Julia. Joseph had no children.
William 1826-1899
Emma abt. 1827-aft. 1871 was a tailoress who had two illegitimate children
James 1828-1891
Thomas 1828-1891 was a tin miner, he emigrated to Australia, no trace of any children

John died in 1857 at Chacewater. Chacewater was the centre of the mining world and there are a number of mines in the area. In the 1860s metal prices started falling and mining declined.

Chacewater

Francis Lanyon 1797-1857

Peter and John’s half brother Francis was a cordwainer like his father. He married Catherine Rundle at Paul in 1822. They had five children.

Mary Anne 1822-1880 – There is a Mary Anne Lanyon convicted of larceny which may be her
Thomas 1825- possibly married Mary Whear. Father of Milly 1860-1941 who married Edward Ladner in 1885. No further trace of Thomas.
Catherine Elizabeth 1827-1891 married Henry Barnes at Penzance in 1855 – five children
Anne Maria 1829- In 1858 she had an illegitimate son, Edwin who died in infancy. In 1859 she married Thomas Savage and they had one daughter, Mary Ann.
Francis 1831-1895

Shoemaker – Paul Renouard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

William Lanyon 1810-1889

Peter, John, and Francis’ half brother William was born in 1810. He was described as a ‘poor shoemaker’ on admission to the dispensary in 1829. In 1830 he married Ann Wills at Madron. They had six children.

William James 1830-1924
Mary Wills 1832-1904 married Edward Williams – no children
Louisa 1836-1904 married Richard Baxter Hocken – five children and she died in Yorkshire.
Joseph Phillips 1837-1847 died young
Frederick 1839-1869
Sarah Ann 1841-1921 married John Rose – two daughters, emigrated to New Zealand

We’ll find out what happened to Peter’s grandsons in the post ‘Peter Lanyons Grandchildren and the Great Migration’.

25th Sep 202213th Nov 2025

The Reluctant Grooms!

The final branch of the Botrea tree are the sons of Thomas Lanyon 1661-1738.

Thomas was just 3 years old when his father died in 1664. Of the eight children he had only William and John survived to produce their own families and carry on the family name.

John (1711-1767) married Sarah Straight and moved to St Allen in Cornwall and founded a whole new and very successful branch of the family. (See St Allen Branch). William (1705-1791) married Margaret Richards and despite living to the grand old age of 86 only had one surviving son.

William Lanyon 1739-1827

William was born at Paul, he married Mary Pooley at Ludgvan (near Marazion) Cornwall in 1776.

Marazion

Their children:

William 1777-1834
John 1782-1847
James 1784-1853
Mary 1787-1862 married John Strick at Ludgvan in 1810
Richard 1789-1853
Ann 1791-1860 married Christopher Trathan, a labourer, at Gulval in 1814, one son, William Lanyon Trathan b 1817
Margaret 1793-1875 spinster

William Lanyon 1777-1834

William Lanyon’s first child was illegitimate and born to Susan Dinneshorn when he was 19. William Lanyon senior and junior were charged a £30 bastardy bond by church wardens and the parish poor law overseer for Susan’s base child. The son, George, was born in 1796 and married Ann Edmonds at Ludgvan in 1827. He died in 1829 and left a will, George Lanyon yeoman of Ludgvan – 2 guineas to my father and all the rest of my goods to my wife Ann sole executrix. There were no children of this marriage but Ann Edmonds had a daughter Grace Jennings born in 1836.

William married Mary Martin in 1803 and he had a further nine children:

Juliana 1804-1877 married Matthew Trewhella 1827 – six children, emigrated to Connecticut, USA.
Margaret 1806-1887 married Jasper Allen 1834 – ten children, emigrated to Connecticut.
Mary 1806- married Richard Edmonds 1825, three children
Jane 1806-1815 died young
William Argell Perrow Lanyon 1808-1884 was a farmer, he never married but lived with his illegitimate son, Alfred Lanyon, who was born about 1856. No further trace of Alfred.
Joseph Martin Lanyon 1811-1870
Henry Lanyon 1814-1871
Jane 1815-1837 died at Rospeath (family home) age 21
James 1822-1885

Of those nine children only four sons had children of their own who carried on the Lanyon name, William, Joseph, Henry and James.

Joseph, Henry and James all emigrated to Connecticut, USA.

The Great Emigration

Between 1815 and 1915 many thousands of people emigrated from Cornwall to seek a better life. They headed to countries like the USA, Australia and South Africa. They were ‘economic migrants’. When tin mining was no longer profitable and mines closed many Cornish men moved to mining areas all over the world. As a result of the Great Emigration, there are now more than six million people of Cornish descent around the world, some of them are called Lanyon!

Three of William’s sons emigrated to Connecticut, USA.

Connecticut

Joseph Martin Lanyon 1811-1870

Joseph married Mary Thomas Harry in 1835 at Ludgvan and by 1844 they had emigrated to Connecticut, USA. Joseph was a miner. Their children

Joseph Martin 1837-1837 died in infancy
Mary 1838-1900 married James A Crase in 1857 at Connecticut and moved to California. Five children.
Louisa 1840-1876 married Llewellyn Michell who died in 1874. Five children who all died in infancy.
Jane 1843- married Henry Rowe at Connecticut. One child.
Bethulia 1847-1931 married Josiah Champion in 1865. Three children.
Joseph H Lanyon 1851-1900. Married Caroline Harris. Six children.
William T Lanyon 1854-1908 a stonemason, married Alice Sophia Leavenworth. Three children.

And there we must leave Joseph Martin Lanyon’s family. His brother Henry also emigrated to Connecticut.

Henry Lanyon 1814-1871

Henry was born at Ludgvan, married Elizabeth Sarah Wills at Bath in Somerset in 1840. He died at Connecticut in 1871.

Mary Jane 1841-1913 born in Gloucestershire, England – spinster who died in Canada.
Emily Millicent 1843-1927 also born in Gloucestershire. Three marriages: Nathaniel Williams – one daughter; William Taylor – eight children; John Catron – two children. She died in Pennsylvannia in 1927.
James M 1845-1903 a butcher, born in Connecticut married Emma Bristol – 2 sons Wilbur & James.
William Wills 1847-1905 married Sarah Bronson Thrall – four children. William died in Los Angeles.
Joseph M Lanyon 1849-1850 died in infancy
Arabella 1852-1933 spinster died in California
Julia 1854- no trace
Elizabeth 1856- no trace
Susan Gertrude 1858-1923 married in 1876 to Herbert Rudy Hawley – three children. Susan died in New Jersey.
Henry John 1866- no trace

James Lanyon 1822-1885

James was the third son of William Lanyon and Mary Martin. He was also born at Ludgvan in Cornwall and emigrated in the 1840s to Connecticut. There he married Lucretia Brooks in 1843. They had three children.

William J 1844-1844 died in infancy
Mary 1846-1846 died in infancy
Wesley 1848-1928 married Eleanora Harriett Allen in 1848 and they had three children.

That’s where we leave William and Mary Martin’s branch of the tree and move to his brother John Lanyon.

John Lanyon 1782-1847

John was a farmer and miller, he lived at Tregarthen at Ludgvan. In 1815 he married Ann Hosken. They had four children.

Henry 1817-1834 died young no children
Mary Ann 1819-1888 she was a spinster and died at Mithian in 1888
John 1821-1864
Richard 1824-1874

Farming-Städel Museum, PDM-owner, via Wikimedia Commons

John Lanyon 1821-1864

John was also a farmer at Tregarthen, he married Mary Reed at Ludgvan in 1852. He died when he was just 42.

William John 1853-1857 died in infancy
Thomas James 1855-1941 no trace of a marriage or children, he died in Alabama
Elizabeth Margaret 1857-1885 died unmarried
William John 1860-1867 died in infancy
Eliza Jane Reed 1863 1920 married Samuel A Bice, no children. Died in Alabama

Without any surviving children this branch died out.

Richard Lanyon 1824-1874

Richard was a farmer in 1854 he married Anne (Nanny) James. They had seven children but only one child ever married.

James 1855-1932 never married and lived with his unmarried siblings. He died age 77 at New Farm in Crowan.
Emily 1856-1916 spinster lived with unmarried siblings
Anne 1862-1870 died young
Jane 1864-1937 married John James Liddicoat – one child.
Richard 1865-1932 never married and lived with unmarried siblings
John 1867-1951 he was a farmer, he never married but was living with Maude Lanyon, a widow, in 1939.
Emma 1870-1930 spinster lived with unmarried siblings

With so many unmarried children it’s not surprising that this male line died out!

Richard Lanyon 1789-1853

We go back to William and Mary Pooley’s children. Richard was a farmer at Rospeath, Ludgvan. At Zennor, in 1826, he married Elizabeth Stevens and had eight children.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Stevens 1827- married Thomas Richards no further trace
John 1829-1829 died in infancy
John 1831-1902
Mary 1833-1833 died in infancy
Mary 1835- married William Bennetts – eleven children
James 1837-1837 died in infancy
James 1839-1912
Margaret 1841-1842 died in infancy

Richard died in 1853 and his will specifically excluded his son in law Thomas Richards. “Thomas Richards shall not receive any benefit from my daughter Elizabeth Richard’s part”.

Of Richard and Elizabeth’s eight children only two sons had children of their own, John and James.

John Lanyon 1831-1902

John was a farmer at Rospeath, Ludgvan and his ‘claim to fame’ is that he had two wives, both called Jane!

Jane Matthews – married Jan 1857. Jane died nine months later in Sep 1857 so it is possible she died in childbirth with their first child.
Jane T Chellew was his second wife. He married her in Jan 1858. They had five children and four of them died in infancy. Only John 1860-1933 survived. Jane died in 1869, leaving a nine year old son.

John Lanyon 1860-1933

John was baptised at Ludgvan 29 Dec 1861, the only surviving son of John Lanyon and Jane Chellew. He was a farmer at Rospeath, Ludgvan. He married Priscilla Trembath in 1883. They had six children.

William John 1881-1949 married Ada Mary Tilly – no children.
Richard Henry 1886-1940 married Honor Jeffrey – four children
Robert Henry 1886-aft. 1911 farm labourer no further trace
Mary Annie 1888-aft. 1911 no further trace
Bessie 1894-1921 bessie died at Bodmin Asylum age 27.
Priscilla 1898-1987 she married James Leonard Noy in 1931 – no children

We must leave this branch of the family here.

Bodmin Asylum – Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

James Lanyon 1839-1912

James was the son of Richard Lanyon and Elizabeth Stevens. He worked as a farmer and a miner. In 1863 he married Mary Carlyon Corin at Ludgvan and they had seven children.

Grace Jane Corin 1865-1930 married Samuel Semmens – no children
Mary Elizabeth 1866-1877 died young
Elizabeth 1866-1949 spinster died at St Erme in 1949
James 1869-1935 bachelor of Chy Vellan farm at Ludgvan.
Matilda 1872-1949 married 1901 William Ernest Semmens – one son Ernest Semmens. Matilda married for a second time in 1923 to William A Curtis, at Penzance.
William John 1876-1951 never married
Richard 1879- never married

Yet again with so many unmarried children this branch of the tree died out.

In just eight or nine generations this branch of the Lanyon tree has almost died out in Cornwall due to the reluctant grooms. Why did so many of them remain unmarried?

24th Sep 202213th Nov 2025

The Diminishing Tree

John Lanyon and Mary Ellis had a large family but their descendants quite often left no traceable issue.

Francis Lanyon 1651-1725 had six sons.

Francis 1686-1723
Thomas 1691-1755
William 1693-1756
Nicholas 1695-1706 (died young)
John 1697-1738 never married
Tobias 1702-1778 never married

Only three of them, Francis 1686-1723, Thomas 1691-1755 and William 1693-1756 had sons of their own.

Francis Lanyon 1686 – 1723

Francis married Jane Edwards at Morvah in 1715. They had five children, the fifth was born following the death of Francis in 1723.

Jane 1716 – 1716
Dorothy 1717-1778 married John Tellum (three children)
Francis 1719-1730
Jane 1722-1807 – spinster
Benoni John 1723-1777 (Benoni means ‘son of my sorrow’)

Benoni was baptised three months after his father’s death. He was an attorney and married Sybella Tremenhere, the daughter of James Tremenhere and Catherine Lanyon, a grand-daughter of John Lanyon and Mary Ellis.

Benoni John had no children.

Thomas 1691-1755

Thomas married Ann (surname unknown) and worked as a pewterer in Bristol (see separate post for his life story.) He had one son, Francis, born 1725 – no further trace of him.

William 1693-1756

William was a yeoman of Madron and married Jane Philips at Zennor in August 1725.

They had four children:

William 1725-1790
Ralph 1727-
Jane 1730
Hugh 1732-1769

William 1725-1790

William was baptised at Zennor in February 1725. He married twice, first to Joan Esterbrook in 1751. Joan died before 1758. They had two children:

William 1751- aft 1770. William inherited the estate at Boswarthen but there is no further trace of him
Mary 1752- ? there is no mention of her in her father’s will so presumably she died young.

William then married for a second time to Elizabeth Murrish (1736-1796) on 2 Aug 1758. They had four children.

Elizabeth 1759-1779. She married James Edwards.
Hugh 1764- mentioned in his father’s will of 1770 but no further trace
Sarah 1767-1767
Sarah 1769- she married Thomas Harvey

There are no traceable male heirs of this line.

Hugh Lanyon 1732-1769

Hugh was baptised at Zennor in 1732. In 1762 he married Anne Eady at Sancreed and they had two sons, Hugh and Ralph. Hugh senior was a yeoman which meant he owned some land. Hugh died in 1769 when his youngest son was just two. He died intestate and his wife renounced administering his estate to Martyn Angwin, Richard Harvey and William Lanyon 1725-1770 (her brother-in-law) his principal creditors.

Ann renouncing Hugh’s estate – Source – CRO AP/L/1753

Hugh Lanyon (Junior) 1762-1838

Hugh and Anne’s eldest son was also called Hugh, he was baptised at Sancreed in 1762, three months after his parents marriage. Hugh was an agricultural labourer and he married Alice Ladner at Sancreed in 1805. They had four children:

William 1806- no further trace
Francis 1808-1865
Nancy 1810 – no further trace, she may have died in infancy
Nanny 1813- Nanny married James Hodge, an agricultural labourer at St Buryan in 1837 and they had 3 children.

In 1819 Hugh and Alice were imprisoned for six weeks for larceny.

Hugh died in 1838 at the Penzance Union Poorhouse aged 80, the cause of death was debility. Alice died in 1854 at the Union Workhouse Madron age 90.

Francis Lanyon 1808-1865 & Betsy Lanyon 1808-1892

Hugh and Alice’s only surviving son Francis married Elizabeth (Betsy) Leah at Paul in 1834. Francis was a Newlyn fisherman and Elizabeth Leah was featured in a series of photographs and paintings depicting Newlyn fishwives.

Source: The photos are of Betsy Lanyon and Blanche Courtney taken in the Gibson Mount’s Studio in Penzance circa 1885. Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance.

Francis and Elizabeth had three children: Grace, Elizabeth and Francis. Only Francis survived to adulthood.

Francis senior died in 1865 and Elizabeth/Betsy died at Newlyn in 1892 but Betsy Lanyon lives on… she is now a ‘living’ part of history and talks to visitors at the Penlee House Gallery & Museum about life in Newlyn in the 19th century.

Betsy Lanyon appears to have been the model for the old woman in this Walter Langley painting. Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance.

Francis Lanyon 1842-1872

Betsy and Francis’ son Francis was born at Paul in 1842. The 1871 census for Paul in Cornwall shows that he was living with his mother who was a widow and he was described as age 30 and a ‘cripple and has been for 20 years.’

In 1858 at the age of 16 Francis was found guilty of willfully destroying a tree, the property of Rev. Wm. Veale, clerk at Gulval. He was sentenced to 3 weeks hard labour or a fine of approximately 20 shillings which he couldn’t possibly pay. He had no previous convictions but was sentenced to three weeks on the treadmill. (We’ve already noted that he had been a ‘cripple’ since the age of about ten so three weeks on a treadmill was particularly harsh.)

He was described as 5’2″, dark hair, dark eyes and a dark complexion. Unable to read or write. Freckled, thick lips, scar on nose and left wrist, large eyebrows and slightly pock marked. He was already working as a labourer at Penzance. His weight on entering prison was 133lbs and 3 weeks later it has fallen to 129lbs. Bodmin Gaol was tough. (Source AD/1676/4/5).

British Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Treadmill Punishment

Poor Francis died, aged 31, of Scrofulus abscesses (scrofula was TB of the lymph nodes in the neck) and diarrhoea. His mother Betsy lived for another 20 years.

Ralph Lanyon 1767-1842

Ralph was the younger son of Hugh Lanyon and Anne Eady. He worked as an agricultural labourer. His first marriage was to Margaret Pearce in 1796 at Paul. There were two children from this marriage.

Mary 1798- 1842 Mary had 3 illegitimate children: Mary Ann 1825, James 1830 and Matilda Bluett 1834-1841. No further trace of the first two children. She died age 46 of TB.
Hugh 1801-1846.

Hugh Lanyon 1801-1846

Age 24 Hugh enlisted in the army. He was a Colour Sergeant in the Royal Sappers & Miners. While bound for Vera Cruz in the ship ‘Cambria’ he helped rescue 551 of the passengers and crew of the ‘Kent’ an East India ship which caught fire in the Bay of Biscay in Feb 1825. Connolly, in his ‘History of the Royal Sappers and Miners’ p309, writes of him ‘Sergeant Hugh Lanyon, after Sergeant – Major Forbes’ removal, was appointed to the charge of the detachment at Sandhurst College, and carried on the file details in every way to the satisfaction of the authorities. For many years, as a private and non-commissioned officer, he worked at the College, and his example had the best effect on the successive parties with which he served. As a practical sapper he was one of the ablest and most skilful in the corps, and in the rapidity with which he threw up earth works was unsurpassed. Sir Charles Pasley has done him the honour by noticing the extraordinary labours of the sergeant in his ‘Practical Operations for a Siege’. His willing ness and ability in this respect covered, in great measure, his educational deficiencies. In charge of the detachment he displayed his usual industry and exertion, kept his men in perfect discipline and order… so effectively were all the instructions carried out, that the governor of the college, with the sanction of the Master-General, presented him in November (1837) with a case of drawing instruments bearing an inscription ‘flattering to his zeal and services.’ Shortly afterwards he was promoted to colour-sergeant and served in Canada during the rebellion. Somewhat broken in health he was discharged in 1844 and became a surveyor on the Trent and Mersey Canal, working under James Forbes. He died in 1846 at Lawton in Cheshire. He was a ‘remarkable man with rather more brawn than brain one suspects‘ (P.A Lanyon-Orgill). Connolly recounts a story about him while building a stockade at Mississawra in Canada in 1842; ‘six men complained to him of the heavy task they were subjected to in removing timbers about 15 feet long and 12 inches square….Lanyon made no observation, but shouldered one of the unweildy logs and, to the amazement of the grumblers, carried it to the spot unassisted.’ In 1843 he was in Ireland and was sent to explore a sewer running into the Liffe river which might provide a means of entry into Dublin Castle. ‘He did so and found that a strong iron grating existed in the passage, which would effectually prevent the supposed entrance. In this duty, being much exposed to the influence of noxious vapours, he soon afterwards was seized with fever and jaundice, which shortened his days.’ (Connolly). He never married or had any children.

HUGH LANYON OF TRURO,
in the county of Cornwall.
He died at Lawton on the
15th of June A.D. 1846:
Aged 41 years
He was an Assistant Surveyor to the
Trent and Mersey Company.
As a record of his Zeal in the
discharge of his duties the
Company have raised this stone.
Headstone at Cheshire

Royal Sappers & Miners

Ralph senior married for a second time in 1805 to Alice Chirgwin 1774-1869. There were two children from his second marriage:

Ralph 1807-1868
Sarah 1810-1867 married Francis Nicholls in 1827 and they had four sons.

Ralph senior died at the Penzance Union Workouse in 1842. He was a pauper and suffering from TB. Alice his wife died at Lelant in 1869, she was still working as a labourer age 64.

The family has come quite a way from the days of the ‘Golden Lanyon’ and his great wealth.

The forbidding looking Penzance Union Workouse

Penzance Union Workhouse at Madron

Ralph Lanyon 1807-1868

Ralph was a tin miner. He married Mary Ann Nicholls 1806-1881. They lived at Newbridge, Sancreed. They had six children:

COL439186_2022-2-Elizabet_Potter

Ralph 1831-1843 died young
Elizabeth 1833-1869. Elizabeth was a dressmaker and a charwoman. In 1869 she married William Potter, a widower. She died whilst on honeymoon (of nephritis and congestion of the lungs) at Portsea and William was a widower for a second time!
Hugh 1838-1857, Hugh died age 20.
James 1839-1862 he was a tin miner like his father and died of TB age 22.
Thomas Henry 1840-1896
Ralph 1843-1843 died in infancy

Ralph died in 1868 of TB. Tuberculosis was very common at this time and, whilst it could affect anybody, it was particularly rife amongst the poor who lived in cramped conditions.

Thomas Henry Lanyon 1840-1896

Of the six children of Ralph and Mary only Thomas had children of his own. He married Emma Elliott and they had nine children.

Ellen 1857-1889 She married Robert Chirgwin in 1879, they had two children but Ellen died in 1889 and Robert in 1890 leaving their children orphans. They were split up and taken in by separate families.
Thomas Henry 1858-1937
Elizabeth 1864- she was on the 1871 census but after that there was no further trace
John 1866-bef. 1871 died in infancy
James 1866-1935 he worked as both a tin miner and a farm labourer, no marriage or children traced
Annie 1870-1956 she worked as a dressmaker and never married
Jessie 1872-1937 in 1896 she married Robert Molesworth Thomas and they had two daughters
Mary Eveline 1880-1962 she married Arthur James Thomas in 1911 and they had a child
Laura 1888-1954 in 1906 she married Albert James Pearce and they emigrated to Pennsylvania in the USA.

Thomas Henry was fined for not sending his children to school, he explained that he couldn’t afford shoes for them which shows how poor they were. In 1877 Thomas was imprisoned for debt in Bodmin Gaol. Source: AD 1676/5/2

1879 newspaper cutting-Petty Sessions Nov 1879

Thomas was also seriously injured in a mining accident. Mining was a dangerous occupation but often it was all that was available.

Cornish Miners – John Charles Burrow (1852—1918), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Out of nine children only one son had children to carry on the family name.

Thomas Henry Lanyon 1858-1937

Thomas was also a tin miner like his father. Later he became a farm labourer. He married Annie Chirgwin in 1890 and they had eight children.

Laura 1880-1967
Annie Jane 1882-1919
Thomas 1885-
Elizabeth Ann 1886-1965
Ellen 1889-1967
William James 1895-1954
Caroline 1899-1985
Gwendoline 1902-1919

That’s where we must leave this branch of the family. There were grandchildren so this branch of the family has survived.

24th Sep 202213th Nov 2025

The Fowey Boys

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.

Part of the inventory of Thomas’ administration- Source: CRO AP/L/1772

1771 Lanyon Thomas Fowey Download

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.

20th Sep 202212th Nov 2025

The Children of John Lanyon Esq

John Lanyon Esq had at least three wives (see the post ‘The Two Johns’) but surprisingly few documented children. His first marriage to Phelype Myliton produced two sons: Francis and William.

Francis Lanyon abt. 1563-1593

Francis Lanyon was born about 1563; in 1584 he married Alice (Ales) Trewren, the daughter of John Trewren and Elizabeth Chiverton. There were three documented children of this marriage: Richard baptised 8 Sep 1585 at Sancreed, (see the post ‘Richard Lanyon Esq ‘Outlaw’ ‘), John baptised 10 Dec 1587 and Anne born about 1590. Francis also had an illegitimate daughter who was baptised 11 Nov 1587 at Sancreed, a month before his son John was baptised. We don’t know what happened to Elizabeth or what his wife Alice thought!

Less than six years later Francis was dead, he was aged about 30. Administration of his estate was granted to his widow on 17 Oct 1593 (will lost). Eight year old Richard Lanyon becomes the heir to John Lanyon Esq. Alice appears to have raised her family at Sancreed, staying close to her own family.

Their daughter Anne Lanyon married John Tonken on 8 Nov 1612 at Madron. No further trace of their son John.

William Lanyon abt. 1570-1624

William was the second son, we don’t know when he was born, perhaps the early 1570s. On 19 Nov 1592 he married Jane at Sancreed. Their children were: Elizabeth, John, John, Jane, William, Paskas and Elizabettie. (Two daughters both called Elizabeth and both survived!)

See the Post about Paskis Lanion for more information.

William was buried on 17 Jan 1624 at Sancreed, fortunately he left a detailed will which helpfully names his children. He also leaves a great inventory of goods and chattels worth £170, a considerable sum at that time.

Source – CRO AP/L/256

1624 Lanyon William Sancreed Download

George Lanyon abt. 1586-aft. 1633

John Lanyon’s esquire’s second wife was Katherine Kekewich and they had at least one son called George who was blind. George was born about 1586 and was still alive in 1633 (see post “The Two Johns”).

We don’t know what happened to George, there is no record of his burial, no will and he’s not mentioned in any Lanyon wills.

Elizabeth Lanyne -1659

See post ‘The Neilder Connection’

Elizabeth lived at Menheniot in Cornwall. There is one other Lanyne living there at the same time, a woman called Grace Lanyne who married James Short in 1620. She may be a sister to Elizabeth as she doesn’t fit anywhere else on the tree!

John Lanyon – 1587

The Madron parish register records the burial of John Lanyon the son of John Lanyon Esq on 2 Jul 1587. This must be the burial of a child but there is no record of a baptism so we have no idea if he was baptised before or after Phelype’s death or whether his mother was Phelype or Katherine, he may even have been an illegitimate child.

Four, possibly five, children seems a small number of children for the time, perhaps John Lanyon Esq had others who weren’t recorded.

See also the post ‘John Lanyon of Penwinnick Estate’ under the Breage branch.

19th Sep 202212th Nov 2025

The Children of Richard Lanyon Esq

Richard Lanyon married Margaret Treskillard and they had at least twelve children, including two sons both called John!

His children were: John, John, Richard, William, Raphe, Edward, Clement, Syman, Thomasine, Maude, Joane and Jane.

To find out more about his sons see separate posts “The Two Johns’, ‘John the Younger’ and ‘Richard, Edward and Raphe Lanyon’. This post is about his daughters.

Thomasine Lanyon

Richard’s eldest daughter was Thomasine, named after her grandmother Thomasine Tregian. Thomasine married Simon George and they had at least two children: Simon and Salathiell George of Trenouth who was still alive in 1620.

Mention of Salathiell is found in a book of illustrations by Hans Holbein called Facsimiles of original drawings by Hans Holbein, in the collection of His Majesty for the Portraits of Illustrious Persons of the Court of Henry VIII, Francis Bartolozzi, 1884. This painting below is said to be of Simon George, Salathiell’s father, a minor figure in the court of Henry VIII.

Simon George by Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From the Bartolozzi book;

“Simon George, of Quocoute, in the country of Cornwall, was the son of a private gentleman of his names, who acquired property at that place, and lived there, and whose father came from Gloucestershire into Dorsetshire, and settled at Osmondton, in the latter country; his mother was descended from a good family of the name Hussey. He married Thomasine, daughter of Richard Lanyon, a gentleman of an ancient Cornish house, and had by her two sons, Simon, who died without issue; and Salathiel, who settled at Trenouth, and was living there in 1620, having at that time three daughters, Anne, Elizabeth, and Thomasine.”

Maude Lanyon

Maude was the second daughter and born about 1539. She married Henry Rosewarne from Camborne, Cornwall. Their daughter Elizabeth was baptised 9 Feb 1558 at Camborne. There may be other children but I haven’t traced them. Henry died in 1570 and Maude was buried 24 Feb 1619 at Camborne.

Joane Lanyon

Joane was baptised 24 Jun 1548 at Gwinear. On 15 Feb 1567 she married Otes Merefeild (sic), gent of St Columb and St Ives and the son of Walter Merefild (sic) and Jane Beare, at St Columb Major/Gwinear. They had at least four daughters: Marye, Johan, Johane, Alse. No further trace of their daughters. Otes was still alive in 1605 as he ‘prayed’ over the will of his brother in law, John Lanyon Esq. Joane was still alive after 1630 as her brother Edward’s will mentions a legacy ‘to my sister Jane Merefield’. She would have been 82 at the time of his death.

Jane Lanyon

Jane married Richard Crane on 5 Oct 1561 at Camborne. The register records the name as Lawyne. She had three sons: Richard, and twins John and Richard. The twins were buried a day after they were baptised on 10 Sep 1578. Her first son also called Richard was baptised and the Herald’s Visitation shows him as the father of 5 children. Richard senior died in 1606 but there is no record of Jane’s burial.

Camborne

Syman & Clement Lanyon

Syman was the seventh son and Clement was the eighth. They were recorded on the Herald’s visitation so presumably they were still alive at that time however there is no trace of either man in any other records. Like many younger sons they may have been sent out of Cornwall or even overseas to find their fortune.

18th Sep 202212th Dec 2025

William ‘Generosi’ Lanyon of Breage

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 ‘Generosi’ Lanyon had 8 children and with the exception of Baldwin it’s not clear who gave birth to each child. I’ve noted the dates of marriage as we don’t have dates of baptism for any of them except Baldwin.

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.

Lamorran

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.

The Will of John Lanyon of St James Westminster – Source NA/PROB 11/620/334

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 History of Parish Registers

18th Sep 202212th Nov 2025

Francis Lanyon’s Descendants

Francis Lanyon was the eldest son and heir of John & possibly Margaret Richard and he is described as a ‘gentleman’. He married Elizabeth on 19 Jun 1607 at Madron (sadly most women did not have their surnames recorded in the Madron register so we don’t know which family Elizabeth was from.) He was a Penzance merchant.

Francis signed the Protestation return of 1641/2. He appears on the Subsidy Roll for Charles I in Oct 1641 and paid £3 on goods.

I Oct 1655 the mayor of Penzance granted him the profits of ‘key and pier’ (quay) for one year for £25.

In Oct 1656 the ship Dunkerke landed at Mousehole and Francis was paid 12/-

The Penzance mayoral records also show that Francis and Thomas Jenkin were paid 12d for repairing the quay’s mansards.

Francis and Elizabeth had three surviving children: Bennett, Sampson and Susanna.

Bennett Lanyon 1615-1661

Bennett, Francis’ son and heir, was baptised in 1615 eight years after his parents married. Perhaps there were other children born before him? He too took the Protestation Oath in 1641/2. In 1647 he married Martha. They had four children:

Agnes 1648 – married Edward Polgrean at Zennor in 1687. Their only child was Benedict. He married Elizabeth Stephens in Jun 1721 and in Jun 1722, just a month after his son Benedict’s baptism, he died.
Francis 1651-1719 he married his cousin Dorothie Noy (née Lanyon) when he was aged 50. Their only child Martha died aged 4. His estate was left to his nephew Benedict Polgrean in 1719. Less than three years later Benedict was dead too.
Elizabeth 1654-1655 died in infancy
Elizabeth 1655- married Francis Ellis (Elies) – 4 children: Bennett, Sampson, Francis and Katherine

Bennett’s line finishes here.

Sampson Lanyon 1616-

Sampson was baptised in 1616 in Madron. In 1647 he married Margaret and had four children:

Agnes 1648- no further trace
Mary 1653- no further trace
Anne 1656-1661 died in infancy
Margaret -1661 died in infancy

Sampson’s line finishes here.

Susanna Lanyon 1619-

Susanna was baptised at Madron in 1619. In 1640 she married William Tregeco. There are no further records of this family.

Here ends Francis’ line.

17th Sep 202212th Nov 2025

Alexander Lanyon’s Descendants

Alexander Lanyon married Philippa at Madron in 1614.

The parish registers have lots of gaps at this time so wills can be an additional source of information. John Lanyon’s 1634 will mentions numerous grandchildren and from that we can start to build a tree.

Anne and Maud were still alive in 1634 but there is no further trace of them. They may have married and their marriages have not been recorded or they may have died.

Alexander aft. 1616-1624
Anne 1616-aft. 1634
Maud 1617-aft. 1634
Peter 1622-bef. 1634
Joane 1628-bef.1634
Walter bef.1634-1715
John bef.1634-1673
Alexander aft. 1634-1660
William -1624

The only children who have recorded marriages are Walter, John and Alexander.

Alexander Lanyon aft. 1634-1660

Alexander wasn’t mentioned in his grandfather’s will so must have been born after 1634. He and his wife died within nine months of one another in 1660. We don’t know what caused their deaths but given that they were both only in their twenties perhaps they both died of TB which killed so many young people. They had no children so this line died out.

Walter Lanyon bef. 1634-1715

Walter was the heir and he lived at the barton of Lanyon after his father. He married Mary and they had two sons:

John 1665-1733 married Margery Ustick – one son John
Thomas 1670-1723 married Alice Baynard – no children

Walter died 8 Sep 1715 at Madron and left a will.

Walter’s will 1715 – Source CRO/AP/L/1174

The will gives his son John the barton of Lanyon, son Thomas half his goods and cattle and his wife Mary land in Boswednan, Madron and Boswarva and these lands to go to his grandson John after her death.

He also leaves his suit of ‘best apparel’ to Francis Lanyon of Penzance and £3 to his beloved henchman Richard Wallish.

Walter’s son John married Margery Ustick in 1691 and their only child John was born the following year. John died in 1733 and the estate passed to his son, Walter’s grandson.

John junior married Elizabeth Huthnance the daughter of Henry Huthnance, the vicar of Breage. They had a daughter, also called Elizabeth, born in 1718. John’s wife died but there is no record of her burial. John remarried in 1725 to a Lanyon cousin, Jane Andrew. (She was the daughter of Isabel Lanyon and Matthias Andrew of Sancreed.) They didn’t have any children.

In 1954 William Lamparter corresponded with Miss Dorothy E B Hichens, the niece of John Hichens, who was then aged 90 and the great grandson of Richard Hichens who held the lease at ‘Lanyon’. She stated “The only thing I can tell you about Elizabeth Lanyon is a story handed down the family and told to me by my grandmother – that Elizabeth’s mother having died, the child was neglected by her father and her mother’s family paid a gypsy to steal her. They brought her up after which she presumably returned and married my ?? grandfather.”

His only daughter Elizabeth married Richard Hutchens (Hichens), they had four children: Richard, Jane, Elizabeth and Thomas.

John Lanyon was without a male heir and when he died in 1784 aged 92 he left the barton of Lanyon to his favourite granddaughter, Jane Hutchens. John was the last Lanyon to live at the old ancestral home.

John Lanyon’s will 1784 – Source CRO/AP/L/1878

Jane Hutchens renounced the bequest and from 1784 Mr John Hosking of Landithy, Madron took a 99 years lease of Lanyon for his two sons John and Thomas who failed to make a success of the farm and Mrs Elizabeth Hutchens’ grand sons, Richard and Thomas took the remainder of the lease and much improved the Lanyon estate. The old manor house was pulled down and a new house built. Thomas’ son, Richard Hutchens, died at Lanyon in 1889.

Jane Hutchens renounces the bequest from her grandfather. Source – CRO/AP/L/1878

This is the end of Walter’s line.

On 29 March 1927 Jane Veale Mitchell wrote the following:-

“Last Tuesday the weather improved and I went off to keep an appointment at Carne, in Morva with Mr John Hichens (St Ives family) whose great-grandfather Richard held Lanyon in Madron and Rissick in Madron, under 99 years lease or remainder. (For several weeks I have missed him when he came into Penzance; then we met and I went out). How glad I was, you can imagine when he brought in a great armful of oldish deed for me to see. Between us (and you too) we are sworn to secrecy in regard to these deeds, as the man would be pestered for them; as it is, he gave me the one I longed for and which explicitly explained what my instinct told me must be a fact i.e. that a Lanyon, as his fathers before him, lived and died at Lanyon in Madron in the year 1784, the very last one in the old Manor House, before Mr Hosking (who renewed the lease from Philip Rashleigh’s assigns) tore it down and built the present farmhouse.”

John Lanyon – bef. 1634-1673

John was the second surviving son of Alexander and Philippa. John Lanyon married Blanche about 1648, the marriage was not recorded but their first child was born about 1650.

They had seven children:

Mary – 1654 died in infancy
Margaret 1649-aft. 1673 no further trace
Bennett abt. 1650-aft. 1673
David 1650-1656 died in infancy
Dorothie 1659-1732 she married Thomas Noye in 1678 – six children. Then in 1701 she married her cousin Francis Lanyon – they had one daughter Martha who died age 4.
Rebecca 1661-1706 she married Humphrey Stodden – three children
Philippa 1666-aft. 1673 no further trace
Mary – 1654 died in infancy

We’re covered Dorothie in the post ‘Lanyons, Trewrens and Noys’.

Bennett Lanyon abt. 1650-aft. 1673

Bennett was born about 1650. He was the executor of his father’s will. We know he married but we don’t know his wife’s name. He had six children:

Mary 1673-1673 died in infancy
John 1673-1733 married Blanche Pendar
Mary 1675-1676 died in infancy
Ann 1677- married Alexander Johns in 1706 no further trace
Blanch 1678- no trace
Walter 1681- no trace

John Lanyon 1673-1733

John and Blanche married in 1723 when John was aged 50. His son John may have been from an earlier unrecorded marriage.

John died in 1733 and his will begins “being penitent and very sorry for my sins”. One wonders what he had done!

John Lanyon’s will 1733 source: CRO/AP/L/1371

There is no record of John and Blanche’s son being baptised, married or buried. His father left him 1/- in his will which suggests he had already inherited. In 1752 he had the role of Accessionable Manor’s Commissioner and we know nothing else about him.

And this is where we must leave Alexander’s line, there are no more traceable Lanyon descendants.

Interestingly on 5 Mar 1781 an Alexander Lanyon died in Penzance aged 100. There is no record of any Alexander Lanyon being baptised about 100 years earlier. Could he be a descendant of this line?