© Feb 2001
This article presents genealogical and family historical information on the Carnarthen family of Phillack, Cornwall. Research has centred on the parish of Phillack, in the West Penwith district of Cornwall and is still in progress. Information on other families with this surname is also presented. We also look at some basic information on Phillack and other places in West Penwith as they relate to these families, and also the locality called Carnarthen in the parish of Illogan (from which these families probably take their surname). Variations in the spelling of the surname are then considered, along with other surnames associated with the surname Carnarthen, before looking at the range of Christian names used by these families. Finally, a list of (mostly secondary) source material consulted is presented.
The earliest record at Phillack mentioning a person with the surname Carnarthen is in 1603 when Anna Carnarthen was married to John LEEKY. There are earlier occurrences of the name in the parish of Illogan going back to the 1540s. The latest record at Phillack is the burial in 1797 of a Mary Carnarthen. A family living in Kenwyn and deriving from Truro has been found on the 1881 census bearing the surname Carnarton. It is expected that further research will extend these limits of the occurrence of the surname, but it appears that the surname is no longer extant.
Statements made in this article are based on an evaluation of the evidence to hand at the time of writing. New evidence may necessitate re-evaluation of the relationships and conclusions made here. If you have further evidence or an interest in this surname, please contact the author .
This family includes farmers and malt millers resident in the parish of Phillack from the middle of the 17th century and covers four generations to the middle of the 18th century. While the senior branch of this line remained in Phillack for one hundred years or so, junior branches moved to Uny Lelant, Camborne, St Ives and Madron and other places nearby.
The following table shows the male line issue of this family. Note that as there are five separate William Carnarthens identified in this family, they are distinguished by upper case Roman numerals I, II, III, IV and V. The same identification applies to other common Christian names.
Male Line Issue of William (I) Carnarthen (ca 1625 - 1684) Generation 2 Generation 3 Generation 4 William (II) (1658-1731) William (III) (1696-1745) dspm John (II) (1700-1765) dsp Edward (I) (1703-1709) dsp Charles (I) (ca 1703-1747) William (IV) (1734-?) Charles (II) (1736-?) Jasper (I) (1664-1732) Edward (II) (1690-?) no known issue Jasper (II) (1695-?) Edward (III) (1730-?) John (V) (1731-?) George (1735-?) John (III) (1700-?) no known issue Phillip (1666-1681) dsp John (I) (1669-?) John (IV) (1711-?) no known issue William (V) (1713-?) no known issue Note: dsp = died without leaving issue; dspm = died without leaving male issue; ca=circa, about.
It seems likely that the progenitor of this family, William Carnarthen (I), (who could have been born around 1625), came to Phillack from the Illogan district around the middle of the 1650s. Although it is not proven yet, it would seem that the wife of William (I) was named Katherine (maiden surname not known). Perhaps they married around 1657 or about the time that William (I) came to Phillack parish. The baptisms of six children are to be found in the Phillack parish registers:
Children of William (I) Carnarthen and his wife Katherine, all baptised at Phillack Date Name Parents Notes 1658 Jan 04 William s/o William William (II) 1661 Nov 24 Anna d/o William 1664 Apr 02 Jasper s/o William aka Jaspar; Jasper (I) 1666 Feb 02 Phillip s/o William bur 1681 Sep 11 at Phillack (so aged about 15 years) 1669 Dec 27 John s/o William & Katherine John (I) 1673 Jan 01 Mary d/o William
Some time before 1684, William (I) made his will. He described himself as a miller, and in his will, mentioned his wife Katherine, sons William (II) (then aged about 26 years), Jasper (~ 20 years) and John (~ 15 years), and daughters Anna (~ 23 years) and Mary (~ 11 years). It seems that all of the children were unmarried at this time. William (I) was buried at Phillack on 6 Feb 1684 and an inventory of his estate was taken on 14 Feb. The inventory mentioned livestock, furniture, utensils, goods in the mill, a small estate for 3 lives in Guildford and a quarter part in the house and malt mill at Loggans Mill. His oldest son, William (II) became the miller at Loggans Mill after his father's death.
What became of the daughters Anna and Mary is not known. The three surviving sons all married within the next 15 years. Katherine, the widow, took another husband two years later. She married Arundel SACKERLY at Phillack on 3 May 1686. What became of her afterwards is not known.
William (II) Carnarthen was baptised 4 Jan 1658 at Phillack, the son of William (I) and Katherine. William (II) took over as miller at Loggans Mill after the death of his father early in 1684. It seems that he immediately took on the duties of head of the family and local businessman, for on 27 Nov 1686, he was named as bondsman in the administration of the estate of the late William PENBERTHY of Lelant. The administration was granted to Jane, wife of Arthur MOORSHEAD, and daughter of the deceased. Arthur MOORSEHAD also served as bondsman with William (II) Carnarthen and John LEEKEY of Phillack. (See Other Carnarthen Families below for a Carnarthen-Leeky connection.) Then later, on 3 Apr 1693, he was one of two men who took the inventory of the estate of Edward HAMPTON of Lelant, the other being Alexander BANFIELD. (It seems probable that this Edward HAMPTON was a close relative by marriage of William's brother Jasper (I) Carnarthen, as Jasper, his wife and son were named as beneficiaries of Edward Hampton's will.)
At the age of 37 years, William (II) was married at Phillack, on 24 (or 27?) Sep 1695, to Mary COCK. Most of their five children were baptised at Phillack during the next 12 years.
Children of William (II) Carnarthen and his wife Mary Cock, all baptised at Phillack Date Name Parents Notes 1696 Jul 15 William s/o William William (III), the baptism says "unnamed male", but other evidence indicates that this is William 1700 Nov 24 John s/o William & Mary John (II) 1703 Mar Edward s/o William Edward (I), register doesn't give the day, bur 11 Sep 1709 at Phillack ca 1703 Charles s/o William & Mary Charles (I), baptism not yet located, but mentioned in the will of William (II) 1707 Sep 07 Anne d/o William married 1740 at Phillack to George WHITE and had issue coming down to the present (including Cynthia P LOTH of Washington state, USA)
On 22 Oct 1722, the widow Joan PHILLIPPS of Phillack made her will. Two of the witnesses were named as William Carnarthen and Charles Carnarthen. Which William Carnarthen (II or III) is not clear, but it seems that Charles is the fourth son of William (II). William (II)'s family made a start on the next generation when William (III) married Mary TREWHELLA in 1723 (followed by four daughters) and Charles (I) married Elizabeth LUKE in 1728 (followed by three daughters and two sons).
On 20 Sep 1729, a certain John HARRIS of Camborne made his will, leaving, amongst other bequests, one guinea in gold to his "kinswoman", one Ann Canarthen. William (II)'s daughter Anne (now 22 years) could be this beneficiary.
On 24 Aug 1731, at the age of about 73 years, William (II) Carnarthen of Phillack made his will, including the following bequests:
to his son, William, five pounds
to his son, Charles, seven pounds
to his son, John, ten pounds, the bed in the hall and six sheep
to his daughter, Ann, ten pounds
to his grandchildren (not named), one shilling each
to his wife, Mary, the remainder of his estate.
He appointed his wife, Mary, as executrix, and the witnesses were Edward COLLINS and Jane COLLINS. The will was proved on 11 May 1732. The burial at Phillack took place on 29 Aug 1731. An inventory of his estate was taken on 29 Sep 1731 and mentions the mill and properties mentioned in his father's will 47 years earlier. At the time of his death, his family comprised:
son William, 35 years and wife Mary, with children Mary 7, Alice 5, Katherine 2
son John, 31 years, unmarried
son Charles, about 28 years and wife Elizabeth, with children Elizabeth 2, Anne 1
dau Anne, 24 years, presumed unmarried.
His oldest son, William (III) became the miller at Loggans Mill after his father's death. The widow, Mary Carnarthen nee Cock, was buried at Phillack on 16 Feb 1745.
Kathie Weigel () has this to say regarding Mary Carnarthen nee Cock:
Mary Cock, w/o William Canarthan was the daughter of Charles Cock and Mary Harris of Gwithian. Her sister Grace Cock was married to John Harris of Camborne--that is why John mentioned "kinswoman" Ann Canarthan in his will--she was his niece by marriage (the other "kinswoman" named was his niece by blood, so he was leaving a gold guinea each to his and his wife's niece). Mary Cock was b. 2 Feb 1664 at Gwithian. She and her sister Grace, one year her senior, were both baptised in 1683 as young adults (her brother Charles Cock was also bp. as a young adult along with two of his cousins; several other cousins also received adult baptisms in the Gwithian register temp. 1682-1686).
Jasper (I) Carnarthen was baptised 2 Apr 1664 at Phillack, the son of William (I) and Katherine. Jasper was 20 years old in 1684 when his father died. His older brother, William (II), took over the farm and mill, leaving Jasper (and his other siblings) to seek their fortune in other ways. Jasper's marriage did not occur in Phillack and neither the name of his wife nor a record of the marriage has yet been located. Lelant is the likely place of marriage, and it seems probable that his wife was from the HAMPTON family of that place. Their children were baptised in Uny Lelant, but the mother's name is not noted in the register.
Children of Jasper (I) Carnarthen and his wife, baptised at Uny Lelant Date Name Parents Notes 1690 Dec 14 Edward s/o Jasper Edward (II) 1694 Mar 29 Catherine d/o Jasper mentioned in a 1722 will 1695 Feb 22 Jasper s/o Jasper Jasper (II) 1700 May 19 John s/o Jasper John (III)
On 10 Nov 1692, Edward HAMPTON of Lelant made his will, leaving bequests to members of the Banfield, Leacher and Carnarthen families. To John BANFIELD and his wife, he bequeathed a certain field of land called Parc an Clemer with the house in Lelant Town part of the premises of Mr Henry TREMENHEARES and Mr SMITH's tenement, also part of his dwelling house. To his granddaughter, Joan LEACHER, not yet 16 years old, daughter of the late John LEACHER, he left 30 pounds. If she were to died before the age of 16, her share was to be given to Edward BANFIELD the son of John BANFIELD and Edward CARNARTHEN the son of Jasper CARNARTHEN. To Jasper CARNARTHEN and his wife, he left part of his dwelling house and household goods. John BANFIELD and Jasper CARNARTHEN were named as residual legatees and executors. The witnesses to the will were John TREWHELLA, Tiberia TYACKE and Mary NICHALL. The inventory of the estate was taken on 3 Apr 1693 by Alexander BANFIELD and William (II) CARNARTHEN (Jasper's brother). The will was proved on 25 Oct 1693. Although relationships are not stated, it seems likely that Edward HAMPTON's daughters married John BANFIELD, John LEACHER and Jasper CARNARTHEN.
Jasper (I)'s wife (nee Hampton) apparently died between 1692 and 1719, as there is a record of a marriage in 1719 at Uny Lelant of a Jasper Carnarthen to Margaret TREVERROW. Margaret was buried at Uny Lelant on 13 Jan 1730.
A further connection between the HAMPTON and CARNARTHEN families is apparent in another will, written 21 Apr 1722 by Alice HAMPTON of Uny Lelant. Bequests in this will were made to:
Frances BANFIELD, 20 shillings
John TYACK, 5 pounds
William TYACK, 5 pounds
Edward BANFIELD, 20 shillings
Elizabeth TYACK, 20 shillings
Dwens, wife of Benjamin RICHARDS, 20 shillings
a son of Dwens and Benjamin RICHARDS, 10 shillings
a son of Charles TYACK, 1 shilling
William LEAN junior, 20 shillings
Thomas LEAN, 20 shillings
Tybre LEAN, 20 shillings
Catherine, daughter of Jasper CARNARTHEN, 20 shillings
Tybre, wife of William LEAN senior, residue (she was made executrix)
The witnesses were Jane OATS, a widow, and Thomas CARNE. The will was proved 24 Feb 1722/3.
Kathie Weigel () has the following to say regarding these connections:
Jasper Canarthan's wife was definitely the daughter of Edward Hampton of Lelant. The other legatees of his will, John Banfield and wife, provided the link. John Banfield's wife was named Frances, and Frances was name of the the mother of Edward Hampton. So Frances Banfield can be identified with certainty as Edward's daughter, named for her grandmother, and it follows that the other legatee, the wife of Jasper was another daughter. Note that both John Banfield and Jasper Canarthan named sons Edward. Alice Hampton who mentioned Catherine Canarthan in her will was a younger, unmarried sister of Edward. The majority of the persons named in her will were nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews (the Tyacks and Leans were the issue of Alice and Edward's sister Dwens Hampton Tyack). I too have been unable to determine the given name of Jasper's wife.
Jasper (I) was buried at Lelant on 5 Sep 1732 aged about 68 years. What became of Jasper (I)'s wife is not known. Similarly, nothing is known of sons Edward (II) and John (III). There is a marriage at Phillack on 5 Oct 1740 for a Catherine CARNARTHEN to a William DUNSTER that might be Jasper (I)'s daughter. One branch of this family (Jasper (II))moved to Uny Lelant, St Ives and Madron.
Phillip Carnarthen was baptised 2 Feb 1666 at Phillack, the son of William (I) and Katherine. He died aged 15 years and was buried at Phillack on 11 Sep 1681.
John (I) Carnarthen was baptised 27 Dec 1669 at Phillack, the son of William (I) and Katherine. He was married in 1699 at Camborne to Jane (maiden surname not known). There is a record of a burial at Gwithian in Jan 1702 of an Anna Carnarthen, daughter of John. Perhaps she is a daughter of this John. There are baptisms at Camborne for two children of a John Carnarthen: a son John (John IV) on 7 Apr 1711 and a son William (William V)on 11 Oct 1713. Nothing more is known of John (I), and more research needs to be conducted in the Camborne parish registers.
William (III) Carnarthen was probably the unnamed male child baptised 15 Jul 1696 at Phillack, the son of William (II) and Mary COCK. On 22 Oct 1722, the widow Joan PHILLIPPS of Phillack made her will. Two of the witnesses were named as William Carnarthen and Charles Carnarthen. Which William Carnarthen (II or III) is not clear. William (III) was married in Dec 1723 at Phillack to Mary TREWHELLA. Mary was born ca 1691 at Towednack and was a daughter of Martin TREWHELLA (ca 1658 - ca 1726) and his wife Alice PHILIPS (d ca 1731) who had married in 1688. William and Mary had four daughters:
Children of William (III) Carnarthen and his wife Mary TREWHELLA, all baptised at Phillack Date Name Parents Notes 1724 Jan 17 Mary d/o William perhaps the Mary Carnarthen buried 1797 at Phillack 1726 Feb 12 Alice d/o William 1729 Sep 14 Katherine d/o William 1732 Jul 09 Jane d/o William buried 25 Jan 1737 at Phillack
In 1731, aged about 35 years, William (III) took over as miller at Loggans Mill, on the death of his father, William (II). William (III) made his will early in 1745, (possibly at the time of his mother's death), describing himself as a yeoman, and mentioning his wife Mary, daughters Alice, Mary and Catherine, his brother John (II), and his brother-in-law, Martin TREWHELLA. He was buried at Phillack on 26 Jun 1745 and no inventory of his estate has survived. The farm and mill passed to his brother, John (II). It is not known what became of his surviving daughters. His widow, Mary Carnarthen nee Trewhella, was buried at Phillack in 1778.
John (II) Carnarthen was baptised 24 Nov 1700 at Phillack, the son of William (II) and Mary COCK. After the death of his brother, William (III), in 1745, John (II) took over the farm at Guildford and the mill at Loggans Mill. That year, he was granted a lease on the lives of his two brothers (unnamed, but probably Charles and possibly another unknown brother) and his own. A rental record from 1761 indicates that John (II) was still farming at Guildford. It would appear that he did not marry, and died without leaving a will in 1765 at Phillack. It is not known upon whom the farm and mill devolved after John (II)'s death in 1765. It seems that he is the last in the male line to remain at Phillack.
Edward (I) Carnarthen was baptised in Mar 1703 at Phillack, the son of William (II) and Mary COCK. He was buried at Phillack on 11 Sep 1709.
Charles (I) Carnarthen was probably born ca 1703 at Phillack, the son of William (II) and Mary COCK. A baptism record has not been located. On 22 Oct 1722, the widow Joan PHILLIPPS of Phillack made her will. Two of the witnesses were named as William Carnarthen and Charles Carnarthen. Which William Carnarthen (II or III) is not clear, but it seems that Charles is the fourth son of William (II). On 1 Jun 1728 at Phillack, Charles (I) was married to Elizabeth LUKE. Their children were baptised at Phillack:
Children of Charles (I) Carnarthen and his wife Elizabeth LUKE, all baptised at Phillack Date Name Parents Notes 1729 Sep 07 Elizabeth d/o Charles buried 18 Jul 1740 at Phillack 1730 Dec 20 Anne d/o Charles 1733 Apr 08 Dorcas d/o Charles 1734 Apr 21 William s/o Charles William (IV) 1736 Oct 02 Charles s/o Charles & Elisabeth Charles (II)
Elizabeth, wife of Charles (I), was buried 23 Aug 1744 at Phillack and his burial took place there on 12 Aug 1747. What became of the two surviving daughters is not known.
Edward (II) Carnarthen was baptised on 14 Dec 1690 at Uny Lelant, the son of Jasper (I) and his wife. His fate is not known.
Jasper (II) Carnarthen was baptised on 22 Feb 1695 at Uny Lelant, the son of Jasper (I) and his wife. He was married in 1729 at Towednack to Jane USTES (probably a phonetic spelling for Eustace or Eustice). It seems that this family initially settled at St Ives, but then, around 1732, moved to Madron. There were six or seven children:
Children of Jasper (II) Carnarthen and his wife Jane USTES Date Name Parents Notes 1730 Jan 11 Edward s/o Jasper & Jane St Ives, Edward (III) 1731 Mar 14 John s/o Jasper & Jane St Ives, John (V) 1733 Feb 12 Katherine d/o Jasper Madron, possibly twin of Jane 1733 Feb 12 Jane d/o Jasper Madron, possibly twin of Katherine 1735 Jul 27 George s/o Jasper Madron, George 1736 Oct 24 Grace d/o Jasper Madron unknown Thomas unknown doubtful connection, married same year and place as Grace
What became of Jasper (II) and his wife is not known. His daughter Grace was married in 1757 at Camborne to Thomas PAULL (1732-1797), and they had issue coming down to the present (including the author). What became of the other daughters is not known.
John (III) Carnarthen was baptised on 19 May 1700 at Uny Lelant, the son of Jasper (I) and his wife. His fate is not known.
John (IV) Carnarthen was baptised on 7 Apr 1711 at Camborne, the son of John (I) and his wife Jane. His fate is not known.
William (V) Carnarthen was baptised on 11 Oct 1713 at Camborne, the son of John (I) and his wife Jane. His fate is not known.
William (IV) Carnarthen was baptised on 21 Apr 1734 at Phillack, the son of Charles (I) and his wife Elizabeth LUKE. His fate is not known.
Charles (II) Carnarthen was baptised on 2 Oct 1736 at Phillack, the son of Charles (I) and his wife Elizabeth LUKE. His fate is not known.
Edward (III) Carnarthen was baptised on 11 Jan 1730 at St Ives, the son of Jasper (II) and his wife. His fate is not known, but he may have been the Edward Carnarthen who was married 5 Jun 1767 at Sancreed to Jane TOMAN.
John (V) Carnarthen was baptised on 14 Mar 1731 at St Ives, the son of Jasper (II) and his wife. His fate is not known, but he may have been the John Carnarthen who was married 29 Sep 1772 at Madron to Elizabeth NEWTON.
George Carnarthen was baptised on 27 Jul 1735 at Madron, the son of Jasper (II) and his wife. His fate is not known.
There are recorded, at Phillack, for the surname Carnarthen, some isolated events that cannot be connected to the main line at this stage. They include:
1603, marriage of Anna Carnarthen to John LEEKY
1676, burial of John Carnarthen
1690, burial of William Carnarthen
These records would seem to indicate that the Carnarthen family was at Phillack perhaps 50 years or more before the first mention of the main line identified above.
The surname CARNARTHEN, including variants, occurs at a number of places in the West Penwith district of Cornwall and nearby. Perhaps some of these families are related to the main line, although it is possible that they could belong to other families who also took their name from the place in the parish of Illogan.
The following places, all in the West Penwith and nearby districts of Cornwall, are mentioned in the text above. To locate occurrences of a particular place name within this article, use your browser's FIND facility. If you wish to find out more about a particular place, please refer to the list of source material. Generally, the author does NOT have further information on these places. Maps of these places can be found by visiting the web sites mentioned in the list of source material.
By far the most frequent spelling variations of this surname are CARNARTHEN and CANARTHEN. Generally, the surname has been standardised in the text above, for simplicity. CARNARTHER appears to be an early variant of this name, or could perhaps have a separate derivation. CANERTHEN appears to be an isolated aberrant spelling, while CANARTON is sometimes found, reflecting, no doubt, the local pronunciation. Most variants can be traced back to the late 1500s or early 1600s. CANARTON appears first in the early 1700s.
The following surnames, associated with the surname Carnarthen and variants, occur within the text of this article. To locate occurrences of a particular surname within this article, use your browser's FIND facility. If you wish to find out more about a particular surname, please refer to the list of source material. Generally, the author does NOT have further information on these surnames.
Banfield
Bottral
Carne
Cock
Collins
Dunster
Eustace or Eustice or Ustes
Hampton
Harris
Hendry
HinsonLeacher
Lean
Leeky or Leekey
Loth
Luke
Moorshead
Newton
Nichall or Nicholl
Oats
Paull or Paule
Pearce
PenberthyPhillips or Phillipps or Philips
Richards
Sackerly
Smith
Stevens
Toman
Tremenheares
Treverrow
Trewhella or Trewheeller and variants
Tyack or Tyacke
Ustes or Eustace or Eustice
White
It is useful to analyse the occurrence of Christian names by frequency and chronologically. This has been done (mostly for members of the main line family) and the results are presented below:
Christian Names Chronologically By Frequency Female Christian Names
(includes brides)1614 Elizabeth
1615 Joan
1640 Ann or Anne or Anna
1673 Mary
1686 Catherine or Katherine
1699 Jane
1704 Phillippa
1719 Margaret
1726 Alice
1733 Dorcas
1736 GraceJane and Mary
Ann or Anne or Anna
Elizabeth
Catherine or Katherine
Grace
Phillippa
Alice
Margaret
Dorcas
JoanMale Christian Names 1603 John or Johannes
1614 Rainold
1625 Henry
1626 Edward
1650 William
1664 Jasper or Jaspar
1666 Phillip
1686 Arundel
1703 Charles
1704 Ralfe
1735 George
1757 ThomasWilliam
John or Johannes
Jasper or Jaspar
Edward
Charles
Phillip
George
Henry
Thomas
Arundel
Ralfe
Rainold
The reader should note that primary sources have not yet been consulted. The following list comprises mostly secondary sources. Accordingly, statements made in this article should be read in light of the nature of the sources consulted.
I would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance given by John Higgans, Suezan James, Cynthia P Loth and Kathie Weigel.
