The Northey Family of Cornwall, England

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The Northey Family from Cornwall


My early research into the Northey family began with a need to understand why the family migrated to New Zealand aboard the Mary Shepherd in 1873. I thought at the time it would be a simple matter of finding the family in Cornwall, and I didn’t really expect much more information to be available. As I wrote in my previous chapter The Northey Family of Lyttelton, New Zealand, I quickly found the English census for the family, mainly due to the unusual name of Lavinia. What a gift to the researcher it is to have a name that is not hard to find, even when it is misspelt “Levenia”, as it was in the English Census of 1861. I found the Northey family witnessing first-hand the English Industrial Revolution in the tiny town of Crofthandy in the Parish of Gwennap, Cornwall.



English Census of 1861, William 45 and Elizabeth Northey 45, and their children Fanny 20, Josiah 17, Mary A 14, Martha 11, Celia A 7, William H 6, Levenia 3 and Elizabeth 1, living at 49 Crofthendy, Gwennap. William Northy and son Josiah are miners, his two daughters Fanny and Mary and are listed as “worker mine”.


My goal in this chapter was to try and find out as much as I could about William’s Cornish family, and for that I used the two pieces of information available from this Census, his age and place of birth. It would narrow down things considerably. The other pieces of information would later turn out to be his elder son Josiah’s unusual name, and it gave me another clue in the puzzle, that this name may have been his father’s Christian name. In a short space of time I was able to find a Baptism for William in Kenwyn with a date of 1815, that was most promising. An email to the Kenwyn OPC (Online Parish Clerk), a volunteer organisation supporting family researchers responded quickly to confirm this record, and gave me the dates of many more of William’s other siblings to place in my family tree. As I have done with “The Dodridge and Galsworthy Families of Devon” I have placed many records and information into the townships and parishes where they were collected.


Lavinia Northey is my Great Grandmother. This chapter deals with her paternal Northey family and branches.



English Census for 1871

William 56 and Elizabeth Northey 55 and their children Martha 21, Celianne 19, William 16, Lavinia 12 and Elizabeth 10 (name appears of next page of census), 35 Goongumpas Lane, near Crofthendy. William and his son William are both miners, and Martha and Celianne are listed as mine servants. Elizabeth is listed as being born in Plympton, St Mary, Devon. Levenia and Elizabeth are both listed as scholars.

Fanny sadly died shortly after the 1861 Census from Crofthendy, Parish of Gwenapp was taken:

TRANSCRIPTION RECORD FROM CORNWALL OPC FOR THE DEATH OF FANNY NORTHEY:
Cornwall OPC record 1549115 in the Burials database:
Day Month: 08-Mar
Year: 1862
Parish Or Reg District: Chacewater
Forename: Fanny
Surname: NORTHEY
Age: 22
Residence: Crofthandy
Notes: Buried by G L Church
Transcriber: Carol Hughes


England Select Births and Christenings 1838 to 1975:
Name:Josiah Northey
Gender:Male
Baptism Date:9 Sep 1842
Baptism Place:Chasewater, Cornwall, England
Father:William Northey
Mother:Elizabeth Northey
FHL Film Number:1472033
Reference ID:item 3 p 77
     




The only child of William and Elizabeth’s to be Christened in England was their son Josiah. This has often perplexed me as I have found so many other records that it does come as a surprise that it was only when they migrated to New Zealand that the daughters of William and Elizabeth were christened. See my chapter on the The Northey Family of     Lyttelton, New Zealand for these records.



Marriage of Josiah Northey and Emily Sleeman 28 April 1864, Gwennap, Cornwall

Josiah was married on 28 April, 1864 to Emily Sleeman at Gwennap, and by the time they migrated on the Mary Shepherd with William and Elizabeth Northey and their children, Josiah and Emily had two children of their own, Emily Jane and William Henry.

I then concentrated on finding the earlier English Census for the Northey Family for 1841 and 1851. Interestingly these Census’ came from Kenwyn, a village nearby to Gwennap.


    Cover page to the English Census for Kenwyn, Cornwall 1841

1841 English Census for William 25 and Elizabeth Northey 24, and their two children Mary 5 and Fanny 2, living at Seveock in Kenwyn. William is described as a copper miner. Mary dies between 1841 and 1851.



English Census for 1841 showing Ann Northey and sons James and Samuel living at Seveock, Kenwyn

This Census shows how I discovered William’s mother and brothers also living in the Parish of Kenwyn at Seveock and immediately I found myself confidently capturing more members of the extended Northey family.



1851 English Census for William 36 and Elizabeth Northy 36, and their four children Fanny 11, Josiah 8, Mary Ann 5 and Martha 2, living at 8 Seveock Water, Kenwyn. William is listed as a tin miner.


ST KEYNE'S, KENWYN IN CORNWALL

St Keyne's, Kenwyn, Cornwall

Graveyard, St Keyne's, Kenwyn, Cornwall
In June 2015 my sister Lavinia Chrystal and her daughter Lavinia Chrystal Jnr travelled to Cornwall and Devon to view first hand my Northey research and they took many photos. Their quest was to find other Lavinia's in our family knowing it to be a naming tradition starting in Cornwall, going back five generations of Lavinia's naming their daughters Lavinia.  These two photos are kindly provided by the two Lavinias. I actually decided to write up this chapter on the Northeys for their trip last year, and to make it easier I wrote about our Northey family and relevent church parishes. I hope it also helps others who journey to Cornwall on their ancestor trail.

My first attempts to uncover the parents of William Northey failed due to the fact that there were several William Northey listings in Cornwall and I had to be right in collecting the correct one. I had only fact to go on, approximate age and place of birth. It was at this point I consulted with the Cornwall Online Parish website and then asked for help from one of their volunteer online clerks. These people who help are amazing and in no time an email reply will arrive giving transcriptions for the requests. In the case of William Northey the OPC gave me information about the entire family as they had all been baptised in the same church and were all listed in the Parish records. Sometime later I was to discover that another website, Family Search and with the information about the exact dates it was possible to access the original parish books and go to the page in the book to find the original record.

The next record is from the Family Search, a free family research website:

England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975:
Name:
William Northey
Gender:
Male
Baptism Date:
21 May 1815
Baptism Place:
Kenwyn,Cornwall,England
Father:
Mother:
FHL Film Number:
246765

The record below is from the Original Parish Records, courtesy of Family Search:


    William Northey’s Baptism, son of Joseph & Ann of Chacewater, miner, 21 May 1815, Kenwyn, 21 May 1815.


William Northey married Elizabeth Dodridge in Plymouth St Charles, Devon on 23 December 1836.
They had many children including Lavinia, Martha, Josiah, Elizabeth, William Henry, Celia, Mary and Fanny.
William and Elizabeth Northey migrated to Lyttelton on the Mary Shepherd in 1873 with many of their children. Two children Fanny and Mary died before this migration of 1873. Martha, another daughter followed on the Merope in 1874.
William Northey’s parents were Joseph/Josiah Northey and Ann Tyack.



William Northey married Elizabeth Dodridge in Plymouth St Charles, Devon, on 23 December 1836. Elizabeth’s family is written up in “The Dodridge and Galsworthy Family of Devon, England”. William and Elizabeth Northey and their family migrated to Lyttelton aboard the Mary Shepherd in 1873.


England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975:
Name:
Josiah Northey
Gender:
Male
Baptism Date:
7 Jan 1787
Baptism Place:
Kenwyn,Cornwall,England
Father:
Mother:
FHL Film Number:
246764




Baptism of Josiah Northey, son of Joseph Northey and Elizabeth Pascoe, 7 January 1787 Kenwyn, Cornwall. Image and transcription courtesy of Family Search website.

Josiah Northey is the father of William Northey. He married Ann Tyack in Kea, Cornwall on 23 October 1805.

Josiah died in early 1851 and was not recorded on the English census for that year, however I found his wife Ann living with their daughter, Annie Lawry on the 1851 English census, now listed as a widow. See next image.

Josiah Northey and Ann Tyack had many children; Josiah, Anney, Mary, William, James, Martha and Samuel. James migrated to South Australia, (Uncle) Samuel Northey and his (stern) wife Mary Handcock are mentioned several times in the Northey letters and they remained in Cornwall.

The next pages will show many documents relating to our Northey family and their different related branches. Sadly I cannot build a picture of their lives, as so little is known about them other than a collection of Parish Records showing their Baptisms, Marriages and in some cases their deaths. These were hardworking, religious large families, most of them were barely educated and probably lived a fair degree of their lives in what we would consider poor conditions. For generations they had existed in the same county marrying into families of their same class. The mining industry was an important part of the Industrial Revolution and sons of miners followed their fathers into the mines, very often their daughters would be working as servants for the mining operators or at the more well to do homes in the district. Earlier in this chapter the English censuses showed William Northey’s daughters working as servants in the mining industry just before their migration.


Census of 1851 for Ann Northey living with her daughter Anney Lawry in the Parish of Kenwyn, District of Baldhu in Cornwall living at 3 Seveock Waters, close neighbours to William and Elizabeth Northey and their children, see their Census earlier in this chapter.

Anney is listed along with her husband James Lawry, a copper miner from Kea, and their three children John, (also a copper miner), Emily and James. Anney’s mother Ann Northey, is listed at the bottom of the page as a widow and pauper, aged 67, who was also born in Kenwyn. There is so much information to find on these pages.

The transcription record for the Baptism of Stephen Tyack:

England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975:

Name:
Stephen Tyack
Gender:
Male
Baptism Date:
8 Sep 1765
Baptism Place:
Kenwyn, Cornwall, England
Father:
FHL Film Number:
246764

Stephen was the father of Amey and listed is his father John Tyack, thus taking the family back one more generation. 



Baptism of Stephen Tyack, son of John, 6 September 1765, Kenwyn, Cornwall


Burial of Stephen Tyack of Kirly 10 October 1825 aged 61, Kenwyn Cornwall

Kirly is most probably Kerley, a township nearby to Chacewater where William and Elizabeth Northey were living before their migration to New Zealand.  It was pleasing to find this burial that correlates Stephen’s age at 61 exactly with his baptism. The next page shows the marriage of Stephen’s parents John Tyack and Elizabeth Harries at Kenwyn in 1754.

More information about the Tyacks from the Parish of Gwennap later. Stephen Tyack is my 4th Great Grandfather.




Marriage banns of James Northey of this parish Kenwyn, Cornwall and Elizabeth Pascoe of St Clement 1772

James and Elizabeth Northey are my 4th Great Grandparents.

England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973:
Name:
James Northey
Gender:
Male
Marriage Date:
4 Mar 1772
Marriage Place:
Kenwyn, Cornwall, England
Spouse:
FHL Film Number:
1595810
Reference ID:
item 17 p 95



This Descendant Chart for James Northey and his wife Elizabeth Pascoe will need enlarging to see the connection of the various Northey families of Cornwall that are mentioned in the story in next few pages.

Whilst I was searching through the Parish Records of Kenwyn I found such a nest of Northeys living in this Parish that it took me simply ages to work out who everyone was and how they were interrelated. More importantly it also helped to establish who were my direct ancestors and gave me the confidence to collect many more records than I was expecting to collect. These records I then placed onto my ancestry tree in the hope of getting more information about our extended family. It has been a wonderful social experiment! I have had quite a lot of people commenting on this story which I placed on ancestry and I think it has helped to correct quite a lot of other trees. The difficulty of course is that big families keep naming their children after their ancestors, thus so many families will have familial Christian names. A careful check with the parish records allowed me to write up this multiple christening one September morning in Kenwyn in 1822.

Baptism of Jane, Rhoda and Elizabeth Northey 1 September 1822

“It was a busy Sunday morning at St Keyne’s Church, Kenwyn, Cornwall, England on 1 September 1822 for Reverend T. L.  Bluett, with five babies to be Baptised at the morning service. Three children named Jane, Rhoda and Elizabeth all had the surname Northey, but were all children from three different sets of parents. Most interestingly, they were all related. Jane was the daughter of Stephen and Hannah Northey of Green Bottom, Rhoda the daughter of Henry and Jane Northey of Kea and Elizabeth the daughter of George and Elizabeth Northey of Chacewater; all their fathers being miners.  
The other children were William Bartlett and Jane Gilbert. Little William being the base born son of Susannah Bartlett of Kenwyn Street, and Jane, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Gilbert of Hugus.

With regard to the three Northey girls Baptisms, Rhoda Northey was actually the aunt of Elizabeth Northey. Rhoda’s father Henry Northey being the father of George Moyle Northey, who was Elizabeth’s father. George’s middle name Moyle was his mother Jane’s maiden name. A father and son as well as baptising their sons on the same day were also a grandfather, the other a brother to the little girls.

Jane Northey, the daughter of Stephen Northey and Hannah Deeble, was a second cousin to Elizabeth, and a first cousin once removed to Rhoda. Jane’s father Stephen being the nephew of Henry Northey and a first cousin to his son George.  Stephen’s father James who was married to Mary Sandoe, was a brother to Henry Northey.  If these relationships are complicated to you imagine how mind twisting it was for me to work out who was who! It will help here to refer back to the James Northey Descendant Chart.

What a family gathering it must have been. I have no doubt that some of my own direct ancestors were present at St Keyne’s that day; Josiah Northey, who married Ann Tyack, was a brother to James and Henry Northey. Josiah and Ann Northey had a large family of children. The Northey family alone, with their extensive family could almost have filled the church that Sunday to celebrate the Christenings of the three Northey children.

What is so interesting is the fact that Henry and Jane Northey’s eldest son George was 22 years of age when his sister Rhoda was born. Henry and Jane Northey went on to have another child Francis in 1824, their tenth child.

As a family researcher I have come across these juxtapositions in family generations many times, and it is always a challenge to collect the many siblings and cousins and their records, and then correctly place them into the family tree in their correct generations. It is also fascinating to see how far and wide some of the Northey family migrated. Many Northeys ended up in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States, often their destinations and townships were named in honour of their Cornish origins.

I have been slowly going through the Parish Baptism and Marriage Records from Kenwyn, Cornwall, in an effort to uncover the history and relationships of this ‘nest’ of Northeys in Kenwyn, Kea and Chacewater in Cornwall. Most of the men and their sons were tin and copper miners, and many of their daughters were servants, some associated with the mines. It was not until 1841 when the first English census was collected that it became clearer how these families were associated. It can also be seen how many families lived in the same streets in neighbouring properties, and in some cases you find grandparents living with their children, thus taking the family back another generation. In the case of George Moyle Northey, this inclusion of his mother’s maiden name as his middle name is a gift for the family researcher, often opening up a new branch of the family tree, taking the family back many more generations.

I have still not completed my Northey research, what family researcher ever does?  The complications with names on records is a continual challenge, especially coupled with the fact that many of the Northeys could not read or write, subsequently scribes often wrote Northey as Northy and family nick names were prevalent and confusing.  English naming traditions meant so many familial names were prevalent; Jane, Ann, Martha, Josiah, James and Henry were present with nearly each family of cousins.

I am lucky to have found the Northey family letters from 1863/4, lodged in Christchurch Library in New Zealand, which named many cousins and uncles in my family tree, particularly ones who had not migrated from Cornwall. I could then find them on various English censuses during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The link in my tree to Salome Northey and to Samuel Northey came from the Northey letters. Salome Osler Wearne nee Northey (born 1839 in Hugus, Cornwall) being the very kind and generous grand-daughter of Henry Northey and Jane Moyle, who fostered and later adopted her second cousin, Martha Patty Northey, an illegitimate child, after the rest of her family, including her mother Martha Northey migrated to New Zealand. Salome was the daughter of Henry Northey and Betsy Osler, Henry being a brother to Rhoda Northey. “Uncle Samuel” Northey was mentioned in many of the letters, along with his ‘stern’ wife Mary Ann Handcock, who stayed in Cornwall, are amongst others named in the letters which helped me connect the family. Samuel Northey, born 1824, Kenwyn, being a younger brother to my great great grandfather William Northey born 1815, Chacewater, being two of the sons of Josiah Northey and Ann Tyack. William Northey and his wife Elizabeth nee Dodridge migrated to Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ‘Mary Shepherd’ with their family in 1873.”

The Northey Letters are part of another story from my chapter on the Northeys of Lyttelton, New Zealand.

Baptism of James Northey 20 October 1820 youngest son of Joseph and Ann Northey, Chasewater, Kenwyn

Another brother of William and Samuel’s is James Northey who married Elizabeth James and migrated to South Australia with his family aboard the Cressey. I believe this document above is James’ baptism, but I don’t think it can ever be confirmed, and that is an area that would need more research. However, I believe it is correct, and was the result of a scribe’s error.

A second marriage for James Northey in South Australia lists his father as Josiah, as did his first marriage record in Kenwyn, Cornwall. James Northey’s Baptism on 20 October 1820 is probably the result of an inattentive scribe who wrote Sorthey instead of Northey. It can’t be overlooked that it may have been late at night, and the vicar trying to catch up on his paperwork and may have imbibed rather a bit too much of the communion wine that evening.

ST CLEMENT IN CORNWALL

St Clements Church, St Clement, Cornwall, near the Trescillian River. Steeple tower built in 1376AD

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described St Clement like this:
“ST CLEMENT, a parish and a sub-district in Truro district, Cornwall. The parish lies on the Tresilian creek, or head of the Fal estuary, adjacent to the Cornwall railway, 2 miles SE of Truro; and contains a work-house. Post town, Truro. Acres, 3, 494. Real property, £12, 680. Pop., 3, 731. Houses, 731. The property is much subdivided. Conor manor belongs to the duchy of Cornwall; and Polwhele belonged to the county historian Polwhele. The living is a vicarage, united with the p. curacy of St. Paul's, under the rectory of Truro-St. Mary, in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £390.* Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church includes a transept of the 13th century; and is good. A very ancient inscribed cross is at the village. Charities, £12.—The sub-district contains four parishes. Acres, 11, 692. Pop., 8, 089. Houses, 1, 613.”

Baptism of Elizabeth Pascoe, 15 Apr 1749 daughter of James Pascoe and Mary Trahar, St Clements, Cornwall

Marriage of James Pascoe and Mary Trahar, 17 October 1742, St Clement’s Church, St Clement, Cornwall

Baptism of Mary Trahar 16 April 1721, the daughter of Richard and Susanna Trahar, St Clement, Cornwall


England, Select Deaths and Burials 1538-1991
Name:
Richard Trahar
Gender:
Male
Burial Date:
4 May 1742
Burial Place:
St. Clement, Cornwall, England
FHL Film Number:
1545392
Reference ID:
p 136


ALL HALLOWS, KEA IN CORNWALL



All Hallows, Kea, Cornwall. Photos courtesy of Lavinia Chrystal

Historically, there has been a church or monastery in the township of Kea since the time the Domesday Book wrote Kea up as a taxed parish. All Hallows church is in Kea village and was built in 1895 to replace the church of 1802, which was badly buttressed, and started to crack and crumble almost immediately after it was completed. The townsfolk also found it unattractive and it was decided to demolish the church and rebuild. The “new” church has a steep tiled roof and a lead spire. The font is Norman and of the Altarnun type. This present church was consecrated 4 June 1896. 
The church of St Kea at Old Kea was the parish church until All Hallows in Kea was built in 1802. The town centre had gradually shifted away from Old Kea, and it was decided that a new church called All Hallows would be built closer to where people were now living. Later, the church at Old Kea was pulled down and only the tower remains today. A small chapel now stands beside the ruined medieval tower, and services are held there twice a month. It is probable that our family were married at Old Kea prior to 1802 and in the demolished church of All Hallows that formerly stood on the site of the new church. The Norman bowl style font that stood in St Kea was moved to All Hallows Church. It is very pleasing that this font remains as this would have been used for our ancestor’s Christenings.

England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973:

Name:
Josiah Northey
Gender:
Male
Marriage Date:
23 Oct 1805
Marriage Place:
Kea, Cornwall, England
Spouse:
FHL Film Number:
1595810
Reference ID:
item 8 p 94



Marriage of Josiah “Joseph” Northey and Ann Tyack 23 October 1805 at Kea, Cornwall.

Ann Tyack was the daughter of Stephen Tyack and Amey Hockin who was born in Gwenapp on 1 May 1788. Josiah and Ann Northey’s son was William Northey, who married Elizabeth Dodbridge. It was amazing to find this English Census listing Amey Tyack, mother of Ann Tyack living with her grandson Stephen Tyack in Kea, Cornwall.


1851 English Census:
Name:
Arney Tyack
[Amey Tyack
Age:
83
Estimated Birth Year:
abt 1768
Relation:
Grandmother, Grandma(Grandmother)
Gender:
Female
Where born:
Kea, Cornwall, England
Civil Parish:
Kea
Ecclesiastical parish:
Chacewater



1851 English Census for Amey Tyack nee Hockin for Kea Cornwall.

Amey aged 83 is living with her grandson Stephen Tyack a copper miner and his wife Ann and their children Mary and John. She is described as a pauper, born in Kenwyn. They are living in the village of Kerbey, Parish of Kea, Ecclesiastical Parish of Chacewater.

Amey’s husband was also named Stephen Tyack, they were married in Gwennap 26 June 1786.

The next illustration is from the original Parish Record Book of Kea and is an interesting account by the Vicar about“a large and brilliant comet in the night sky” over Cornwall on 30 June 1861. There are also accounts of a heavy gale and other storms which included the death of a person from the Parish of Phillack who was struck by lightning.


This is a description from the original Parish Book for Kea, Cornwall 

England, about the "Great Comet of 1861". I found this description while working my way through the parish records on the family search website, which used to be a free online resource until it was purchased by Find My Past in 2014. Recently these records have been removed, and will now only appear on Find My Past, for those who take out a subscription. I am not sure that this page will ever be available online again. It must have been an exciting experience for the residents of Cornwall to observe this natural phenomenon. The Rector writes an account of “a great comet in the night sky of unusual size and brilliancy, with a mighty tail, visible in the N/W”. The Rector's detail about the dimensions and distance from the Earth and sun are astonishing, and he must have been an accomplished astronomer. It was a wonderful article, probably long forgotten, and one I am pleased to be able to highlight for other interested researchers. I am excited to be able to rediscover and proudly show off this piece of scientific observation from Cornwall. I believe that many of our ancestors would have witnessed this phenomenon in the night sky in 1861, over several nights, and wonder what they may have thought, and whether there was adequate explanation for something that lit up the night sky so brightly. It may have been a little frightening, and was an obviously strange experience.


This chart shows four generations both paternal and maternal as well as Ann’s siblings. Ann Tyack married Josiah Northey on 23 October 1805 at All Hallows Old Church, Kea.


GWENNAP IN CORNWALL

The English Census for 1851 and 1861 for Elizabeth and William Northey gave their address at Gwennap. These records for the family are listed at the beginning of this chapter in the introduction.


England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975:

Name:
Ann Tyack
Gender:
Female
Baptism Date:
1 May 1788
Baptism Place:
Gwennap, Cornwall, England
Father:
Mother:
FHL Film Number:
1595598



Baptism of Ann Tyack the daughter of Stephen Tyack and Amey Hockin 1 May 1788 at Gwennap.


England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973:

Name:
Stephen Tyack
Gender:
Male
Marriage Date:
26 Jun 1786
Marriage Place:
Gwennap, Cornwall, England
Spouse:
FHL Film Number:
1595598
Reference ID:
103



Marriage of Stephen Tyack and Amey Hockin on 26 June 1786 at Gwennap, Cornwall. Both signed their names to the record page.In the presence of John Hockin and Sophia Tyack. John Hockin was Amey’s father.

Stephen and Amey had many children including Ann, Elizabeth, Stephen, John and Josiah. Ann Tyack being my Great Great Grandmother, who married Joseph/Josiah Northey.


The link above comes from Sandra Pritchard OPC for Gwennap, who transcribed the marriages for 1780 to 1789 which includes this marriage for Stephen and Amey Tyack, without the help of these transcriptions it would have been impossible for me to find the correct pages in the parish records and capture these original images.

CHAPTER CONTINUED IN THE NORTHEY FAMILY OF CORNWALL, ENGLAND - PART TWO



Virginia Rundle

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