St Gennys Parish, Cornwall (1740 - 1886)

This parish covers about 9 square miles off the North Cornish coast. The only break in the high sea cliffs is at Crackington Haven where a stream enters the sea via a steep sided valley that effectively divides the parish into two halves between which there has always been friendly rivalry. Inland the land is rugged with high hills and deep valleys.

The area was remote, lying far to the North of the main route into Cornwall, via Launceston and Bodmin, and with the lesser route via Stratton and Camelford only just touching the extreme south-eastern parish boundary. A small port at Crackington Haven used mainly for the import of coal and limestone and export of slate fell into disuse in the 19th century.

Agriculture was the primary source of livelihood, but slate quarrying, mining and the trade brought by coasters also played their part. Also being on the coast far from any town and having its own mineral resources, the parish was well served by local craftsmen and small tradesmen. There were blacksmiths at Churchtown, Cleave, Coxford, Rosecare, Pencuke, Wainhouse Corner, Mineshop, Tresparrett Post and Trevigue, wheelwrights at Trevelyan and Higher Crackington and millers at Crackington Haven, Trencreek and Bastard Mills.

There was no principal village. The population lived in small commnunities, predominantly collections of farms, which were scattered over the parish. Although the population peaked at 760 persons living in 138 homes in 1831, it had shrunk back again to 430 persons and 97 homes by 1891. When Peter Trease, a newcomer, married there in 1740, there were probably under 80 other families in the parish, and many of these had lived there for generations.

More information: -

• St Gennys Parish Church
• Brockhill Methodist Chapel
• Tremayna Bible Christian Chapel
• Locations with Treise connections
• Treise family of Castle Milford links with St Gennys
• Visiting St Gennys today
• Further information sources
• Population Analysis

Religious and social role
The parish church and the churchwardens were at the centre of all things religious and social in St. Gennys throughout the 18th and first half of the 19th century but after that their significance was substantially diminished.

From 1732 until 1781 the vicar was George Thompson. In 1735, three years before Wesley had his "experience", George Thompson had his own experience after which he became a fervent christian and somewhat radical preacher with an affinity at first to Methodism and later to Calvinism. Contemporary vicars of nearby parishes observed that they had no dissenters "apart from those who go by the name of Methodists, chiefly encouraged and abetted and taught by a neighbouring clergyman, the Vicar of St Gennys". A Methodist minister wrote of Thompson in the late 1870s "Wesley did not introduce Methodism into Cornwall, he found it there." John Wesley preached in St. Gennys during 1745, 1747, 1750 and 1751 and his brother Charles Wesley stayed with Parson Thomson in 1746.

Peter Trease's marriage, baptisms of his children and grandchildren, and the marriages of some of his children were performed by George Thompson. At these and other church services they attended, the Treases of St Gennys would have heard sermons that leant very much towards non-conformist views. Peter Trease's son Michael became actively involved in Community affairs administered by the church by serving as church warden in 1781, as did Michael's son Thomas in 1803 and 1814, and Michael's grandson John in 1834 and 1846. From 1862 onward, the churchwarden account books have not been retained and it is surmised that this date marks a watershed in the role of St Gennys Parish Church in the community.

The church buildings
The church is dramatically situated high on the cliffs overlooking the sea. There is no village there, just a small settlement with a vicarage and a few farm buildings, collectively known as "St Gennys Churchtown". In 1871, as part of a nationwide effort to revitalise churches, the church underwent significant "restoration", so what you see today differs from that familiar with Trease ancestors before the restoration. No photographs or even drawings of the church prior to 1871 have been located, but the main changes appear to have been :-

• The floor of the chancel, which used to slope, was levelled and raised by up to 18 inches. Memorial floor tablets were removed and the floor retiled in red, yellow, and black.
• The roof which also sloped was replaced.
• The oak benches from Henry VIII's time, including some fine bench ends, were removed and replaced with pine pews. Some of the benches removed may have gone to churches at Poundstock and Kilkhampton.
• The musician's gallery was removed.
• The font was moved to the north of the door (RH side as you enter).
• The Pulpit was moved from the south wall.

Many Treases were buried at St Gennys but only the following three adjacent graves have survived : -

• Joint gravestone of Thomas Trease 1820 and Mary Trease 1862 (parents)
• John Trease of Broomhill House 1882 (son)
• Mary Trayse of Rosecare 1886 (son's wife)

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Brockhill Methodist Chapel

Locally, the Camelford Wesleyan Circuit was formed in 1803 and St Gennys featured in it, something that would not have happened during the early years of George Thompson's ministry. In 1834 most of the St Gennys members of the Camelford Wesleyan Circuit left to join "The Methodist Association" which was established at a house in Brockhill. There were also meeting places at Hill, Crackington, Ballhead, Trelay, Trencreek, and Dizzard. Unlike the Wesleyans, the Methodists believed that power should be with the laity.

In 1835 many of these newly converted Methodists left to join the Bible Christians who had become established at Dizzard, Tresmorn, Pencuke, and Tremayna.

In 1842, after many years of trying to get ground in St Gennys to build a chapel, the Methodists finally managed to get ground granted to them at Brockhill where they established a chapel.

There is no record of any direct Trease involvement with this chapel. In the 1830s, Martha, the daughter of William Trease, a grandson of Peter born in St Gennys, became heavily involved with the Wesleyan Methodists but that was in Tresmeer. In the 1790s, Samuel, one of Peter's sons, became a founder member of the non-conformist church in Quethiock, Cornwall but it is unlikely that he was directly influenced by George Thompson as he was brought up in Otterham parish.

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Tremayna Bible Christian Chapel

In 1862 Miss Joanna Cock and John Cock Jewell conveyed land at Tremayna to the Bible Christians who established the Bible Christian Church there.

There definitely was Trease involvement with this chapel. In 1876 Dorothy Gynn Trease was married to William Sandercock, a tailor of New House, Rosecare, St Gennys at a chapel in Launceston, by a Bible Christian minister. Many of their children were baptised at home by ministers of the Bible Christian Church and some of their family were buried in the graveyard at Tremayna.

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St Gennys locations with Trease connections

Hill, St Gennys
In the Middle Ages, St Gregory's Chapel existed at Hill, about 1¼ miles South of St. Gennys Churchtown. It was sold when Launceston Priory was closed in 1540 and is mentioned in a 1565 lease between Richard Grenville of Stowe and John Jud of Stratton that refers to "a close of land and pasture called Hylle in the Manor of Crakinton in the parish of St Genis and one olde chapell Nowe in ruen and decaye and the Chapell Haye (land enclosed by hedge) at Hyll". Relics of this chapel are now preserved in St. Gennys parish church.

A place called "Hill", St Gennys is mentioned as held by the Treise family, then of Blisland, in 1659 and 1760.

In 1792 Thomas Jollow, whose daughter had married Michael Trease, left his home, Coals Tenement, "Hill" to his only grandson Thomas Trease, which he inherited in 1808. Thomas may have lived there until at least 1814 when he served as Churchwarden in St Gennys but shortly after he seems to have moved to a larger farm in Egloskerry where he died in 1820. From before 1841 until some time between 1861 and 1871, his only son John managed a farm of over 200 acres at "Hill". It is not known whether there is any connection with the earlier property in the same location.

Rosecare, St Gennys
Rosecare has many Trease connections: -

• In 1792, when Ann Trease, the daughter of John, and granddaughter of Peter, married John Stacey in St Gennys, both she and her husband to be were living in Rosecare.
• In 1876, Dorothy Gynn Trease married William Sandercock, a tailor of "New House", Rosecare. Her father James, a grandson of Peter, died there.
• "Ball Head and Broom Hill". In 1871 John Trease is recorded running a small farm of about 50 acres called "Ball Head" Rosecare. By 1881 he had retired to another location in Rosecare named "Broom Hill".
  
  

Treworgie Barton, St Gennys
It is thought that John Broad who married Ann Stacy (nee Trease) may have occupied this property.

"Tresmorne" St Gennys
John Stacey, the only son of John Broad and Ann (nee Trease) is thought to have died here.

Tresparret Posts, St Gennys
Mary was married in St Gennys and had at least three children, one of whom, Loveday, was living in the south of the parish at Tresparret Posts/Lane before she died in 1852.

"Old Park Meadow", St Gennys
The legal case of 1869 July 31, Humphry Bryant Jewell v. John Trease and others involved the above property.

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The Treise family of Castle Milford links with St Gennys

The Treise family from Castle Milford prospered greatly until 1780, when Sir Christopher Treise, M.P. died unmarried and his large estates passed to his sister Olympia, who had married William Morshead. During the 16th century this family had lived about 1 mile from Trease family of Pattacott and it seems likely that the two families shared common roots.

The Treise family had property throughout Cornwall including lands in St. Gennys:-

• They held, at least in part, the Barton of the Manor of St. Gennys. It is recorded that on the 24th of December 1756 Christopher Treise of Lavethan (Blisland) leased on lives to Peter Hallet, a yeoman of St Gennys a tenement described as “Little Waharrastone being parcell of the Barton of Saint Gennis". Wharrastone was situated near the ford on the road to Cleave. By the marriage on 23rd April 1745 of Olympia (heiress of her brother Sir Christopher) to William Morshead the manorial rights later descended to their eldest son Sir John Morshead, Bart., thence to his son Sir Frederick Treise Morshead, Bart. and on his death in 1828 to his son Sir Warwick Charles Morshead.
  
  
• A small Morshead interest in St. Gennys continued until at least 1832 for in that year among the free tenants of the manor of Crackington is listed "Sir John Morshead, rent of 1s. 3d. for the tenement of Pergole". [Note:- Pergole was a dwelling in the Manor of Crackington at Pengold. It is in the Parish of St. Gennys about 2 miles South of St. Gennys Churchtown and about ½ mile West (towards the coast) from Hill (see below).] It is not known at present for certain whether this property descended to the Morshead family from the Treise family.
  
  
• The locality Hill in St. Gennys is mentioned as held by the Treise family, then of Blisland, in 1659 and 1760 which may be the same location where John of the Trease family lived and farmed at Hill in St. Gennys. Even if it is the same location, ownership by the Treise family may just be a pure coincidence as the Treise family were said to own land in most parishes in Cornwall.
  
  
• Leonard Treise was a friend, lawyer and executor of the Sir John Eliot who died in the Tower of London during 1632. Later Eliots were patrons of St. Gennys. Parson George Thomson, who was instituted to the parish in 1727, was the son of Catherine nee Eliot who appears to be the granddaughter of Sir John Eliot of Trebursey (the friend of Leonard Treise). possibly his granddaughter. In 1757 George married his 4th wife Honor Eliot believed to be his first cousin.

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Visiting St Gennys today

If you have family connections with the area, do visit St Gennys. The area is a lovely area to visit in its own right with dramatic cliff scenery and beautiful relatively unspoilt countryside much of which probably remains much as it was in the 18th and 19th centuries. Quite a few of the buildings from the Trease period have survived protected by Grade II listing. Gone are the local craftsmen and tradesman to be replaced by many incoming retired persons. A main village is now established at Crackington Haven which is attractively situated with Penkenna Point, the sea cliff on the north-eastern side of the valley rising impessively about 400 feet near vertically above sea level and towering over the beach.

A key place to visit is St Gennys Church. The church is both full of interest and in a stunning situation, high up and overlooking the sea. After spending time in the church, it is pleasant simply to sit on the benches in the churchyard looking out to sea and to "chill out" and reflect on life.

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Further information sources

"Wreckers and Wrestlers"

During 1973 Mr Roger Parnall, a Launceston solicitor whose family had lived in St. Gennys for several generations, published a parish history of St Gennys entitled "Wreckers and Wrestlers" (H E Warne Ltd., St. Austell, Cornwall.) This book is particularly useful for its account of the original four manors of the parish (St. Gennys, Crackington, Dizzard and Treworgie), for place names, for family names (including several who married into the Trease family), and for the list of churchwardens (including Treases) from 1711 to 1861. This book should be read in conjunction with a good map, such as the 1:25000 scale Ordnance Survey Explorer 111, ‘Bude, Boscastle and Tintagel’. It is out of print but second hand copies are available.

"The Church in St Gennys"

This little book of over 100 pages gives a history of Christianity in St Gennys including the rise of Methodism in the area and descriptions of the various buildings used. It was a "labour of love" written by Chris Berry, a local man, and published by the St Gennys Gazette. It is both charmingly written and full of interesting information. It was first published in 2001 and was on sale in the Church. Hopefully it is still available there. Do get a copy - it will help you appreciate the community of St Gennys both past and present and in return enable you to contribute a little to support them.

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Population Analysis

The figures given below are incomplete but indicate trends during the period. It can be seen that a steady growth until 1831 was followed by a reduction in the population, initially rapid but subsequently slower, until 1891 during which time the population almost halved. The 26% increase in the male population between 1821 and 1831 followed by a similar 23% reduction in the next ten years is odd and is possibly accounted for by some event(s) in the parish.

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