By
Tre-, Pol-, Pen-,
Ye may know the Cornish men
According to this old rhyme surnames beginning with the above three letters
are readily identifiable as being from Cornwall. Those that were from
the extreme east of Cornwall were noted for their surname beginning with
Tre, in the extreme west for Pol,
and in central Cornwall for Pen.
TREVERTON’s began to noticeably emigrate
to other parts of the world beginning circa 1850, although there are records
of those leaving earlier. When I say noticeably you must bear in mind
that their numbers were very small (see Census Records) so the emigration
of only a few represents a detectable change in the overall total.
With the advent of large scale farming in Cornwall and the decline in
the mining industry, employment opportunities quickly disappeared. In
a waning economic environment emigration to the New World probably appeared
to many as the most logical solution, while others chose to move east
to the larger city centres. All had the same intention - the hope of finding
a decent job that would permit them to adequately support themselves or
their families.
orton, and Triverton.
Throughout the latter half of
the 19th century the TREVERTON surname began to appear in public and private
records throughout the world. Immigrants from the United Kingdom generally
confined their choice of destination to either Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, the United States or Canada. Most Treverton immigrants were
involved in the mining industry and therefore sought work in parts of
the world that specialized in what they did best. Settlements of people
from Cornwall were established in the mining regions of whatever country
they choice to travel to. In the middle of the 19th century there was
a popular saying in the United States, that "if
there was a hole in the ground, someone from Cornwall would be found at
the bottom of it."
Those not engaged in the mining industry were generally farmers and sought
to re-establish their own communities in the new world. The earliest Treverton
references in the United States and Canada were for families who owned
and operated farms in Pennsylvania, USA and Southern Ontario, Canada.
BREDGETT TREVERTON
The first recorded TREVERTON to journey to the Americas, and
the first record of any TREVERTON outside of Cornwall, was Bredgett
TREVERTON, who is identified as settling in the State of Virginia, USA
in 1665. This record can be found in Nell Marion Nugent’s book ‘Cavaliers
and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666’.
It anyone has access to this volume I would very much appreciate receiving
the information pertaining to Bredgett. The publication contains a record
of 20,000 immigrants and is said to contain relevant information on these
early settlers. Bredgett was surely an adventurous sole as passenger travel
by ship in the 17th century was an experience to be avoided if at all
possible. It is described by some historians as a near-death experience
and unfortunately for many it was.
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©2006 Larry Treverton
