BILKEY OF ST EVAL
AND ST COLUMB MAJOR
The
Elizabeth Bilkey who married William Courtenay at St Austell in 1772 appears to
have been several years older than her husband. She was evidently the Elizabeth
Courtenay, widow, who married Daniel Edwards of Boconnoc on 7 August 1791 at
Tywardreath, when one of the witnesses was Dorothy Courtnay (William and
Elizabeth having a daughter of that name). Elizabeth Edwards was buried at
Boconnoc on 3 July 1821 when she was said to be aged 83.
A
clue to the origin of Elizabeth Bilkey is that her marriage to William
Courtenay was witnessed by a William Jeffery. It can be seen that William Jeffery
married Mary Bilkey in 1769 at St Mabyn and that William Jeffery also witnessed
the marriage of John Bilkey and Rebecca Sibley at Bodmin in 1775. These three
Bilkey individuals seem to have been children of Robert Bilkey of St Columb
Major. It may be noted that Robert Bilkey married his second wife at St Austell
in 1747, when he was said to be of St Columb, so the family does appear in the
St Austell records before the marriage of Elizabeth Bilkey and William
Courtenay. There was also a Richard Bilkey buried at St Austell in 1767.
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BILKEY
1 JOHN BILKEY married MARGERY.[1]
Child of John and Margery Bilkey:[2]
2 i
GIDEON BILKEY (1665-1742); m
MARY.
2 GIDEON BILKEY was baptised on 15
October 1665 at St Eval, Cornwall,[3]
and buried on 7 May 1742 at St Eval.[4]
He married MARY.[5]
Children of Gideon and Mary Bilkey:
i JANE BILKEY, bur 11 Dec 1692, St
Eval.[6]
ii MARY BILKEY, bap 29 Jan 1692/93, St
Eval.[7]
ii JANE BILKEY, bap 1 Jun 1695, St
Eval.[8]
iv MARGERY BILKEY, bap 25 Mar 1698, St
Eval.[9]
v WILLIAM BILKEY, bap 11 Nov 1700, St
Eval.[10]
vi HANNAH BILKEY, bap 11 Nov 1702, St
Eval.[11]
3 vii
ROBERT BILKEY (1704-1781); m(1)
ELIZABETH BENNY; m(2) MARY THOMAS.
viii RICHARD BILKEY, bap 15 Apr 1707, St
Eval.[12]
ix BRIDGET BILKEY, bap 30 Jun 1711, St
Eval.[13]
3 ROBERT BILKEY of St Columb Major was baptised
on 20 February 1704/05 at St Eval[14]
and buried on 2 May 1781 at St Issey.[15]
He married first, on 4 September 1726 at St Eval, ELIZABETH BENNY,[16]
who was buried on 22 June 1746 at St Columb Major.[17]
He married second, on 20 April 1747 at St Austell, MARY THOMAS,[18]
who was buried on 22 July 1779 at St Columb Major.[19]
Children of Robert and Elizabeth (Benny)
Bilkey:
i RICHARD BILKEY, bap 12 Sep 1730,
St Columb Major.[20]
ii ROBERT BILKEY, bap 25 May 1733, St
Columb Major,[21]
bur 17 May 1741, St Columb Major.[22]
iii ELIZABETH BILKEY, bap 20 Mar 1735/36,
St Columb Major,[23]
bur 3 Jul 1821, Boconnoc;[24]
m(1) 5 Oct 1772, St. Austell, WILLIAM COURTENAY[25]
(see here); m(2) 7 Aug
1791, Tywardreath, DANIEL EDWARDS.[26]
iv JOHN BILKEY, yeoman, bap 25 Feb
1738/39, St Columb Major,[27]
d 31 Jan 1824, Kenwyn;[28]
m 26 Jun 1775, Bodmin, REBECCA SIBLEY.[29]
v MARY BILKEY, bap 13 Mar 1741/42, St
Columb Major;[30] m
23 Oct 1769, St Mabyn, WILLIAM JEFFERY.[31]
vi ROBERT BILKEY, bap 10 Aug 1745, St
Columb Major,[32]
bur 15 Dec 1746, St Columb Major.[33]
Children of Robert and Mary (Thomas)
Bilkey:
vii ROBERT BILKEY, bap 1 May 1748, St
Columb Major,[34] bur
13 Nov 1753, St Columb Major.[35]
viii JAMES BILKEY, bap 1 Nov 1751, St Columb
Major,[36]
bur 13 Nov 1753, St Columb Major.[37]
ix JANE BILKEY, bap 18 Nov 1754, St
Columb Major.[38]
[1] The incompleteness of the St Eval records for the seventeenth century makes it difficult to establish further details, but a “Marjory Bilky” was buried there on 17 May 1693 and a “John Bilke” on 16 Feb 1693/94.
[2] St Eval bishop’s transcripts.
[3] St Eval bishop’s transcripts.
[4] St Eval parish registers.
[5] Mary is named as the mother in some of the children’s baptism entries, including those for Jane in 1695 and Bridget in 1711.
[6] St Eval bishop’s transcripts.
[7] St Eval bishop’s transcripts.
[8] St Eval parish registers.
[9] St Eval parish registers.
[10] St Eval bishop’s transcripts.
[11] St Eval parish registers.
[12] St Eval parish registers.
[13] St Eval bishop’s transcripts.
[14] St Eval parish registers.
[15] St Issey parish registers.
[16] St Eval parish registers.
[17] St Columb Major parish registers.
[18] St Austell parish registers.
[19] St Columb Major parish registers.
[20] St Columb Major parish registers. He may have been the Richard Bilkey who married Elizabeth Watts at St Issey in 1760.
[21] St Columb Major parish registers.
[22] St Columb Major parish registers.
[23] St Columb Major parish registers.
[24] Cornwall Burials (online at www.findmypast.co.uk).
[25] St Austell parish registers.
[26] Tywardreath parish registers.
[27] St Columb Major parish registers.
[29] Bodmin parish registers.
[30] St Columb Major parish registers.
[31] St Mabyn parish registers.
[32] St Columb Major parish registers.
[33] St Columb Major parish registers.
[34] St Columb Major parish registers.
[35] St Columb Major parish registers. The entry refers to “Robert and James Sons of Robt and Eliza Bilkey” but the mother’s name appears to be an error.
[36] St Columb Major parish registers.
[37] St Columb Major parish registers. The entry refers to “Robert and James Sons of Robt and Eliza Bilkey” but the mother’s name appears to be an error.
[38] St Columb Major parish registers. She was perhaps the Jane Bilkey buried at St Columb Major on 22 Jan 1777.