COURTENAY OF ST
AUSTELL
Apprenticeship
records show that in 1719, John son of Thomas Courtney of St Austell was apprenticed
to Philip Cock, barber and perukemaker and in 1728, John White was apprenticed
to John Cortney of “Anstell”, barber. In 1758, William Courtney was apprenticed
to William Richards of Stoke Damerel, perukemaker and in 1773, George Richards
was apprenticed to William Courtenay of St Austell, perukemaker.[1]
The
will of John Parson or Parsons of Withiel, dated 1691, mentions “my Cousin
Thomas Courtney the Sonne of my Brother in Law John Courtney” as well as some
other children of the said John Courtney including another John who was made
executor and residuary legatee.[2]
An indenture of 1692 refers to the will of John Parsons, late of Withiel. It
identifies “John Courtney the younger of the parish of St
Austell in the County of Cornewall yeoman” as the executor of the will, John
Courtney “beeing also Nephew and heyre of the Said John Parsons”.[3]
The
parentage of the John Courtenay who married Rebecca Parsons is uncertain, but
it may be noted that a John Courtenay and Jane Vivian were married at St
Austell in 1633.
The
1670 will of Elizabeth Wolridge of Creed, widow, included a legacy to John
Courteney of St Austell.[4]
There
were prominent Courtenays in the area in the seventeenth century and earlier,
for example at Lanivet,[5]
but no link to the family in this account has yet been found.
I
welcome comments on this page. My e-mail address is on my home page.
COURTENAY
1 JOHN COURTENAY married REBECCA
PARSONS, daughter of Thomas Parsons (see here). Rebecca
was baptised in 1633/34 at Withiel, Cornwall, and buried on 2 March 1682/83 at
St Austell.
Children of John Courtenay:[6]
i SARAH COURTENAY, b 18 Jun 1656,
Withiel,[7]
bur 6 Jan 1658/59, Withiel.[8]
ii KATHERINE COURTENAY, b 13 Feb
1657/58, Withiel,[9] bur
6 Jun 1723, St Austell;[10]
m 12 Nov 1687, St Austell, BENJAMIN DYER.[11]
Children
of John and Rebecca (Parsons) Courtenay:[12]
iii JOHN COURTENAY of St Austell,
weaver, bap 5 Nov 1661, Withiel,[13]
bur 7 Jul 1716, St Austell;[14]
m 11 Sep 1692, St Mewan, ANN MAY.[15]
2 iv THOMAS COURTENAY (1664-1720); m
JANE CHELY.
v JANE COURTENAY; m 3 Oct 1689, St
Mewan, EDWARD MAY.[16]
vi WILLIAM COURTENAY, bap 30 Apr 1671,
Withiel;[17] m
11 Feb 1694/95, St Austell, PATIENCE NICHOLLS.[18]
vii GRACE COURTENAY, bap 4 Oct 1678, St
Austell,[19]
bur 25 Sep 1684, St Austell.[20]
2 THOMAS COURTENAY of St Austell was
baptised on 5 June 1664 at Withiel[21]
and buried on 13 June 1720 at St Austell.[22]
He married on 26 May 1696 at Tywardreath, JANE CHELY,[23]
daughter of Robert and Pascus (Kittow) Chely (see here). Jane was
baptised on 24 January 1665/66 at Tywardreath[24]
and buried on 12 May 1732 at St Austell.[25]
Children of Thomas and Jane (Chely)
Courtenay:
i JONATHAN COURTENAY, bap 30 Jan
1696/97, Tywardreath.[26]
ii ELIZABETH COURTENAY, bap 6 Sep
1699, St Austell.[27]
3 iii JOHN COURTENAY (1702/03-1781); m
ROVENA ROSEVEAR.
iv BENJAMIN COURTENAY of St Austell,
bap 16 Mar 1705/06, St Austell,[28]
bur 9 Jan 1752, Probus;[29]
m 8 Jun 1739, Probus, ELIZABETH PENROSE.[30]
v JOSEPH COURTENAY, bap 16 Mar
1705/06, St Austell,[31]
bur 6 Oct 1706, St Austell.[32]
3 JOHN COURTENAY of St Austell, barber,
was baptised on 2 February 1702/03 at St Austell[33]
and buried on 23 January 1781 at St Austell.[34]
He married on 16 December 1736 at Lanivet, ROVENA ROSEVEAR,[35]
daughter of John and Rovena (Chibbot) Rosevear (see here). Rovena
was baptised on 25 August 1713 at Lanivet and buried on 29 May 1791 at St
Austell.
Children of John and Rovena (Rosevear)
Courtenay:[36]
i ROVENA COURTENAY, bap 21 Nov
1737, St Austell;[37]
m ROBERT PHILP.[38]
ii JOHN COURTENAY, bap 16 Jul 1739,
St Austell.[39]
iii THOMAS COURTENAY of Mevagissey,
yeoman, bap 15 Mar 1741/42, St Austell,[40]
bur 29 Mar 1773, Mevagissey;[41]
m 4 Dec 1768, Mevagissey, MARGERY BALL.[42]
4 iv WILLIAM COURTENAY (1744/45-1779); m
ELIZABETH BILKEY.
v JANE COURTENAY, bap 24 Aug 1747,
St Austell,[43]
bur 4 Aug 1831, St Ewe;[44]
m 12 Oct 1772, St Ewe, JOSEPH BUCKNELL.[45]
vi ELIZABETH COURTENAY, bap 2 Oct
1749, St Austell.[46]
vii DOROTHEA PHILIPPA COURTENAY, bap 29
Aug 1751, St Austell;[47]
bur 7 Aug 1753, St Austell.[48]
4 WILLIAM COURTENAY of St Austell,
perukemaker, was baptised on 21 January 1744/45 at St Austell[49]
and buried on 1 January 1779 at St Austell.[50]
He married on 5 October 1772 at St Austell, ELIZABETH BILKEY,[51]
daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Benny) Bilkey (see here). Elizabeth
was baptised on 20 March 1735/36 at St Columb Major and buried on 3 July 1821
at Boconnoc.
Children of William and Elizabeth (Bilkey)
Courtenay:
i DOROTHY COURTENAY, bap 15 Aug
1773, St Austell,[52]
bur 31 Dec 1835, St Michael, Pembroke;[53]
m 1 Jan 1800, St Merryn, THOMAS PHILLIPS.[54]
ii MARY COURTENAY, b St Austell, bap
2 Jun 1776, St Austell,[55]
d 22 Feb 1863, Tywardreath;[56]
m 15 Aug 1800, Tywardreath, WILLIAM RUNDELL[57]
(see here).
[1]
National Archives, IR 1/7, fols 47-48, IR 1/49, fols 26-27, IR 1/53, fols
188-89, IR 1/58, fols 187-88.
[2] Kresen Kernow, AP/P/1854. The testator’s surname is spelt Parson in the will but “Passons” in the accompanying inventory.
[3] Kresen Kernow, GR/424.
[6] John, Thomas, William and Jane are mentioned in the will of John Parsons as children of his brother-in-law John Courtney (Kresen Kernow, AP/P/1854). Katherine is not mentioned so it may be the case that she and Sarah were not the children of Rebecca (Parsons) Courtenay.
[7] Withiel parish registers.
[8] Withiel parish registers.
[9] Withiel parish registers; Cornwall OPC Database (www.cornwall-opc-database.org).
[10] St Austell parish registers.
[11] St Austell parish registers.
[12] John, Thomas, William and Jane are mentioned in the will of John Parsons as children of his brother-in-law John Courtney (Kresen Kernow, AP/P/1854). Katherine is not mentioned so it may be the case that she and Sarah were not the children of Rebecca (Parsons) Courtenay.
[13] Withiel parish registers.
[14] St Austell parish registers; Kresen Kernow, AP/C/2800.
[15] Transcription of St Mewan bishop’s transcripts.
[16] Transcription of St Mewan bishop’s transcripts.
[17] Withiel parish registers.
[18] St Austell parish registers.
[19] St Austell parish registers.
[20] St Austell parish registers.
[21] Withiel parish registers.
[22] St Austell parish registers.
[23] Tywardreath parish registers.
[24] Tywardreath parish registers.
[25] St Austell parish registers.
[26] Tywardreath parish registers.
[27] St Austell parish registers.
[28] St Austell parish registers.
[29] Probus parish registers.
[30] Probus bishop’s transcripts. Benjamin is said to be of St Austell.
[31] St Austell parish registers.
[32] St Austell parish registers.
[33] St Austell parish registers.
[34]
St Austell parish
registers.
[35] Lanivet parish registers.
[36] The will of Thomas Courtenay of Mevagissey, “but now residing at Saint Austell”, dated 17 March 1773, mentions his sister Roven[a] wife of Robert Philp of East Looe, sister Jenipher wife of Joseph Buck[...], sister Elizabeth, his late wife, brother John, brother William, and father and mother John and Rovena Courtenay (Kresen Kernow, AP/C/3953).
[37] St Austell parish registers.
[38] Will of Thomas Courtenay (Kresen Kernow, AP/C/3953). They were married by 22 Oct 1762 when “Robert Philp and Rovena his wife of the Burrough of East Loe” were cited for fornication (Kresen Kernow, ARD/156/392).
[39] St Austell parish registers.
[40] St Austell parish registers.
[41] Mevagissey parish registers; Kresen Kernow, AP/C/3953.
[42] Mevagissey parish registers.
[43] St Austell parish registers. The year appears to be mislabelled as 1746 in the register.
[44] St Ewe parish registers.
[45] St Ewe parish registers.
[46] St Austell parish registers. She may be the Elizabeth Courtney, sojourner, who married John Wheeler at Boconnoc on 1 May 1792 when the witnesses were Mary Courtney and Dorothy Courtney. The location and witness names suggest a connection with the family of William and Elizabeth (Bilkey) Courtenay, so there is a possibility that Elizabeth (Courtenay) Wheeler was a daughter of William and Elizabeth for whom no baptism has been found.
[47] St Austell parish registers.
[48] St Austell parish registers.
[49] St Austell parish registers.
[50] St Austell parish registers.
[51] St Austell parish registers.
[52] St Austell parish registers.
[53] St Michael, Pembroke, parish registers (online at www.findmypast.co.uk); National Archives, PROB 11/1847/136; Bank of England Wills Extracts 1717-1845 (online at www.findmypast.co.uk); 1851 census returns, Pembroke (National Archives, HO 107/2476, fol. 446).
[54] St Merryn parish registers.
[55] St Austell parish registers; 1851 census returns, Tywardreath (National Archives, HO 107/1906, fol. 105).
[56] Death certificate.
[57] Tywardreath parish registers.