Cur-genven, Car-genven, Cur-genuer, Cor-genvin believed to be dialect variants of the Celtic Carreglefn. “Caer”, a fort or village, “glenwen” from “glan”, clean and “gwen”, white.
First recorded spelling of the name Curgenven is when Richard Curgenven was a witness at a christening in 1713.
Source: Surnames
Both were born in Tretawn Farm south east of St Kew. Cornwall. The family must have been well-off from the size of their farmhouse of the Jacobean period, built probably by the Molesworths.
There is still a local school in St Kew a few miles away. Both must have been well educated as shown by their future experiences.
Captain Bligh of the Bounty may have lived in Tinten Manor 1.5 miles east (1754 – 1817). Tretawn Farm is part of the Lamellen Estate 1.5miles North East.
During Thomas’s early years, Cornwall was playing a significant part in the three Civil Wars. The Cornish saw the conflict as a fight between England and Cornwall as much as between the King and Parliament. It highlighted his Cornish heritage.
Source: Timeline of Cornish History
Monmouth made his abortive attempt to seize power in 1685 when he landed at Lyme Regis and formed his Peasants Army. Sherborne was the base for the royal artillery.
Two years earlier Reverend Thomas Curgenven (born Lean) 1644 – 1712 had been appointed Headmaster at Sherborne School aged 39. He retired in 1695.
The exact date when Thomas Lean changed his name to Curgenven is unknown. The political climate must have had a significant effect distancing him from both the Roundheads and Cavaliers.
Source: History of Sherborne School Ref Curgenven pg 37 – 42 ( pdf 51 -58)
Searching for ”Curgenven” names in Cornwall, 8 were found in Veryan on the north coast and 7 in Uny Lelant on the south coast 23 miles away. (3 in other locations).
Checking details on different genealogical sites threw up various data which did not match. Thomas appeared with similar birth and death dates but father’s names differed.
Thomas's brother William Lean married Rachael Richard who both unfortunaly died in 1689 and 1692.
Shortly after that, Thomas was given legal charge of the younger children, John, Thomas and Peter. Thomas changed their birth names from Lean to Curgenven. Thomas had no children of his own.
Source: History of Sherborne School Ref Adoption pg 43 ( pdf 57)
Tretawn is parcel of the Manor of Lanowmur, and at an early date was held by the family of Tretheven. John son of William de Tretheven by his charter granted all his lands and tenements in Vale an Kua wyll to Walter Golapyn, which charter was, upon inspeximus, ratified and confirmed by John de Tretheven son of Walter de Tre-theven by charter dated on Monday next after the feast of St. John ante porta Latina 10th Edward II. These lands thereafter would seem to have been held by the family of Golapyn for a considerable time. In 16th Henry VI. Thomas Lanhergy, Lord of Lannomur, acknowledged to have received of Nicholas Colapyn, son and heir of John Golapyn, also called Power, by the hands of John Bere of Tregaren and others, the sum of vjs. and iijd. for relief upon the death of the said John Colapyn, for the whole ville of Tretoun which he held of the Manor of Lanomur in socage (in Prerogative Court of Canterbury) Tretawne, in the 16th century, was part of the possessions of Francis Carnsew, Esq.,
By deed dated 1st May 1633, John Molesworth granted the said lands to his four daughters, Martha, Phillippa, Honom-, and Grace, by his marriage with Phillippa, daughter of Henry EoUe of Hampton,' provided they married with his consent. By various deeds of divers dates, the said several shares became vested in John Godolphin of Doctors' Commons, Doctor of Laws, who by deed, dated 30th May 1659, under the description of "all that capital messuage, &c., called Eeton, alias Treton, alias Tretawne, and all those lands called Cuell an Dale " and " Penhendra in St. Kew," conveyed the whole to William Keigwin of Mousehole in co. Cornwall, Gent.
It continued to be held by this family for nearly a century. James Keigwin of Mousehole, Gent., by his will dated 1st February 17.34, devised all his estates to trustees for the sale of such portions as might be necessary beyond the amount of his personal estate to pay his debts ;
the remainder to George Keigwin, his eldest brother and heir, and, dying unmarried, the whole of his lands, inter alia, Eeton, alias Treton, alias Tretawne, Cuell an Dale, Penhendra, and Tupton in St. Kew were, under a decree in the Court of Chancery, pronounced 30th March 1745, directed to be sold, and, by Indentures dated respectively 1st and 2nd May 1752, were conveyed to George Veale of Penzance, Gent.,
who, in the same year, sold Tretawne and the other lands in this parish to Mr. John Curgenven of Lelaut, who settled at Tretawne. By his grandson John Brendon Curgenven, Gent.,
in 1867 the whole, except a small cottage, called Tretawne Cottage, at Highway, was sold to Eeuben Magor of Lamellen, Gent., a descendant of the above- mentioned William Keigwin and of John Curgenven (see PedigTee post), whose brother is the present possessor.
Source Family History Page 141
George was an officer on the ship SS Morayshire aged 19. In 1856, took descendants of “The Mutiny 0n the Bounty” from Pitcairn Island to Norfolk Island off north east coast of Australia.
His diaries have been transcribed and digitised describing his outbound journey from London taking emmigrants to Sydney, Round trip to the Pitcain Island and two round trips to Manilla in the Philippines.
George returned to London after a gruelling three years locked up in a 150 foot long boat only 30 feet wide. His mental health was poor at the end.
His goings on in Sydney, Manilla, Pitcain and Norfolk Isaland make an interesting read from the view point of a 20 year old boy and liaisons with "his girls".
More > >
John was born in Tretawn, St Kew, Cornwall, brother to George. He was educated in Cornwall.
In 1847, he became a pupil of his uncle, Peter Brendon F.R.C.s at Highgate and entered as a student at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He was the second person in the South West to inhale ether as an anaesthtic.
During the Crimea war he had medical charge of Miss Nightingale when she was taken from Balaclava to Scutari to convalesce. (1855)
In 1860 he married Josephine Sadler, by whom, he had a family of ten children, eight of whom lived.
John was on various committees involved in Infanticide (1866), veneral diseases (1867) and therapeutics (1868). In 1869 John read a paper on Baby Farming before the Social Science Association and drafted a Bill for the Protection of Infant Life. He formed and was secretary of the Infant Life Protection Society. Also secretary of Harveian Society.
The Bill was drawn up in 1871, passed in 1872 and later ammended in 1897.
John retired from practice in 1890 and passed his practice on to his son Mr J. S. Curgenven
Source: US National Library of Medicine. National Institute of Health. From British Medical Journal 24 October 1903
MyHeritage is my primary source of data and is becoming difficult to find new links and where to place them. There are 35 Williams = 10% of total.
Knowing the spouse’s name is used to identify the correct husband.
Each name has been given its code. A6b. Cb is page number, 6 is the generation (1 is Rev. Thomas Curgenven) and b is the position across the page. The spouse has their husband’s code.
The full list of names has been divided into three PDF pages.
1. Male no named spouse.
2. Male and spouse.
3. Spouse only.
