PART TWENTY-ONE

The Cornwall Line – 1650 to 1840

This is the first of three sections of this family line

Updated January 2023

This was originally the family line of Gordon Rookledge Collett [1933-2012] who helped in its composition - the line being indicated by the names in capitals. Since then, other family lines have been later inserted, including the line of Christine St Johanser nee Collett (Ref. 21S64) of New Zealand – as indicated by the underlined names, and the line of David Robert Parsons (see Ref. 21O47). It was David who first brought to our attention an excellent website covering births, deaths and marriages which has been invaluable in updating this file since 2008. www.cornwall-opc-database.org That site is managed and maintained by Bill O’Reilly and Myra Cordrey, Bill’s great-great-grandparents being Jane Broad Collett [21P60] and Joseph Ward. The exchange of correspondence with Bill over many years now, has seen The Cornwall Line develop into what you see today, including the transcription of numerous Wills, a great assess in any family history research. So, a very big thank you goes to Bill for his help and assistance over those years

One set of records that pre-dates the start of this family line, relates to Emanual Collett, the son of Anthony Collett, who was baptised at Creed on 9^th March 1611. That event was closely followed by the marriage of Anthony Collett to Grace Boskowen on 28^th July 1611, also at Creed. Creed, lies between Grampound and Cuby-with-Tregony. In addition to these, a series of even earlier records have come to light and they centre on the village of St Michael Penkevil and the children of Edward Collett as follows: Katherina Collett baptised 25^th on November 1559; Katherine Collett baptised on 25^th October 1560; and Maria Collett and Joanna Collett who were baptised together in a joint ceremony on 6^th February 1563.

A great many members of the Collett family in this file had associations with the Roseland village of Philleigh, and in particular the parish church. The parish of Philleigh (or Filly as it was previously known) is situated in the Deanery and the Hundred of Powder. Named from Saint Filly, Philleigh is situated on the beautiful rural Roseland peninsula, which is almost an island in the south of Cornwall. Bounded by the sea on two sides, the Fal River forms the boundary on the third side. To the east it is Ruan Lanihorne and Veryan and to the south are Gerrans and St Just-in-Roseland, while villages within the parish of Philleigh include Church Town, White Lane, and Treworthal, all of which are mentioned later in this family line.

The Church of St Philleigh was dedicated to St Filius or St. Felicitas. There was a church in the village from the 13^th century, although the present building dates from the 15th century. It comprises a chancel, nave, south aisle, and a north transept, a portion of which is used as a vestry. The tower has two stages and has a single buttress at the square of the western angles. It is finished with battlements and contains three bells. The churchyard is entered by a lych gate.

Throughout this family line there are references to the epitaphs on the headstones of the graves within the churchyard of St Philleigh Church. All of this information was kindly provided by Lynne Sharp (see Ref. 21S63) who spent some time there, taking photographs of each headstone with a Collett connection. The information in the photographs, together with Lynn’s accompanying notes, has been invaluable in finalising some of the individual family details. The full details can be found on the Collett Family History website in Headstone Epitaphs

It is possible, although not proved, that John and Richard Collett, who start this family line, may have been the sons of Hugh Collett [21I1x]. If so, it is likely that they may have been born at St Erth near Hayle in Cornwall, where Hugh’s known sons Gilbert Collett [21J4] and James Collett [21J5] were baptised on 8^th January 1654 and 27^th December 1661, respectively. Gilbert did not live to see his fourteenth birthday, when he was buried at St Erth on 14^th December 1667, the parish record stating that he was the son of Hugh Collett. Hugh’s wife may have been Grace, as there are two burial records for St Erth within a year of each other, they being Hugh Collett who was buried there on 5^th April 1682, followed by Grace Collett on 29^th March 1683

Unknown COLLETT male [21I1], who may have been the older brother of Elizabeth (below), was most likely born before 1628

21J1 – JOHN COLLETT was born circa 1649

21J2 – Richard Collett was born circa 1651

21J3 – Thomas Collett was born circa 1660

Elizabeth Collett [21I2] may have been born before 1640 and may have been another member of this family line. All that is so far known about her is that she married Richard Plemon at Cuby-with-Tregony on 16^th July 1661

John Collett [21J1] was the brother of Richard Collett (below) and was most likely born around 1649. He may also have been the brother of Thomas Collett (below). Little more is known about John at this time and it is therefore assumed that his first-born son was also named John, since the parish record includes an unnamed son of John Collett who was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 6^th June 1670. The following year his daughter Elizabeth was also baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 25^th September 1671 and again, the baptism record only included the name of the father as John Collett. However, for the baptism of John’s next three children at Cuby-with-Tregony, his wife’s name was included as (1) Grace. Another daughter Jane Collett, was born to John and Grace of whom no details are known. Furthermore, it now seems likely that John’s son baptised on 6^th June 1670 may have taken up his father’s name as the eldest son. It is possible, but not proved, that John Collett senior later married (2) Elizabeth Ball with whom he had another daughter

21K1 - John Collett was born in 1670 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K2 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1671 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K3 – Grace Collett was born in 1674 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K4 – William Collett was born in 1677 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K5 – Jane Collett was another daughter of John ad Grace

21K6 – Frances Collett was born in 1685 at Veryan

Richard Collett [21J2] may have been born around 1651 and was a yeoman of Cuby-with-Tregony in Cornwall who, on 28^th November 1673, married Margaret at Cuby-with-Tregony. However, the IGI for Cornwall confirms the date and place of the marriage, but gives the bride’s name as Mary Yeoman. It seems very likely that Richard had an older brother John Collett (above). Five of the six children credited to the couple have been identified in the 1744 Will of their son Richard Collett, the younger, who died in 1750. The document omits any reference to the couple’s second child Henry, who had possibly died prior to the making on the Will

21K7 – Thomas Collett was born in 1674 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K8 – Anthony Collett was born circa 1675 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K9 – Henry Collett was born in 1676 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K9 – Richard Collett was born in 1677 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K10 – John Collett was born circa 1678 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21K12 – Hannah Collett whose date of birth is not known

Thomas Collett [21J3] may have been born around 1660 and was possibly the younger brother of John and Richard (above). He was married to Jane and they had a daughter Joan who was baptised at Veryan on 5^th October 1684

21K13 – Joan Collett was born in 1684 at Veryan

John Collett [21K1] was born in 1670 at Cuby-with-Tregony and was the first child of John and Grace Collett. It is very likely that he was the unnamed son of John and Grace who was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 6^th June 1670, but who may have been born some years earlier. It therefore seems highly likely that, upon marrying Ann, the couple’s first child was born at Veryan before the family settled in Ruan Lanihorne, where their two other known sons were baptised. John Collett, who may have been born as early as 1663, is known to have married Ann (1663-1751), and it is confirmed that both of their younger sons were born at Ruan Lanihorne just a few miles to the south-west of Cuby-with-Tregony, while the baptism of their eldest known child at Veryan confirmed the parents as John and Ann Collett

21L1 – Peter Collett was born in 1683 at Veryan

21L2 – Thomas Collett was born in 1692 at Ruan Lanihorne

21L3 – Richard Collett was born in 1702 at Ruan Lanihorne

Elizabeth Collett [21K2] was born in 1671 at Cuby-with-Tregony and was baptised there on 25^th September 1671, the eldest daughter of John Collett. It seems likely that it was at Veryan to the north of Cuby-with-Tregony that Elizabeth Collett gave birth to a son William Collett who was baptised there on 25^th December 1704. He was the son of William Dowerack, but it has not been verified whether Elizabeth and William ever married

21L4 – William Collett was born in 1704 at Veryan, son of William Dowerack

Grace Collett [21K3] was born in 1674 at Cuby-with-Tregony, where she was baptised on 5^th July 1674, another daughter of John and Grace Collett

William Collett [21K4] was born in 1677 at Cuby-with-Tregony, the younger of the two sons of John and Grace Collett, who was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 6^th April 1677

Frances Collett [21K6] was born in 1685 at Veryan and was the only known child of John Collett by his second wife Elizabeth Ball. It was also at Veryan where she was baptised on 11^th October 1685, the baptism record confirming her father was John Collett, but with no name given for the mother. An unverified entry on the website www.ancestry.com suggests that her mother was Elizabeth Ball, which is repeated here without any validation. Frances’ cousin Richard Collett (below) was married to Hannah Ball and it may have been through that relationship that Frances, under her married name of Frances Curgenven, was a beneficiary under the terms of the 1744 Will of Richard Collett. Also named in the same Will was Frances’ married daughter Rachel Blamey. Frances Collett married Richard Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays around 1675, the son of William Lean (Curgenven) and Rachel Richards. They were married during 1711, possibly at Veryan where their first child was born, or at St Michael Caerhays where their subsequent children were born. It was also at St Michael Caerhays that Richard Curgenven, a yeoman, died on 21^st January 1745 and where his Will was proved later that same year. His wife Frances Curgenven nee Collett died at Veryan on 3^rd March 1762

The many children of Richard Curgenven and Frances Collett were:

Peter Curgenven who was born at Veryan on 17^th June 1712 and married Jane Langdon there on 14^th July 1738, and died at St Michael Caerhays on 12^th October 1784.

Rachel Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays on 26^th December 1713, where she married Benjamin Blamey on 19^th February 1736, and where she died on 16^th May 1796 when she was 84. Her husband was born during 1706, was baptised on 18^th January 1707, and was buried on 24^th October 1790.

Anne Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays around 1715 and she married Zacharias Langdon during 1743 who may well have been the brother of Jane Langdon who married Anne’s eldest brother Peter (above).

Richard Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays on 18^th October 1719, who married Hannah Ball and died at Veryan on 24^th October 1791. Curiously the IGI states that his parents were William Curgenven and Frances Collett.

John Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays on 29^th May 1721, while it was at Veryan that he married (1) Elizabeth Ball on 12^th December 1747, and later (2) Elizabeth Wakeham, before he died at Veryan on 27^th November 1794.

Hannah Curgenven who was born around 1722 or 1723, who was buried on 5^th April 1799.

Sarah Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays on 22^nd March 1724.

Frances Curgenven who was born at St Michael Caerhays around 1725

Thomas Collett [21K7] was born during in 1674 at Cuby-with-Tregony, the eldest child of Richard Collett and Margaret (Mary Yeoman), and was baptised there on 30^th November 1674. He later married Jane with whom he had a least two children, one of which was John Collett who was still alive in 1744. Thomas Collett died in 1730, and was referred to as the deceased brother of Richard Collett (below) in his Will of 1744, in which his widow Jane and his son John were beneficiaries

21L5 – John Collett was born in 1694 at Veryan

21L6 – Thomas Collett was born in 1700 at Cuby-with-Tregony

Anthony Collett [21K8], whose date of birth is not known, but who was likely born around 1675, considering the years of birth of his first child. He was another brother of Richard Collett (above) as confirmed by his Will made in 1744 and proved in 1750. The same document also named his wife as Elizabeth, together with four of their children, Anthony, Richard, Joan and Margery aka Margaret. Certainly, the baptism records for the five daughters and two sons, listed below, confirm the parents were Anthony and Elizabeth Collett. The burial of Anthony Collett was recorded at Veryan on 16^th February 1716

21L7 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1694 at Veryan

21L8 – Wilmott Collett was born in 1695 at Veryan

21L9 – Anthony Collett was born in 1697 at Veryan

21L10 – Joan Collett was born in 1698 at Veryan

21L11 – Margaret Collett was born in 1701 at Veryan

21L12 – Richard Collett was born in 1706 at Veryan

21L13 – Blanche Collett was born in 1709 at Veryan

Henry Collett [21K9] was born in 1676 and was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 7^th December 1676. The baptism record confirmed that his parents were Richard and Margaret Collett, while neither he nor, any widow, or offspring, were mentioned in the 1744 Will of his brother Richard (below)

Richard Collett [21K10] was very likely born at Cuby-with Tregony in 1677 and, on 15^th June 1698, he married Hannah Ball at Veryan. It would appear that, by the time Richard made out his Will in 1744, he and Hannah had no surviving children, if indeed there were any born to the couple. Instead, the Will of Richard Collett was made on 25^th January 1744 and named members of his extended family, as listed below. Richard Collett died at Veryan in May 1750 and was buried there on 31^st May 1750, after which the Will was proved on 2^nd June 1750. The beneficiaries under the terms of the Will were: his wife Hannah; Jane the wife of his deceased brother Thomas and their son John Collett of Gorran; his brother John and his two sons Peter Collett and Thomas Collett; and his brother Anthony, his wife Elizabeth and their four children Anthony, Richard, Joan and Margery. Also named were Hannah Dawes, wife of Charles Dawes of Gorran – most probably Richard’s married sister Hannah, and Frances Curgenven, the wife of Richard Curgenven, who was the daughter of John Collett and Elizabeth Ball (above). The latter was very likely the sister of Hannah Ball, Richard’s wife, who had married Richard’s brother John Collett. Another beneficiary named in the Will was Rachel Blamey, the wife of Benjamin Blamey of Veryan, Rachel being a child of the aforementioned Frances Collett and Richard Curgenven

John Collett [21K11], whose date of birth is not known, but may have been born around 1678, was the brother of Richard Collett (above) as confirmed by his Will made in 1744 and proved in 1750. Although no birth or baptism records have been unearthed for any of his children, two of his sons Peter and Thomas were named within the same Will of Richard, when they were described as the sons of the deceased brother John Collett

21L14 – Peter Collett was very likely born between 1700 and 1720

21L15 – Thomas Collett was very likely born between 1700 and 1720

Hannah Collett [21K12], whose date of birth is known, may have been the younger sister of Richard Collett (above) in whose Will of 1744 there was a beneficiary who was named as Hannah Dawes. That situation may have been as the result of the marriage of Hannah Collett (?) and Charles Dawe at Gorran on 8^th April 1729

Peter Collett [21L1] was born and baptised at Veryan on 30^th October 1683, the first son of John and Ann Collett. He later married Sybilla with whom he had at least two children at St Just-in-Roseland. The only other known fact is that the burial of Peter Collett took place on December 1757

21M1 – Peter Collett was born in 1715 at St Just-in-Roseland

21M2 – Hannah Collett was born 1722 at St Just-in-Roseland

THOMAS COLLETT [21L2] (Chollick) may have been born at Veryan on 30^th October 1689, but was baptised at Ruan Lanihorne on 24^th April 1692, another son of John Collett. It was at nearby Philleigh that, on 28^th February 1715, Thomas Chollick of Ruan Lanihorne married (1) Susanna Sawle of Gerrans. Tragically Susanna, who was born in 1694, died in 1715 most likely during childbirth, the child also not surviving. Thomas then married (2) Susanna Furse on 14^th July 1716. Susanna was baptised at Feock on 16^th February 1695, the daughter of John and Margery Furse. Over the following twenty-five years, Susanna presented Thomas with fourteen children when they were living at Philleigh and, when the youngest child was nineteen, Thomas Collett died and was buried at Philleigh on 30^th September 1760. It was just over five years after that when his widow, Susanna Collett nee Furze, died of apoplexy at the age of 71, following which she was also buried at Philleigh on 26^th November 1765

The Will of Thomas Collett, yeoman of Philleigh, was made on 6^th March 1759, was proved on 28^th April 1761, and was transcribed by his fifth great grandson Don R Hender. In addition to the Will, other notes made by Don appear to conflict with the information written here in this family line, and they are that his father was another Thomas, instead of John as stated here. Also, his wife’s maiden-name may have been Luke, instead of Sawle or Furse as stated above. And lastly, that he was born around 1700, rather than in 1689. The transcript of the Will can be found in the folder Legal Documents under Will 1759 Thomas Collett, which includes the name his wife, as Susanna, and ten of the couple’s fourteen children, from the listed below

21M3 - Susanna Collett was born in 1717 at Philleigh

21M4 - Richard Collett was born in 1719 at Philleigh

21M5 - Ann Collett was born in 1721 at Philleigh

21M6 - Thomas Collett was born in 1723 at Philleigh

21M7 – THOMAS COLLETT was born in 1724 at Philleigh

21M8 - Elizabeth Collett was born in 1726 at Philleigh

21M9 - John Collett was born in 1727 at Philleigh

21M10 - Frances Collett was born in 1729 at Philleigh

21M11 - Zacharias Collett was born in 1731 at Philleigh

21M12 - Elizabeth Collett was born in 1733 at Philleigh

21M13 - Hugh Collett was born in 1734 at Philleigh

21M14 - Joan Collett was born in 1737 at Philleigh

21M15 - Benjamin Collett was born in 1737 at Philleigh

21M16 - Henry Collett was born in 1741 at Philleigh

Richard Collett [21L3] was baptised at Ruan Lanihorne on 11^th October 1702, the youngest of the three sons of John Collett. He later married Anne Crawl at Ruan Lanihorne on 26^th March 1733. And it was also at Ruan Lanihorne that their daughter was baptised although no record has so far been found for their son who was living at Ruan Lanihorne twenty years later

21M17 - John Collett was born circa 1734 at Ruan Lanihorne

21M18 - Ann Collett was born circa 1736 at Ruan Lanihorne

John Collett [21L4] was born in 1694 at Veryan, the first of two known children of Thomas Collett and Margaret (or Mary) Yeoman. It was also at Veryan that John was baptised on 25^th November 1694

Thomas Collett [21L5] was born in 1700 at Cuby-with-Tregony and was the younger of the two children of Thomas and Margaret Collett, who was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 8^th September 1700

Elizabeth Collett [21L6] was born in 1694 at Veryan and was the eldest of the seven children of Anthony and Elizabeth Collett. Elizabeth was subsequently baptised at Veryan on 24^th June 1694

Wilmott Collett [21L7] was born in 1695 at Veryan and was another daughter of Anthony and Elizabeth Collett, who was baptised there on 16^th February 1695

Anthony Collett [21L8] was born in 1697, the third child and the eldest son of Anthony and Elizabeth Collett of Veryan, where his siblings were baptism. However, no such birth or baptism for Anthony has been found there. He married Jane and their first child was born in 1718 and that has been used to placed his approximate year of birth. All of Anthony and Jane’s known children were baptised at Veryan. A total of three Anthony Colletts were buried at Veryan; one on 9^th July 1749, the next on 2^nd January 1751 and the third on 30^th March 1759, so it is possible that they were the Anthony, his father, and his and son

21M19 - John Collett was born in 1718 at Veryan

21M20 - Anthony Collett was born in 1720 at Veryan

21M21 - Jane Collett was born in 1722 at Veryan

21M22 - Henry Collett was born in 1724 at Veryan

21M23 - Jane Collett was born in 1726 at Veryan

21M24 - Mary Collett was born in 1730 at Veryan

Joan Collett [21L9] was born in 1698 at Veryan and was baptised there on 9^th October 1698, a daughter of Anthony and Elizabeth Collett. It was also at Veryan where she later married John Mewden on 12^th August 1722

Margaret Collett [21L10] was born in 1700 at Veryan, where she was baptised on 6^th January 1701, the fifth child of Anthony and Elizabeth Collett

Richard Collett [21L11] was born in 1706 at Veryan, the youngest son of Anthony and Elizabeth Collett. He was baptised at Veryan on 11^th August 1706, where he married (1) Catherine Johns on 30^th December 1738. On be, the couple made their home in Veryan, where their children were baptised. Catherine would appear to have died around 1750 since a couple of years later Richard married (2) Hannah, with whom he a further child who was also baptised at Veryan. The child’s name might indicate that his daughter Hannah from his first marriage had already died by then, although there is no evidence to support that assumption

21M25 – Hannah Collett was born in 1739 at Veryan

21M26 – Hugh Collett was born in 1745 at Veryan

21M27 – Anthony Collett was born in 1749 at Veryan

The following is the child of Richard Collett by his second wife Hannah:

21M28 – Hannah Collett was born in 1754 at Veryan

Peter Collett [21M1] was born either in late 1714 or during the first two weeks of 1715, and was baptised at St Just-in-Roseland on 14^th January 1715, the first of the two known children of Peter and Sybilla Collett

Hannah Collett [21M2] was born at St Just-in-Roseland during 1722 and, while she was the second known child of Peter and Sybilla Collett, there may have been other children born between 1715 and 1722. It was also at St Just-in-Roseland that Hannah Collett was baptised on 16^th July 1722

Susanna Collett [21M3] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th July 1717 as Susanna Chollick, the first-born child of Thomas Chollick and his second wife Susanna Furse. Susanna later married Samuel Ward who was born in 1715. Susanna Ward died when she was 40 and was buried at Philleigh on 20^th December 1758, just under two years before the death of her father. Her husband survived for over forty more years, when he died in 1799

Richard Collett [21M4] was baptised at Philleigh on 26^th April 1719, although his name was written as Chollick. The IGI for Cornwall also recorded the fact that his parents were Thomas and Susanna Chollick. And it was at Philleigh as Richard Collett that he married Bridget Jennings by banns on 26^th September 1747, and it was also while the couple were living at Philleigh that all of their children were born and baptised. Eight years after their wedding day, Richard’s younger brother Hugh (below) married Bridget’s sister Hannah Jennings. Richard was still alive in 1760 when he was a beneficiary under the terms of his father’s Will. It was twenty-five years later that Richard Collett died of the fever at Philleigh, where he was buried on 24^th September 1785 aged 67. Richard’s wife Bridget had died nearly four years earlier and was buried at Philleigh on 26^th December 1781 aged 66. The burial record confirmed that she was the wife of Richard Collett. The Will of Richard Collett of Philleigh was made on 13^th September 1785 and proved on 11^th November 1785, and read as follows:

“This is the Last Will and Testament of Richard Collett of the Parish of Philleigh in the County of Cornwall Yeoman In the name of God Amen. Principally and first of all I give and bequeath my immortal soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it; hoping through the meritorious death and sufferings of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to obtain forgiveness of all my sins and everlasting life after death; and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent and christian-like manner at the discretion and expense of my Executor hereinafter named and unto the worldly goods and effects with which it has pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give and dispose of them in the manner following.

That is to say, I give and bequeath to my son John Collett Forty Pounds of lawful money of Great Britain to be paid him by my Executor at the end of twelve months after my decease. Also, I give and bequeath to my daughter Ann, the wife of Thomas Dowrick Forty Pounds to be paid her at the end of twelve months as before mentioned. Also, I give and bequeath to Bridget Jennings Thirty Pounds to be paid at the time aforesaid. Also, I give and bequeath to my granddaughters Bridget Dowrick and Sarah Dowrick Ten Pounds each to be paid them as soon as they shall attain the age of Twenty-One years: until which time my Executor shall pay to each of them Ten Shillings yearly to help them to provide clothes.

All the rest residue and remainder of my goods and chattels rights and credits, bonds, notes, bills and accompts for any sum or sums of money to me due and owing, And all other my effects of what name, kind or quality soever and wheresoever the same may be at the time of my decease after payment of my just debts and several charges I give devise and bequeath (without any limitation reservation or exception whatsoever) to my son Thomas Collett, whom I do also constitute nominate and appoint whole and sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament. In Witness whereof I do hereunto put my Hand and Seal and do publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament, the Thirteenth Day of September in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Five”

21N1 – Ann Collett was born in 1748 at Philleigh

21N2 – Joan Collett was born in 1750 at Philleigh

21N3 – Bridget Collett was born in 1753 at Philleigh

21N4 – Thomas Collett was born in 1755 at Philleigh

21N5 – Amos Collett was born in 1760 at Philleigh

Ann Collett [21M5] was baptised at Philleigh on 5^th February 1721 although her name was written as Chollick. The IGI for Cornwall incorrectly recorded her parents as Thomas Collick or Collett, and Susanna Sawle who had died six years earlier and was his first wife, rather than Susanna Furse whom he had married in 1717. It was as Ann Collett that she was married by banns at Philleigh to Cornelius James of Key on 14^th June 1747, and twelve years later she was simply referred to as Anne by her father in his Will of 1759

Thomas Collett [21M6] was baptised at Philleigh on 2^nd February 1723 as Thomas Chollick, the son of Thomas Chollick. It is very likely that he did not survive for long, since the next son born to Thomas Collett was also given the same name

THOMAS COLLETT [21M7] was the son of Thomas Collett and was baptised on 3^rd November 1724 at Philleigh where he later married Mary. And it was also at Philleigh that the couple lived and where all of their children were born and baptised. He was also a beneficiary under the terms of his father’s Will made in 1859. Thomas Collett died of ‘old age’ at Philleigh when he was 73, and was buried there on 29^th April 1796. Mary also died there, but seven years later, and was buried on 20^th March 1803 aged 82

21N6 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1746 at Philleigh

21N7 – Susanna Collett was born in 1748 at Philleigh

21N8 – Richard Collett was born in 1750 at Philleigh

21N9 – Mary Collett was born in 1752 at Philleigh

21N10 – John Collett was born in 1755 at Philleigh

21N11 – Thomas Collett was born in 1758 at Philleigh

21N12 – Susanna Collett was born in 1760 at Philleigh

21N13 – Jenny Collett was born in 1762 at Philleigh

21N14 – John Collett was born in 1763 at Philleigh

Elizabeth Collett [21M8] was baptised at Philleigh on 15^th February 1726, the daughter of Thomas Collett. Tragically she was only four years old when she died at Philleigh, where she was buried on 16^th October 1730, when she was described in error as the daughter of Thomas Collett and Susanna Sawle (who died in 1715), instead of Susanna Furze

John Collett [21M9] was the son of Thomas Collett and was baptised on 22^nd August 1727 at Philleigh where he later married Susanna Langdon on 21^st June 1752. Their marriage was just one of many ties between the Collett family and the Langdon family. Susanna was also born in 1727 and her sister Mary Langdon was married to John’s brother Benjamin Collett (below) at Philleigh in 1760. It was also at Philleigh that the couple’s five sons were born and where John died of an ulcerous sore throat and putrid fever in 1766. He was aged 39 and was buried at Philleigh on 28^th July 1766. Seven years earlier John had been named in his father’s Will of 1759. Almost nine years after his death, John’s widow Susanna was remarried to John Oates at Philleigh on 28^th February 1775. Two years later Susanna gave birth to a daughter Susanna Oates in January 1777 who sadly died when she was just thirty months old and was buried at Philleigh on 16^th June 1779. Susanna herself survived until just after the turn of the century when she also died at Philleigh and was buried there on 20^th March 1800. At the end of that decade, and following the death of John’s son Henry, a bequeath of Five Pounds was made out in the name of his stepfather John Oates. Susanna Oates was 73 when she died of consumption

21N15 - Peter Collett was born circa 1753 at Philleigh

21N16 - Henry Collett was born circa 1755 at Philleigh

21N17 - Roger Collett was born circa 1758 at Philleigh

21N18 - John Collett was born circa 1761 at Philleigh

21N19 – BENJAMIN COLLETT was born circa 1763 at Philleigh

Frances Collett [21M10] was the daughter of Thomas Collett and she was baptised on 3^rd November 1729 at Philleigh where she later married Isaac Bohenna on 11^th June 1752. It was simply as Frances, the daughter of Thomas Collett that she was named as a beneficiary in his Will of 1759

Zacharias Collett [21M11] was baptised at Philleigh on 17^th August 1731, the parish register confirming his parents as Thomas and Susanna Collett who, it is believed, was Thomas Chollick and his second wife Susanna Furse. It was at Philleigh on 19^th April 1756 that he was married by banns to Mary Bartley from Veryan. The banns were previous read on 21^st and 28^th March and 4^th April at Veryan. Mary Collett nee Bartley was born at Gorran on 12^th February 1734 and died of a disorder of the liver while still a resident of Philleigh and was buried there on 29^th October 1797. Her husband survived her by eighteen years and was also buried at Philleigh on 18^th March 1815 aged 84. Zacharias was one of the ten children of Thomas Collett named in his Will of 1759

21N20 – Grace Bartley Collett was born in 1756 at Philleigh

21N21 - Mary Collett was born in 1758 at Philleigh

21N22 - Zacharias Collett was born in 1761 at Philleigh

21N23 - Elizabeth Collett was born in 1761 at Philleigh

21N24 – Frances Collett was born in 1769 at Philleigh

21N25 – Hannibal Collett was born in 1772 at Philleigh

21N26 – William Collett was born in 1774 at Philleigh

Elizabeth Collett [21M12] was baptised at Philleigh on 10^th February 1733, the daughter of Thomas and Susanna Collett. It was previously written here that she later married Thomas Williams and that she died prior to the death of her father in 1760, since she was one of four children not named in his Will of 1759. However, another record at Philleigh states that Elizabeth Collett was buried on 4^th March 1733, which raises the question, who was the Elizabeth Collett who married Thomas Williams

Hugh Collett [21M13] was baptised at Philleigh on 21^st April 1734, another son of Thomas and Susanna Collett. On 30^th June 1755 he married Hannah Jennings who was the sister of Bridget Jennings who, eight years earlier, had married Hugh’s older brother Richard Collett (above). All four of their daughters were born and baptised at Philleigh. Hugh was also named in his father’s Will made in 1759

21N27 - Hannah Collett was born in 1757 at Philleigh

21N28 - Susanna Collett was born in 1759 at Philleigh

21N29 - Bridget Collett was born in 1761 at Philleigh

21N30 - Jennifer Collett was born in 1764 at Philleigh

Joan Collett [21M14] was baptised on 25^th June 1737 at Philleigh in a joint ceremony with her brother Benjamin (below), who may have been her twin. Five months before her twenty-first birthday she married Thomas Ward. The wedding took place at Philleigh on 30^th January 1759 where the couple appear to have lived all the rest of their lives together and where all of their children were born. Two months after she was married Joan’s father made his Will in which she was named as one of his three surviving daughters. Both Joan and Thomas were noted as being of the parish of Philleigh at the time of their wedding. Joan Ward nee Collett died of dropsy at the age of 69 while living at Philleigh, where she was buried on 20^th June 1807. The details for just one of the couple’s ten children are listed below. All of the children were baptised at Philleigh, the nine of children being: Samuel Ward (09.09.1759); Elizabeth Ward (15.02.1761); Susanna Ward (04.07.1762); Thomas Ward (25.12.1763); John Ward (01.09.1765); Jenny Ward (01.11.1768); Rebecca Ward (10.01.1773, died in 1851); Anne Ward (09.10.1775); and Mary Ward (01.03.1778)

James Ward was baptised at Philleigh on 8^th April 1771 and it was there that he married Elizabeth Johns on 28^th October 1802. It was also at Philleigh that all of their children were born. That was the first time the surname Johns appears in this family line, but it may be of interest that many more followed and were linked with the Collett family on numerous occasions, both as a forename and a surname. All three of their children were baptised at Philleigh, Edward John Ward on 25^th September 1803, James Ward on 10^th March 1805, and Elizabeth Ward who was baptised on 23^rd November 1806, who later married her second cousin Hugh Collett (below) who was born at Philleigh on 8^th December 1805. Hugh was the grandson of Henry Collett, whose sister Joan Collett was Elizabeth’s grandmother. Go to Ref. 21O49 for the continuation of this family line

Benjamin Collett [21M15] was baptised at Philleigh on 25^th June 1737 in a joint ceremony with his sister Joan (above), their parents being confirmed simply as Thomas and Susanna Collett. It was two days after his father had died that Benjamin married Mary Langdon at Philleigh on 2^nd November 1760 at a time when she was already with-child. Benjamin was therefore one of the seven sons named by his father in his Will of 1759. Eight years earlier Benjamin’s brother John (above) had married Mary’s sister Susanna Langdon. All of their children were born and baptised at Philleigh, and it was also there that Benjamin died and was buried on 3^rd October 1800. The cause of death was stated as ‘water in the chest’. His wife Mary, being five years old than Benjamin, had died nine years earlier and was buried at Philleigh on 23^rd March 1791 aged 59. The cause of her death was given as putrid fever

The Will of Benjamin Collett, made on 2^nd July 1796, was proved on 30^th January 1801, and reads as follows:

“In the name of God Amen. I Benjamin Collett of the parish of Filley otherwise Philleigh in the County of Cornwall considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of sound mind and memory blessed by Almighty God for the same do make and publish this my Last Will and Testament in the manner following (that is to say) First I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God hoping remission and forgiveness of all my sins through the Merits of my blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ. As to such world means as I may die possessed of I dispose of the same as under I give and bequeath unto my grandson Benjamin Landon and to his sister Mary Collett Landon One Guinea each

I give and bequeath unto my other grandson Benjamin Barnacoat and to Mary his sister the like sum of One Pound and One Shilling each to be paid them respectively within one year after my decease by my Executors hereinafter mentioned

I give and bequeath unto my daughter Lucretia Landon Thirty Pounds to be paid her by equal payments at the rate of Two Pounds and Ten Shillings per year by even quarter payments the first whereof to begin and be made at the end of the first three months after my decease and in case she shall die before the said full sum of Thirty Pounds shall be paid up the residue shall in like manner be paid to and for the use of her children and in case of their death then to her husband John Landon

I give and bequeath unto my daughter Ann Barnacoat the like sum of Thirty Pounds to be paid in a like manner as my bequest is to my said daughter Lucretia

I give and bequeath unto my son Theodosious Collett Fifty pounds to take the same out of my effects three months after my decease together also with my clock. All the rest and residue and remainder of my personal estate goods and chattels of what nature or kind so ever and wheresoever situate I give and bequeath the same unto my two sons the said Theodosious and Michael equally between them share and share alike hereby appointing them Executors of this my Last Will and Testament as tenants in common and not as joint tenants they paying equally out of the residue of my estate the above pecuniary legacies to my grandchildren and my said two daughters hereby revoking all former Wills by me made. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this second day of July in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-Six”

21N31 - Theodosious Collett was born in 1761 at Philleigh

21N32 - Lucretia Collett was born in 1763 at Philleigh

21N33 - James Collett was born in 1765 at Philleigh

21N34 - Michael Collett was born in 1768 at Philleigh

21N35 - Anne Collett was born in 1770 at Philleigh

21N36 - Rosamund Collett was born in 1774 at Philleigh

21N37 - Rosamunda Collett was born in 1781 at Philleigh

Henry Collett [21M16] was baptised on 19^th September 1741 at Philleigh, the last child of Thomas Collett and Susanna Furse. The next record in the life of Henry Collett was as a beneficiary under the terms of his father’s Will of 1759. It was in Philleigh seven years later, that Henry was married by banns to Susanna Bohenna on 27^th November 1766. Susanna was born on 1^st November 1747 at Philleigh and was the daughter of Joshua Bohenna and Lucretia Langdon. It would appear the couple lived all their lives together at Philleigh, since it was there that all of their children were born and baptised, and it was there where Henry was buried on 30^th May 1824 aged 83. Five years later Susanna Collett, nee Bohenna, died at Philleigh, where she was buried with her husband on 11^th February 1829

21N38 – William Collett was born in 1767 at Philleigh

21N39 – William Collett was born in 1769 at Philleigh

21N40 – James Collett was born in 1771 at Philleigh

21N41 – Hugh Collett was born in 1773 at Philleigh

21N42 – John Bohenna Collett was born in 1775 at Philleigh

21N43 – Peter Collett was born in 1777 at Philleigh

John Collett [21M17] was most likely born at Ruan Lanihorne around the end of 1733 or the beginning of 1734, following the marriage of his parents Richard Collett and Anne Crawl during the month of March in 1733. This is based on the fact that his younger sister Anne Collett (below) was baptised at Ruan Lanihorne at the start of 1735. It was around 1755 that he married (1) Susanna with their son born towards the end of that year at Ruan Lanihorne, where he was baptised. Many years later, and following the death of his wife Susanna, John married (2) Mary who was twenty-seven years younger that John. John Collett died on 9^th July 1810 at the age of 77 and was buried with his wife Mary in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church in the village of Philleigh. The headstone also included the details of the passing of Mary Collett which took place on 28^th January 1802 when she was 41 years of age (see Headstone Epitaphs)

21N44 – Henry Collett was born in 1755 at Ruan Lanihorne

Anne Collett [21M18] was most likely born at Ruan Lanihorne, where she was baptised on 18^th January 1735, the daughter of Richard and Anne Collett. Anne was twenty-six years of age when she married Richard Staple at Mylor on 11^th June 1761. Once they were married the couple settled in Mylor, where all of their children were born and baptised. The children for whom a baptism record has been found were Rebecca Staple who was baptised on 25^th July 1762 who married James Williams at Mylor on 13^th December 1788, Philippa Staple baptised on 16^th September 1764 who died on 7^th February 1765, Eleanor Staple baptised on 24^th November 1765, Philippa Staple baptised on 3^rd August 1767, Ann Staple baptised on 9^th September 1768 who died on 16^th August 1769, Richard Staple baptised 23^rd October 1769, and John Staple who was baptised on 10^th October 1773 who died at Mylor on 30^th April 1777

John Collett [21M19] was baptised at Veryan on 24^th August 1718, the eldest child of Anthony and Jane Collett. He later married (1) Mary with whom he had a daughter of the same name, but who was baptised with the Collitt spelling of the surname. It would appear that not long after the birth, Mary may have died giving birth to a subsequent child. Some years later John Collett married (2) Honour Johns at Veryan on 8^th July 1750, by which time Honour had already given birth to the couple’s first of their ten children, all of them baptised at Veryan

2N45 – Mary Collett was born in 1738 at Veryan

The following are the children of John Collett by his second wife Honour:

2N46 – Susan Collett was born in 1750 at Veryan

2N47 – John Collett was born in 1752 at Veryan

2N48 – Jane Collett was born in 1755 at Veryan

2N49 – Mary Collett was born in 1757 at Veryan

2N50 – Anthony Collett was born in 1759 at Veryan

2N51 – Honour Collett was born in 1761 at Veryan

2N52 – Rachel Collett was born in 1763 at Veryan

2N53 – Ann Collett was born in 1766 at Veryan

2N54 – Henry Collett was born in 1768 at Veryan

2N55 – Rachel Collett was born in 1770 at Veryan

Anthony Collett [21M20] was baptised at Veryan on 8^th May 1720 and he later married Joan Thomas at Veryan where two dates are recorded for their wedding day. The first of them was 13^th July 1760, the second being 9^th September 1760. Further records at Veryan indicate that their marriage produced two daughters who were also baptised there and that it was there also that Anthony Collett was buried on 5^th March 1777. Another record confirms that an alternative Anthony Collett was buried at Veryan on 21^st September 1811, but he is more like to be his nephew Anthony Collett who was born in 1759 and the son of Anthony’s brother John Collett (above)

2N56 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1761 at Veryan

2N57 – Catherine Collett was born in 1766 at Veryan

Jane Collett [21M21] was born at Veryan in 1722 and was the third child and eldest daughter of Anthony and Jane Collett. She was baptised at Veryan on 1^st July 1722, although it would appear that she died with the next few years, since the next daughter born into the family was also given the same name

Henry Collett [21M22] was born at Veryan in 1724, another son of Anthony and Jane Collett, who was baptised at Veryan on 29^th April 1724

Jane Collett [21M23] was born at Veryan in 1726 and was named after her old but deceased sister. She was another daughter of Anthony and Jane Collett and was baptised at Veryan on 5^th June 1726

Mary Collett [21M24] was the youngest child of Anthony and Jane Collett who was baptised on 9^th August 1730 at Veryan, where she later married John Profit on 19^th July 1753

Hannah Collett [21M25] was born at Veryan in 1739, the first-born child of Richard Collett and Catherine Johns. She was baptised at Veryan on 22^nd November 1739, but died shortly thereafter

Hugh Collett [21M26] was born in 1745 at Veryan and was the first of the two sons of Richard and Catherine Collett. It was also at Veryan that Hugh was baptised on 1^st November 1745

Anthony Collett [21M27] was born in 1749 at Veryan, the fourth and last child of Richard Collett by his first wife Catherine Johns. The baptism of Anthony Collett was conducted at Veryan on 7^th July 1749

Hannah Collett [21M28] was born at Veryan in 1754, the only child of Richard Collett from his second wife Hannah.

Ann Collett [21N1] was baptised at Philleigh on 2^nd October 1748, the eldest child of Richard Collett and Bridget Jennings. It was there also that she married Thomas Dowrick on 12^th February 1771. Following their wedding, the couple left Philleigh and settled in Veryan, where their two known daughters were born. Upon the proving of the Will of Ann’s father Richard in 1785, daughter Ann Dowrick was bequeathed Forty Pounds, and was described as the wife of Thomas Dowrick. In addition, the couple’s two daughters Bridget Dowrick and Sarah Dowrick were each bequeathed Ten Pounds on reaching full age. Until then, they were to receive Ten Shillings each year to cover the cost of clothes

John Collett [21N2] was baptised at Philleigh on 15^th April 1750, the son of Richard and Bridget Collett. It has not yet been proved, but it seems very likely that he married Rachel Plummer at Ruan Lanihorne, just a short distance from Philleigh, on 25^th November 1779. John’s father died on 24^th September 1785, after which John received a bequeath of Forty Pounds, while it was his younger brother Thomas (below) who was the sole executor of the Will. It would appear from burial records at Ruan Lanihorne, where he was buried on 24^th September 1823, that he was aged 71 and was living at Cornelly at the time of his death. Just over three years later, his son John Collett junior died at Cornelly and was buried at Ruan Lanihorne on 14^th November 1826 aged 36. John’s wife Rachel also died at Cornelly, at the age of 84, and was buried at Ruan Lanihorne on 3^rd January 1830, nearly seven years after her husband had passed away

21O1 – John Collett was born in 1790 at Ruan Lanihorne

Bridget Collett [21N3] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th December 1753 and sadly only survived for a few months and was buried at Philleigh on 17^th April 1754. The burial record confirmed her parents as Richard and Bridget Collett

Thomas Collett [21N4] was baptised on 2^nd November 1755 at Philleigh and, despite what was previously written here, he appears not to have married Elizabeth Bray at Egloshayle near Wadebridge on 26^th June 1774. That particular Thomas Collett was a resident of St Breock near Wadebridge on the north Cornish coast, whose identity has not yet been confirmed. What is now known though, thanks to Mick Underhill, is that Thomas Collett from Philleigh was a bachelor when he was married by banns to Elizabeth Tonkin at Feock on 15^th December 1785. Elizabeth was a spinster from Feock, while the witnesses were John Withiell and Andrew Shepherd. The marriage produced at least the six children named below, who were all baptised at Veryan, the first son named after Thomas’ father. Thomas’ father died on 24^th September 1785 and, upon the proving of his Will on 11^th November 1785, it was son Thomas who was named as the sole executor of his estate. Thomas was also bequeathed the residual of his father’s estate after settlement of all the other bequeaths detailed within the Will

21O2 – Richard Collett was born in 1788 at Veryan

21O3 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1790 at Veryan

21O4 – Thomas Collett was born in 1791 at Veryan

21O5 – Joseph Collett was born in 1794 at Veryan

21O6 – Mary Collett was born in 1796 at Veryan

21O7 – Martha Collett was born in 1798 at Veryan

Amos Collett [21N5] was baptised at Philleigh on 2^nd November 1760, the fifth and last child of Richard Collett and Bridget Jennings. He was married by banns to Elizabeth Oates (1763-1831) at Gerrans on 22^nd April 1783. The witnesses at the ceremony were Thomas Collett, Amos’ older brother, and Richard Sillwood. Elizabeth Oates was very likely the niece of John Oates who married the widow Susanna Collett, nee Langdon, in 1775 (Ref. 21M7). It would appear that Amos and Elizabeth lived the majority of the life at Gerrans, where all but two of their children were born and baptised. Only his son Amos and daughter Mary were baptised at Philleigh. Amos was a witness at the wedding of his daughter Catherine Collett on 4^th January 1810, when she marriage her cousin ‘one-step removed’ Roger Collett the son of the late Peter Collett (below). Amos was 81, when he died in 1842, and curiously he was not referred to in his father’s Will of 1785

21O8 – Bridget Collett was born in 1784 at St Gerrans

21O9 – Catherine Collett was born in 1786 at St Gerrans

21O10 – Betsy Collett was born in 1786 at St Gerrans

21O11 – Amos Collett was born in 1789 at Philleigh

21O12 – Asenath Oates Collett was born in 1791 at St Gerrans

21O13 – Nancy Collett was born in 1793 at St Gerrans

21O14 – Margery Collett was born in 1795 at St Gerrans

21O15 – Philip Collett was born in 1797 at St Gerrans

21O16 – Mary Collett was born in 1799 at Philleigh

21O17 – Susanna Collett was born in 1801 at St Gerrans

21O18 – Philippa Collett was born in 1804 at St Gerrans

21O19 – William Oates Collett was born in 1807 at St Gerrans

Elizabeth Collett [21N6] was baptised at Philleigh on 19^th October 1746 where she married by banns Thomas Williams of Truro on 1^st January 1769

Susanna Collett [21N7] was baptised at Philleigh on 12^th June 1748 but she only survived for just over six years and was buried at Philleigh on 23^rd November 1754

Richard Collett [21N8] was born at Philleigh in 1750, the third child and eldest son of Thomas and Mary Collett, who was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th September 1750

Mary Collett [21N9] was baptised at Philleigh on 31^st October 1752 where she also died and was buried on 28^th May 1769 aged 17. The burial record confirmed that she was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Collett. The cause of death was given as ‘fever of worms’ from which other children also died around that same time

John Collett [21N10] was born at Philleigh, where he was baptised on 25^th December 1755, another son of Thomas and Mary Collett

Thomas Collett [21N11] may have been born at Philleigh in 1756, but was not baptised there until 19^th March 1758, the son of Thomas and Mary Collett. It is possible, although not proved, that Thomas Collett born around 1754 later married Ann. Their son Thomas was born around 1790 and he later married Susanna Carpenter at St Gerrans in 1822

21O20 – Thomas Collett was born circa 1790 at St Gerrans

Susanna Collett [21N12] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th March 1760 and it was there, on 23^rd December 1783, that she married labourer John Parkin of Ruan Lanihorne

Jenny Collett [21N13] was baptised at Philleigh on 14^th March 1762 and died within a few months and was buried at Philleigh on 6^th July 1762. The burial record confirmed her parents were Thomas and Mary Collett

John Collett [21N14] was baptised at Philleigh on 22^nd September 1763 and was the son of Thomas and Mary. It was at Philleigh that he married the widow Mary Bohenna on 25^th April 1796. The parish record at the time of his marriage gave John’s occupation as being that of a farmer. Mary was formerly Mary Ward and it was on 8^th October 1791 at Philleigh that she had married Thomas Bohenna who was a weaver. Three years later Thomas Bohenna died of consumption on 12^th October 1794 aged 26. Thomas who was born in 1768 was very likely a nephew of Susanna Bohenna who had married Henry Collett (Ref. 21M14) in 1766. It also seems likely that John and Mary only had the one child that was born at Philleigh, before Mary died there and was buried there on 10^th January 1802. The cause of death was consumption

21O21 – Mary Collett was born in 1797 at Philleigh

Peter Collett [21N15] was born around 1751 and was the eldest child of John Collett and Susanna Langdon of Philleigh. At round 30 years of age, he married Asenath Bohenna on 6^th February 1781 at Philleigh. At the time of their wedding Peter’s occupation was recorded as being that of a labourer. That was the third link between the Collett family and the Bohenna family. Peter and Asenath’s two known sons were baptised at Philleigh. Asenath was born around 1753 and outlived her husband by over fifty years

Peter Collett served as a parish clerk at Philleigh during the three years prior to his early death in December 1785. And it was there that he was buried on 12^th December 1785 aged 35. The cause of death was given on the burial record as rheumatism. Like his brother John (below) the only other reference so far found relating to Peter is through the Will of his brother Henry Collett (below). By the time of the death of Henry in 1809, Peter had already passed away, since the Will referred to nephews Roger and James as ‘the sons of my late brother Peter Collett deceased’

A lease document dated 8^th April 1844 for a property at Polglaze (see Peter’s brother Henry below) referred to previous occupiers as the late Peter Collett, then Asenath Collett his widow. The property, together with a tenement at Church Town, within the parish of Philleigh, was occupied by Peter’s son James Bohenna Collett up until his death and by his widow thereafter until her death. James’ mother died at Church Town during the month of May in 1840, following which Asenath Collett was buried at Philleigh on 24^th May 1840, at the great age of 87

21O22 – Roger Collett was born in 1782 at Philleigh

21O23 – James Bohenna Collett was born in 1784 at Philleigh

Henry Collett [21N16] was baptised at Philleigh on 26^th December 1755, the son of John Collett and Susanna Langdon. New information recently discovered may provide a clue to the fact that Henry could have married Elizabeth Withiell at Philleigh on 16^th August 1792. The only additional detail in the parish register stated that Henry was a farmer and that would correspond to Henry being “a yeoman of Philleigh”. Henry would have been thirty-seven at the time of the marriage and, if Elizabeth was a similar age, that may then account for why the marriage appears not to have provided the couple with any children. This assumption has been deduced from Henry’s Will, as no children are mentioned therein. Seventeen years after he was married Henry died from consumption and was buried at Philleigh on 8^th December 1809

His Will, reproduced below, has been very helpful in providing a better picture of parts of his extended family. Firstly, it refers to his wife, and makes reference to just one of his two surviving brothers, plus two sons of his deceased brother. There was also a mention of Henry’s mother Susanna and his stepfather John Oates, to whom she was married in February 1775 after Henry’s father died in 1766. It was Henry’s younger brother Roger (below) who had already died by the time Henry made his Will on 5^th August 1809. However, the absence of any reference to his youngest brother Benjamin (below), who passed away over thirty years later, is slightly curious and perhaps indicates a rift between the two brothers. Furthermore, the lack of any mention of direct heirs in the Will, may indicate that Henry and his wife had no children or that they had died young. The witnesses to the signing of the Will were, in addition to Thomas Francis Bedford the Rector of Philleigh, Hannibal Collett and William Collett who were Henry’s cousins (Ref. 21N25 & 21N26)

The Will of Henry Collett was proved at Philleigh on 20^th May 1810, but includes a statement that raises an important question. The deceased was referred to as Henry Collett junior, which may be interpreted as indicating there was a Henry senior who had already passed. “In the name of God Amen. I Henry Collett junior of the Parish of Philleigh in the County of Cornwall do make and declare this to be my Last Will in manner following that is to say I give and devise unto my dear wife Elizabeth all my property whatsoever during her natural life, and after her decease I give and devise all my money put out to interest to my dear brother John Collett and to my two nephews Roger Collett and James Collett (sons of my late brother Peter Collett deceased) to be equally divided between each of them

Also, I give Five Pounds to John Oates (husband to my late mother Susanna Collett) after my wife’s decease to be taken out of the aforesaid money at Interest. Also, I give to my brother John my house clock after my wife’s decease and also the large boiler during his life and then to my two nephews Roger and James Collett. Also, I give to my two nephews Roger and James Collett my three dwelling houses at White-Lane (after my wife’s decease) namely the one I now inhabit and the two now rented by James Barnicoat and Richard Richards and all my household furniture. Also, I appoint my brother John Collett trustee for the execution of this my Last Will and in case the income arising from my money at interest and the rents of my houses is not sufficient for my wife’s support and maintenance then my Will and meaning is that my brother should supply her with such other money from the principal as he may judge necessary. And I do declare this only to be my Last Will. In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this Fifth Day of August One Thousand Eight Hundred and Nine”

From this we know that Henry and Elizabeth were living at the property on White Lane in Polglaze, within the parish of Philleigh, while the other two dwellings were rented to James Barnicoat and Richard Richards, James Barnicoat being the husband of Henry’s cousin Anne Collett (Ref. 21N35). At an earlier time in his life, Henry Collett a yeoman of Philleigh, entered into a lease agreement with Peter Calmel of Park Place, St James in Westminster, on 2^nd February 1789. That was for the dwelling house with stable and hog-sty at White Lane in Polglaze, which was formerly occupied by the late John Langdon, the father-in-law of Lucretia Collett (Ref. 21N32), the wife of John Langdon, the son. A later lease agreement, dated 11^th July 1793, made reference to the newly built houses and fields of Henry Collett within the Barton of Trelonk, near Philleigh, in addition to listing other property at Polglaze and a Church Town tenement, both within the parish of Philleigh

Roger Collett [21N17] was baptised at Philleigh on 26^th December 1758 and was another son of John and Susanna Collett. At the age of twenty-two, Roger was taken ill with consumption, from which he died and was buried at Philleigh on 23^rd September 1780

John Collett [21N18] was born around 1761 and was the son of John and Susanna Collett of Philleigh. His existence within the family has initially been confirmed by reference to him in the Will of his older brother Henry (above) who died in 1809, for which he was also the sole executor. In the Will, and upon the death of his wife, he was bequeathed an equal share of Henry’s estate with Henry’s two nephews, the sons of another brother Peter Collett (below). At the start of the following year on 4^th January 1810, John was one of the witnesses at the Gerrans wedding of his brother Peter’s son Roger Collett to Catherine Collett, the daughter of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates. No further information on John has so far been found

BENJAMIN COLLETT [21N19] was born at Philleigh in 1763. He married Thomasina Hill on 19^th February 1792 at St Winnow in Cornwall. For some unknown reason, Benjamin Collett the youngest child of John Collett and Susanna Langdon, was not named in the 1809 Will of his older brother Henry Collett (above) when his brother John (above) and his two nephews Roger and James Bohenna Collett, the sons of his late brother Peter (above) received equal shares of his considerable estate. It may have been around that time, that Benjamin and his family moved from St Winnow to Lostwithiel, where Thomasina died and was buried on 27^th May 1825, aged 66. Benjamin lived the next sixteen years as a widower before he also died at Lostwithiel, where he was buried on 16^th April 1841 aged 77

21O24 – Mary Hill Collett was born in 1792 at St Winnow

21O25 – Eliza Collett was born in 1794 at St Winnow

21O26 – Thomas Collett was born in 1797 at St Winnow

21O27 – Susanna Collett was born in 1799 at St Winnow

Grace Bartley Collett [21N20] was born at Philleigh, where she was baptised on 27^th December 1756, the first-born child of Zacharias Collett and Mary Bartley, who were married at Philleigh eight months earlier. It was only a few years after her mother had died in 1797 that Grace became a married woman. The wedding of Grace Collett and Richard Richards was conducted at Philleigh on 16^th August 1803. By then she was 46 years old and well passed childbearing age. However, thirty-two years later when she died, the record of her death confirmed that she was Grace Bartley Richards of White Lane in Philleigh who died there on 30^th August 1835

Mary Collett [21N21] was born at Philleigh and was the second of the seven children of Zacharias and Mary Collett. It was also at Philleigh that Mary was baptised on 25^th December 1758

Zacharias Collett [21N22] was baptised at Philleigh on 25^th April 1761, the third child and eldest son of Zacharias Collett and Mary Bartley. Very little is known about him except that in his old age he was living at Tresillian and that he was buried at Merther on 4^th April 1837 aged 77. However, it seems very likely that he may have been married twice in his life, the first marriage producing a son John when Zacharias was thirty years of age. A new record recently discovered, states that Zacharias Collett married (2) Mary Jenkins on 24^th April 1808 at Probus. Mary would appear to have been many years younger than her husband since their two known children were born when Zacharias was around 55 and 59 respectively. At the time of the birth of those two children Zacharias and Mary were living at Tresillian Bridge in Merther. Mary Collett nee Jenkins died at the age of 75 and was buried at Merther on 30^th October 1850, ten years after her daughter Mary Ann was buried there

21O28 – John Collett was born in 1791 at St Michael Caerhays

The following are the two children of Zacharias Collett and his second wife Mary Jenkins:

21O29 – John Collett was born in 1816 at Merther

21O30 – Mary Ann Collett was born in 1820 at Merther

Elizabeth Collett [21N23] was born at Philleigh, where she was baptised on 25^th April 1761, another daughter of Zacharia and Mary Collett. Elizabeth’s grandparents were Thomas Collett and Susanna Furze who, upon being married herself, wed Thomas Harris Furze on 2^nd January 1790. However, nearly four years earlier a certain Margery Furse was baptised at Mevagissey, near St Austell, on 19^th April 1786, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Furse. Thomas was born at Ruan Lanihorne in 1766 and Elizabeth gave birth to at least five children. They were William Furze (1792-1880), Elizabeth Furze (1794-1870), Joanna Collett Furze (1797-1879), Betsy Furze (1799- ), and Mary Furze (1801-1880). In the census conducted in June 1841, Thomas and Elizabeth Furze were still living in Ruan Lanihorne at Treworga, where both of them had a rounded age of 75. It was there that they both died, the death of Thomas Furze recorded at nearby Truro (Ref. ix 187) during the second quarter of 1847, and four years later Elizabeth Furze also recorded at Truro (Ref. ix 220) during the first three months of 1851

Frances Collett [21N24] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th November 1769. Frances was nearly thirty-three years old and living within the Borough of Truro, when she was married by banns to labourer James Lye of the Parish of Philleigh at St Mary’s Church in Truro on 31^st July 1802. The dates for the reading of the banns were 4^th, 11^th, and 18^th July. One of the witnesses was William Collett, Frances’ younger brother (below). It is unclear what happened to Frances and James between 1802 and 1841 when, by then, the elderly couple was living at the White Lane, Philleigh, home of their nephew William Collett and his wife Asenath Collett, nee Dowrick. Frances passed away during the 1840, leaving James Lye still living in Philleigh at White Lane in 1851, by which time he was 81 and a widower, a pauper, and an agricultural labourer. On that day James was again staying at the home of his nephew William Collett from Philleigh, aged 34 and another agricultural labourer, and his wife the former Asenath Dowrick, who was also 34, but from Veryan, and their four young children. William was the youngest son of Frances’ brother William Collett (below)

Hannibal Collett [21N25] was baptised at Philleigh on 13^th March 1772, another son of Zacharias Collett and Mary Bartley. Hannibal was a shoemaker and he married Ann Harris on 25^th March 1799 at Philleigh, where all their children were later baptised. Ten years later, Hannibal Collett and his brother William (below) were the witnesses at the signing of the Will of Henry Collett (Ref. 21N16), their cousin. The later death of Hannibal Collett was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 126) during the first quarter of 1853. More recently, the discovery of an old headstone in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church confirmed that Hannibal and his wife Ann were buried there, albeit nearly thirteen years apart. The inscription on the single headstone of the joint grave reads as follows: “In memory of Hannibal Collett who died 20^th February 1853 aged 81. Also Ann wife of the above died 5^th May 1866 aged 93” (see Headstone Epitaphs)

21O31 – Mary Collett was born in 1800 at Philleigh

21O32 – Betsy Collett was born in 1801 at Philleigh

21O33 – Nancy Collett was born in 1803 at Philleigh

21O34 – Joanna Collett was born in 1805 at Philleigh

21O35 – Alexander Harris Collett was born in 1806 at Philleigh

21O36 – Hannibal Collett was born in 1808 at Philleigh

21O37 – Alexander Collett was born in 1809 at Philleigh

21O38 – Joanna Collett was born in 1812 at Philleigh

21O39 – William Collett was born in 1815 at Philleigh

William Collett [21N26] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th October 1774, another son of Zacharias Collett and Mary Bartley. William was a shoemaker, like his brother Hannibal (above), and on 11^th February 1804 he married the much younger Ann Davey at Philleigh, who had been born there around 1785. Just over five years after their wedding day, William and Hannibal were the witnesses and the signing of the Will of their cousin Henry Collett (Ref. 21N16). The first child of William and Ann was baptised at Philleigh in a joint ceremony with Joanna Collett, the daughter of William’s brother Hannibal (above). All of Williams and Ann’s other children were also baptised at Philleigh. Ann Collett nee Davey may have died during the birth of a sixth child for the couple, since she died at Philleigh on 3^rd April 1818. So, William was a widower with five young children when he was forty-four years old. By the time of the census in 1851 William Collett of Philleigh was still residing there at the age of 76, when he was recorded as a master shoemaker and journeyman. Also still living there with him was his married son John Collett aged 41, with his family. William Collett was still living at Philleigh when he died three and a half years later on 19^th December 1854. The Will of William Collett, master shoemaker of Philleigh, referred to just four of his five children, the missing child being his first offspring, his daughter Mary, who may have suffered a premature death. The Will was made on 21^st April 1854, when one of the witnesses was Amos Escott, the husband of Philippa Collett, and was proved at Philleigh on 14^th June 1855, when his personal effects were valued at under One Hundred Pounds. The Will is reproduced below

“The Last Will and Testament of William Collett of Treworthal in the parish of Philleigh in the County of Cornwall cordwainer made this Twenty First Day April in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty-Four. I bequeath to my son William Collett the sum of Five Pounds if my executors shall ever be paid the sum of Twenty Pounds from a club that I am a member of called the Truro Benevolent Society. I bequeath also to my daughter Fanny Chipman the sum of Five Pounds if my executors shall ever be paid the sum of Twenty Pounds from the before-mentioned club. I give to my son Robert Collett the bed whence I lie with the bedding and bedclothes thereunto belonging. I give to my son John Collett all the furniture and everything in the kitchen and dairy. All the rest and residue of my effects whatsoever I give and bequeath equally to my two sons the beforementioned and Robert Collett and John Collett and make them the said Robert Collett and John Collett my sole executors and residuary legatees”

21O40 – Mary Collett was born in 1805 at Philleigh

21O41 – Robert Davey Collett was born in 1807 at Philleigh

21O42 – John Collett was born in 1809 at Philleigh

21O43 – Fanny Collett was born in 1812 at Philleigh

21O44 – William Collett was born in 1816 at Philleigh

Hannah Collett [21N27] was born in 1757 at Philleigh and was baptised there on 11^th April 1757, the eldest child of Hugh Collett and Jennifer Jennings.

Susanna Collett [21N28] was born in 1759 at Philleigh, where she was baptised on 15^th April 1759, another daughter of Hugh and Jennifer Collett

Bridget Collett [21N29] was born in 1761 at Philleigh and was the third daughter of Hugh and Jennifer Collett, who was baptised at Philleigh on 1^st January 1761

Jennifer Collett [21N30] was baptised at Philleigh on 12^th February 1764, the youngest of the four children of Hugh Collett and Hannah Jennings. It seems very likely that she may have married late in her life, as a Jennifer Collett married Robert Ward at St Just in Roseland on 9^th November 1800. Jennifer’s aunt Joan Collett (Ref. 21M12) had married a Thomas Ward in 1759

Theodosious Collett [21N31] was born at Philleigh in 1761, the first-born child of Benjamin Collett and Mary Langdon. It was also at Philleigh that he was baptised on 11^th May 1761. With the infant death of his brother James (below), it was just Theodosious and his younger brother Michael (below) who were the only sons mentioned in their father’s Will proved in 1801. Under the terms of the Will, Theodosious was bequeathed Fifty Pounds, plus his father’s clock, and then a half share with brother Michael of the residual of the estate after settlement of all the other bequeaths. The two brothers were also named as the joint executors of the Will

Lucretia Collett [21N32] was baptised at Philleigh on 5^th June 1763 where, on 26^th April 1789, she married John Langdon of St Michael Penkevil. It is very likely that John Langdon was the son of the late John Langdon who was referred to as such in the lease agreement dated 2^nd February 1789 relating to property at White Lane in Polglaze, in the parish of Philleigh, occupied by Henry Collett (Ref. 21N16) who was Lucretia’s cousin once removed. For other links between the Collett and Langdon families go to Ref. 21M7 & 21M13

James Collett [21N33] was baptised at Philleigh on 8^th April 1765 and was another son of Benjamin and Mary Collett. Just before his fourth birthday he was taken ill and died and was buried at Philleigh on 23^rd March 1769. The burial record confirmed his parents were Benjamin and Mary Collett and that he died of fever of the worms

Michael Collett [21N34] was born at Philleigh, the younger of the two surviving sons of Benjamin Collett and Mary Langdon, who was baptised at Philleigh on 24^th April 1768. When his father died in 1800, his Will made in 1796 and proved in 1801, did not include a bequeath to son Michael, but named him as joint executor with old brother Theodosious (above), with whom he would also receive a half-share of the residual estate. Michael was still residing in Philleigh when he died, after which he was buried there on 8^th May 1827, at the age of 59. No record has been found to suggest that he may have been married during his life

Anne Collett [21N35] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th September 1770, the fourth child and second daughter of Benjamin and Mary Collett. It was also at Philleigh that she married carpenter James Barnicoat of Cuby-with-Tregony on 28^th May 1791 when she was twenty years of age. In 1809, at the time of the death of Henry Collett (Ref. 21N16), James and Anne were living in a dwelling in White Lane in the parish of Philleigh. That property was part of the estate of Henry Collett in whose Will, James Barnicoat was named as a tenanted, and was inherited by Henry’s two nephews Roger Collett and James Bohenna Collett

Rosamund Collett [21N36] was baptised at Philleigh on 4^th February 1774. She survived for less than three months and was buried at Philleigh on 24^th April 1774. The burial record listed her as Rosamonda Collett the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Collett

Rosamunda Collett [21N37] was baptised at Philleigh on 6^th May 1781. At the age of five years, she died and was buried at Philleigh on 17^th October 1781. The burial record confirmed her parents as Benjamin and Mary Collett

William Collett [21N38] was baptised at Philleigh on 5^th July 1767, the eldest child of Henry Collett and Susanna Bohenna. Sadly, he only survived for a few days, since he was buried at Philleigh on 10^th July 1767

William Collett [21N39] was baptised at Philleigh on 15^th May 1769, and was the second child of Henry Collett and Susanna Bohenna. It was also at Philleigh that William later married Susanna Yelland on 9^th July 1796. At the time of his wedding, he was working as a labourer

James Collett [21N40] was baptised on 8^th March 1771 at Philleigh where he was buried on 15^th August 1788 at the age of 17. The burial record confirmed he was the son of Henry and Susanna Collett and that he died from consumption

Hugh Collett [21N41] was baptised at Philleigh on 23^rd May 1773. Towards the end of 1796, Hugh had a premarital relationship with Rebecca Mills who ended up being with-child. As a result, Hugh and Rebecca were married on 2^nd January 1797 at Gorran near Mevagissey. Rebecca was the daughter of Roberts Mills and Elizabeth Cock and was born at St Ewe where she was baptised on 21^st February 1775. After just over four months into their married life together Rebecca presented her husband with a son who was baptised at Philleigh, as were all of their subsequent children. Hugh’s occupation was that of a blacksmith, a trade that was handed down through many generations of the family. Sometime during 1808 and 1809 Hugh and Rebecca and their family moved from Philleigh and returned to the village where they were married. And it was at Gorran where their last two children were born, even though they were still baptised at Philleigh. It seems likely that the family was affected by an illness in 1837, and as a result Hugh and Rebecca’s two youngest children died. First Grace died on 5^th May and was followed by Joshua on 17^th June. Both were buried in the same grave at St Philleigh Church where a single headstone marks the grave (see Headstone Epitaphs)

By the time of the first national census on 6^th June 1841, Hugh Collett was recorded as a blacksmith of 67 in the village of St Michael Penkevil, just across the water from Philleigh where his wife Rebecca was still living with a rounded aged of 65. Rebecca Collett died at Philleigh during May 1845 and was buried there on 19^th May 1845 at the age of 72, and was followed by her husband who died at Treworthal on 9^th June 1845. Two days later on 11^th June 1845, Hugh Collett was buried at Philleigh with his wife. The fact that Hugh Collett of Philleigh was in St Michael Penkevil in 1841 and Treworthal in 1845, probably indicates that it was his occupation as a blacksmith that required him to travel around that part of Cornwall to obtain work

21O45 – Peter Collett was born in 1797 at Philleigh

21O46 – James Collett was born in 1798 at Philleigh

21O47 – Rebecca Collett was born in 1800 at Philleigh

21O48 – Francis Cook Collett was born in 1803 at Philleigh

21O49 – Hugh Collett was born in 1805 at Philleigh

21O50 – Susanna Collett was born in 1807 at Philleigh

21O51 – Grace Collett was born in 1810 at Philleigh

21O52 – Grace Collett was born in 1812 at Gorran

21O53 – Joshua Collett was born in 1817 at Gorran

John Bohenna Collett [21N42] was baptised at Philleigh on 30^th January 1775, another son of Henry Collett and Susanna Bohenna. He married Mary Odgers who was born at Gerrans in 1770 and their wedding took place at Gorran on 3^rd March 1807, and it was at Gorran that they settled and where their children were born. Mary was actually the widow of Jacob Whetter whom she had married in 1796 at Gerrans. Jacob was born at Gorran on 28^th September 1771 but died there in October 1805. There were two witnesses at the marriage of John and Mary in 1807, one being his younger brother Peter Collett (below). The other witness and named first in the register may have been attached to the church but it was John Oates, the second husband of Susanna Collett and therefore the brother-in-law of John Bohenna Collett’s own father Henry who was still alive at that time.

According to the census in 1841, John Collett had a rounded age of 65 when he was an agricultural labourer living a Polmazic (Polmassick) in St Ewe with his wife Mary Collett who had a rounded age of 70. Today, Polmassick is the site of the oldest vineyard in Cornwall and was established in 1976. Still unmarried and living with her parents was the couple’s youngest daughter Margery Collett who was 25. Two young people were living with them and they were Mary Trevenna who was 15, and Elizabeth Truan who was five years of age. Five year later the death of John (Bohenna) Collett was recorded at St Austell (Ref. ix 12) during the first three months of 1846 when he was 61, following which he was buried at Polmassick, St Ewe, on 2^nd March 1846

21O54 – William Odgers Collett was born in 1810 at Gorran

21O55 – Mary Odgers Collett was born in 1812 at Gorran

21O56 – Margery Odgers Collett was born in 1815 at Gorran

Peter Collett [21N43] was baptised at Philleigh on 31^st March 1777, the last child born to Henry and Susanna Collett. The only later reference that has so far been found for Peter is that he was very likely the Peter Collett who was one of the witnesses at the 1807 wedding of his older brother John Bohenna Collett (above)

Henry Collett [21N44] was baptised at Ruan Lanihorne on 26^th December 1755, the only known child of John Collett by his first wife Susanna

Mary Collett [21N45] was baptised at Veryan on 16^th April 1738, the only child for John Collett with his first wife Mar who died shortly after.

Susan Collett [21N46] was baptised at Veryan on 23^rd January 1750, the first of the ten children from the second marriage of John Collett with his second wife Honour Johns

John Collett [21N47] was baptised at Veryan on 25^th September 1752, the eldest son of John and Honour Collett

Jane Collett [21N48] was baptised at Veryan on 24^th May 1755, another daughter of John and Honour Collett

Mary Collett [21N49] was baptised at Veryan on 12^th April 1757, a daughter John and Honour Collett

Anthony Collett [21N50] was baptised at Veryan on 2^nd February 1759, the second son of John and Honour Collett

Honour Collett [21N51] was baptised at Veryan on 2^nd March 1761 and was one of the ten children of John Collett by his second wife Honour Johns. It was also at Veryan where she later married John Banfield Harris on 6^th November 1791

Rachel Collett [21N52] was baptised at Veryan on 23^rd October 1763, a daughter of John and Honour Collett who suffered an infant death shortly after being baptised

Ann Collett [21N53] was baptised at Veryan on 14^th September 1766, another daughter of John and Honour Collett

Henry Collett [21N54] was baptised at Veryan on 25^th December 1768 and was the youngest son of John Collett and his second wife Honours Johns

Rachel Collett [21N55] was baptised at Veryan on 4^th February 1771, the last child born to John and Honour Collett. It was also at Veryan where she married James Merrifield on 17^th December 1796

Elizabeth Collett [21N56] was baptised at Veryan on 13^th October 1761, the older of the two known daughters of Anthony and Joan Collett, and she later married John Nott at Veryan on 28^th March 1796

Catherine Collett [21N57] was baptised at Veryan on 16^th February 1766 and was the youngest known child of Anthony and Joan Collett, who married Thomas Ball at Veryan on 21^st June 1801

John Collett [21O1] was born around 1790 and that event may have taken place at Ruan Lanihorne, or Cornelly, where he later lived with his parents John and Rachel Collett. All three of them died while living at Cornelly and all three were buried at Ruan Lanihorne. John junior was buried on 14^th November 1826 aged 36, following his father who was buried in 1823, but before his mother, who died just over three years after

Richard Collett [21O2] was baptised at Veryan on 12^th March 1788, was the eldest child of the six known children of Thomas Collett and Elizabeth Tonkin

Elizabeth Collett [21O3] was baptised at Veryan on 12^th March 1790. She was the eldest daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Collett, but tragically she died just a month later and was buried at her father’s home village of Philleigh on 21^st April 1790

Thomas Collett [21O4] was baptised at Veryan on 14^th June 1791, another son of Thomas and Elizabeth Collett

Joseph Collett [21O5] was baptised at Veryan on 1^st October 1794, the youngest son of Thomas and Elizabeth Collett

Mary Collett [21O6] was baptised at Veryan on 14^th June 1796, another daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Collett

Martha Collett [21O7] was baptised at Veryan on 26^th December 1798, another son of Thomas Collett and Elizabeth Tonkin

Bridget Collett [21O8] was born at Gerrans around 1784, the eldest of the twelve children of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates. It was also at Gerrans where she was married by banns to William Dingle of Philleigh on 11^th April 1809. The witnesses at the ceremony were her father Amos Collett and her sister Betsey James nee Collett (above)

Catherine Collett [21O9] was baptised at Gerrans on 11^th March 1786 where, on 4^th January 1810, she married her cousin Roger Collett of Philleigh (below), another daughter of Amos and Elizabeth Collett

Betsy Collett [21O10] was born at Gerrans in 1786 and was baptised there on 28^th December 1876, a daughter of Amos and Elizabeth Collett. And it was at Gerrans that Betsy married Henry John James of Philleigh following the reading of banns on 11^th July 1808. The witnesses at the ceremony were Betsy’s father Amos Collett, and Richard Sillwood, who must have been a lifelong friend of Amos Collett since he was also the witness at his own wedding

Amos Collett [21O11] was baptised at Philleigh on 29^th June 1789 and was the first-born son of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates of Gerrans. He was one of only two of their twelve children baptised at Philleigh. It would appear that it was late in his life that he became a married man. Bachelor Amos Collett would have been around forty-four years of age when he married the widow Elizabeth Lamerton at Philleigh on 24^th February 1834. Elizabeth had been born Elizabeth Dash, the daughter of Joseph Dash and Catherine Huddy, and was baptised at St Just-in-Roseland on 7^th April 1805. Previously she had been married to William Lamberton who was born in 1786, that marriage taking place at St Clement on 11^th April 1829. However, William Lamberton died at St Clement just over a year later on 22^nd June 1830

The baptism records at Philleigh confirmed that all five of the children of Amos and Elizabeth Collett were born at Treworthal within the parish of Philleigh, where Amos worked as a boatman. The first census in 1841 listed the family living at Treworthal as Amos Collett aged 50, and Elizabeth Collett who was 35, together with their daughters Elizabeth and Catherine who were seven and under one year old, while their surviving son Charles was three. Missing from the family was the couple’s eldest son who had sadly died when he was only five months old

In addition to suffering the death of their first son in 1837, Amos and Elizabeth lost the remainder of their children during the 1840s, the first three as a result of an outbreak of typhus fever in the summer of 1842. The couple’s last child was born in 1843, but died in early 1847. So, by the time of the next census in 1851, it was just Amos and Elizabeth who were recorded as still living in Treworthal, having lost all five of their children. The Treworthal census in 1851 listed Amos as being aged 62 and of Gerrans who was working as a farmer and a boatman, while his wife Elizabeth was 46 and had been born at St Just, who was recorded as being a shopkeeper

By the time of the census in 1861, Amos was 71 and Elizabeth was 56, when the couple was living at Philleigh-in-Roseland where Amos Collett was the inn keeper, most likely at the Roseland Inn (pictured) which is still there to this day. However, it was just over two years later that Amos Collett died on 25^th December 1863 at the age of 74, following which he was buried in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church. According to the census in 1871, Elizabeth Collett, a widow of 66, had taken over the role of the inn keeper at the Roseland Inn and had staying there with her, her distant cousin William Dash, the great great grandfather of Clive Dash who in 2014 provided the new information for the update of the family.

Elizabeth Collett, formerly Lamerton nee Dash, was a widow for just less than eight years, when she passed away on 18^th May 1871 at the age of 66 and was buried with her husband at St Philleigh. A single headstone in churchyard carries the names of both Amos and Elizabeth Collett and, in addition to which, there is a reference to their five children who died in their infancy, although not by name (see Headstone Epitaphs). It is interesting to note that at the time of the census in 1861, Robert Davey Collett (Ref. 21P55) aged 17 and the second son of William Collett and Asenath Dowrick, was employed by Joseph Dash, a farmer of 50 acres employing one boy, as a carter at Treleggan Farm in Gerrans. That Joseph Dash was the brother of Elizabeth Collett Dash, who had married Grace Ward at Gerrans on 2^nd June 1827

21P1 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1834 at Treworthal

21P2 – Charles Collett was born in 1836 at Treworthal

21P3 – Charles Collett was born in 1838 at Treworthal

21P4 – Catherine Collett was born in 1840 at Treworthal

21P5 – Elizabeth Ann Collett was born in 1843 at Treworthal

Asenath Oates Collett [21O12] was born at Gerrans and was baptised there on 26^th April 1791, another child of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates. It would appear that, like her brother William (below), she was never married and was 48 years old when she died and was buried at Philleigh on 5^th March 1839. That happened less than three months after her brother William, was also buried there, except that Asenath was recorded as residing in Truro

Nancy Collett [21O13] was baptised at Gerrans on 22^nd April 1793, another daughter of Amos and Elizabeth Collett. She married very late in her life, when she wed widower Thomas Ball at Gerrans on 19^th December 1840. Thomas of Trewithian was the son of George Ball and both father and son were employed as carpenters. Nancy was recorded as being of Treleggan and her father was confirmed as the farmer Amos Collett and his wife Elizabeth. It would appear that Nancy and Thomas were only together for less than ten years, since on 4^th December 1851 widower Thomas Ball was married for a third time to Ann Billing Collett (Ref. 21P64). The wedding took place at Philleigh, with Ann being Nancy’s niece two-times removed

Margery Collett [21O14] was born at Gerrans where she was baptised on 28^th December 1795, the seventh child of Amos and Elizabeth Collett

Philip Collett [21O15] was born in 1797 at Gerrans. By the time of the 1841 census his rounded age was stated as being 45, although in reality it would have been 43. At that time Philip was living in the Bodmin, St Austell & Truro registration district

Mary Collett [21O16] was baptised at Philleigh on 12^th August 1799 and it was there that she married Samuel Thomas of Treworlas on 5^th August 1824. The parish register stated that her place of residence was Treworthal in the parish of Philleigh, which was where it is known that her brother Amos Collett (above) also lived, the two of them being the only two children of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates to be baptised at Philleigh

Susanna Collett [21O17] was born at Gerrans and was baptised there on 16^th August 1801, another daughter of Amos and Elizabeth Collett

Philippa Collett [21O18] was baptised at Gerrans on 11^th October 1804, the youngest daughter of Amos and Elizabeth Collett. She later married Amos Escott at Philleigh on 22^nd October 1832, with whom she had at least five of children. Amos Escott was a shoemaker who was born at Philleigh around 1808. In the census of 1841, he was 30 years old, while his wife Philippa was 35 (both rounded ages). Living with the couple at Philleigh were their first five children, they being William Escott who was eight, Amos Escott who was seven, James Escott who was five, Elizabeth Escott who was three, and Asenath Escott who was one year old. Further children may have been added to the family after June 1841, but what happened exactly is not known. It may even have been that Philippa died giving birth to the couple’s next child. However, by 1851, Amos Escott aged 42, was living in Treworthal with his second wife Johanna Escott who was 39 from Gorran. With them that day were two children, Phyllis Escott who was eleven (who may have been Asenath in 1841), and John Escott who was eight years old, both children born at Philleigh

One of Philippa’s sons, James Escott was 15 years old in 1851 and was living in the Redruth & Illogan area of Cornwall, with what looks like his younger sister Elizabeth who was listed as Biddy Escott. What is known for sure is that James eventually emigrated to New Zealand, but finally settled in Australia. Today this line extends to Ros Escott of Australia who is the great granddaughter of James Escott. Ros is also connected to the Collett family via Ann Collett who was her 4x great grandmother who married Thomas Dowrick at Philleigh in 1771, whose descendants also married into the Escott family. Three years after the census in 1851, Amos Escott, the husband of Philippa Collett, was one of the witnesses at the signing of the Will of shoemaker William Collett (Ref. 21N26) who died on 19^th December 1854

William Oates Collett [21O19] was born at Gerrans, where he was baptised on 18^th October 1807, the last child born to Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates. Very little is known about him except that he was only thirty-one when he died and was buried at Philleigh on 18^th December 1838, the parish record stating he was from Treluggan

Thomas Collett [21O20] was born at St Gerrans around 1790, the grandson of Thomas and Mary Collett of Philleigh, and through their son Thomas Collett whose wife was believed to be Ann. Thomas Collett, junior, of Gerrans, married Susanna Carpenter, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties, with the birth of their only known child, another Thomas Collett, recorded at Liskeard in Cornwall on 8^th September 1824. He was under two weeks old when baby Thomas was baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Liskeard on 20^th September 1824, when his parents were confirmed as Thomas Collett and Susanna Carpenter. Thomas and Susanna subsequently moved to the America during the 1830s and ultimately settled at Waynesville in Warren County, Ohio, where they raised a large family. However, there are apparently no living male descendants of Thomas and Susanna who bear the Collett name. That is according to Brad Feldmaier in America, the 3x grandson of Thomas and Susanna Collett, who provided these brief details in 2014. Another option for Thomas, born around 1790/91, is Thomas Collett (Ref. 21O4) who was baptised at St Veryans on 14^th June 1791, but he was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Collett, and not Thomas and Ann Collett, as recorded by Brad’s ancestor in the Ohio family history drawn up in 1946

21P6 – Thomas Collett was born in 1824 at Liskeard

Mary Collett [21O21] was born at Philleigh in 1797, one year after her parents were married there. It was also at the Church of St Philleigh that she was baptised on 25^th June 1797, the only child of John Collett and Mary Bohenna the widow of Thomas Bohenna and the former Mary Ward. Tragically, her mother died when Mary was around four-and-a-half years old. What happened to Mary and her father after their loss is not currently known

Roger Collett [21O22] was baptised at Philleigh on 17^th March 1782 and, before he reached his fourth birthday, his father Peter Collett had died. Roger was married by banns to his cousin Catherine Collett (above) at Gerrans on 4^th January 1810, when he was described as a bachelor of Philleigh, while Catherine was recorded as being of the parish of Gerrans. It was at Gerrans that Catherine was baptised on 11^th March 1786. She was the daughter of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Oates and her father was one of the witnesses at her wedding, together with his Roger’s uncle John Collett who was very likely representing his late father, Peter Collett. During the year prior to their wedding Roger had been a beneficiary under the terms of the 1810 Will of another of his father’s brothers, Henry Collett who had no children of his own. Together with his brother James (below), they inherited three properties at White Lane in Polglaze within the parish of Philleigh. Henry had lived in one of the dwellings, while the occupants of the other two were James Barnicoat (husband of Ann Collett) and Richard Richards. It is very interesting that the marriage of a Richard Richards and a Grace Collett was conducted by licence at Philleigh on 18^th August 1803. Unfortunately, so far in the research, no positive identity for Grace has been found, although she could have been Roger’s sister

At the time of the first national census for Philleigh in 1841, Roger’s rounded age was given as 55, as was that of his wife Catherine. Ten years later the census of 1851 gave a more accurate record of Roger’s age, that being 69, while Catherine was 66. In 1851 the couple was living at White Lane in the parish of Philleigh where Roger was a shopkeeper selling tea, tobacco, and fruit. His place of birth was given as Philleigh, while Catherine’s was confirmed again as Gerrans. Catherine must have died during the 1850s as she was not listed in the census of 1861 with Roger who was 78. It has not been determined whether or not they had any children and it would appear that Roger died before 1871 as he was not listed in that year’s census record

James Bohenna Collett [21O23] was born at Philleigh where he was baptised on 2^nd February 1784, his parents confirmed as Peter and Asenath Collett. His second name came from his mother’s maiden-name and the strong links between the two families. Just as his brother Roger (above) had, James also benefited from the Will of his uncle Henry Collett who died in 1809 with no direct heirs, when the two brothers inherited three properties at White Lane in Polglaze. Prior to his death, Henry had lived in one of them, the other two had tenants, James Barnicoat and Richard Richards. James Bohenna Collett married Elizabeth Olivey at Gerrans on 4^th January 1821, when the witnesses at the ceremony in the parish church were William and Richard Olivey, and when groom James was confirmed as a bachelor of Philleigh. Once married, James and Elizabeth moved in with James’ widowed mother, a leasee of land at Church Town in the parish of Philleigh, where the family was still living in 1841, one year after James’ mother had passed away in old age, following which, in accordance with the lease requirements, James continued to occupy the property. A new lease, dated 8^th April 1844, applied to property at Polglaze, with a tenement at Church Town, which referred to previous occupiers, the late Peter Collett, and his widow Asenath Collett

At the time of the birth of James’ first child at Philleigh, he was recorded as being a farmer, as he was again four years after his death, on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter Susanna in 1848. And it was also at Philleigh that all of the couple’s children were baptised. In the Church Town (Philleigh) census of 1841, the couple’s rounded ages were given as 55 for James and 50 for Elizabeth. On that day their children were recorded as Catherine, Susanna and Grace, which may indicate that their son Peter had not survived. Ten months later, James Bohenna Collett died at Philleigh during the first half of April in 1842, where he was buried on 14^th April that year. Following the death of her husband, Elizabeth Collett of Philleigh, a widow, took out a fourteen-year lease on a tenement property in Church Town (in the parish of Philleigh) for a rent of £96, the lease being signed on 8^th April 1844. The property was leased from Sir Charles Lemon of Carclew, having previously been leased to her husband prior to his death. By 1851 widow Elizabeth was 61 and was living at Veryan in the St Just & Truro registration area at the home of her daughter Susanna Rundle nee Collett. And it was the same situation ten years later in 1861 when she was 71 years old. However, she too must have passed away shortly after that time

Although not proved, during further research in 2022, the death of two-year-old Lucretia Bohenna Collett was discovered at Philleigh, where she was buried on 7^th May 1860. All other possibilities for her parents appear to have been discounted, leaving the one possibility that she was the granddaughter of James Bohenna Collett through one of his three daughters. His only son Peter Collett died within days of being born, and his eldest sister also suffered a premature death eighteen years before her namesake was born

21P7 – Lucretia Bohenna Collett was born in 1821 at Philleigh

21P8 – Catherine Collett was born in 1823 at Philleigh

21P9 – Susanna Collett was born in 1824 at Philleigh

21P10 – Grace Olivey Collett was born in 1827 at Philleigh

21P11 – Peter Collett was born in 1831 at Philleigh

Mary Hill Collett [21O24] was born at St Winnow in the latter part of 1792 or very early in the following year, since she was baptised at St Winnow on 27^th January 1793. She was the first of the four children of Benjamin Collett and Thomasina Hill

Eliza Collett [21O25] was born at St Winnow in late 1794 or early 1795 where she was baptised as Eliza Collett on 8^th March 1795, another daughter of Benjamin and Thomasina Collett. It would appear that she never married and at the age of 44 she died and was buried with her mother at Lostwithiel on 3^rd April 1839. The burial record registered her name as Eliza Collett

THOMAS COLLETT [21O26] was born in 1797 at St Winnow and was baptised there on 2^nd April 1797. He was the only son of Benjamin and Thomasina and he became the Reverend Thomas Collett. In 1825 he married Frances Knighton at Dawlish in Devon, where all three of their children were born. The only baptism record found for a Frances Knighton in Devon was in 1792 under the name of Cecilia Frances Knighton, although curiously no parents’ names were entered. The later census records confirm that she was born at Dawlish in 1792 and, according to the census in 1841, the family was complete and was still residing at Dawlish within the Newton Abbot & Teignmouth registration district of Devon

Thomas Collett was 40, as was his wife Frances (rounded ages), while their three children were named as Mollison Collett who was 14, Charles Collett who was 12, and Emily Collett who was nine years old. Ten year later the couple’s second son Charles was missing from the Dawlish census in 1851, when the family was residing at Brook Street in Dawlish. Thomas Collett was 54 and an independent minister, Frances Collett was 58, Mollisson H Collett was 24, and Emily Collett was 19. Charles Collett, aged 23 and from Dawlish, was living and working in the Windsor area of Berkshire on that occasion. By 1861 all of the couple’s children had left the family home in Dawlish, leaving just Thomas aged 64, and Frances who was 69 and born at Dawlish. And it was at Dawlish seven years later that Thomas Collett died in 1868, followed the year after by his widow Frances Collett nee Knighton

21P12 – Mollison Henry Collett was born in 1827 at Dawlish

21P13 – Charles Benjamin Collett was born in 1829 at Dawlish

21P14 – Emily Ellen Collett was born in 1831 at Dawlish

Susanna Collett [21O27] was born at St Winnow in 1799 and it was there that she was baptised on 26^th August 1799, the last child born to Benjamin Collett and Thomasina Hill. A little while after she was born her family moved to Lostwithiel. It was while at Lostwithiel that she gave birth to a base-born son William Collett Furze. The child was baptised at Lostwithiel on 6^th July 1824 and on the following day Susannah married the boy’s father William Furze

John Collett [21O28] was at St Michael Caerhays in 1791 according to later census records, although no record of his birth or baptism has so far been found. He was the only known child of Zacharias Collett by his first wife who was remarried in 1808. Three years later John Collett of the West Essex Militia married (1) Sally Hoskin, the wedding taking place at Falmouth on 17^th May 1811. No children have been found from the marriage and so there is a chance that Sally died soon after they were married, although no record of her death has been found. Being widowed, John continued with his military career, as confirmed by a record in London dated 8^th January 1814, which stated he was born in Cornwall in 1791. Six years later John Collett married (2) Jennifer Thomas at Ruan Lanihorne on 3^rd August 1820, with whom he had at least five children. The baptism services for their children were conducted at the church in Merther, although the last two children were born while the family was living at Tresillian and St Erme. On the occasion of the baptism of two of his children John was listed as a labourer, whilst for the third he was described as a husbandman. In the census conducted in June 1841, the family was residing at Bone Cellars in St Erme when John had a rounded age of 50, while Jennifer was 45, and listed with them were four of their five children. The two eldest children, daughter Betsy Collett and son John Collett had the same rounded age of 15 years, while James Collett was five, and Charles Collett was three years old

After a further ten years, the only child still living with John and Jennifer was their son James aged 16. John Collett from St Michael Caerhays was 61 and an agricultural labourer, and Jennifer from Veryan was 59, who was taking in boarders at that time in her life. By the time of the next census in 1861, John Collett from St Michael Caerhays was 70 and an agricultural labourer who was also the keeper of a beer shop at Bone Cellars in St Erme. Still living there with him was his Veryan-born wife Jennifer Collett aged 68. In addition to the details in the census returns, John’s estimate date of birth has been calculated from the fact that he died in 1864 and was buried in the churchyard at Merther on 28^th August 1864 aged 73. His burial record suggested that he was living at St Erme at the time of his death. John’s wife Jennifer died at Tresillian fourteen years later at the age of 87 and, like many other members of the family, she was also buried at the Church of St Coan at Merther on 7^th June 1878. All that remains of the church today is a derelict ruin covered by ivy and other vegetation

21P15 – Peter Thomas Collett was born in 1821 at Merther

21P16 – Betsy Collett was born in 1823 at Merther

21P17 – John Collett was born in 1825 at Merther

21P18 – James Collett was born in 1833 at Tresillian

21P19 – Charles Collett was born in 1837 at St Erme

John Collett [21O29] was born at Merther in 1816 but was baptised at Probus on 23^rd June 1816, the son of labourer Zacharias Collett and Mary Jenkins. He later married Mary who was born at Helston in 1825 and, judging by the age of their first child, their wedding took place around 1849. So, by the end of March 1851 John and Mary Ann were living within the Truro & Probus area with their son Charles was under one year old. During the next two decades the couple added a further five children to the family which by 1871 according to the Truro, St Clement census comprised John aged 53, Mary aged 45, Charles 21, Mary 19, Clara 18, John 16, Harriet 13, and Henry who was eight years old. Ten years later in 1881 John Collett was 64 and his wife was 55, when they were living at Tresillian Road in St Erme where John was a cordwainer (a shoemaker). Also living with them were their four adult children. It is possible that there were other children born to John and Mary who are not listed below, but on that occasion, they were Clara who was 28, John who was 26, Harriet who was 23 an infant’s schoolmistress, and Henry who was 17 and a carpenter. All of them had been born at Tresillian, where their father also said he had been born

According to the Truro, St Clement census of 1891 John was 74 years old, his wife Mary Ann was 64, and the only one of their children still living with them at that time was their bachelor son John who was 36 who was married four years later. In the census of 1901 John Collett of Merther was 84 and he was described as being a grocer and shopkeeper at St Erme, just north of Merther. His wife Mary was 74 and her place of birth was confirmed as Helston. Living with them on that occasion was Sarah G Collett, the wife of their son John who must have been away on business, who had with her, her two young daughters. John Collett died in the December of the following year, at which time he was still recorded as running a grocer’s shop in St Erme. However, his body was taken back to Merther where he was buried on 18^th December 1902. It must have been during the following eight years that John’s widow Mary died, since there was no record of her in the census of 1911

21P20 – Charles Collett was born in 1850 at Probus

21P21 – Mary A Collett was born in 1851 at Probus

21P22 – Clara Collett was born in 1852 at Tresillian

21P23 – John Collett was born in 1854 at Tresillian

21P24 – Harriet Collett was born in 1857 at Tresillian

21P25 – Henry Collett was born in 1863 at Tresillian

Mary Ann Collett [21O30] was born in 1820 and was baptised at Merther on 13^th February 1820, the daughter of labourer Zacharias Collett and Mary Jenkins. She was living at Probus at the age of 20 when she died and was buried at Merther on 23^rd July 1840, where her mother was buried ten years later

Betsy Collett [21O32] was baptised at Philleigh on 1^st November 1801. She was still a spinster at the age of 39 when she was living with her sister Nancy (below) in the St Austell & Truro registration district. Fifty-nine-year-old Betsy Collett died at Treworthal and was buried at Philleigh on 18^th October 1860

Nancy Collett [21O33] was baptised at Philleigh on 26^th June 1803 and was still a spinster at the age of 37 and was living with her sister Betsy (above) in 1841

Joanna Collett [21O34] was baptised at Philleigh on 14^th April 1805 but only lived for a further thirteen months after that date and was buried at Philleigh on 13^th May 1806

Alexander Harris Collett [21O35] was baptised at Philleigh on 27^th July 1806, the son of Hannibal Collett and Ann Harris. He survived for less than two years and was buried at Philleigh on 5^th March 1808

Hannibal Collett [21O36] was born at Philleigh in 1806, where he was later baptised on 11^th May 1808, another son of shoemaker Hannibal Collett and Ann Harris. Hannibal Collett (junior) married Philippa Williams at Philleigh on 13^th November 1833. Philippa was the daughter of Martin Williams and his wife Grace, and was baptised at Philleigh on 13^th January 1812. Around the time they were married, and also at the time of the baptism of their first child at Philleigh a year later, Hannibal was employed as a publican at an inn in Philleigh. Just over five years after their wedding day, Hannibal Collett (junior) was involved in a case of theft that was heard at the Cornwall Quarter Session on 12^th July 1839. The charge related to potatoes being stolen from the yard of Hannibal’s father Hannibal Collett (senior), and the on the case read as follows:

‘Wednesday July 3 1839 - Richard Buddle, 14 years, was charged with having stolen a quantity of potatoes, the property of Hannibal Collett, jun. of Philleigh. The prosecutor (Hannibal Collett) kept potatoes in his father’s yard, some of which the prisoner took and was seen by the prosecutor’s cousin, John Collett (Ref. 21O42), carrying them into his house in a bag. When asked by the prosecutor why he took them, he replied “because he was starving”. The prosecutor said that the boy’s family was very poor. Guilty. One month’s hard labour.’

Although the first two children were baptised at Philleigh, and the third at St Mawes, all three off-spring of Hannibal and Philippa were born at Camborne (where Hannibal’s younger brother Alexander was a farmer), as confirmed in the later census records. In the first of them, it was just the couple’s eldest child who was living with them at Fore Street in Camborne, where Hannibal was 30, Philippa was 25 (both rounded ages), and son Martin Collett who was six years old in June 1841. Two other young people were with the family that day, and they were Hannah Goodman and John White, both 15 years of age. Ten years later, it was still only the couple’s first-born child who was again living with them. However, nine years prior to that, Philippa gave birth to another son, the birth of Alexander Collett was registered at Redruth (Ref. ix 245) during the second quarter of 1842, but tragically his death was recorded there (Ref. ix 159) during the third quarter of the same year. In between those two events, Alexander Collett the son of Hannibal and Philippa Collett was baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in St Mawes on 14^th July 1842

According to the census in 1851, Hannibal Collett was 42 and a farmer of 20 acres, his wife Philippa Collett was 39, and their son Martin Williams Collett was 16 and a farmer’s son, when they were recorded at St Just-in-Roseland within the Truro registration district. All three members of the household were described as born at Filley. On the day of the next census in 1861, the couple was residing at Trethewell-in-St Just, when Hannibal from Philleigh was 52 and a farmer of 20 acres employing one boy, that boy being 15-year-old Charles J Andrew from Philleigh, who was described as a carter (on a farm) and a servant. On that day Philippa Collett from Philleigh was 49 and a farmer's wife, while visiting the couple was six-year-old Hannibal Collett, who was a son of Hannibal’s brother Alexander Collett (below). Not long after that the couple left Philleigh and in 1871 they were recorded at Grampound, midway between Truro and St Austell, where Hannibal Collett was 62, and Philippa Collett was 59

That was followed by another move that took place during the next decade since, by the time of the census in 1881, they were residing within the St Stephen-in-Brannel area of Cornwall to the west of St Austell. Hannibal was a farm labourer aged 74 who was living with his wife Philippa who was 69 and also born at Philleigh, although her age was recorded in error as 75. Towards the end of the following year, Philippa Collett died, when her death was recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 88) at the age of 71. After a further ten years, Hannibal was 82 and still living in St Stephen-in-Brannel on his own means, but as a boarder with the Truscott family. Just over twelve months later, the death of Hannibal Collett, aged 84, was recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 86) during the second quarter of 1892

21P26 – Martin Williams Collett was born in 1834 at Camborne

21P27 – John Collett was born in at Camborne

21P28 – Alexander Collett was born in 1842 at Camborne; infant death

Alexander Collett [21O37] was born at Philleigh and was baptised there on 10^th December 1809, the son of Hannibal Collett and Ann Harris. In 1841 he was 30 years of age and a farmer living at Polmana Farm in Philleigh with his elderly parents and two older unmarried sisters Betsy and Nancy (above), and two younger siblings Joanna and William (below). Shortly thereafter, he married (1) Susan Harris as confirmed in the Philleigh parish records, where their second child was baptised. It seems highly likely that Susan was a niece of Alexander’s mother Ann Harris, which may have made them cousins. While the Harris name had previously been given as a forename to Alexander’s late brother and namesake, the name Harris was again used as a forename for Alexander’s eldest son and one of his daughters. Over the following years there were many other marriages between the Collett and Harris families

By the end of 1847 the family was living at Polmenna Farm in Philleigh but from 1850, for the next couple of years, they were living at White Lane in the parish of Philleigh where Alexander was working as a labourer at the age of 41. The full census return in 1851 listed the family as Alexander from Philleigh, his wife Susan aged 35 of Woolwich in Kent, and their five children. They were Joseph, who was seven, William, who was six, Mary Ann, who was three, Thomas, who was one year old, and Amelia who was two months old. The first three children were confirmed as having been born at Camborne, while the two later arrivals were born after the family moved to Philleigh. Also living with the family was Susan’s widowed father Joseph Harris aged 71 who was described as a Chelsea Pensioner, a labourer and a miner from Probus. According to the census return Alexander and his family were living in the house immediately next door to his cousin William Collett (below)

Sometime during 1853 the family moved again, that time just around two miles west of Philleigh to Feock. Feock may have been a hamlet with no church as all of Alexander and Susan’s children continued to be baptised at nearby Philleigh. During the latter years of the decade the family moved again, that time to the village of Kea to the south of Truro, where their last child was born. And it was at Cometsgood in Kea, that the family was living on the day of the census of 1861, when Alexander Collett from Philleigh was 51 and an agricultural labourer, and his wife Susan Collett from Woolwich was 45. By that time a further five children had been added to the family, so the children then living with their parents were Joseph Collett from Camborne who was 17 and an assistant stone keeper, John L Collett also from Camborne who was 16 and a blacksmith, Mary Ann Collett from Camborne who was 13 and at school, Thomas Collett who was 11 and from Philleigh, Amelia Collett who was 10 and from Philleigh, Nancy Collett from Philleigh who was nine, Susan H Collett from Feock who was seven, as were Elizabeth Collett who was four and Catherine Collett who was two, with Emily Collett born at Kea, who was under one year old. Still living with the family was Joseph Harris, father-in-law of Alexander Collett, who was 81, a widower and a Chelsea Pensioner who had been born at Probus

It would appear that Susan died during the next decade, since Alexander Collett, aged 60, was a widower still living at Kea in 1871, but with just his five youngest children for company. They were Susan Harris Collett aged 17, Hannibal aged 16, Elizabeth aged 14, Catherine aged 12, and Emily who was 10. Not long after that Alexander married (2) Catherine, and that may have coincided with his move from Kea, the ten miles north to Penhale. It was while living at Penhale that Catherine died aged 63 and was buried at nearby St Enoder on 13^th March 1878. In the St Enoder area census three years after her death in 1881, widower Alexander was aged 71 and was living at Higher Penhale where his occupation was that of a plantation keeper and woodman. His place of birth was confirmed as having been Philleigh. Living at the same address were his three unmarried daughters Nancy, Susan and Emily, all three listed simply as plantation keeper’s daughter. Alexander survived his second wife by ten years and was buried with her at St Enoder on 29^th July 1888 aged 80, his death recorded at St Columb (Ref. 5c 59) during the third quarter of 1888

21P29 – Joseph Harris Collett was born in 1843 at Camborne

21P30 – William John Langdon Collett was born in 1844 at Camborne

21P31 – Mary Ann Collett was born in 1847 at Camborne

21P32 – Thomas Collett was born in 1849 at Philleigh

21P33 – Amelia Collett was born in 1850 at Philleigh

21P34 – Nancy Collett was born in 1853 at Philleigh

21P35 – Susan Harris Collett was born in 1854 at Philleigh

21P36 – Hannibal Collett was born in 1856 at Feock

21P37 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1858 at Feock

21P38 – Catherine Collett was born in 1843 at Feock

21P39 – Emily Collett was born in 1861 at Philleigh

Joanna Collett [21O38] was born at Philleigh, where she was baptised on 1^st November 1812, the youngest daughter of Hannibal Collett and Ann Harris. and her rounded age in June 1841 was 25 when she was still living at Philleigh in the St Austell & Truro registration district. Four months later at Philleigh on 14^th October 1841, Joanna Collett, daughter of Hannibal Collett, married Nicholas Langdon, son of Nicholas Langdon. Over the next decade Joanna gave birth to five children, all of them born at Merther, two miles east of Truro, on the east bank of the Tresillian River. It was also at Merther that the family was living in 1851, when Nicholas Langdon of Merther was 37, Joanna from Philleigh was 36, William J Langdon was eight, Eliza A Langdon was seven, Clarenda Langdon was five, Emma Langdon was four, and Charles Langdon who was under one year old. Although head of the household Nicholas was not credited with an occupation, he was still able to employ two domestic servants; unmarried Robert Huddy who was 36, and married Mary A Sye who was 31. After a further thirty years, Joanna (as Johanna) Langdon, nee Collett died and was buried at Merther on 26^th June 1881, when she had been living at Tresillian

William Collett [21O39] was born in 1815 at Philleigh where he was baptised on 17^th September 1815, the youngest son of Hannibal Collett and Ann Harris. In the census of 1851 William Collett from Philleigh was still a bachelor living in Philleigh at the age of 35. It was during the next decade that William married Catherine Gillman who was born at Gorran, the daughter of James Gillman from Woolwich in Kent. Both William and his wife were over forty when they married so it seems highly likely that that the daughter living with the couple in 1861 was their only child. Once they were married the couple initially settled in Gerrans, just over two miles south of Philleigh

The census in 1861 placed the three of them living on Treleggan Farm, Tregear, Gerrans. William was 46 from Philleigh, a farmer of 80 acres employing one man, his wife Catherine from Gorran was also 46, and their daughter was one year old Mary A Collett who was born at Gerrans. Living with the family on that occasion was Catherine’s widowed father James Gillman, who was described as being 85, blind, and a Greenwich pensioner from Woolwich. The family employed one domestic servant, Jane Rawling who was 28 and from Creed. Living at the adjacent property, belonging to Joseph Dash - a farmer of 50-acres employing one boy, was Robert Davey Collett (Ref. 21P55) who was 17 and from Philleigh. He was a carter at Treleggan Farm, and very likely the one boy employed by Joseph Dash. Robert Davey Collett was the second son of Asenath Dowrick and William Collett, and in turn William was the cousin of William Collett and his wife Catherine, thus making Robert the nephew one-step-removed of William

Ten years later in 1871, a William and Catherine Collett were both 55 when they were living within the St Columb area of Cornwall, near Newquay, although their daughter Mary was not with them at that time. During the next few years Catherine died, and a few years after that her daughter Mary Ann was married. By the time of the census in 1881, widower William Collett was 65 and a retired farmer living with his married daughter Mary Ann Gill and her husband John Tearle Gill, a farmer at Trethurffe Farm in Ladock. He was still living with his daughter at Trethurffe Farm ten years later when he was 76, and it was there during 1893 at the age of 77, that William Collett died. He was buried at St Enoder on 28^th June 1893, where his brother Alexander (above) had been buried during 1888

21P40 – Mary Ann Collett was born in 1859 at Gerrans

Mary Collett [21O40] was born at Philleigh, where she was baptised on 14^th April 1805, the eldest child of William Collett, shoemaker of Philleigh, and his wife Ann Davey. Although it is known that her mother died in 1818, it is also assumed that Mary had passed away at some time between 1805 and the death of her father in 1854, since she was the only child of William Collett, a shoemaker, not to be included in his Will proved in 1855. That assumption has now been confirmed with the recent discovery of the death of 35-year-old spinster Mary Collett of Treworthal, who was buried at Philleigh on 31^st May 1840

Robert Davey Collett [21O41] was born at Philleigh and was baptised there on 29^th March 1807, his second name coming from his mother’s maiden-name. He married Grace Dingle on 1^st June 1833 at Philleigh where all of their children were all born and baptised and where Robert was employed as a shoemaker. The baptism records for their children in 1837 and 1844 indicated that the family was living in the village of Treworthal in the parish of Philleigh, where Robert was continuing his work as a shoemaker. That was confirmed in the 1841 Census in which Robert and Grace had rounded ages of 30, while their children were Thomas, who was seven, Robert, who was five, William, who was four, and Anne who was one year old. During the following year Robert’s and Grace’s son Robert Davey Collett died at the age of seven and was buried in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church in Philleigh (see Headstone Epitaphs)

According to the census of 1851 the family was living at Treworthal. Head of the household Robert was 44 and his place of birth was confirmed as Philleigh. At that time in his life his occupation was that of a shoemaker and a farmer. His wife Grace was 41 and also born at Philleigh, and their children on that day were William aged 13, Ann aged 11, James who was eight, Francis who was six, and Richard who was four years old, all of them confirmed as having been born at Philleigh. It must be assumed that their daughter Frances had already suffered an infant death by that time. Three years after that census day, Robert’s father died towards the end of 1854 and, when his Will was proved in June the following year, Robert and his brother John (below) were named as the joint executors of his estate, and had an equal share of the residue of the estate after bequeaths to the brothers’ two youngest siblings Fanny and William (below). Robert also inherited his father’s bed, bedding, and bedclothes

Ten years later and three of the couple’s older children had left the family home, but they had been replaced by four new children who were all born at Treworthal and baptised at the parish church of St Philleigh in Philleigh. The family in early April 1861 comprised Robert 54 and Grace 51, and their children Anne aged 21, James aged 18, Francis aged 16, Richard aged 14, and Eliza who was nine. Tragedy once again struck the family a few years after the census day, when Richard and Grace’s daughter Elizabeth Grace Collett died in 1864 at the age of twelve years (see Headstone Epitaphs). According to the next census in 1871, the only children still living with Robert and Grace were Ann, James and Francis. The census that year placed the family of five residing at Philleigh within the Truro sub-district of St Just, where head of the household R D Collett was 64 and working as a cobbler, his wife Grace Collett was 61, daughter Ann Collett was 31, and the two sons James Collett and Francis Collett were 28 and 25 respectively

By 1881 Robert and Grace were still living at Treworthal with their unmarried daughter Anne. At the age of 74 Robert was continuing his occupation as a boot and shoemaker and working with him was his 40 years old daughter Anne who was a boot binder. His wife Grace was aged 72. Just two months after the census day Robert’s and Graces’ son William died and was buried at St Philleigh Church. A headstone marks the grave, which also includes the details of the deaths of both his parents who were buried with him just a few years after (see Headstone Epitaphs). It was just three years later that Robert Davey Collett died on 10^th March 1884 at the age of 77. He was buried in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church and the gravestone that marks the grave also includes the passing of his wife Grace who died on 1^st February 1888, aged 78. The effect of the death of both of her parents in such a short time may well have adversely affected their daughter Anne who had given her life to care for them in their old age, since she too died eight months after losing her mother. This situation was confirmed at Bodmin during the probate process for Robert Davey Collett, a shoemaker, which stated that Anne Collett, a spinster, was named as the sole executor of his personal effects valued at £129 1 Shilling 5 Pence

21P41 – Thomas Collett was born in 1833 at Treworthal

21P42 – Robert Davey Collett was born in 1835 at Treworthal

21P43 – William Henry Collett was born in 1837 at Treworthal

21P44 – Anne Collett was born in 1840 at Treworthal

21P45 – James Collett was born in 1842 at Treworthal

21P46 – Francis Collett was born in 1844 at Treworthal

21P47 – Frances Collett was born in 1845 at Treworthal

21P48 – Richard Davey Collett was born in 1847 at Treworthal

21P49 – Elizabeth Grace Collett was born in 1851 at Treworthal

John Collett [21O42] was born at Philleigh where he was baptised on 21^st May 1809. At the age of 30 John Collett witnessed the theft of potatoes from his cousin of Hannibal Collett (above), the publican of an inn at Philleigh. That resulted in a hearing at the Cornwall Quarter Sessions on 12^th July 1839, at which John Collett was confirmed as the witness to the crime. John Collett was a shoemaker and one year later, on 11^th August 1840, he married servant girl Eliza Willis of Trewithian, the daughter of farmer Robert Willis. The ceremony took place at Gerrans and the witnesses were John Johns and William Collett who may have been John’s father or his brother (below). In the first national census John and Eliza were recorded living with their first-born child. His and his wife’s rounded ages were 30 and 35 respectively and their daughter Grace was not yet one year old

John’s mother died sometime before 1851 and the census that year confirmed that John and Eliza and their two children were living with John’s widowed father William Collett at Philleigh. John Collett of Philleigh aged 41, was working as a shoemaker journeyman like his father. His wife Eliza from Lugan in Cornwall was 46 and their two children were Grace who was nine and John who was seven. Almost ten years later John suffered the loss of his wife Eliza and the mother of his two children. In 1854, John’s father passed away in December that year, when John and his brother Robert (above) were the joint executors of his estate valued at under One Hundred Pounds. Apart from inheriting all his father’s furniture and everything in the kitchen and the dairy, John and Robert had an equal share of the residue of the estate after settlement of bequeaths to his two youngest siblings Fanny and William (below)

It was just six weeks before the day of the census in early April 1861 that Eliza Collett of the parish of Philleigh died on 22^nd February 1861 at the age of 75, following which she was buried in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church. So, by the time of the census John Collett was a widower aged 51 (see Headstone Epitaphs). Living with him in the St Just, Truro registration district which included Philleigh in April 1861, was John’s daughter Grace who was 19, and his son John who was 17, both of them confirmed as having been born at Philleigh. Twelve years after that census day, John Collett of Philleigh passed away at the age of 64, following which he was buried with his late wife in the churchyard at Philleigh on 25^th June 1873

21P50 - Grace Collett was born in 1841 at Philleigh

21P51 - John James Collett was born in 1843 at Philleigh

Fanny Collett [21O43] was born at Philleigh where she was baptised on 1^st March 1812. Twenty-seven years later she was still living at Philleigh when she married William Chipman on 1^st June 1839. Fifteen months later, Fanny Chipman presented her husband with a daughter Mary Chipman. When Mary was fourteen years old her grandfather William Collett died at the end of 1854 and, when his Will was proved at Philleigh in June 1855, it was her mother Fanny Chipman who was bequeathed Five Pounds, the same as her younger brother William Collett (below). However, at a later time in the child’s life it would appear that she altered her name

21P52 – Mary Chipman Collett was born in 1840 at St Just

William Collett [21O44] was born in 1815 at Philleigh, where he was baptised on 24^th November 1816. He was the youngest child of William Collett, and Ann Davey who died before William reached his third birthday, most likely during the birth to a further child, who also did not survive. Just over two months before the census in 1841, William married Asenath Dowrick at Philleigh on 27^th March 1841. By the time of the census William and Asenath were both 25 and, unbeknown to them at that time, Asenath would give birth to the couple’s first child towards the end of that year. Living with the couple at White Lane in Philleigh was James Lye and his wife Frances, nee Collett, the older sister of William’s father, both of them having a rounded age of 70

During the following nine years, a further four children were added to the family while they were living at White Lane in Philleigh. So, by 1851 the family living at White Lane was made up of William aged 34, who was an agricultural labourer, his wife Asenath who was 34 and a shopkeeper from Veryan, Mary Ann Collett who was nine, John Collett who was eight, Robert Collett who was seven, and James Collett who was five. Also living with the family was uncle and widower James Lye, aged 81 and from Philleigh, who was an agricultural labourer and a pauper. He was the husband of the late Frances Collett, who had been living with the family ten years earlier. Where their six-year-old daughter Sarah J Collett was at that time remains a mystery, while living in the property immediately next door to William and his family in 1851, was his cousin Alexander Collett (above) with his family. Following the death of William’s father in 1854, his Will was proved on 14^th June 1855 in which his son William Collett was bequeath Five Pounds

Ten years later in 1861, the family comprised William and Asenath who were both 44, and their children who were Mary aged 19, John aged 18, James aged 15, and Sarah who was 13. However, by 1871 when William and Asenath were both 54, they were still living at White Lane in Philleigh, where William was a farm labourer. The only child still living with them was their youngest daughter S J Collett aged 16. The age of their daughter, Sarah J Collett, is a cause for concern. In 1851, when she would have been three, she was missing from the family. In 1861 she was listed with them at the age of 13, but by 1871 she 16, rather than 23. Also, at that time in 1871, living next door to William and Asenath, was Asenath’s younger brother William Dowrick who was 49 and also a farm labourer like his brother-in-law. He was married to Elizabeth, and living with the couple was their six children ranging in age from six years to 21. And just three premises away from William and Asenath was travelling draper James Collett (Ref. 21P69) who was 34 and from Gorran, and with him his second wife Cecilia and the two children from his first marriage. James’ father, James Collett, was the cousin one-step-removed of William Collett

Near the end of the following year, Asenath Collett died at White Lane in Philleigh, where she was buried on 20^th December 1872, aged 56, with her death recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 100). After being widowed, William would appear to have followed his brother Robert Davey Collett (above) who left Philleigh when he moved to the nearby village of Treworthal, although still within the parish of Philleigh. In 1881 widower William Collett, at the age of 64, was still working as an agricultural labourer, and the only person living at Treworthal with him was his housekeeper, 35-year-old spinster Ann Greet of Philleigh. Just less than three years after that census day, the marriage by banns took place at the Parish Church of Philleigh on 12^th January 1884 of widower William Collett, the son of William Collett a labourer, and Ann Greet the daughter of labourer Joshua Greet. While Ann signed the wedding register in her own hand, her much older husband made the mark of a cross

21P53 – Mary Ann Collett was born in 1841 at Philleigh

21P54 – John Kitto Collett was born in 1842 at Philleigh

21P55 – Robert Davey Collett was born in 1843 at Philleigh

21P56 – James Henry Ann Collett was born in 1845 at Philleigh

21P57 – Sarah J Collett was born in 1847 at Philleigh

Peter Collett [21O45] was baptised at Philleigh on 21^st May 1797 and was conceived out of wedlock when he was born just over four months after his parents had married. He was the first-born child of Hugh Collett and Rebecca Mills. Peter was a blacksmith and he married Margery Broad at Ruan Lanihorne on 26^th August 1820. Margery was born at Charlestown, overlooking St Austell Bay, and was baptised there at Holy Trinity Church on 16^th March 1794, the daughter of John and Catherine Broad. Once married Peter and Margery settled in Philleigh, where all of their children were born. And it was at Philleigh where the family was still living in June 1841. Blacksmith Peter’s rounded age was 40, whereas his wife, who was 45, was referred to as Margaret. With the couple were their daughters Susanna, Jane and Catherine, and their son Peter. The absence of their first son Samuel and daughter Catherine in 1841 and all of the following census records, would seem to indicate they were both subject to infant death

By 1851 the family was living at Church Town in the Philleigh and comprised Peter aged 54, who was then a master blacksmith from Philleigh, his wife Margery who was 57 and from St Austell, their married daughter Jane Ward who was 25, and their son Peter who was 15. Also living with the family at that time was the couple’s nephew Francis Collett aged 17. He was an apprentice blacksmith from Gorran and was presumably being trained by his uncle Peter. Francis eventually married Peter’s youngest daughter Catherine, even though they were cousins, the married couple still living with Peter and Margery in 1861. The census confirmed that Peter Collett was 64 and that he and his wife Margery, aged 67, were residing in Philleigh and living there with them was married daughter Catherine and husband Francis Collett. By that time Peter Collett was no longer a blacksmith, but was a farmer of six acres. Just over four months later Margery Collett died on 20^th August 1861 at the age of 67, and was buried on 23^rd August 1861. Four years later her husband Peter Collett died at Philleigh on 3^rd July 1865 aged 68. He was buried on 6^th July 1865 alongside his wife in the same grave in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church, where a single headstone marks the spot (see Headstone Epitaphs)

The Will of Peter Collett, made on 24^th June 1865, was proved at Bodmin on 21^st July 1865 by the oath of Peter Collett, the son, and is reproduced here. “I Peter Collett of the parish of Philleigh in the County of Cornwall Farmer do make this last will and Testament as follows after paying all my just debts I do give and bequeath unto my daughter Jane Ward that part of my leasehold property situated in Philleigh Church Town consisting of a dwelling house and garden and now occupied by John Williams

I do give and bequeath unto my grandson Samuel Ferrell the Sum of Five Pounds of lawful money and I do also give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Mary Ferrell the Sum of Five Pounds of lawful money and I do will that my executors shall deposit in the Savings Bank the Five Pounds I have given to each of my grandchildren until my grandchildren attain twenty-one years of age and then my executors shall hand over the Five Pounds with the interest unto each of my grandchildren

All the rest and remainder of my property or household property or Farm Stock and all the property that I may die possessed of I do give devise and bequeath unto my son Peter Collett and my daughter Catherine Collett equally divided between them the shall share and share alike and I do also nominate and appoint my son Peter Collett and my son-in-law Francis Collett to be my executors of this my Last Will and Testament witness my hand thereunto this twenty fourth day of June One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty Five”

Peter Collett of Phillack was his only surviving son, while his daughter Jane Ward was the former Jane Broad Collett. The two grandchildren Samuel and Mary Ferrell were the children of Peter’s eldest daughter Susanna. The witnesses to the signing of the Will were Ann Billing Ball, nee Collett, Peter’s niece, and William Olivey who was probably a relative of Elizabeth Olivey who married James Bohenna Collett (above). In 1851, bachelor William Olivey of Gerrans was 25 and a farmer of 90 acres employing two labourers, when he was living in the Church Town area of Philleigh

21P58 – Susanna Collett was born in 1821 at Philleigh

21P59 – Samuel Collett was born in 1823 at Philleigh

21P60 – Jane Broad Collett was born in 1825 at Philleigh

21P61 – Catherine Collett was born in 1827 at Philleigh

21P62 – Catherine Collett was born in 1830 at Philleigh

21P63 – Peter Collett was born in 1836 at Philleigh

James Collett [21O46] was baptised at Philleigh on 6^th November 1798, another son of Hugh Collett and Rebecca Mills. It was also at Philleigh on 4^th January 1821 that James Collett married Philippa Whetter, the daughter of the late Jacob Whetter and his wife Mary Odger, who had been born around 1801. Upon the death of Jacob Whetter, his widow Mary had married John Bohenna Collett, the brother of Hugh Collett who was James’ father. James Collett was a blacksmith and he died at Philleigh during the first week of April in 1838 and was buried there on 7^th April 1838. Following his death, his widow left Philleigh and moved to the village of Gorran, where she was recorded in the first national census conducted in June 1841. Philippa Collett had a rounded age of 40, while listed living with her were just three of her children, they being Mary who was ten, Francis who was seven, and Joseph who was two years old. Sadly, because of her situation, Philippa Collett was described as a pauper. Philippa and all three of her children were confirmed as having been born at Gorran near Mevagissey. It was just five years later that Philippa passed away during 1846

21P64 – Ann Billing Collett was born in 1825 at St Gorran

21P65 – Susanna Collett was born in 1827 at St Gorran

21P66 – Susan Collett was born in 1829 at St Gorran

21P67 – Mary Collett was born in 1831 at St Gorran

21P68 – Francis Collett was born in 1833 at St Gorran

21P69 – James Collett was born in 1836 at St Gorran

21P70 – Joseph Collett was born in 1841 at St Gorran

Rebecca Collett [21O47] was baptised at Philleigh on 2^nd November 1800, the third child and eldest daughter of Hugh Collett and Rebecca Mills. It was also at Philleigh where she married yeoman Richard Chenoweth of St Just in Roseland on 22^nd July 1820. It seems very likely that Rebecca was with child at the time of their wedding and that once married the couple returned to Philleigh where their first child was born four months after the day of their marriage. Over the next five years the family appear to have left Philleigh and moved the three miles south to St Just-in-Roseland where their second child was born before moving back to Philleigh where their third and fourth children were born. However, sometime during 1826 and 1827 the family made a permanent move to St Just-in-Roseland where the couple’s remaining children were born and where Richard died on 15^th April 1878. Richard had been born at Cubert just south-west of Newquay in Cornwall on 24^th July 1788

The children of Richard and Rebecca were Betsy Chenoweth (born at Philleigh in 1820), Josepha (see below), Ann Chenoweth and John Chenoweth (born at Philleigh on 31^st October 1824 and 25^th December 1825), Thomas, Richard, Francis (see below), Peter Collett Chenoweth (born at St Just-in-Roseland on 10^th August 1834), and Simon (see below)

Josepha Chenoweth was born at St Just-in-Roseland on 24^th February 1822 and it was there also that she married John Mitchell Hooker on 10^th May 1840. Between 1851 and 1854 Josepha and John left St Just-in-Roseland with their first six children, who had been born there, and moved to London. A further four children were added to the family in London, all of whom were born at Shoreditch. By the time of the 1881 the family was living at 45 Wenlock Street in Shoreditch and comprised carpenter John aged 60, his wife Josepha aged 59, with children Ann 34, Mary a tie maker aged 30, John 26 a warehouseman, Josepha and Thirza aged 24 and 21 who were also tie makers, and Richard a picture framer maker aged 19. See below for the continuation for Richard Francis Chenoweth Hooker

In addition to their own children, Josepha and John also had three of their grandchildren living with them. The first of them was Fred Hooker aged 16 who was working as a junior clerk. He was born at Ruan in Cornwall and was the son of Joseph Hooker (born in 1840), the couple’s oldest son. The other two grandchildren were the children of their oldest daughter Anne (born in 1846) who had married Philip Newton. And they were grandson George Newton aged 15 who was a junior clerk, and his sister Lily aged 13 who was still at school. All of the London born children, including the two grandchildren, were listed as having been born at Hoxton, rather than Shoreditch. Within ten years of that census day Josepha died at Islington on 3^rd January 1889, while her husband John passed away twelve years later on 16^th March 1901 when living at Hackney

Richard Francis Chenoweth Hooker was born at Shoreditch in London on 12^th June 1861. By 1881 he was working as a picture frame maker and was living in the family home at 45 Wenlock Street in Shoreditch. Just over four years later on 11^th July 1885 he married Sarah Eliza Zeall at Shoreditch. During the first ten years of their marriage, they had six children; Richard (1886-1918); Eleanor Mary Hooker (see below); Annie (1888-1918); Elsie (1892-1933); Stanley (1893-1893); and Edwin (1894-?). Richard 39 and Sarah 40 were living in Hackney with their children in 1901, where Richard was still employed as a picture frame maker. Sarah, who was born at Shoreditch on 7^th March 1861, died at Hackney on 20^th January 1933. Richard survived as a widower for a further eight years before he passed away on 8^th December 1940 while he was living at Hendon. Eleanor Mary Hooker was born at Hackney on 19^th March 1887. She married Thom Parsons on 29^th July 1911 at Shoreditch with whom she had two children, Stanley Thomas Parsons (see below) and Constance (born 1920). Both Eleanor and Thom died at Loughton in Essex, Eleanor on 10^th September 1965 followed less than two years later her husband in June 1967. Stanley Thomas Parsons was born at Hackney in London on 22^nd July 1914. He married Winifred Margaret Webster at Broughty Ferry in Dundee on 12^th January 1946, Margaret having been born at Lochee on 9^th June 1911. The marriage produced just one child for the couple who was born at Oxford. Sadly, Stanley and Winifred died within four months of each other. First Stanley died at Loughton in Essex on 5^th September 1993 and was followed by his wife on 20^th December 1993, but at Nottingham where she was living with her Gordon Stanley Parsons. He was born at Oxford on 17^th September 1947 and he married Joy Shaw at Nottingham on 17^th August 1974 and it was there that the couple had four children. Joy Shaw was born at Nottingham on 21^st October 1954. The four children were David Robert Parsons (born 7^th August 1979), Christopher Mark Parsons (born 23^rd December 1980), Jennifer Louise Parsons (born 2^nd February 1984), and Jonathan Ross Parsons (born 27^th May 1988). And it was the aforementioned David Robert Parsons who kindly supplied the details of his family line and provided details of the excellent website of Cornish birth, death and marriages which has been extensively used in the update of this file.

Thomas Chenoweth was born at St Just on 13^th February 1828. Just before the census of 1851 he married Jane who was born at Veryan in 1830. The census that year recorded the couple living at Treworthal where 23 years old Thomas was a blacksmith

Richard Philips Chenoweth was born on 28^th February 1830 at St Just-in-Roseland. In 1860 he married Elizabeth Williams Tyzzer of St Austell. The banns were read in St just on three consecutive weeks commencing on 29^th July 1860. He was a farmer of 47 acres and lived all his life in St Just-in-Roseland where he was buried on 6^th November 1890. Nine and a half years before he died, he was living at Churchtown Farm in St Just-in-Roseland with his wife Elizabeth and their three children, William aged 19, Josepha aged 13 and Elizabeth aged 10. Their son Joseph was not listed anywhere in the UK in 1881. The full baptism details of Richard’s children are as follows: William Richard Chenoweth (bapt. 23.02.1862); Joseph Phillips Chenoweth (bapt. 28.10.1863); Josepha Jane Chenoweth (bapt. 17.12.1867); and Elizabeth Mary Chenoweth (bapt. 23.06.1870)

Francis Collett Chenoweth was born at St Just-in-Roseland on 1^st April 1832. He married Gemma Thomas around 1858, Gemma having been born at Gorran in 1834. All three of their children were born at St Just-in-Roseland. According to the 1881 Census Francis aged 49 was a farmer like his older brother Richard (above) and was living at Methrose in Gorran with his wife Emma, rather than Gemma, who was aged 48. The couple’s first five children were born at St Just, while the next three were born at Gorran. Son Charles was listed as a carpenter, while the two oldest sons and two oldest daughters were simply listed as farmer’s sons and farmer’s daughters. The eight children were: Richard Chenoweth (born 1859); John J Chenoweth (born 1860); Charles Chenoweth, the carpenter (born 1863); Rebecca Collett Chenoweth (born 02.10.1866); Maria Chenoweth (born 1868); Ralph Chenoweth (born 1870); Frederick Chenoweth (born 1876); and Jane Chenoweth (born 1878)

Simon Chenoweth was born at St Just-in-Roseland on 1^st May 1836. He was a carpenter and he married Elizabeth around 1870 with whom he had four children, the first two being born at St Just and the other two at Gerrans. It was at Portscatho in Gerrans that the family was living in 1881. The children were: Elizabeth R Chenoweth (born 1873); Charles Chenoweth (born 1875); John Chenoweth (born 1877); and Frederick Chenoweth (born 1887)

Francis Cock Collett [21O48] was born at Philleigh and was baptised there on 29^th May 1803, one of the sons of Hugh and Rebecca Collett. His second name came from his maternal grandmother’s maiden-name. He married Sarah Johns in 1832 at Leinster in Ireland. Sarah was born at Polperro in 1812 and may well have been the niece of Elizabeth Johns who married James Ward in 1802 (21N31). After about three or four years together Sarah presented Francis with their first child who was born while the couple was living at Wexford in Ireland, and not long after that, the young family made their way to Kent and settled in the Seasalter area of Whitstable, where the couple’s next four children were born. Curiously no record of the family has been found with the Whitstable census of 1841

Around the middle of the next decade the family left Kent when Francis was offered the job of coast guard on the Scilly Isles, and it was at Tresco that their last four children were born, although not all of them survived beyond childhood. It was also at Tresco where the family was living when the next census was conducted in 1851. Francis C Collett from Philleigh was 48 and a Commissioned Boatman and a Revenue Coast Guard. On that occasion his wife was described as Sally Collett who was 38 and from Talland in Cornwall, possibly a reference to Talland Hill in Polperro. Listed with the couple were six of their children, daughter Mary having died by then. The six surviving children were Sarah Johns Collett who was 14 and from Wexford in Ireland who had no occupation, Grace Collett from Seasalter in Kent who was 12 and still attending school, as was Rebecca who was 10, Susannah who was eight and William Francis Collett who was six, while Joseph Mills Collett aged two years had been born after the family had set up home in Tresco

However, by the time of the census in 1861 only two members of the family were still living in the Scilly Isles, while the remainder of the family had moved to Falmouth, minus daughter Rebecca who was married by then. It was the two oldest daughters Sarah and Grace, then in their early twenties who had stayed on in Scilly, when Francis aged 59 and Sarah aged 49 were living in Falmouth with their daughter Susan and their sons William, Joseph and Richard. The couple’s two missing children had been subject to infant deaths prior to that time

Sometime during the 1860s Francis and Sarah made their final return to the Scilly Isles where there were recorded as living in 1871 aged 68 and 59 respectively. The only children living with them on that occasion were their unmarried daughter Grace and their youngest son Richard. Just eighteen months after the census day Francis Cock Collett died at St Mary’s in the Scilly Isles where he was buried on 14^th October 1872 aged 70. At the time of the marriages of four of Francis’ children, his occupation was noted in the St Mary’s parish records on each occasion as being a lifeguard. Following the death of her husband his widow Sarah went to live with her daughter Susan at her home on The Parade in St Mary’s where she was living in 1881. The census return confirmed that she was 68 years of age and had been born at Polperro. Her daughter, the widow Susan Rogers, was 38 and had five children under the age of fifteen. As head of the house, she was the landlady running a lodging house at St Mary’s where her mother Sarah Collett was listed as assistant housekeeper. There was no census record for Sarah in 1891 so it must be assumed that she had died sometime during the 1880s

21P71 – Sarah Johns Collett was born in 1836 at Wexford in Ireland

21P72 – Grace Collett was born in 1838 at Seasalter, Whitstable

21P73 – Rebecca Collett was born in 1840 at Seasalter, Whitstable

21P74 – Susannah Collett was born in 1842 at Seasalter, Whitstable

21P75 – William Francis Collett was born in 1844 at Seasalter, Whitstable

21P76 – Mary Johns Collett was born in 1846 at Tresco, Scilly Isles

21P77 –Joseph Mills Collett was born in 1848 at Tresco, Scilly Isles

21P78 – Richard James Collett was born in 1852 at Tresco, Scilly Isles

21P79 – Frances Collett was born in 1857 at Tresco, Scilly Isles

Hugh Collett [21O49] was born in 1805 at Philleigh, where he baptised on 8^th December 1805 another son of Hugh and Rebecca Collett. He was a blacksmith and on 12^th December 1837 at Philleigh he married his second cousin Elizabeth Ward who was baptised at Philleigh on 23^rd November 1806. She was the daughter of James Ward and Elizabeth Johns (Ref. 21N31). All of their children were born and baptised at St Michael Penkevil, just two miles south-east of Truro, which is where the family was living in June 1841, when Hugh Collett was a blacksmith at the age of 36. In the census of 1861, the family comprised Hugh 55 and Elizabeth 54, and their children Joshua 23, Ellen 20, James 18, and Hugh who was 14. Over the next ten years more members of the family left home leaving just Hugh aged 66, his wife aged 65, and son Hugh who was 24, together in 1871, when both father and son were working together in the family business as blacksmiths. And it was at St Michael Penkevil that Hugh Collett died at the age of 74 on 15^th February 1879. Just over five years later his wife Elizabeth also died there aged 77 and her death was recorded on 10^th May 1884. Rather strangely, there was no apparent record of her in the 1881 Census

21P80 – Joshua Collett was born in 1837 at St Michael Penkevil

21P81 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1839 at St Michael Penkevil

21P82 – Ellen Collett was born in 1840 at St Michael Penkevil

21P83 – James Collett was born in 1842 at St Michael Penkevil

21P84 – Hugh Collett was born in 1846 at St Michael Penkevil

21P85 – Henry Collett was born in 1848 at St Michael Penkevil

21P86 – Emma Collett was born in 1849 at St Michael Penkevil

Susanna Collett [21O50] was baptised at Philleigh on 1^st November 1807, the second daughter of Hugh and Rebecca Collett. Tragically, she died when she was only nine years old and was buried at Philleigh on 18^th January 1816

Grace Collett [21O51] was born at Philleigh around 1810, but sadly died a few months after and was buried at Philleigh on 21^st May 1811, another daughter of Hugh and Rebecca Collett

Grace Collett [21O52] was born at Gorran in 1812 and was baptised in Philleigh at St Philleigh Church on 10^th January 1813 and was named in the memory of her older sister who had been buried there just one year earlier. She was the youngest and the second surviving daughter of Hugh and Rebecca Collett. It would appear that, when she was in her mid-twenties, Grace was still living in the family home where she contracted the same illness as her younger brother Joshua (below), since both of them died in 1837. Grace Collett, daughter of Hugh and Rebecca, died on 5^th May 1837 aged 24 and was buried with her brother Joshua in a joint grave in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church, where a single headstone marked the plot (see Headstone Epitaphs)

Joshua Collett [21O53] was born at Gorran and, like his sister Grace (above), was baptised at St Philleigh Church on 29^th March 1818, the last of the children of Hugh Collett and Rebecca Mills. He was still apparently living at the family home when he was in his late teenage years, where that he contracted the same illness as his sister Grace, both of them suffering a premature died in the middle of 1837. Joshua was nineteen when he died on 17^th June 1837, just over a month after his sister, and was buried with her at Philleigh (see Headstone Epitaphs). A joint headstone marks the siblings’ grave in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church in the village there. The inscription reads “Here lie the mortal remains of Grace, daughter of Hugh and Rebecca Collett who died May 5^th 1837 aged 25 years. Also of Joshua her brother who died June 17^th 1837 aged 19 years”

William Odgers Collett [21O54] was born at Gorran near Mevagissey on 6^th July 1810 where he was baptised on 5^th August 1810. He was the first of the three children of John Bohenna Collett and Mary Odgers. William married (1) Catherine Vivian at Camborne on 14^th September 1833 with whom he had two sons, John and Henry who were both born at Camborne. Tragically, just shortly after the birth of their second child Catherine died. According to the census in June 1841 William was a widower and was living and working in the St Austell & Truro registration district, while his two young sons John aged seven, and Henry aged five, were being cared for at Camborne by the Vivian family, William’s mother-in-law and father-in-law. The surname of the two boys was incorrectly recorded as Collet

On 9^th November 1841 William married (2) Jane Miners in Truro. Judging by the various ages stated for her in subsequent census records, Jane was just under ten years younger than her husband and had been born around 1820. Sometime around 1848, the family took up occupancy of Treluckey Mill near Cuby-with-Tregony (see picture below) where six of their children were born, although it is now known that three earlier children were born at St Michael Caerhays prior to that. By 2015, some of the outbuildings at Treluckey Mill had been converted into holiday cottages. Once he had remarried, William’s two eldest sons from his first marriage, John and Henry, returned to live with their father and his new wife. The 1851 Census for the Truro & Probus registration district recorded the two boys as living with William aged 40, and Jane who was 33, at Treluckey Mill, midway between Cuby-with-Tregony and St Michael Caerhays.

And again, just like in 1841, the family surname was also incorrectly written but, on that occasion, it was written as Collick, when William’s sons were recorded as John Collick who was 17, and Henry Collick who was 15. The other children listed with William and Jane at Treluckey Mill in 1851, were Mary Collick who was seven, William Collick who was six, George Collick who was four and James Collick who was one year old

By the time of the next census in 1861 the family residing at Treluckey Mill was almost complete. William Collett was 50 and a miller who gave his place of birth as St Ewe, his wife Jane was 41 and from Tregony, while the children then living with them were named as Mary J Collett who was 17 from St Michael Caerhays, George who was 13 and also born at St Michael Caerhays, James who was 12 and still at school, Joshua who was nine and also a scholar, Elizabeth A Collett who was seven, Susan E Collett who was six, Eden who was four, and Fanny who was two years old. All of the younger children were confirmed as having been born at Cuby, a reference to Treluckey Mill. Missing from the family on the day of that census were William’s three oldest sons who had already left home to make their own way in world by then

During the next ten years some of the older children left the family home and that may have been the reason why they left Treluckey Mill, because it was at 3 Stanbury Row in Cuby-with-Tregony that the reduced family was recorded on the day of the next census in 1871. By then the family comprised William Collett from Gorran who was 60 and an aged labourer from Gorran, Jane who was 51 and from Tregony, plus their three daughters, Mary who was 27 and working on a farm, as was Eden who was 13, and Fanny who was 12 and still at school. Completing the family was their newest son Edwin Collett who was six years old. By 1881 William and Jane were 70 and 59 respectively when they were living at 29 Flore Street in Tregony St James with just the couple’s youngest son Edwin who had been born at Cuby-with-Tregony. Both father and son were employed as agricultural labourers. At the time of his death in 1895 William Odgers Collett was living at George Street in Kenwyn, on the outskirts of Truro, where he was buried on 6^th July 1895 aged 85. Following the death of her husband Jane moved from George Street to 1 Andrew Place in Truro. She survived for another five years before she died there and was buried with William at Kenwyn on 14^th January 1900 aged 79

21P87 – John Vivian Collett was born in 1833 at Camborne

21P88 – Henry Collett was born in 1835 at Camborne

21P89 – George Collett was born in 1842 at Cuby-with-Tregony

21P90 – Mary J Collett was born in 1843 at St Michael Caerhays

21P91 – William Collett was born in 1845 at St Michael Caerhays

21P92 – George Collett was born in 1847 at St Michael Caerhays

21P93 – James Collett was born in 1849 at Treluckey Mill, Cuby

21P94 – Joshua Collett was born in 1851 at Treluckey Mill, Cuby

21P95 – Elizabeth A Collett was born in 1853 at Treluckey Mill, Cuby

21P96 – Susan E Collett was born in 1854 at Treluckey Mill, Cuby

21P97 – Eden Collett was born in 1856 at Treluckey Mill, Cuby

21P98 – Fanny Collett was born in 1858 at Treluckey Mill, Cuby

21P99 – Edwin Collett was born in 1864 at Cuby-with-Tregony

Mary Odgers Collett [21O55] was born at Gorran in 1812 and was the eldest daughter of John Bohenna Collett and Mary Odgers. Twenty years later, on 20^th December 1832, Mary Odgers Collett married inn keeper Richard Remfrey Harris who was born at Philleigh in 1806

Margery Odgers Collett [21O56] was born at Gorran in 1815, the last of the three children of John Bohenna Collett and his wife Mary Odgers. It was many years later when in her late thirties, that she later married Thomas Hugh during the December quarter of 1851 within the St Austell registration district

Elizabeth Collett [21P1] was born at Treworthal but was baptised at Philleigh 15^th May 1834, the first child born to Amos Collett and Elizabeth Lamerton. She was seven years old in the 1841 Census and was living with her family at Treworthal in the parish of Philleigh, where her brother Charles (below) had died less than four years earlier. It was during the following year that there was an outbreak of typhus fever at Treworthal and within the space of eleven days Elizabeth and two of her younger siblings died. Elizabeth Collett was buried at Philleigh churchyard on 15^th July 1842 in the grave already occupied by her brother Charles. Two days later her second brother named Charles was buried there, followed nine days after that by her sister Catherine, the last of the current batch of children of Amos Collett and Elizabeth Dash. Just over one year later Amos and Elizabeth were blessed with the birth of their final child, who tragically passed away before reaching four years of age

Charles Collett [21P2] was born at Treworthal and was baptised at the parish church in Philleigh on 3^rd September 1836. He was the second child of Amos and Elizabeth Collett, and was just five months old when he died and was buried at Philleigh church on 5^th February 1837

Charles Collett [21P3] was born at Treworthal and was baptised at Philleigh on 3^rd June 1838. He was named in memory of his older sibling and namesake who had died during the year before he was born. Charles was three years old in the Treworthal census of 1841, but it was the typhus fever in 1842 which wiped out Charles and his four siblings, following which he was buried at Philleigh on 17^th July 1842

Catherine Collett [21P4] was born at Treworthal during the summer of 1840 and was baptised at Philleigh on 3^rd January 1841. At the time of the Treworthal census in June 1841 Catherine was recorded as being one year old. Sadly, just thirteen months later, when she was two years of age, Catherine Collett was yet another victim of typhus fever and was buried at Philleigh church with her siblings on 26^th July 1842

Elizabeth Ann Collett [21P5] was born at Treworthal and like all of her siblings she was baptised at Philleigh in a christening ceremony held on 13^th August 1843. By that time in her young life, her parents had already suffered the great loss of all of their four earlier children; while further tragedy struck the family before Elizabeth reached four years of age when she died and was buried at Philleigh on 24^th March 1847. The deaths of all five siblings were confirmed by the headstone at the grave of their mother Elizabeth Collett, formerly Lamerton nee Dash, and their father Amos Collett, which included the line “Also in remembrance of 5 children of the above who died in their infancy” (see Headstone Epitaphs)

Thomas Collett [21P6] was born at Liskeard on 8^th September 1824, the only known child of Thomas Collett of Gerrans and Susanna Carpenter before they set off to a new life in Ohio, America. Thomas junior was baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Liskeard on 20^th September 1824, but what happened to him in America has still to be discovered

Lucretia Bohenna Collett [21P7] was born at Philleigh in 1821, and was baptised there on 4^th November 1821, the first-born child of James Bohenna Collett and Elizabeth Olivey. Tragically, she was only eighteen years of age when she died at Philleigh, her death recorded at Truro (Ref. ix 188) during the second quarter of 1840. Unlike the record of her death, which included her full name, when she was buried at Philleigh parish church on 5^th June 1840, she was simply described as Lucretia Collett of Church Town, Philleigh. Almost exactly twenty years after her passing, her namesake Lucretia Bohenna Collett aged just two years also died and was buried at Philleigh on 7^th May 1860. Whose child she was is still a mystery

Catherine Collett [21P8] was born at Philleigh in 1822 and it was there that she was baptised a few months later on 6^th March 1823. According to the census for White Lane in Philleigh in 1851, Catherine Collett was twenty-eight years of age and a spinster and a school-mistress. Living with her at that time was 14-year-old lodger Grace Jell of Philleigh who was the daughter of an agricultural labourer

Susanna Collett [21P9] was born at Philleigh and was baptised there on 5^th September 1824, another daughter of James Bohenna Collett and Elizabeth Olivey. Just prior to her twenty-fourth birthday she gave birth to a base-born child whose birth was recorded at Truro in 1848 as Lucretia Rundle Collett. The child was named in honour of Susanna’s deceased older sister (above), while the middle name would appear to suggest the father was a member of the Rundle family, into which Susanna was later married. The baptism entry for the child recorded that ‘the mother was Susannah Collett, a farmer’s daughter living at Church Town, Philleigh’ and that the said child Lucretia Collett was ‘privately received into the parish church on 27^th August 1848’, having already been privately baptised at home nearly two months earlier

Shortly after the birth of her base-born daughter, Susanna Collett married James Rundle of Veryan, the son of William and Hannah Rundle, who may have been the child’s father. It is of special interest that Susanna’s sister Grace Olivey Collett (below) married Samuel Rundle in 1850, the brother of James Rundle. Prior to the census in 1851, Susanna gave birth to two more children and, by that census day, the family of five was residing within the parish of Veryan, when James Rundle was 28, his wife Susanna Rundle from Philleigh was 27, and their three children were Lucretia Rundle who was three, James Collett Rundle who was one year old, and William H Rundle who was only five months old. Living with the family was Susanna’s widowed mother Elizabeth Collett who was 61

Two further children were added to their family before 1854 and, either during the birth or shortly after the second of them, Susanna Rundle nee Collett died, her death recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 94) during the third quarter of 1854. Her husband, then with five young children, married the widow Mary Davies who was nine years his senior. Once married, Mary’s son John Webb Davies also came to live with the family which, in 1861, was recorded at Veryan and comprised James Rundle who was 39, Mary Rundle who was 47, William H Rundle who was 10, Susan Rundle who was nine, Alfred Rundle who was seven, and John Webb Davies who was 17. By that time Lucretia Rundle (see below) had already entered into domestic service, as had James Collett Rundle at the age of 11, both of them employed in Veryan

James Rundle senior and his family were once again recorded at Veryan in the census of 1871 and, although daughter Lucretia was still absent, James Rundle junior had returned to the family home by then. James was 48, his second wife Mary was 57, and his three sons were James Collett Rundle who was 21, William Harry Rundle who was 20 and Alfred Peter Rundle who was 17. All three sons had been born at Veryan. Still living with the family was Mary’s son John Webb Davies who was 27. The death of James Rundle on 24^th February 1889 revealed that he and his son William Henry Rundle were carpenters by trade, with probate granted to son William Henry at Bodmin on 28^th March 1889

Lucretia Rundle Collett was born at Church Town in Philleigh in 1848, and was the base-born child of Susanna Collett, a farmer’s daughter, whose birth as Lucretia Rundell Collett was recorded at Truro (Ref. ix 318) during the second quarter of that year. She was privately baptised (at home) on 1^st July 1848 and was later received into Philleigh parish church on 27^th August 1848, when her mother was confirmed as Susannah Collett, while no name was given for the father. Not long after she was born her mother married James Rundle, who may have been her father, the marriage recorded at Truro (Ref. 9 362) during the third quarter of 1848. After settling in Veryan, Lucretia’s mother gave birth to four more children before she suffered a premature death during the summer of 1854. For the earlier Veryan census in 1851, Lucretia Rundle aged three years, was living with her mother Susanna and James Rundle and two younger siblings while, on leaving school, Lucretia entered into domestic service and was not living with James Rundle and his second wife Mary on the day of the census in 1861

On that day, 13-year-old Lucretia Rundle from Veryan was a child’s maid at the Veryan home of the Spiby family, while ten years later Lucretia Collett Rundle from Philleigh was 22 and was employed as a cook at the Truro St Marys’ home of elderly Elizabeth Holland from London. It was six years after that when Lucretia Collett Rundle married widower William John Truscott who was born at Truro in 1843, their marriage recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 209) during the second quarter of 1877. William was a carpenter and his first wife Elizabeth Ann had died during the third quarter of 1876, leaving William with four young children, Henry, Fanny, Elizabeth and Edith. Over the following years, Lucretia presented William with three sons and another daughter, the first of them born prior to the census in 1881, when the family was residing at Carclew Street in Kenwyn

In 1881 William John Truscott from Truro was 37, his wife was listed as Lucretia Collett Truscott aged 33 and from Philleigh, the stepmother of his four children. They were all born at Truro and were Henry Truscott, an errand boy of 13, daughters Fanny Emma Truscott 10, Elizabeth Jane Truscott who was eight and Edith Mary Truscott who was six. Lucretia’s first child fathered by William was named as Samuel John Rundell Truscott was aged two months, who tragically died during the first three months of 1882. Ten years later the family was still living at Carclew Street in Kenwyn when carpenter William was 47, Lucretia was 45, Fanny was 21, Elizabeth was 18, Edith was 16, Frederick was eight and Sybil E L Truscott was seven years old. According to the next census in 1901 the family home was once again in Carclew Street in Kenwyn, by which time the family comprised William, a house carpenter aged 57, his wife Lucretia from Philleigh who was 53, unmarried Edith who was 26, Frederick who was 18 and latest arrival Ernest A Truscott who was nine years of age. The census in 1911 again recorded the couple still at Kenwyn where William J Truscott was 67 and Lucretia Collett Truscott was 63

Lucretia Collett Truscott of 23 Carclew Street was 66 years old when she died at the end of July in 1914 and was buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in Truro on 2^nd August 1914. She was survived by her older husband who eventually passed away at Truro, where his death was recorded (Ref. 5c 160) during the second quarter of 1928 when he was 84. It should be noted that Lucretia’s aunt was Grace Olivey Collett (Ref. 21P10), the sister of Lucretia’s mother Susanna Collett (Ref. 21P9), and that Grace Olivey Collett married Samuel Rundle (Rundell) in 1850

Grace Olivey Collett [21P10] was born at Philleigh where she was baptised on 28^th January 1827. Her second name came from her mother’s maiden-name. She later married Samuel Rundle at Philleigh on 30^th April 1850, the son of William and Hannah Rundle and the brother of James Rundle who married Grace’s sister Susanna (above). According to the subsequent census returns, Grace and Samuel lived at Church Town in Philleigh, but never had any children. Samuel’s occupation was that of a boot and shoe maker up until the late 1870s when, in 1881 he was described as a grocer. They were still together and residing in Church Town in 1891 when Samuel was 66 and Grace was 65. Grace Olivey, the beloved wife of Samuel Rundle, died on 7^th May 1894 at the age of 67 and was buried in the churchyard at Veryan on 10^th May 1894. Widower Samuel Rundle was 76 and a farm merchant by the time of the census in 1901, when he was living alone in Church Town. Although no record of him has been located in 1911, it was on 27^th August 1913 that Samuel Rundle died at the age of 89, as confirmed by the joint headstone with his wife and the record of his death at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 137) during the third quarter of 1913

Peter Collett [21P11] was born at Philleigh and was baptised there on 28^th January 1831, but did not survive, and was buried at Philleigh two days later on 30^th January 1831, the youngest child of James Bohenna Collett and Elizabeth Olivey

Mollison Henry Collett [21P12] was born at Dawlish in Devon during the first three months of 1827. It was there also, at the Independent Church, that he was baptised as Mollison Collett on 28^th March 1827, the eldest child of Thomas Collett and Frances Knighton. He was still living at Dawlish with his family in 1841, when the census that year listed him as Mollison Collett aged 14, and again in 1851 at Brook Street in Dawlish where Mollisson H Collett was 24 and a grocer, one of only two children still living with their parents. During the 1850s he left the family home in Dawlish and travelled to London where, in 1861, Henry Collett from Dawlish aged 33 was lodging at High Holborn within the St George Bloomsbury district of the city. At that time in his life, he was described as the manager of an Italian warehouse. Only one other Collett was recorded in that same registration area, and that was Julia Collett who was 19

Ten years later in 1871 Henry Collett aged 45 (sic) and from Dawlish, was lodging with the widow Anne Siems and her family at 43 Southampton Row in Bloomsbury. Anne was 55 and her family comprised Emma Siems who was 26, Edwards Siems who was 23, and Anne Siems who was 19. Three other people were also lodging at that address. Just over seven years later, on 26^th June 1878 at Great Queens Street Chapel in St Giles-in-the-Fields & St George-in-Bloomsbury, bachelor Mollison Henry Collett aged 51, a grocer, married spinster Emma Ann Siems of London who was 34. By that time Mollison was living at 117 Dulwich Road, Herne Hill near Brixton. The groom’s father was confirmed as Thomas Collett deceased, a minister, while the bride’s father was named as John George Siems deceased, a carver and gilder, her mother being the aforementioned Ann Siems (Sims). The marriage register was signed by both of them, and the witnesses were Robert Ireland and Emma’s mother Anne Siems

Once they were married the couple lived at 117 Dulwich Road, overlooking Brockwell Park, where they were recorded at the time of the 1881 Census. In the few short years since their wedding day Mollison Henry Collett from Dawlish had changed his occupation from being that of a grocer and a manager of a warehouse, to being that of furrier at the age of 52. His wife was named as Emma Ann Collett aged 36 and from London. Like her mother, Emma also took in boarders as a source of income, and staying with the couple on that occasion were three professional people, Eleanor Rigo who was 53 and a British Subject from France, William Bolton, aged 35, a general practitioner from Ireland, and widow Elizabeth Tarine, aged 55, a lady’s attendance from Sherbourne in Somerset. Sadly, for Emma, she was only married to Mollison for just over three years when, during the third quarter of 1881, Mollison Henry Collett died at 117 Dulwich Road, his death being recorded at the Lambeth register office (Ref. 1d 333). With no trace of his widow after 1881 it is possible that she re-married, since no record of an Emma Collett or Emma Ann Collett has been found in any later census records

CHARLES BENJAMIN COLLETT [21P13] was born at Dawlish on 18^th March 1829 and was baptised there at the Independent Church on 22^nd April 1829, the second son of Thomas and Frances Collett. In 1841 he was simply named as Charles Collett who was 12 years of age when he was living with his family at Dawlish. After leaving school it would appear that Charles’ work as a chemist took him to the outskirts of London, where he was recorded in 1851 at Windsor in Berkshire at the age of 23. Curiously no obvious record of him has been found within the census of 1861, and by 1871 he was living and working in the St Mary Major district of Exeter in Devon. The census that year described him as Charles Collett who was 42 and from Dawlish, whose domestic servant was Mary Tucker from Exeter who was 65. Five years later, during 1876, he married the much younger Tamar Harriet Harcourt Brown, who had been born at Plymouth in 1848, the wedding ceremony taking place in the grand setting of Exeter Cathedral

In the census of 1881 Charles Collett was living at 15 Holy Trinity West Green Road in Tottenham, London. He was listed in the census as being married, born at Dawlish, aged 52, and a chemist employing one boy. The only other person listed living with him at that address was a domestic servant, 16-year-old Sarah Harris of Bow. On that same census day his wife Tamar H H Collett, who was 33 years old and born at Plymouth, a chemist’s wife, was a visitor at 87 South Street in Exeter St Mary Major. That was the home of upholsterer William Northam and his family and the connection with the Collett family was through William’s wife Thirza who was also born at Plymouth. In fact, Thirza Northam, formerly Thirza Boon, was the sister of Tamar’s mother Harriet Brown nee Boon. Tragically, Harriet died within a month of giving birth to Tamar so the child was brought up and cared for jointly by her aunt Thirza and her parents John and Mary Boon, Tamar’s grandparents

At the time of the census in 1851, Tamar was three years old and was living at 142 Flora Street in Plymouth with her grandparents and her aunt Thirza Boon. John Boon was a mason, while 25-year-old Thirza was a dressmaker. Sadly, the marriage of Charles and Tamar only lasted for ten years, when Tamar Collett nee Harcourt Brown died during 1886 at the age of 38, possibly during the birth of the couple’s second child, who also did not survive. According to the census in 1891, Charles and his six-year-old son and namesake were living in the Lambeth area of London, when Charles Collett senior from Dawlish was 62 and his son was recorded as Charles H Collett. Tragically, Charles Benjamin Collett died nine years later in 1900 when his only son, who had been born at Edmonton, was just fourteen years of age

21Q1 – CHARLES HARCOURT COLLETT was born in 1884 at Edmonton, Middlesex

Emily Ellen Collett [21P14] was born at Dawlish during 1831 where she was baptised on 18^th December 1831, the only daughter of Thomas Collett and Frances Knighton. She was nine years old in the Dawlish census of 1841 and was 19 in 1851 when, on both occasions she was still living there with her parents, on the latter occasion at Brook Street in Dawlish. By April in 1861 she was no longer living with her elderly parents at Dawlish, but was living and working in the Bromley area of Kent when recorded as Emily E Collett aged 29. However, it was just over seventeen months later that she married Edward Mason on 18^th September 1862 at Bethnal Green, with whom she had four daughters. They were Ada Mason, born in 1863 at Bromley in Kent, Mabel Mason, born in 1867 at Windsor, as was Ethel Mason who was born in 1868, and Constance Mason who was born at Surbiton in 1871

Sadly, by April 1881, Emily had been made a widow following the death of her husband sometime during the previous decade. The census at that time recorded that Emily E Mason had been born in Dawlish and was 49 years of age. Living with her at 44 Brighton Road in Kingston-upon-Thames were her four daughters. Ada B Mason was 17 and was working as a dressmaker, Mabel B Mason was 14 and was working as a milliner, while Ethel M Mason aged 13, and Constance Mason, who was nine years old were both still attending the local school. Twenty years later, and just after the turn of the century, Emily Mason from Dawlish was 69 and was living with her daughter Ethel Mason at 77 Landor Road in Stockwell. Emily was listed as living on her own means, while Ethel, who was 32 and of Windsor, was a spinster working as a commercial clerk. Ten years earlier in 1891, daughter Ethel aged 22, had been living with her uncle and widower Charles Benjamin Collett at his home at 120a Ferndale Road where she may have been nursing his young son Charles Harcourt Collett who was six years of age. The elderly widow, Emily Mason from Dawlish, was still residing within the city of London in 1911 where she was recorded in the Borough of Wandsworth at the age of 79

Peter Thomas Collett [21P15] was born at Merther in 1821, the first-born child of John Collett and his second wife Jennifer Thomas, and was baptised there on 10^th June 1821. Twenty years later, the remainder of his family was living at Bone Cellars in St Erme, at a time when Peter was already living and working in London. During his relatively short life he was married in London, had a son and daughter in Surrey, and later returned to Cornwall, where he died. It was on 4^th August 1842 that the marriage by the reading of banns of Peter Thomas Collett, son of John Collett, and Dinah Henderson, daughter of William Henderson, was conducted at St Pancras Old Church in London. They were both of full age, with Peter being a policeman of Grafton Street, whose father was a labourer, with Dinah’s address was also recorded as Grafton Street. The event was registered at St Pancras (Ref. i 293). Just two children have been credited to Peter and Dinah, and they were born nine years apart. No record of the birth or baptism of their son has been found, but it was on the occasion of his later marriage in Surrey that his father was confirmed as Peter Thomas Collett. Their daughter Jane Collett was baptised at Headley in Surrey on 22^nd February 1852, when Peter Thomas and Dinah Collett were named as her parents. Their daughter Jane was only six years old, when the death of Peter Thomas Collett was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 145) during the first three months of 1858

21Q2 – Peter Thomas Collett was born in 1843 at Poplar, London

21Q3 – Jane Collett was born in 1852 at Headley, Surrey

Betsy Collett [21P16] was born at Merther in 1823 and was baptised there on 16^th January 1823, the only daughter of labourer John Collett and his second wife Jennifer amongst a family of sons. In 1841 Betsy’s family was living at Bone Cellars in St Erme when she had a rounded age of 15 years. Her parents were still living there ten years later, by which time Betsy was very likely married

John Collett [21P17] was born at Merther in 1825, another son of John and Jennifer Collett. He was baptised at Probus on 17^th July 1825, and was 15 in 1841 when he was living at Bone Cellars in St Erme with his family. Eight years later, John was married by banns to Catharine Hoskins at St Allen on 27^th October 1849 where she was born in 1824. St Allen is only a short distance from St Erme. The marriage register stated that the bride was of full age and a spinster, while the groom was a bachelor and maltster of full age, both being residents of Roskief. The father of the groom was John Collett who was a labourer, and the bride signed her name in front of witnesses John Chapman and William Pellow. The marriage of John and Catherine was recorded at Truro (Ref. ix 359) and produced nine known children while they were residing in the hamlet of St Erme. There was no church at St Erme, so the children were all baptised at nearby Probus

For the census of 1861, the family was made up of John 36 and Catherine 37, and their five children Elizabeth who was ten, John who was nine, James who was five, Catherine who was one year old, and Emily who was just three months old. Four months later their daughter Emily died, so the next child born to the family was given the same name. That was confirmed by the 1871 Census when the family was listed as John aged 46, Catherine 47, and their remaining children James 15, Catherine 11, Emily who was seven, and Louisa who was five years old. By 1881 John, with wife Catherine and two of his daughters, was living in Tresillian Road in St Erme, the same road in which his cousin John Collett (above) was also living at that time. John was aged 55 and was recorded as being an accountant born at St Erme. His wife Catherine was 56 and the two daughters were Emily who was 18 and Louisa who was 16. Also living with the family was William Martin who was a maltsman like their son James who was also living in the same road

John Collett died at Tresillian aged 65 and was buried at Merther on 18^th February 1890. Eleven years later in 1901 his widow Catherine Collett aged 77 was living at St Erme where she was recorded as being a housekeeper. It was also at St Erme where many of her children were then living at that time. No trace of Catherine has been found in the census of 1911, so it must be assumed that she had passed away by then

21Q4 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1850 at St Erme

21Q5 – John Hoskins Collett was born in 1852 at St Erme

21Q6 – James Thomas Collett was born in 1854 at St Erme

21Q7 – Peter Thomas Collett was born in 1856 at St Erme

21Q8 – Catherine Jane Collett was born in 1858 at St Erme

21Q9 – Catherine Jane Collett was born in 1860 at St Erme

21Q10 – Emily Collett was born in 1860 at St Erme

21Q11 – Emily Collett was born in 1862 at St Erme

21Q12 – Louisa Collett was born in 1866 at St Erme

James Collett [21P18] was born at Tresillian near the end of 1833, and was baptised at Merther on 16^th February 1834. His baptism record confirmed that his parents, John, a husbandman, and Jennifer Collett, were residing at Tresillian at that time. By the time his younger brother (below) was born, the family had settled in St Erme within the Truro & St Clement census registration district of Cornwall. That was where the family was recorded in 1841, when James Collett was five years old and with his parents at Bone Cellars in St Erme, together with his three siblings, Betsy and John (above), and Charles (below). Ten years later, according to the census in 1851, James Collett aged 16 was an agricultural labourer and the only child still living with his parents at Bone Cellars in St Erme. His place of birth on that occasion was given as St Erme, having moved there just after he was born at Tresillian. Shortly after that it would appear that James joined the Royal Navy since, in 1861 he was recorded in the census that year as being a sailor at sea. Upon his return from his travels, he once again settled in the Truro area, where he married Mary

By the time of the census in 1871, Mary Collett was 28, and although there was no husband listed with her, she said she was married, rather than a widow. Living with her within the Truro & St Clement district were her three children. They were Bessie Collett who was six, Eliza Jane Collett who was four, and Caroline Collett who was just one month old. It was the baptism record for daughter Eliza Jane that confirmed her parents were James and Mary Collett. On the day of the census in 1871, or shortly thereafter, it seems likely that Mary fell pregnant with her last child, which also may indicate that her husband James was away from the family home for work reasons. And it was towards the end of 1871 that the couple’s fourth daughter was born. It is apparent that James Collett died not long after 1871, perhaps even before the birth of his last daughter

According to the next census in 1881, the widow Mary Collett was living at Boscawen Row within the parish of St Mary’s in Truro. She was 38 and her place of birth was given at Truro. Her occupation was that of a boot binder, that being a familiar trade for members of this particular Collett family. All of the four children living with her at that time had been born at Truro, and they were Bessie Collett aged 16, Eliza J Collett aged 14, Caroline Collett aged 10, and Johanna Collett who was eight years old. Almost exactly two years after that census day, the death of Mary Collett, aged 40, was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 117) during the second quarter of 1883

21Q13 – Bessie Collett was born in 1865 at Truro

21Q14 – Elsie Jane Collett was born in 1867 at Truro

21Q15 – Caroline Collett was born in 1871 at Truro

21Q16 – Johanna Collett was born in 1873 at Truro

Charles Collett [21P19] was born at St Erme on 28^th June 1837, the youngest known child of John Collett and his second wife Jennifer Thomas, who was baptised at St Mary’s Wesleyan Chapel in Truro on 4^th July 1837. It was also at Bone Cellars in St Erme that Charles was living with his family at the time of the census in 1841 when he was three years old. Ten years later, Charles Collett from St Erme was a farm servant on the 70-acre farm of widowed Mary Johns and her family at Merther, when he was curiously recorded as being 15 years of age. After a further ten years, the census in 1861 more accurately recorded him as Charles Collett aged 22, who was living and working in the Redruth & Camborne registration district. No later record of a Charles Collett of an appropriate age has been found

Charles Collett [21P20] was born at Probus in 1850 although in some census records, he gave his place of birth as St Erme. It was around 1875 when he married Emma who was born at Holbeton in South Devon. Once married the couple settled in Newton Ferrers just a few miles west of Holbeton and it was there that their son was born and where they were living in April 1881. That year’s census recorded the family at Newton Ferrers as Charles Collett aged 30 whose occupation was that of a joiner, his wife Emma Collett who was 26, and their son ‘Sidney Collett’ who was four years old. Also lodging with the Collett family was Thomas Jewell, a 39 years old mason from Probus, who may have been related to Grace Jewell who married William Henry Collett (Ref. 21P43) at Philleigh in 1859. Sometime during the next decade Charles Collett died, leaving his widow Emma with just her son for company. That was confirmed by the census for Newton Ferrers in 1891, in which Emma Collett was 36, and her son Sidney C Collett was 14. According to the next census in March 1901, Emma Collett had returned to her home village of Holbeton where she was listed as a retired baker. By that time her son Sidney was married and had left the family home and was living in nearby Plymouth. During the following years Emma’s son Sidney moved to the Tavistock area of Devon and, by April 1911, widow Emma Collett aged 57 and from Holbeton, was living with him and his family

21Q17 - Sydney Charles Collett was born in 1876 at Newton Ferrers, Devon

Mary A Collett [21P21] was born at Probus in 1851 and was nine years old and 19 in the 1861 and 1871 censuses while she was living with her family in the Truro & St Clement census registration district. She worked in domestic service and at the age of 29 in 1881 she was still a spinster. By the time she had left the family home and was employed as a lady’s maid to Sophia Williams the wife of Charles H Williams and his family of High Cross in Truro St Mary. Mary’s place of birth was confirmed as Probus. In the census returns for 1901 and 1911 there was a Mary Ann Tregunna who was born at Probus. In 1901 she was forty-nine and living in the Colan district of Cornwall, and by 1911 she was 59 and living within the St Columb registration district. It is possible, although not proved, that she may be the former Mary A Collett. The husband of Mary Ann Tregunna was Philip Tregunna who was born at St Anthony in 1847. It would appear that he married Mary during the latter half of the 1880 since their eldest child Mabel was born at Kea in 1888. Further children followed and they were Edwin, Edith, and Frederick, all born at Merther, before the family moved to Colan where Adolphus Tregunna was born and where the family was living in 1901. Philip Tregunna was 53 and a cattleman on a farm on that occasion. Ten years later in 1911 it was only the couple’s son that were still living at the family home in St Columb, and they were Edwin 21, Frederick 16, and Adolphus 14, while their father was 63

Clara Collett [21P22] was born at Tresillian in 1852 and was aged 28 in 1881 when she was still a spinster living with her family at Tresillian Road in St Erme. She died six years after the census years and was buried at Merther on 9^th June 1887. The burial record stated that she was aged 34 and that she was living at St Erme at the time of her death

John Collett [21P23] was born at Tresillian in 1854 and in successive census records he was five years old, 15 and 25 and for the latter he was living with his family at St Erme. In 1891 John was listed as being aged 36 and was still a bachelor living in St Erme with his parents John and Mary Ann Collett. He was forty-one years old when he married Sarah Grace Murton at St Clement near Truro on 24^th August 1895. John was described as being from St Erme, and the son of John Collett. Sarah was aged thirty-eight and was the daughter of James Murton. For some reason the location of John Collett within the census of 1901 has so far not been revealed. However, his wife Sarah G Collett who was forty-three and from Perranarworthal just north of Penryn, was living at St Erme with John’s elderly parents John and Mary Collett. With her were her two daughters, Clara Collett who was two, and Ada M Collett who was one year old. Their place of birth was given at St Erme

On the day of the census, it seems highly likely that Sarah was expecting her third child which was born later that year. Sometime after the census John returned to his family and was recorded with them in April 1911. Also, since the previous census, John and his family had left St Erme and were living elsewhere within the Truro registration district. John Collett of Tresillian was 56 and his wife Sarah Grace was 53. Their three children were confirmed as Clara aged twelve, Ada Maud who was eleven, and Charles Glencoe Collett who was nine years old. Contrary to the previous census information, on that occasion the birth place for all three children was given as Tresillian. John was 78 when he died in 1932, his passing recorded in Cornwall (Ref. 5c 147). John Collett of Gillies, Tresillian, Probus, died on 16^th November 1932, following which probate was granted on 22^nd December that same year to William George White, a farmer, and his daughter Clara Collett, a spinster, regarding his personal effects valued at £1,739 2 Shillings. It is possible, although not proved, that William George White may have been his son-in-law, the husband of daughter Ada, while the absence of any mention of his son Charles might indicate that he was no longer alive

21Q18 – Clara Collett was born in 1898 at St Erme

21Q19 – Ada Maud Collett was born in 1899 at St Erme

21Q20 – Charles Glencoe Collett was born in 1901 at Tresillian

Harriet Collett [21P24] was born at Tresillian in 1857 and in 1881 at the age of 23 she was working at an infants’ school in St Erme where she was still living with her parents

Henry Collett [21P25] was born at Tresillian in 1863. By the time he was 17 he was working as a carpenter but was still living in the family home on Tresillian Road in St Erme at that time in 1881

Martin Williams Collett [21P26] was born at Camborne in 1834, but was baptised at Philleigh on 16^th November 1834, the son of Hannibal Collett and Philippa Williams. His second name came from his mother’s maiden-name and his baptism record at Philleigh confirmed that his father was an inn keeper. He was 16 in the census of 1851 but was not living with his parents. Just over seven years later the marriage of Martin Williams Collett and (1) Mary Simms was recorded at Redruth (Ref. 5c 355) during the third quarter of 1858. Mary had also been born at Camborne in 1841, where the couple’s first child was born. During the following years the family moved to Plymouth where their second child was born, before heading north to Lancashire around 1870. The next two children were born at Stockport, while their fifth child was born at Wigan. By the time of the 1881 Census, Martin and Mary were living at 49 Greenough Street in Wigan. Using his full name of Martin Williams Collett he gave his age as 46 and his occupation as being that of a joiner. His wife Mary confirmed that she was 39, and their five children were James who was 19 and an out-of-work joiner from Camborne, John who was 12 from Plymouth, Frederick who was nine from Stockport, as was Gertrude who was six years of age, while baby Charles was just one month old

One more child was added to the family six years later when Mary would have been around 45 years of age. Perhaps that pregnancy, late in her life, was also the cause of her death since, three years later, Martin Williams Collett married (2) Elizabeth Pilling, the event recorded at Wigan (Ref. 8c 117) during the first three months of 1884. Elizabeth was many years younger than Martin, so perhaps it set out to be more of a marriage of convenience, and a mother figure to look after the young members of his family. However, four years after their wedding day, Elizabeth presented Martin with another son who was given her surname as a second forename. The Wigan census in 1891 recorded the family group as William Collett who was 54, Elizabeth Collett who was 37, Gertrude Collett from Stockport who was 16, Charles Collett who was 10 and Thomas Collett who was three years of age, both sons born at Wigan. Elizabeth Collett was 43 when she died and her death was recorded at Wigan register office (Ref. 8c 50) during the first quarter of 1895. During the summer of 1895, the third marriage of Martin Williams Collett and widow (3) Frances Pemberton was recorded at Wigan register office (Ref. 8c 156). Frances was born in Wigan and had four unmarried daughters who were living with stepfather Martin Collett in 1901

According to the next census in 1901, Martin was again recorded under the name of William Collett, who was 69 years of age and from Truro, a recently married man and head of the household living at School Lane in Wigan, with his daughter Gertrude and his son Thomas, by which time he was described as a master builder, following his earlier days as a joiner. In addition to that, William was also described as a grocer and a shopkeeper, while his daughter Gertrude, who was 26, was working for him as a domestic cook. His son Thomas Collett, who was 13, was still attending school. William’s second wife was confirmed as Frances Collett from Wigan who was 54, and her four Wigan-born children as Mary Pemberton aged 29 and a dressmaker, Sarah Pemberton aged 27 and a grocer’s shop assistant, Esther Pemberton aged 23 and another dressmaker, and Elizabeth Pemberton aged 19 and also a dressmaker. Completing the household was Mary Ann Mann aged 25 and a general domestic servant

Ten years after that, the census in April 1911 revealed that joiner William Collett from Cornwall was 80 years old when he was still living within the Ince-in-Makerfield area of Wigan with his daughter Gertrude and his son Thomas. However, it was later that same year when Martin Williams Collett died at 23 Frederick Street (between Chapel Street and Warrington Road A573) in Ince-in-Makerfield on 21^st October 1911. Probate was settled on his personal effects of £268 6 Shillings at Liverpool on 28^th November that same year, his estate placed in the hands of his executors Joseph Nutt, a solicitor’s clerk, and William Darbyshire, a builder

21Q21 – James Collett was born in 1861 at Camborne

21Q22 – John Jenkin Collett was born in 1868 at Plymouth

21Q23 – Frederick Collett was born in 1871 at Stockport, Lancashire

21Q24 – Gertrude Collett was born in 1875 at Stockport, Lancashire

21Q25 – Charles Collett was born in 1881 at Wigan, Lancashire

The following is the only child of Martin Williams Collett and his second wife Elizabeth Pilling:

21Q26 – Thomas Pilling Collett was born in 1888 at Wigan, Lancashire

John Collett [21P27] was possibly born at Camborne where his brother Martin (above) was born and where his uncle Alexander Collett was a farmer. However, he was most likely baptised at Philleigh where his brother was baptised and where the family was living shortly after they were born. It was at Philleigh that John’s father was the publican at the village inn. No further record of John has so far been located

Joseph Harris Collett [21P20] was born at Camborne on 21^st September 1843, just prior to his family’s move to Philleigh around 1848. He was the eldest child of Alexander Collett and Susan Harris and it was at Philleigh that Joseph was living with his family in 1851 aged seven years. Later in his life his family moved again, that time to Feock where he met and married Emily Gay who was born on 16^th September 1847. By 1871 the marriage had produced the couple’s first child who was born at Feock where Emily was also born. The 1871 Census confirmed the family living at Feock in the Truro & Kenwyn registration district as Joseph who was 27, Emily who was 23, and their baby son Joseph Harris Collett who was one year old

By April 1881 Joseph Harris Collett was already living and working in America, while his wife and two children were living at Carnon Downs, north-west of Feock. Emily aged 33 was described as ‘engaged at home’ when living with her was Joseph who was 11 and Lena who was eight, both of them born while the family was still living at Feock. Also living at Carnon Downs at that same time was Emily’s sister-in-law Ellen the wife of Thomas Collett (below) who, like his brother Joseph, was also absent from the 1881 Census. New information received from Allyson Collette Nixon in early 2013 reveals that the two brothers were very likely attracted to the Colorado Silver Rush, the boom starting at Leadville in 1879 and continuing through the 1880s, during which time 82 million-dollars-worth of silver was mined

It therefore seems highly likely that Emily and her two children were reunited with Joseph not long after 1881, once he had become established in the New World. That would certainly account for why no further record of the family has been found in Great Britain after 1881. Later on, the family settled in Lake Charles in Louisiana, and it was Lake Charles that the Collette Grocery Store was set up, pictures of which still exist today in the possession of the aforementioned Allyson Collette Nixon. The spelling of the surname, with the additional E, most likely happened after the family had settled in America. At some time before the family left England, they were living at Lemon Street in Truro, as confirmed by the school books of the couple’s two children. Joseph Harris Collette was 69 years of age when he died at Lake Charles on 14^th July 1913, while his wife Emily Collette nee Gay died almost exactly twelve years later, when she passed away on 13^th July 1925. They were both buried at Orange Grove Cemetery in Lake Charles where the two headstones which mark their graves confirm the Collette spelling of their surname, the same as on the naturalisation papers for Joseph on 12^th December 1882 in the county of Clear Creek in the State of Colorado

21Q27 – Joseph Harris Collett was born in 1869 at Feock

21Q28 – Lena Emily Collett was born in 1873 at Feock

William John Langdon Collett [21P30] was born at Camborne in 1844 but was not baptised until 11^th January 1846. That took place at Philleigh and his father Alexander was noted as being a farmer at Camborne. Two years later the family moved to Philleigh where in 1851 William was six years old. By 1861 William was aged 15 and was working away from the family home at Gwennap near Redruth. No further record of William has been found in any of the 1871 to 1901 censuses so he may have emigrated and accompanied by his brother Joseph (above)

Mary Ann Collett [21P31] was born at Camborne in 1847 but shortly after the family moved to Polmenna Farm in Philleigh where Mary Ann was baptised on 25^th December 1847. The Philleigh census of 1851 confirmed that she was aged three years and had been born at Camborne. She married Stephen Hugo Manuel on 13^th April 1865 at Feock. Mary Ann was aged 18 at the time, while Stephen was 22 and both were living at Carnon Downs. The parish register recorded Mary Ann’s father as Alexander Collett and Stephen’s father as William Manuel. The earlier birth of Stephen Hugo Manuel was registered at Truro (Ref. ix 329) during the second quarter of 1842. No record of the couple has been found within the census of 1871 but in 1881 Stephen Manuel from Feock was 38 and a sawyer living at Kenwyn near Truro. With him was his wife Mary Ann Manuel from Camborne who was 34, and their five children, the first three born at Feock, the next two after settling in Kenwyn. They were Mary Ann Manuel who was 15, William Hugo Manuel who was 13 and a sawyer working with his father, Susan C Manuel who was nine, Ethel Manuel who was seven, and baby Emily Manuel who was not yet one year old

It was at St Agnes Road in Kenwyn that the family was recorded in the census of 1891, when Stephen was 48, Mary Ann was 44, William was 23, Susan was 19, Edith was 17, and Emily was 10. The three latest arrivals were Richard Manuel who was eight, Elizabeth Ellen Manuel who was seven, and Stephen Manuel who was six years old, and George Manuel who was five years of age. By 1901 Stephen Hugo Manuel was a farmer at Three Burrows in Kenwyn when he was 58, Mary was 53, Emily was 20, Richard was 18, Ellen was 17, Stephen was 16, and George was 14. In 1911 Stephen was a retired farmer at 68, Mary Ann was 63, and the only child still living at Kenwyn with them was Elizabeth E Manuel who was 27

Thomas Collett [21P32] was born at Philleigh in 1849 and it was there in the parish registered that there are two dates for his baptism as the son of labourer Alexander and Susan Collett, the first being on 29^th July 1849 and the second being on 4^th November 1849. Thomas was one-year-old in the Philleigh census of 1851, when he and his family were residing at White Lane. Ten years later, in the 1861 Census, he was 11 years old when he was living with his family and his widowed father at Kea. His place of birth was confirmed as Philleigh. For many years there was no record of Thomas, although it has been established that, while he was living with his family at Feock, he met and married Ellen Dunston of Feock, daughter of William and Ann Dunston. The birth of Ellen Dunstan was registered at Truro (Ref. ix 339) during the second quarter of 1850, confirming that she was around 23 years of age when she married 24-year-old Thomas Collett, their wedding at Feock recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 247) during the second quarter of 1873. Nine months later the couple’s only known child was born at Feock

By 1881 Ellen was living at 7 Carnon Downs in Feock with her seven-year-old daughter who was also born at Feock. Living close by in Carnon Downs was her sister-in-law Emily Collett (above) whose husband was also absent at the time of the census. Both of the ladies were described as head of their respective households, but both were also described as being married, so had not been made widows by the absence of their husbands. Wherever Ellen’s husband had been, has not been discovered, but he was living with his wife again in both 1891 and 1901. In the former, the family home was still at Carmon Downs in Feock where Thomas Collett was 41 and a mason, his wife Ellen Collett was 40, and their daughter Ada J Collett was 17 years of age with no stated occupation. Completing the household that day was Ellen’s widowed father William Dunstan a retired carpenter whose was 78. By 1901 only Thomas, then 51 and confirmed as born at Philleigh, was living with his wife Ellen who was 50 and born at Feock. Thomas was a contractor’s foreman working for the Great Western Railway Company. At that time, at the end of March 1901, the couple was residing at Perranzabuloe near Perranporth. Thomas and Ellen were once again listed in the following census of 1911, when Thomas was 61 and Ellen of Feock was 60 and, on that occasion, they were living in Truro. Ellen Collett was 91 years old when she died in Cornwall in 1941, her death recorded there (Ref. 5c 312)

21Q29 – Ada Jessie Collett was born in 1874 at Feock

Amelia Collett [21P33] was born at White Lane in the parish of Philleigh in 1850 and was baptised at the parish church in Philleigh on 8^th June 1851. In March 1851 the census for Philleigh confirmed that Amelia had been born there and that on the day she was just two months old. By 1861 the family was living at Kea where Amelia was confirmed as being 10 years old and born at Philleigh. It would appear that Amelia was married twice during her life, as indicated by her second marriage to James Owen Matthews aged 45 and the son of Thomas Matthews. On that occasion, it was as Amelia Woolerington, aged 42 and the daughter of Alexander Collett, that they were married on 17^th December 1894 at Accrington in Lancashire

Nancy Collett [21P34] was born in 1851 at White Lane in Philleigh and was baptised at Philleigh parish church on 8^th August 1852. In 1861 at the age of nine she was living with her siblings and their father at Kea, her place of birth being confirmed as Philleigh. By the age of 29 she was still a spinster living at Higher Penhale with her widowed father and two of her younger sisters Susan and Emily (below). The 1881 Census simply listed her as being a plantation keeper’s daughter who was born at Philleigh. Eight years later, and following the death of her father in 1888, the marriage by banns of spinster Nancy Collett, aged 37, and widower John Richard Taylor, aged 42, took place at Harlesden within the Parish of Willesden in Middlesex on 13^th June 1889. The residence for both of them was 132 Railways Cottages in Harlesden, when Nancy was confirmed as the daughter of farmer Alexander Collett, and John, a seaman missionary, was the son of Edward Henry Taylor, a seaman

While no record of the couple has been found in 1891, just after their son was born at Folkestone, in the census of 1901, the couple and their only child were living at The Bayle in Folkestone, Kent. John Taylor from Ramsgate was 54 and a wardrobe dealer and shopkeeper, his wife Nancy Taylor from Truro was 49, and their son John A Taylor was 11 years of age. During the next decade John Richard Taylor took on the role of an assistant to the owner of the post office in Folkestone, and was described in the census of 1911 as 66 years of age and a pensioner and porter at the post office. Nancy from Cornwall was 59, when John Alfred Taylor was 21 and working as gardener. The birth of John Alfred Taylor was recorded at the Kent Elham register office (Ref. 2a 968) during the second quarter of 1890, and was baptised at Folkestone on 4^th May 1890

Susan Harris Collett [21P35] was born in 1853 at Philleigh where she was baptised on 18^th December 1853. Between her birth and her christening the family left Philleigh and moved the two miles to Feock. It was her baptism record which included a note that her parents were living at Feock. Susan, who was very likely named after her mother, or even her grandmother, was seven years old in the 1861 Census for Kea, to where she and her brothers and sisters had moved with their widowed father, following the death of their mother. The later census in 1881 recorded that she was a spinster at the age of 27 and that she was living with her widowed father at Higher Penhale. She was described as a plantation keeper’s daughter and her place of birth was recorded as Philleigh

Hannibal Collett [21P36] was born in the hamlet of Feock in 1854, but was baptised at the parish church in nearby Philleigh on 1^st April 1855, a son of Alexander and Susan Collett. In 1861 he was six years old but, on the day of the census, was not with his family at Kea, instead he was recorded at Trethewell in St Just, at the home of his father’s older brother Hannibal Collett, a farmer, and his wife Philippa Williams. That must have only been a temporary arrangement, as he was back living with his family at Kea in 1871 at the age of 16, where was described as a farmer’s son. He was twenty-one years of age, when the marriage of Hannibal Collett and Mary Manuel was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 211) during the last three months of 1875. Mary was possibly the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Manuel, who was also born at Feock. Less than three years later, on 29^th May 1878, Hannibal and Mary Collett sailed from Liverpool to New York on board the ship Germanic, arriving at Ellis Island on 13^th July 1878, when he was 24 and a mason, and she was 23 years of age

By that time, Hannibal and Mary already had a son, Charles Edward Collett who had been born in Cornwall on 25^th August 1876. He would have been around eighteen months old when the three of them left England, although Charles’ name was not on the ship’s passenger list. Just under six years after settling in America, the couple’s second known son was born in Kansas City. Curiously no record of Hannibal Collett has been found in any US Census return from 1881 through to 1940, nor no record of his death

21Q30 – Charles Edward Collett was born in 1876 at Cornwall

21Q31 – William Hannibal Collett was born in 1884 at Kansas City, USA

Elizabeth Collett [21P37] was born at Feock in late 1856 or early 1857 and was baptised at nearby Philleigh on 4^th October 1857, the daughter of Alexander Collett and Susan Harris. In the 1861 Census for the village of Kea near Truro Elizabeth was four years old. She was still living in the Truro area with her family in 1871 when she was fourteen, but sometime after she left Cornwall to seek work in London. The Middlesex census of 1881 placed Elizabeth Collett from Feock living at 5 Lime Grove in London where she was twenty-four and the general domestic servant at the home of annuitant Anne Norman from Devon. During the next few years Elizabeth moved out of London and returned to the west country when she settled in the Walcot district of Bath where she set up her own fruit and florist business. In 1891 she was listed for the first time as Elizabeth A Collett, who was 34 and living at Walcot. By March 1901 she was once again recorded as Elizabeth A Collett from Truro who was forty-four and living in Bath where she was confirmed as a fruiter and florist. Ten years later in April 1911, Elizabeth Ann Collett who was born in the Truro area was living alone at Walcot in Bath at the age of 54

Catherine Collett [21P38] was born at Feock in 1858 and, like all of her older siblings, she too was baptised at Philleigh, the ceremony taking place on 10^th October 1858, another daughter of Alexander and Susan Collett. By 1861 she and her family were living at Kea where Catherine was two years old

Emily Collett [21P39] was born at Philleigh early in 1861, her birth registered at Truro (Ref. 5c 177) during the first three months of the year. She was therefore only a few weeks old in the census conducted that year. It was also at Philleigh that she was baptised there on 12^th July 1863, the last child of Alexander Collett and Susan Harris. By 1881 she was listed as being 20 when she was living with her widowed father and her two spinster sisters Nancy and Susan (above) at Higher Penhale near St Enoder. She was not credited with a job of work, but was simply listed as a plantation keeper’s daughter. It was later that same year, on 4^th December 1881 at St Enoder, that Emily Collett, aged 21 and the daughter of labourer Alexander Collett, was married by licence to Thomas Hawkey aged 22 and a mason, the son of mason James Hawkey. During the next couple of years Emily presented Thomas with two children but, on the day of the census in 1891, he was absent from the family home in Penhale Village near St Enoder. Married Emily Hawkey of Cornwall was 30 and the head of the household, daughter Polly Louisa Hawkey was seven, and Francis John Hawkey was six years old

Mary Ann Collett [21P40] was born at Gerrans in 1859, the only known child of William and Catherine Collett. Her birth was registered at Truro (Ref. 5c 163) during the third quarter of the year, and it was on 10^th November 1859, that she was baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in St Mawes. Home was at Treleggan Farm, Tregear, Gerrans, where she was living with her parents in 1861 at the age of one year, when her father was a farmer of 80 acres, employing one man. Shortly after her twentieth birthday she married John Tearle Gill of Probus who was twelve years older than Mary Ann. By 1881, when Mary was 22, she was living with her husband at Trethurffe Farm in Ladock where he was a farmer of 212 acres employing two men and a boy. Living with the couple was Mary Ann’s widowed father William who was listed as a retired farmer from Philleigh aged 65. Employed as a domestic servant was 23-year-old Emily Trenerry, and 55-year-old William Hooper, who was an indoor farm servant

During the next ten years Mary Ann presented her husband with two children, so by the time of the census in 1891, Mary A Gill was 31, her husband John T Gill was 44, and their two children were Emily K Gill who was nine, and William Gill who was eight years old. Still living with the family was Mary Ann’s father William Collett who was 76, who later died in 1893

Thomas Collett [21P41] was born at Philleigh on 5^th October 1833, where he was baptised on 27^th October 1833, the eldest child of Robert Davey Collett and his wife Grace Dingle. He was a labourer and he married Ann Morse in 1857, their wedding recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 311) during the last three months of that year. By 1861 the family living at Philleigh comprised just Thomas aged 27, his wife Ann C Collett aged 25, and their new-born daughter Elizabeth. There was no record for the couple’s first-born child Thomas Davey Collett, who had died during the spring of the previous year aged two years

Sometime during the next ten years the family left Philleigh and settled in St Stithians, midway between Redruth and Penryn. By early April in 1871 the family was living at 18 Sunny Corner in Stithians and had increased in size and was made up of Thomas aged 37 of Philleigh, Ann aged 35 of Veryan, and their children Elizabeth who was ten, William who was eight, and Mary who was five years of age. According to the next census in 1881, Thomas was 47 years of age and was an agricultural labourer living at Sunny Corner in St Stithians with his wife and their three surviving children. His wife was confirmed as Ann aged 45 who had been born at Veryan in 1835

Ten years later only three members of the family were still living at St Stithians, but at Kennall Vale, and they were Thomas aged 57 and a farm labourer, Ann Collett aged 55, and their 30-year-old unmarried daughter Elizabeth A Collett who was ‘helping her mother’. Thomas Collett died during the first quarter of 1895, when his death was recorded at the Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 173) at the age of 61. Five years after his passing his wife Ann was recorded as being a widow of 67 (sic) when she was living within the Parish of St Gluvias near Penryn with her unmarried daughter Elizabeth. The widow Ann Collett was 75 by April 1911, and still living with her was her unmarried daughter Elizabeth Ann Collett, who was 50, at Ponsanooth, just north-west of St Gluvias

During the second decade of the nineteenth century a Daniel Collett and his family were living within the Parish of St Gluvias and, although not yet directly connected to this family line, his details and those of his children can be found in Appendix C, at the end of the third section of Part 21

21Q32 – Thomas Davey Collett was born in 1858 at Philleigh

21Q33 – Elizabeth Ann Collett was born in 1860 at Philleigh

21Q34 – William Henry Collett was born in 1862 at Philleigh

21Q35 – Mary Collett was born in 1866 at Philleigh

Robert Davey Collett [21P42] was born on 2^nd May 1835 at Philleigh and was baptised there on 7^th June 1835, when he was named after his father Robert Davey Collett, his mother being Grace Dingle. At the age of five years, he was living with his family at Treworthal in the parish of Philleigh. Sadly, on 29^th November 1842 at the tender age of just seven years, Robert died and was buried in the churchyard of St Philleigh Church where a gravestone marks the grave. The same grave and headstone (see Headstone Epitaphs) was later used for Robert’s sister Elizabeth Grace Collett and his brother Richard Davey Collett who passed away in 1861. His brother William Henry Collett (below) later paid tribute to his lost brother and their father, by naming his first child Robert Davey Collett