St Keverene and Coverack/Polcoverack

excluding main line (q.v.through Henry) and John

http://www.st-keverne.com/history/ has on-line records you can access directly.

See also Our Men Who Served 1914-18 St Keverne Parish by Karen Richards and Terry Moyle, St Keverne Local History Society. You can buy it for cash from the local shop but I keep a copy in the archives and can look up any references. Extracts summarised below.

St. Peters became the official parish church for Coverack in 1887. Entries before that date alternated between the locations. Note that many could be non-conformists so other records also need to be checked. Familes moved between ther two locations freely. StK is mainly farmland and Coverack fishing, but with a quarry within reach of both.

May 1497- thousands gather St Keverne and set out for London to protest against taxes and abolition of Stannary. Led by Michael Joseph (An Gof) and Thomas Flamank, both of whom were hung, drawn and quartered after defeat at Blackheath.

Local colour

from the StK parish register:

Entries for burials May-July 1855 from a local wreck. May - 35 bodies drowned in the John Emigrant (?) ship. Then six bodies ditto; 2 ditto; 3 ditto; body of a man drowned from the wreck of the Bar.... John. June - 3 bodies wreck of the John, female corpse ditto, 3 corpses ditto, female ditto. On 16/7 a "man washed ashore".

1872 wreck of a steamer. 1898 wreck recorded with peroration on the need for a warning of the Mannacles. Plans of a ship wrecked on those rocks are on sale in Coverack as souvenirs. Coverack lifeboat station has a pictures and rolls for inspection.

D116 article from EFA mag. on Coverack lifeboat

strays and groups not yet connected directly:

Cambourne 1881 Census has Peter born 1847 StK but I have no record.

Richard and Mary may be from Wm and Elz Glasson??? See Dawna's charts and TBC5.

had 3 children:

William 1834; Jennifer bt 3/3/1839 (b 25/1/1839); John bt 111/11/1842 but note Jennifer says formerly Pascoe and John formerly Bowden on certificates so could be confusion here. 1841 Cs has family with no Richard. Bpt last two children he is ag.labourer Polcoverack Commons, then no trace. 1841 Mary is 25. Guessing at R's age found no useful leads Crowan, unless son Wm and Eliz, but assumption not yet proof. See Bowden problems in DL charts.

I have a copy of birth cert for Jenifer 25/1/1839 (D97) showing Richard -ice agricultural labourer who used X instead if signing and Mary formerly Pascoe. D98 shows birth of John 11/10/1842. Father Richard is a miner and mother Mary is formerly Bowden, signing with X.

D 113 shows William Henry born 21/11/44 St. K to Henry (miner) and Mary (formerly Bowden, but could be Bawden), she making her mark plus Thomas 21/11/1842 same pair, cearly Bowden, but Henry Ag. labourer.

Don -ace sent a "notional" tree leading back from Percival b 1906 m Edith (member of Coverack lifeboat crew). This goes forward to Marlow, Basingstoke,, Devonport, Canada, Stithians etc. and back to Henry Bowden, William Bowden. It is not included as I think it contain errors stil to be sorted. Held as TBC3a. TBC3b and c are other variants on this tree and all 3 need confirmation later. See DL entries and letter Elsie Eustis or Marlow.

From St Peters:

Mrs Harry -ice buried a stilborn child 17/8/1910

Frank -is buried 8/8/1907 aged 16 days, no funeral service

Catherine Sophia -ice bd 25/5/1923 aged 52

Horace had daughter Eliz Ann who married Watts 12/10/1963. She was a cook and he a postman. Alfred Horace born 1991 had Michael Rowe who m Eliz Mary Watts 1950 -ice motor mechnaic. Sher was 22, landworker. Lifeboat station Coverack has photos with 1901 crew showing Alfed (fisherman), Bowden and Henry (all -ace). 1958 has board showing MR -ice. AH stone St P shows died 8/8/1978 at 77, as from Trepolpen. record signed by Methodist minister. Stone also has Horace Marine d 2 years 11 months buried as -ice 27/3/1934. Michael, son of Michael the postman, worked Helston garage. Coverack Weslyan Sunday School 1914 scholars include Sidwell a Horace Eustice (Richards/Moyle p145)

Note will 1920 Beatrice widow to Alfred Rowe, signalman. 30/12/1950

Henrietta Violetta Ida -ice had son Henry Irving bpt illegitimate 19/3/1905 buried 8/9/1904 at 16 months

Frederick -is buried 30/7/1884 at 4 months, as from Coverack

Thomas born c 1850 m Matilda Gay when both 18 in December 1867. Rough copy of cert shows He agricultural labourer from Helston who used X and son of John, an engine worker in a tin mine She was a domestic servant from Pensongath (StK) who used X and daughter of Abraham Gay, ag labourer. Parish sources give daughters Sabina A. b.c. 1869 and Clara b.c. 1870. See letters Eric concerning descent for an Autralian Jim. It is likely this Thomas and Matilda went to Australia before 1874 and if so we have charts down to 1974 filed as D10. Jim Eustice in Australia would like to hear news of this Thomas if you have any, as he is still trying to find his birth record to connect to this story:

My gt. grandfather Eustice was almost as hard to research at the other end of his life. Some of the paperwork had his name recorded as Eustace and the handwriting had the 'c' & 'e' run together appearing as 'n', so the burial was recorded for Eustan. When I first started searching it had to done by asking a clerks who then went looking, unsuccessfully....I actually started the search for his grave at the the West Tce, Cemetery in Adelaide which is the nearest to the Adelaide [now the Royal Adelaide] Hospital where he died. As the original enquiry at the West Tce. Cem. was unfruitful I gradually extended my search visiting many graveyards,council offices, funeral parlours etc., but it was not until I was able to check the West Tce. Cem. records myself that I finally tracked his final resting place down---buried in a pauper's grave. He apparently died [18/3/1894] as the consequences of a quarrying accident, so he was in his early 40s, leaving a widow and 9 children----desperate circumstances. In 1921, his son, Abraham James[Jim], my grandfather, was killed as the result of a tunnelling explosion while constructing the Tod River reservoir, near Port Lincoln SA, leaving a widow and 5 children, the oldest being 12, the youngest under one year of age.

Plymouth Hoe memorial mentions 32/800 Boatswain Thomas John who died in battle of Jutland 1916. Richards/Moyle p24 confirm Thomas John Eustace/Eustice born 1882 to John and Mary Ann Eustace. In 1891 was living at Lower Penponds, Cambourne aged 10 with mother and siblings. 29 Dec 1904 m Lillian Jennie Petherick atStoke Damerel, Plymouthand 1n 1911 serving on HMS Blake. Was on Indefatigable when sunk 31/5/1916. Tree tbc4 suggest son George d 1941 mid 30s and Jack b 1913 d 1977, m Brenton who was living as Mrs Eustis in Roborough (45 Leat Walk) 1979. Daughter Wendy m Copeland. NB this is from parish of St K not necessarily village of StK or Coverack, although he is mentioned also on St K and Cov memorials.

Also from Richards/Moyle:

Page 193 picture of men in stone quarries after WW1 includes Jack Eustace.

Page 202 Samuel John Eustace served HMS Tiger 3/10/1914 - 9/9/1917 as chief stoker. p54 519726 Samuel John Eustace born 1881 to Charlie and Mary Jane baptised 5/10/1881 St Kev church. 1891 aged 9 scholar at Polcoverack. 1/8//1899 joined navy. 1911 stoker petty officer in Dorset. 1920 Firth of Forth. died 11/11/1946 aged 65 at Polcoverack Common and buried 14/11/1946 St K.

Page 193 picture of men in stone quarries after WW1 includes Jack Eustace. Thomas Charles Eustace b 27/9/1889 Polcoverack to Charlie and Mary Jane (baptised 21/10/1890 at St K chruch). 1891 and 1901 census libing Polcoverack with parenmts and siblings. 1911 at Little Polcoverack as delver stone quarryman. Left Southampton on RMS Olympic 21/3/1912 and 1916 married Antonetta Moria Visser at White Pine, Nevada. Moved to California.

P 4 roll of honour St Keverne Samuel Eustace.

Alexander Townley Eustis of Harbour View, Coverack had notice in West Briton 20thC from sisters and brothers, when he died at Helston Cottage Hospital. See D115

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