The meaning of Trevathan related names
THE WESTERN MORNING NEWS, DECEMBER 2, 1965
ORIGINS OF THE CORNISH TRE SURNAMES
BY RICHARD R. BLEWETT
TREVARTHEN (PERSONAL, 84). SLIGHT VARIATIONS OF THE SURNAME OCCUR AS
PLACE NAMES IN THREE PARISHES. TREVARTHIAN IN ST. HILARY PARISH
(MARAZION DISTRICT), WITH MEDIEVAL SPELLINGS. TREVARTHYAN IN 1250,
1327 AND 1359. TREVARDIAN, 1269. TREVARTHIAN IN NEWLYN, IN PYDAR
PARISH - TREVARTHEN 1284, TREVATHEN IN ST. KEW PARISH-TREVARTHEAN.
THE SECOND PART IS THE OLD WELSH PERSONAL NAME ARTHAN. IT OCCURS
IN THE ANCIENT BOOK OF LLANDAFF. ANOTHER FORM IS ARTHIEN, DERIVED
FROM ARTH-GEN=SON OF A BEAR (STRONG, BRACE, &c.). SO SAYS GOVER, BUT
THERE IS NO CONFIRMATION OF THIS IN EITHER OF NANCE'S CORNISH DICTIONARIES.
THERE IS A PLACE NAME IN BRITTANY-TREF ARDIAN (LOTH). THE TREVARTHENS
TODAY ARE FOUND IN 13 PARISHES, WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT CONCENTRATIGN
OF ABOUT 40 IN CAMBORNE.
FROM 1600 TO 1800 THEIR MARRIAGES OCCURRED IN 23 PARISHES-111 WITH A
TREVARTHEN BRIDEGROOM OR BRIDE; 18 OF THESE TOOK PLACE IN CROWAN
CHURCH, 15 IN NEWLYN IN PYDAR CHURCH AND 13 IN CAMBORNE CHURCH.
RICO TREWARTHYAN WAS TAXED IN THE PAROCH SCI MICH' de MONTE (ST.
MICHAEL'S MOUNT PARISH) IN 1327. IN THE SAME YEAR JOHNE TREVARTHYAN OF
ST. HILARY PARISH WAS TAXED 3s.-A WELL-TO-DO VILLEIN.
TREVARTON 114). THIS IS CERTAINLY A DIALECTICAL CORRUPTION OF TREVAR-
THEN. BEFORE THE EDUCATION ACT OF 1870, THE TREVARTHENS WERE KNOWN
AS TREVARTONS TO THE ILLITERATE. I WAS ASSOCIATED WITH TREVARTHENS AS
A SCHOOLBOY 'ROUND 1890 AND ONE OF MY EARLY SURPRISES WAS THE SPELLING
OF THEIR SURNAME.
TREVERTON (?.23), AS IN TREVERS, ABOVE, THERE IS NO PLACE-NAME AND AS
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SURNAME IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF
TREVARTHEN AND ITS DIALECTICALLY CORRUPT FORM TREVARTON, ABOVE, IT
SEEMS TO HAVE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ORIGIN FROM THOSE SURNAMES.
THOUGH THE NUMBERS ARE SMALL, HALF OF THEM ARE IN THE PARISHES OF
ST. KEW, ST. MABYN, AND ST. MINVER. A SPRINKLE MOVED TO REDRUTH AND
ILLOGAN, MINING AREAS, AND TO ST. AUSTELL, CHINA CLAY AREAS, EARLY
IN THE 19TH CENTURY. THE BEST GUESS IS THAT THE FINAL "TON" IS AN
ANGLO-SAXON ENDING TO THE CELTIC NAME TREVERS.
ANGLO-SAXON TON A SUFFIX, IS THE NEAREST PARALLEL TO THE CORNISH
CELTIC 'TRE', A PREFIX=FARM, HOMESTEAD, AND IF THE GUESS IS RIGHT THE
LITERAL MEANING OF TREVERTON IS "FARM-REEVES-FARM". SEE THE SURNAME
TREVARTHA, IN WHICH AN ANGLO-SAXON ENDING HAS BEEN JOINED TO A CORNISH
CELTIC PREFIX-A SIGN THAT THE SURNAME OR PLACE NAME HAS AN EAST
CORNWALL ORIGIN. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW THE ORIGIN OF THE
DEVON PLACE-NAME TIVERTON.
TREVETHAN. (TOPOGRAPHICAL. 91). THE THREE CORNISH PLACE-NAMES ARE
TREVETHAN IN ST. EVAL PARISH SPELT TREVETHEN IN 1474, 1510 AND 1549.
TREVETHEN IN BUDOCK PARISH (FALMOUTH DISTRICT) SPELT TREFUDON 1306,
TREFUTHON 1325, TREFUTHEN 1327, TREMUTHON 1342, TREVETHEN 1476.
TREVETHAN IN GWENNAP PARISH SPELT TREFUDON 1302, TREFUTHON 1326,
TREFUTHYON IN 1516 AND TREFUTHEN 1558. THEY SPELT AS THEY FELT.
THE SECOND PART IS DERIVED FROM CORNISH CELTIC "BUTHYN" AND ITS
VARIANTS "VETHAN" AND "VETHYN" = MEADOW. HOMESTEAD (IN THE) MEADOW.
THE "b" IS MUTATED TO "v".
THE SURNAME IS FOUND IN 19 PARISHES FROM CAMBORNE IN THE WEST TO
PADSTOW AND TINTAGEL IN THE NORTH-EAST, AND CALSTOCK AND ST. GERMANS
IN THE SOUTH-EAST. FROM 1600 TO 1800 THERE WERE 160 TREVETHAN
MARRIAGES (ONE EVERY 15 MONTHS) IN 39 PARISHES.
(THIS INFO COPIED OUT OF NEWSPAPER RECEIVED FROM STEPHEN TREVATHAN, native of Kentucky, who now resides in England)
Links to other sites on the Web
Back to the Trevathan Homepage
© 1997 trevathan@hotmail.com
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page