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| Cornwall (Map from Wikipedia) |
I decided to do some research on the life and times of William and his two wives, Elizabeth Tinney and Elizabeth Cory as there seems to be errors in some family trees I've researched, and some descendants' branches may have been attached to the wrong wife. So this is an attempt to sort out who is descended from whom. But I got a bit sidetracked and ended up doing a lot of research on what was happening in the parish of St Gennys at the time of William and his parents' life there. Hopefully, you will find it as fascinating as I did that our ancestors certainly were living in interesting times. Part 2 will move on to William and his wives.
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William Harris was the son of John Harris and Mary Luxon who married at St. Gennys, Cornwall, on 12th November 1741. His baptism was economically recorded as Wm., son of John Harris on Sunday 30th March, 1755, also at St Gennys, Cornwall. There is no record of his exact date of birth, which would have been near the time of his baptism, as his age at death was recorded in the St Gennys parish burial records (2nd December, 1807) as 52 years. This confirms his year of birth as 1755.
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| Entry in St Gennys parish register for John Harris and Mary Luxon's marriage, November 12, 1741 |
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| A snapshot of the entry in the St. Gennys Parish register. Wm Harris, son of John Harris |
Note: During this time, there were 2 sets of records - the actual parish records and the Bishop's Transcripts - in Cornwall's case, the Bishop of Exeter's transcripts. From 1597 each parish was required to send to the bishop, within a month after Easter, a copy of all entries made in the parish register during the preceding year. These copies are known as bishops' transcripts. Errors and omissions in copying were inevitable.
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| The St Gennys Parish Baptism record ending at December 1741 and noting that records were left out to 1746. |
The first entry after the gap between 1741 and 1746 is - coincidentally enough - John son of John and Mary Harris, baptised April 1, 1746. This surely must be our John and Mary's son, and our yet-to-be-born William's older brother? John Harris married Magdalene Honey (1750 - 1822)
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| St Gennys Parish Baptism entry for John Harris, son of John and Mary, 1746. |
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| Location of St Gennys in Cornwall (Google Maps) |
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| St Gennys today |
The parish of Saint Gennys was in north Cornwall, bordered by the neighbouring parishes of Poundstock, Jacobstow, Otterham and St Juliot, and covered about 14 square kilometres off the north Cornish coast. The parish was physically divided by a stream which enters the coast at at Crackington Haven, where a small port was used mainly for importing of coal and limestone and exportimng slate until it fell into disuse in the 19th century. Further inland is more rugged, with high hills and deep valleys. In the time of our ancestors, it was a fairly remote area, north of the main route into Cornwall via Launceston and Bodmin. The less-travelled route via Stratton and Camelford just passed though the south-eastern parish boundary.
Most income was derived from agriculture, with slate quarrying, mining, and associated trades and craft work also important means of livelihood. There is no evidence of how John and Mary Harris lived or worked, but it could be safely assumed they were agricultural labourers or miners. The parish had no village centre, rather people lived in small communities or collections of farms. In 1740, there were about 80 families in the parish. The population had peaked by 1831 with 760 persons living in 138 homes, but by 1891 had shrunk to 430 persons in 97 homes.
The parish church is partly Norman.
From 1732 to 1782 - the time of our William and his family - the vicar of St Gennys was George Thomson, whose faith was deepened by a dream he experienced early in his ministry there. Thomson was fervent in his preaching, and he extended his ministry to neighbouring parishes until his clerical brethren complained of his "circumforaneous vociferations" to the bishop of Exeter who duly admonished him. The neighbouring parish vicars noted that they had no dissenters in their communities "apart from those who go by the name of Methodists, chiefly encouraged and abetted and taught by a neighbouring clergyman, the Vicar of St Gennys"
The history of Methodism in Cornwall begins with this Reverend George Thomson from our very own ancestral parish of St Gennys. He believed that one’s faith alone could bring them salvation. This was also the view held by both John and Charles Wesley and became a central message of Methodism. The brothers visited St Gennys around eight times between them and became good friends with George, although eventually became estranged when George Thomson moved to a Calvinistic view. George wrote many hymns, which were published anonymously during his lifetime. I'm not sure if any of them are used currently, or if any music exists for them.
George Thomson was also well acquainted with the Anglican cleric and evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770), another of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement, who preached at St Gennys at least twice. This would also have been in the time of John and Mary Harris, who would no doubt have been in the congregation of this Christian celebrity of his times. Whitefield's eloquent oratory skills and charismatic personality helped spark the spiritual revival known as "the Great Awakening" throughout Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and North America where Whitefield visited seven times - including holding the biggest outdoor assembly in America (23,000 people) to that date.
An extract from The Life of Rev. George Whitefield. Vol.2
On Saturday, November 12 [1743], Whitefield accompanied Mr. [George]Thomson to his rectory at St. Gennys, Cornwall, where he seems to have remained a fortnight. Hence the following:
“St. Gennys, November 25, 1743.
“I am glad that the Lord inclined my heart to come hither. He has been with us of a truth. How did His stately steps appear in the sanctuary last Lord’s-day! Many, many prayers were put up, by the worthy rector and others, for an outpouring of God’s blessed Spirit. They were answered. Arrows of conviction fled so thick and so fast, and such a universal weeping prevailed from one end of the congregation to the other, that good Mr. Thompson could not help going from seat to seat, to encourage and comfort the wounded souls. The Oxonian’s father was almost struck dumb; and the young Oxonian’s crest was so lowered, that I believe he will never venture to preach an unknown Christ, or to deal in the false commerce of unfelt truths.
“I could enlarge, but I must away to Bideford, just to give Satan another stroke, and bid my Christian friends farewell; and then return the way I came, namely, through Exeter, Wellington, and Bristol, to the great metropolis.”
And again in 1750:
"Having preached twelve times, in six days, at Plymouth, Whitefield set out for Cornwall, accompanied by two clergymen, the Rev. G. Thompson, of St. Gennys, and the Rev. Mr. Grigg, who had come to Plymouth purposely to be his escort. On Sunday, the 4th of March, the church at St. Gennys presented a scene such as was not often witnessed. Whitefield writes: “Four of Mr. Wesley’s preachers were present, and also four clergymen in their gowns and cassocks—Mr. Bennet (aged fourscore), Mr. Thompson, Mr. Grigg, and myself. It was a glorious day of the Son of man"
On 10th March, 1750, he wrote in his diary,"Mr. Thompson is mighty hearty, and is gone to his parish in a gospel flame.”
On one of John Wesley's visits to St Gennys in 1753, (possibly his last visit for some time) he wrote in his journal (on August 12th, 1753):
'I never saw so many people in this church; nor did I ever speak so plainly to them. They hear; but when will they feel? Oh, what can man do toward raising either dead bodies or dead souls!'
John Wesley's Journal:John and Mary Harris and family would have been well within the reach and influence of early Methodism in Cornwall. These must have been stirring times for them. It is tempting to speculate the impact that Thomson's, Whitefield's and the Wesleys' preaching had on the Harrises and their descendants.
Tuesday, September 3rd, 1782: 'I preached in the street at Camelford. Being informed here that my old friend Mr. Thompson, rector of St. Gennys, was near death, and had expressed a particular desire to see me, I judged no time was to be lost. So borrowing the best horse I could find, I set out, and rode as fast as I could… I found Mr. Thompson just alive, but quite sensible. It seemed to me as if none in the house but himself was very glad to see me. He had many doubts concerning his final state, and rather feared than desired to die, so that my whole business was to comfort him and to increase and confirm his confidence in God. He desired me to administer the Lord's Supper, which I willingly did; and I left him much happier than I found him, calmly waiting till his change should come.'
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| George Whitefield preaching outdoors. John Collet/Getty Images |
And now, back to William and his two wives - in the next instalment. Feel free to contact me if you have any further information I could add to this - or if you find anything that needs correcting.
(1) From Family Search Film # 004564297, image 26/374
