Manor of Fursnewth, St Cleer Parish
By Brian Oldham
Since before 1066 Fursnewth was held by the Priory of St Petroc, Bodmin. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the spelling was Fosnewit, a rough translation being Newdyke. Macca was the Prior and the Manor contained arable land worked by 4 plough teams and 30 acres of pasture. Living and working there were 8 villagers and 8 smalholders.
Tenants of the Priory included Phillip de Fosmowth, Roger, son of Adam of Pellaganow and Thomas, son of Clarice de Trengale, whose Grant of 17th June 1298 gave his annual rent as 5s 6d and “a reasonable road to come and go to herd cattle” was a condition.
Occupants on 27th July 1513 were Robert Gylla and his wife Matilda. In 1537 the monks, aware of the imminent Dissolution of the Monasteries, sold the Manor to John Tubbe.
The Land Act of 1715 was passed to allow various lands, including the Manor of Fursnewth, to be sold by the trustees of Sir Jonathan Trelawny to discharge his mortgages. Up until then the names on various documents held at Kresen Kernow include Robert Gedye, Husbandman (1622), Robert Lucas, Husbandman (1622 & 1677), Jonathan Rashleigh, Esquire of Menabilly (1636), John Lucas (1675) and William Cleather (1707).
![Fursnewth Hamlet, Near St Cleer, Cornwall [1]](https://kernowgoth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fursnewth-Hamlet-1.jpg "Fursnewth Hamlet, Near St Cleer, Cornwall [1]")
The next owner was the Rev. Edward Morshead, clerk, Lord of the Manor of Fursnewth. In the Deputation of Gamekeepers of 30th Sept. 1784 he nominated Robert Parkyn, Yeoman of Liskeard for the post and on 3rd Sept. 1787 nominated his replacement John Jewell, Farmer of Liskeard.
The next document of interest is the Probate of the Will of Ann Inch, Spinster of Treworgey in which she left £700 and Fursnewth to her nephew John Hart. The occupants at that time were James Hocken and Matthew Keast.
30th August 1853 saw the auction at Webb’s Hotel of various properties including the Manor of Fursnewth. The Auctioneer was William Murray of Castle St, Solicitors were Peter Glubb & Son of West St and the Printer was William Philp of Bay Tree Hill.
In the hamlet of Fursnewth the 1841 census lists 2 Farmers, Thomas Honey Senior and Thomas Honey Junior, 3 Agricultural Labourers and a Labourer on the Roads. All were heads of their separate households.
Another son of Thomas Honey Senior, John, is a Farmer of 126 acres employing 4 labourers in 1851. Also in the hamlet is Matthew Southern, Farmer with 66 acres at only 23 years of age.
Matthew Southern seems take have moved to the larger 126 acres farm in 1861 employing 1 man and 2 boys. The smaller farm, now 70 acres, is home to John Swan, employing 1 man.
1871 is the last census showing Matthew Southern, farming 125 acres with 1 labourer, probably Thomas Tonking who was living nearby with his wife, 4 children and his mother-in-law Jane Roskelly, an 81 year old Pauper.
In the same year the census for nearby Looe Down Farm listed 2 brothers from South Hill, William and James Maddever, aged 27 and 25 respectively, both occupations are “Farmers’ Sons”. Their parents William and Elizabeth presumably were away on census night.
![Fursnewth Hamlet, Near St Cleer, Cornwall [2]](https://kernowgoth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fursnewth-Hamlet-2.jpg "Fursnewth Hamlet [2]")
The Historic England listing can be found through this link: Wayside Cross circa 27m south of Great Fursenewth
![Fursnewth Hamlet, Near St Cleer, Cornwall [3]](https://kernowgoth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fursnewth-Hamlet-3.jpg "Fursnewth Hamlet [3]")
It was William Maddever who, in 1881, has 210 acres at Fursnewth Farm, employing 1 Labourer and 2 boys. Living in with the Maddever family are Elizabeth Fuller (22) General Servant, William Stephens (17) and John Hoar (16) both Farm Servants (Indoor). Thomas Tonking (55) is still living in the hamlet, as is George Meldern (29) both are Farm Labourers.
William (47) is still in the census in 1891, with wife Elizabeth (46) and with 4 sons and 1 daughter with ages ranging from 6 up to 14. Living in are brothers Matthew (37) and Joseph (23) Clemence, one a Shepherd, the other a Cattleman.
1901 saw lots of changes; William (57) is farming at Trenderway near Pelynt with sons Sidney (20) and Richard (15). William’s eldest son Reginald (25) is running his Aunt Mary Hancock’s farm at South Trekeive. Fursnewth has been left in the hands of William’s other farming sons Ernest (18) and John (17), overseen by William Bray, a relation of the Maddevers.
Meanwhile William’s nephew George Collins Maddever (15) is living at nearby Looe Down Farm, where his grandfather William, father James and uncle William were farming 30 years earlier.
All is clearer in 1911; at Fursnewth Farm there are 2 farming families listed. One is Sidney Maddever (30), his wife Bessie (29) and son George (8 months). Listed separately but also at Fursnewth Farm are William Bray (49), his wife Ellen (48), widowed mother Matilda (72) and 4 daughters, the eldest is Lotty (15) whose occupation is Dairy Worker.
Over at Looe Down Farm in 1911 is Sidney’s cousin George C Maddever (25), and his sisters Olive (27), Violet (21) and Florence (13). They had 1 employee, Charles Sanders (22) who is a “Horse Man on Farm”. George and his family remained at Looe Down for many years and became a prominent figure in Liskeard local government.
The Grade II listed buildings in the hamlet are “Great Furnsnewth Farmhouse”, “Cottage 20m NW of the Farmhouse”, “Barn with integral horse engine house 20m E of the Farmhouse” and “Wayside Cross 27m S of the Farmhouse”. For the full details go to
![Fursnewth Hamlet, Near St Cleer, Cornwall [4]](https://kernowgoth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fursnewth-Hamlet-4.jpg "Fursnewth Hamlet [4]")