ROSENYTHON
From information given by Mr Austin Pengilly
to Robert Richards of Chenale, Rosenithon, July 1971,
and farm title deeds.
The Manor of Rosenython belonged about 1308 A.D. to the family of Seneschall who settled there and are mentioned in the Doomsday Book. They were still there in the reign of Edward V1, 1549. The name of the present Holding known as Chenale is derived from "Seneschall", and at that time their lands included most of the surrounding farms, Rosenython, Trythance, Trevean Tregellast. The Seneschalls were installed in order to administer the estates of Robert of Mortain, brother of William the Conqueror, which he had confiscated from Queen Charlotte.
About 1590 the manor passed to Berjeaux from whom it passed by female heirs to the Veres, Earls of Oxford and then to Walter Raleigh Gilbert ( Rev C.of E.) of the priory of Bodmin, through his wife, sister and heiress of Rev John Hoskin of Tregowris. The Barton of Tregowris and Trembraze were the seat of the Hoskins. Trembraze is also in the Doomsday Book.
The "Seneschalls" coat of arms are on the right hand side of the Tower door of St Keverne Church. Those on the left belong to Trebarvah which belonged temporarily to Richard II and Edward IV and to the family of the Arch Deacon, latterly to Antony Williams, vicar,who lived at Tremenhere House, Penzance. He sold it to the Lory Family about 1700.
The different spellings of "Rosenython" and "Rosenithon" are because the farm name comes from old Cornish meaning "Nest in the Moors". That is the name of the farm. When this was explained to the ordnance survey map-makers, the reply was that the village (hamlet, settlement,) has been spelled with an "I" for so long that it must remain so.
When the Rogers family first came to Rosenython in 1752, they came as tenants from Rosemorder by way of Roscorwell, just about two miles altogether. They remained as tenants of the Vivian family of Trelowarren until 1923 when the Trelowarren estate was raising money to pay off the Bishop of Zululand who was a family member. Rosenython was one of the farms sold to raise the money.
My grand father, William, bought it for £3,900. The original farm was only of 32acres, but my grandfather also bought the Godrevy,and Treginges tenements, making it up to around 70 acres. The holding around Rosenithon village is still bounded by the granite Trelowarren boundary stones.
Bernard Rogers.
1997.
