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From: "George Pritchard" <>
Subject: Re: [CON] Field Names: Feock and surrounds; from publication
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:29:48 -0000
References: <000001c40adf$fece6360$6501a8c0@downstairs>


Thank you Karen for posting the information regarding Feock. It can be
fascinating to study the land where ancestors lived, ( In the case of
Trevilley in Sennen, they were Sandra's) and I would recommend Peter Pool's
books "The Place Names of West Penwith" and "The Field Names of West
Penwith" to anyone interested in studying this topic. For instance using his
field names book we find that "Park Dreans" from Karens list means Field of
Thorns which must have been hell to clear for those early Celtic settlers.

In Celtic times, fields were worked communally among the tribe and in order
to let others know where they would be working they were given names. These
names were indeed passed down from generation to generation and in the case
of Trevilley in Sennen many are still in use today. In 1838 they were
recorded as part of a Tithe apportionment and a map showing the buildings
and field layout was also produced.

The valley which now forms the boundary between Trevilley and Skewjack lands
in the parish of Sennen, has a stream which flows out to the sea at Nanjizal
bay and it was on the high ground on each side that the early settlers
created the first homestead in what is believed to be a large Round shown as
"Round Croft" with field number 777 , on the Skewjack tithe map. The
Cornwall Archaeological Unit have entered likely sites of rounds onto the
"Sites and Monument Records" (SMR), and the Skewjack round is shown as PRN
28264. They also record a possible round on the Trevilley side of the valley
in field number 764 Erra Dinna as PRN 28264.

Below is a list of field names in close proximity to the two rounds.

Number on 1838 tithe Name in Cornish English translation

759 Erres Kebra" Barn Acre
760 Park Noweth New Field
761 Vynack Stony Place
762 " "
763 Higher Gew Enclosure
764 Erredinna Castle Acre
765 Lower Gew Enclosure
766 Dor Meere Great Ground
767 Grawlyn Cattle Pond
769 Howas Pasture
770 Howas Downs Pasture

Peter Pool in his book "The Field-Names of West Penwith" tells us that "Gew"
was in use as a field name around 1640 and was derived from Kew meaning
enclosure which in itself came from Keow- Plural Ke= hedge. He goes on to
say that this was "normally a field near the farm buildings, probably named
as the first to be enclosed and it helps in pinpointing the first part of
the land to be cultivated. There are two fields at Trevilley which include
the word Gew. The numbers on the Tythe records are 763 and 765 and these are
directly opposite field 777 across the valley whilst also adjoining field
number 764. So it is in this area that we would probably find the site of
the first farmstead. The fields on the Skewjack side have all got English
names mostly connected with the mining which took place at a later date and
destroyed the earlier field system, some of whose hedges are shown on the
records (SMR).

For the tithe details in Sennen see my web site

http://members.tripod.com/sennentithes/trevilley.htm




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