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Previous:     Section 15: ???. Chapter X xxxx

Section 16.B
St Germans and East Cornwall
1544-17??

St Germans is a village and parish in the south-east corner of Cornwall about three miles west of the Tamar river which divides Cornwall from Devon.  It sits on the ?? river,, a tributary to Lynner river which flows into the Tamar near Saltash on the Cornish side and Plymouth on the Devon side.  In the times we are concerned with here the parish was considerably bigger than it now is.

Although St Germans, and nearby parishes, seems to be the focal point for this part of the Brush history there are scattered entries across much of Cornwall, some of which are directly linked. There are also a couple of earlier references to BRUSH in Devon but with no obvious connection.  Most Devon material is a bit later and is covered in section 16.x The families in West Cornwall are in section 16.x

This section is structured differently from some others. The first part is a chronogical listing of the discovered source material. Following that, in Part 2, is an attempt to piece together the jigsaw fragments.

The first references appear in the 1544 subsidy rolls for St Germans and at Quethiock a little north and west towards Liskeard. Roger BRUSHE and a Roger BRYSHE are listed at Quethiock but the St Germans entries are for William and Richard BRUSSE. Roger BRUSHE of Quethiock is assessed on goods valued at five pounds and Roger BRYSHE on one pound of goods. As adults, these men will have been born no later than 1523 and quite possibly earlier, which makes them contemporaries of the earliest Gloucestershire entries - John of Compton Abdale, Richard of Tewkesbury and the hidden parents of Anthony of Painswick and Giles of Brockworth. William, Richard, Roger and Roger of Cornwall might all be the same generation but could also be a pair of fathers and sons.

There is then a series of entries from 1551 to 1616 within the court books and rolls at Cuttenbeak , which is variously referred to as a borough, barton or manor within the parish of St Germans. They provide clear evidence of an established family.

Thomas BRUSHE, a tithingman, appears in 1551 and again in 1574. Tithingman appears to be some sort of parish officer ( either involved in collecting tithes or in some sort of constable public order role) not simply someone subject to tithes.

12 May 1560 Thomasine Brushe, the wife of John Brushe is buried at St Breward

c.1560 there was a marriage of a John BRASHE at St Breward to Joanna BONESANT (ref PMI?) - which would give a formula birth date c. 1532. Breward sits to the west of Bodmin Moor between Bodmin and Camelford in North Cornwall. It is about 25 miles north west of St Germans.

From the Index of Chancery : "66 Richard BRASSHE v. John DYER and others. Messuage in St. Germans. Cornw. "

Thomas BRUSCH of St Germans is also recorded in a document as granting [a lease?] of " a messuage" at Trespearne in the parish of "Lanease" in 1567 to John PHILIPE and family.  The hamlet of Trespearne is in Laneast which is an inland parish about 25 miles northwest of St Germans, to the north of Bodmin Moor. About six miles northeast of St Breward.  Thomas is quite possibly the tithingman noted in 1551 and 1574.  This entry seems significant in that it demonstrates that the family was not tied just to St Germans.

Within this period, the 1569 Muster roll lists John and Hugh BRUSHE at St Germans and Walter BRUSH at the parish of St Johns, 6 miles southeast of St Germans on the Rame peninsula.

The next, isolated, reference to the BRUSH name in Cornwall is of John BRUSH buried in 1570 at Stephen in Brannel, to the west of St Austell. Ref to BRS list of PCC wills??? This is also some 25 miles away from St Germans.

In 1577 the Cuttenbeak records record a sale of a tenement in the borough of Cuttenbeak by Richard BRUSH, yeoman of St Germans, to Thomas HODGE of Pelynt, husbandman.

1578 Rafe Brush marries Chrsten at Gerrans

Sometime in the period 1558 to 1603 there are legal proceedings between Richard Brusshe and [-] Avery about "certain messuages and gardens in the borough of Cuttambecke" , ... The National Archives | The Catalogue | Full Details

There is also a burial of a John Brush at Madron, near Penzance, in 1579 ( or 23 Oct 1580?). Despite the later presence of a BRUSH family in the adjoining parish of Gulval from 1719 (chapter xx), this does seem to be a genuinely isolated instance with no other evidence of an early settled location this far west.

In 1580 Richard Eliot leases some property at Cuttenbeak to John BRUSHE .

On 7 February 1583 Richard Brushe the son of John was baptised at Morval.  Morval is the parish immediately to the south of Menheniot and Liskeard, to the west of St Germans and to the north of St Martins.  Marked 'MV' on the Cornish parishes map. This is the first Morval entry though the records date from 1538.  The Brush presence at Morval continues until 1688.

20 November 1583 Johane Brushe, child of Johanis, is buried at Blisland

26 June 1587 Johane Brushe, wife of Johanis, is buried at Blisland

In 1584 John BRUSH of St Germans sells the messuage at Trespearne, Laneast, to George GRENVILLE of Penheale. Apparently the property let by Thomas 17 years earlier. George GRENVILLE was a man of substance, and an MP, owning property all over Cornwall .

A Peter BRUSHE appears in 1584 as a party to a "Final concord" about unspecified property in Liskeard and Menheniot -. Peter Brushe is the 'querant' and Jn. Mayhow the 'deforciant'. Liskeard and Menheniot are two separate parishes, seven miles north west of St Germans, but there are several references to them as a linked pair. These terms indicate the settlement of a land dispute using the 'Feet of Fines' procedure but this seems to have often been a sham designed to record a sale of land . If this is the case then Peter was the buyer of the land and Jn Mayhow the seller rather than a claimant and alleged wrongful occupier.

The previous document in the Cornwall Record Office series (X556/28) is a document of Bargain and sale of property at High Clicker, Liskeard and Menheniot, with William Mayowe as the buyer. The consideration for the purchase was £100 - which is quite a substantial sum. Given the common Mayowe/Mayhow name it seems likely this is the same property later purchased by Peter BRUSHE. It is unclear exactly where High Clicker is but it seems to be in the south of Menheniot and Liskeard parishes. It seems likely to have been on land later turned into a quarry near Torr Farm. http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-1016-1/dissemination/pdf/A38_Menheniot_junc.pdf

1585 John Brush marries Agnes MAYE at St Neot

1587 baptism of Elizabeth, daughter of John BRUSHE at St Neots, which is on the southern edge of Bodmin moor, north of Liskeard.

At 1588 a list of Cuttenbeak tenants and residents records John, James and a second John, son of John.

From 1587 to 1606 (a 19 year period) seven children are baptised by William Brush or Brushe at Morval. In 1587 Emme BRUSHE, Robart is baptised in 1589, Gilbert in 1592, Anthonye in 1595, Thomsyne in 1603, and Jone in 1606. ) There are three family groups in Morval around 1580-1600 " Richard, son of John, " Peter, son of William, plus 6 siblings of Peter " Henry. Also in Morval in the same period Peter,son of Henry is baptised in 1604.

1590 Thomas Brush marries Elnor at Linkinhorne

The first parish register record at St Germans itself is of Peter Brush who had two children at St Germans.  James ("Jacobus"), was baptised in 1590 and Joanna was buried in 1591. 1590 is the first year from which there are St Germans parish records. OPC has burial of Joan ' d of Peter' rather than Joanna at 1 March 1592

17 Nov 1591 Emma 'w of john' is buried at St Germans 7 december 1591 James ' of Trebol' is buried at St Germans

In 1591 a Peter Brush appears again in the Cuttebeake records, described as Peter BRUSH junior. He is the subject of a presentation (complaint?) to the manorial court for behaving ill and entertaining Joan SYMON. It is said they "lived incontinently".

On 26 March 1592 the St Germans Parish register records the burial of a Peter BRUSH.  He was described as being 'of Treboll' In a separate record, part of the Cuttenbeak manorial papers, he is described as "extraneus" which is Latin for outsider or stranger and as dying at Trebolgh.  Even though not a resident, the custom of the Manor was that his best beast - a sheep, was seized.

How the manor officials collected the sheep of a stranger is not entirely clear.  The obvious assumption is that Peter the stranger was the father of the sexually incontinent Peter junior - and was staying with Peter junior ( or another relative) at Trebol at the time of death .  Did his host's beast get seized?

There had been two other deaths at Trebol in the previous year, 1591. Emma, wife of John of Trebol, died first. Followed a couple of weeks later by James of Trebol.

1592 Alice Brush marries Richard Gache at St Germans

A Hugh BRUSH marriage to Janne MAY is recorded on 27 November 1594 at St Neot. If this was at our formula age of 28, Hugh would have been born around 1566.

1592 Joyce Brush marries William Clenicke at St Germans

In the period 1591 to 1600 at Linkinhorne Thomas Brush baptises four children :daughter Elnor Brush on 14 November 1591, Jone on 2 August 1595, Emanuell on 2 December 1597 and William on 27 April 1600.

17 November 1595 Johanes Brush, Sen is buried at Blisland 25 May 1596 Agnes, wife of John is buried at St Neot

1598 Ralph Brush marries Margaret SLADE at St Germans

3/9/1598 Barbara Broshe (930065)bapt at St Agnes, d of Ralph BRUSH and Margaret (slade?) SLIP

25 April 1601 Jone Brushe is buried at Liskeard. OPC transcript records "Brushe?"

on 4 February 1600 Henry Brush marries Elnor Pollard at Morval and on 28 November 1604 Peter, son of Henry, is baptised at Morval (still within the period of the baptisms by William).  Petr is buried a few days later on 2 December 1604.

1 December 1602 John buried at St Germans 18 March 1603 John buried at St Germans

1603 Marjery Brush marries Thomas Jesope at St Germans

1604 Richard Brush marries Grace OGBYNS at St Germans

28 April 1604 Hugh buried at St Neot 17 March 1606 John buried at St Germans 13 January 1608 Johane.s buried at St Germans 13 January 1609 John of Batrifilly buried at St Germans

On 1 November 1609 James Brush, son of James is baptised at St Germans.  On 24 December 1609 Agnes Brush, daughter of Richard is baptised at St Germans.

Also in 1609, Jone BRUSH marries John COUCH at Bodmin. (formula birth date c.1584) Jone from Linkinhorne would only have been 14 which suggests two families in the area.

On 8 July 1610, at Manaccan, George Brushe, son of Henrie (recorded as 'Mr Henrie'), is baptised.  Is this conected?  Manaccan is a long way south west, past Falmouth on the Lizard peninsula.

17 August 1611 burial of John Brushe at Bodmin

In 1611 there is a document by which Elizabeth Brush is named as the administratix of John Brush 'lat of the pish of Bodmyn'

1611 ? burial of Nicholaus Brushe, son of Johannis at St John OPC: Rector's original inscription suggests date of 1611 but page later annotated with 1612, src: Exeter BTs

On 23 August 1612 Mary daughter of Richard is baptised at St Germans

1 September 1612 burial of Grace, w of Richard, at St Germans 22 September 1613 burial of Willia.Brushe, son of Willia. at Anthony

1615 Elizabeth Brush marries John Truscott at St Neot

There are two baptisms at Fowey by father James, Israel in 1616 and Jone in 1617. Israel, son of James buried 30 October 1616 at Fowey

On 2 February 1617 Sapience BRUSH marries William PHILP or PAULY at St Mabyn. The unusual and religious sounding names Sapience and Emanuel might well fit together and the dates are good. Her husband William comes from Roche which is further south between Bodmin and St Austell/St Stephen in Brannel. The couple remained after marriage in St Mabyn.

3 May 1617 at St Germans Margaret, widow, is buried

On 10th November 1617 Walter BRUSH of St Johns "beinge but sycke & weake of bodye" makes his will leaving small items to his daughters Jone and Honour and the residue to his wife Mary. John BRUSHE is a witness. The inventory of his goods was made 0n 13th December 1617.

5 December 1618 at St Germans Henry is buried

In 1619 a Jane BRUSHE married John BUNT on 3rd Aug 1619 at Lanreath Cornwall .Lanreath is about 3 miles west of Morval on the road west to Bodmin. (Maybe born around 1596?)

29 July 1619 Joane, wife of Raphe buried at St Agnes. St Agnes an outlier on the north coast near Perranporth.

1620 Emma Brush marries Nicholas HAMMET at St Germans

At this point the Devon family group begins with the birth of Sampson BRUSH around 1620 ( known from baptisms of children at Newton Ferrers c.1650. ?? name link to Sapience and Emmanuael?

1620 Robert Brush marries Diones GEDY at St Germans

on 21 October 1621 Thomas son of Robert and Dunes is baptised at Morval.

1621 Martha Brush marries John PHILLIPE at Egloshayle

1620 Robert Brush marries Diones GEDY at Morval

on 21 October 1621 Thomas son of Robert and Dunes is baptised at Morval.

1621 John Brush marries Mary DYER at Landrake

on 21 October 1621 Thomas son of Robert and Dunes is baptised at Morval.

Davy BRUSH of Maker, Marriner, makes a will in 1623 leaving his estate to his sister Thomaisne of St Johns.

1623 Adam Brush marries Margaret ROWE at Philleigh

on 21 October 1621 Thomas son of Robert and Dunes is baptised at Morval.

24 June 1623 Richard buried at St Germans

29 February 1623 Syble, d. of Adam buried at Philleigh

14 August 1623 Joana buried at Blisland

16 April 1623 Joane BRUSHE buried at Maker
17 July 1623 David, fisherman, buried at Maker

11 May 1623 Johan BRUSHE buried at St John

1 Jan 1623 Richow Brushe, widowe, buried at St Stephen in Brannel

on 18 July 1624 William is buried at Morval

2 February 1625 Mary, wife of John, buried at Landrake with St Erney

1627 Elliner Brush marries Sampson COLLER at Quethiock

7 May 1630 Jane, wife of James, buried at Landrake wth St Erney

1630 James Brush marries Elizabeth BROOKING at Landrake
1632 James Brush marries Lore JEFFRYE at Landrake

On 23 November 1630 Thomasine marries John LAWREY at Morval

3 July 1633 Joane is buried at Manaccan

23(?) December 1634 Elizabeth BRUSHE, dau of William is buried at St Hilary

There is then a trio of baptisms which seem to confirm the connection between St Germans and Morval:
On 26 September 1630 Peter and Rabbidge baptise Benjamin at Morval
On 22 March 1634 Peter and Rabish baptise William at St Germans
On 11 June 1637 Peter and Rabbidge baptise Johan at Morval

1635 James Brush marries Elizabeth POMERY at St Neot

In 1636 Dionys, the wife of Robert, is buried at Morval and in 1638 Joane ("wid")is also buried there. 4 November 1636 Henry Brush?,son of James, is buried at Manaccan 12 January 1636 Henry Brush son of Henry is buried at Manaccan 29 July 1636 [] Brush , wydo, is buried at Fowey ? Mar 1636 John Brush is buried at St Germans ?1 Mar 1637 John Brush is buried at St Germans 1637 Thomas Brush marries Elizabeth JEWEL at Maker

On 28 January 1637 Thomas baptises Margrett at Maker

17 March 1638 Joane, wid, is buried at Morval

On 30 April 1639 Robert married Joane Colling at Morval

On 18 February 1639 Robert is buried. The OPC transcripts seem to indicate that these dates are using the Old Style format whichmeans that February comes at the end of 1639, 10 months after April 1639. With one exception (the burial of Joane fifty years later in 1688) this is the last life-event entry in the Morval registers but there are several references from 1643 onwards to George Brush as the vicar of Morval.

30 June 1651 James is buried at Landrake with St Erney 12 August 1656 Grace, daughter of James, is buried at Landrake with St Erney

1655 William Brush marries Rebecka ADAM at Landrake

16 April 1656 Eleoner, wife of Henry, buried at St Martin in Meneage

1656 Gabriell Brush marries Joan BURNYE at Launceston

16 November 1659 Lidia ,daughter of James, buried at Landrake with St Erney

22 February 1659 Elizabeth, widdow, buried at Landrake with St Erney

4 December 1660 James Brush buried at Landrake with St Erney

1660 William Brush marries Gertrude HENWOOD at St Germans

On 1 Septemer 1661 William baptises Charells at Menheniot

1 april 1662 Henry buried at St Martin in Meneage

On 16 March 1663 Will and Gertrude baptise Benjamin at St Germans

1665 Thomasine Brush marries Thomas WILLS at St Martin in Meneage

5 March 1668 Jone Brush buried at Landrake with St Erney In 1688 Joan is buried at Morval. This is the very last Morval entry. 1 August 1669 Anne, d of Henry, is buried at St Columb Major 14 April 1670 Gil..? is buried at St martin by Looe (East Looe Chapel) 25 March 1673 (or 74) Mary, wife of James, is buried at St Mary Magdalene, Launceston 14 August 1674 William is buried at Landrake with St Erney 30 March 1675 William is buried at St Germans 5 May 1678

1690 Elener Brush marries Thomas BARTELL at St Germans

On 26 March 1691 Charles and Philippa baptise Mary at St Germans
On 4 March 1693 Charles and Philippa baptise Michall or Michael at St Germans (described as a daughter in Bishops transcript!)
On 27 July 1696 Charles and Philippa baptise Charles at St Germans

1700 Ishmael Brush marries Constance COODE at St Martin (or Mawgan) in Meneage

Femal emarraiges fro 1700 onwards in Penzance area On 19 March 1711 Benjamin and Joane baptise Elizbeth at St Germans
On 26 June 1711 Benjamin and Joane baptise Charles at St Germans

SLIP: Benjamin (5021) s of Peter & Rabbidge bapt at Morval 26/9/1630, married Mary ( poss ALLEN) per Will ( 20/1/1690/1 in transcripts); died calstock 1691; occupation: miller. Calstock is north of St Germans on the west bank of the Tamar.

The trail goes cold at this point for some forty years when a Brush family reappear in 1752 in Rame, eight miles south east of St Germans at the south eastern tip of Cornwall. The story of that family and their move across the Tamar to Devonport is in Section 16.C .

Part 2

At Morval The Morval entries begin in 1583 when John baptises a son Richard. It seems probable that John moved in from somewhere else. There is no obvious earlier candidate at St Germans but a year later a John Brush 'of St Germans' sells property at Laneast. And in 1588 a list of Cuttenbeak tenants includes two Johns. There is also a John at St Neot in 1585 and 1587. In 1591 Emma 'w of John' is buried at St Germans. In 1602 and 1603 two Johns are buried at St Germans. It seems possible that the John who appears only once at Morval is one of the Johns from St Germans. In the 1587 -1606 period there are two other families at Morval - the biggest headed by William, the other by Henry.

DWB copies of FWB transcripts of the registers for Morval and St Germans (and some others)are included in an Excel file 'Parish registers.xls'

Next:     Chapter 16.B: ???

(1) back to text    xxx

(2) back to text    The Descendants of Thomas and Richard Brush of Huntington, Long Island. A Source Book. Compiled by Stuart C. Brush with the collaboration of Russell B.Brush. Gateway Press 1982. There are now 4 supplements to the original work. Supplements I & II published Gateway Press in a single volume 1995 , Supplements III ( by Stuart Brush) and IV (by David McDonald) published Gateway Press in a single volume 2005.

(3) back to text    American Colonies, The Settlement of North America to 1800. by Alan Taylor, Penguin Books 2001

(4) back to text    The Mayflower's trip to Plymouth had only been in 1620, Boston dates from 1630.

(5) back to text    This piece of detail, and others about New Haven comes from a History of the Colony of New Haven to it's absorption into Connecticut by Edward E. Atwater published in 1881 and available online at http://sites.rootsweb.com/~ctcderby/books/honhct00.html and https://archive.org/stream/historyofcolonyo00atwa_0/historyofcolonyo00atwa_0_djvu.txt
This detail was at p163 New Haven 1881