Trenbath One-Name Study

Trenbath
One-Name Study

Topics

About the Trenbath One-Name Study
Variants
Origin of the surname
Distribution of the name
Contact Details

About the Trenbath One-Name Study

The Trenbath One-Name study commenced in the early 1990s, although I had been interested in Family History for many years before that. My first attempt at searching the archives was in 1964 when I went to Somerset House and had to fill in a form to say what I was looking for and which FIVE years I wanted to search. I then paid 3/6 and was directed to the exact place where the marriage volumes were. I quickly found that it was more interesting to note down ALL instances of TRENBATH, and also to go outside my alotted five years if no-one was looking!

After this initial research married life took over and it was twenty years before I was able to return.

The name was registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies in the early 90s, along with RAHR and FARGUS.

My website is at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sheilaweston/ and my latest GEDCOM file has been uploaded to http://www.tribalpages.com/tribes/trenbath

Variants

The obvious spelling variation is TREMBATH but, although I am interested in this variation, I am not including it in my research, as others have done a lot of work on this surname and I usually pass on the contacts to Jean Ashfield (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jean.ajin/genealogy/pages/trembath.htm). Trebertha, Trenberth and other variations are said to have a different derivation.

Origin of the surname

The surname originated in Cornwall - 'By Tre-, Pol- and Pen- ye shall know the Cornish men'.

The earliest mention of the name, found so far, is that of Andre Trenybah (Andrew Trenbath) in a tax list of Madron, Cornwall. The next is an indenture of 1442, whereby Thomas Polper granted to Richard Trenbagh Wartha 'all my lands in the vill of Trenbagh Wartha' at a specified rent. (Seen at Truro Records Office ref a/13/5A). One of the witnesses was Wm Trenbagh Wolas. This implies, I think, that Richard Trenbagh inhabited the larger Trenbagh homestead (wartha='on the high ground'), and Richard the smaller one 'on the low ground'.

The Trembath house still stands, although, doubtless much altered. It is near the cross-roads at Buryas Bridge in Penwith. Lower Trembath Farm is down a lane on the opposite side of the road from 'Trembath'. It is a much meaner building, in contrast to Upper Trembath.

Distribution of the name

William Trenbath was born in 1726, almost certainly in Cornwall (?St Gluvias). He married Ann Driver in Ubbeston, Suffolk in 1848. In 1751 he moved across to Lilleshall, Shropshire, and then to Northwich, Cheshire, in 1761. His descendants settled locally, as well as migrating to South Africa, Australia and to the States. See my websites for more details.

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Mrs Sheila Rahr Weston
E-mail:

This page last updated 25 February 2008.