Bedrugga Farm, St Columb Minor - location ?

[hatofthecat]

Can anyone pin this farm down on a map for me. I can't spot it on current OS maps 

The farm was leased by the Morcomb (many spellings) family in 1600s & 1700s  and was definitely still in existence in 1939 as there is a notice in London Gazette (bankruptcy) for it.

cheers for any help, Pete

[Priscilla]

You may find this picture and explanation of interest ...

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?95115-RAF-St-Mawgan-Remembered/page8

Added:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kayhin/1819c.html
This is the 1891 Census - scroll down to Folio 127 Page 16

And more:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kayhin/72256a.html
This is the 1871 Census - scroll down to Folio 50 Page 4 and Folio 51 Page 5

Bedrugga Farm is also mentioned here:
http://airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?601-Trebelzue

[hatofthecat]

Thank you Priscilla have it nailed 

The last of those links described it as "just off from the Northeast threshold [Trebulsue airfield] is where the small hamlet and farm of Bedrugga existed".  Done a bit of flying in my time so knew just where I should be looking.

Farm found on http://www.old-maps.co.uk/ using coordinates 185715,64475 its smack in the middle of 1881 1:2,500 map and interestingly the name still survives on the 1972 map so possibly one or two of the old farm buildings may still have been standing (?)

[Edit] The Bedrugga name still survives on the OS Explorer 1:25,000 scale map !

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=185920&Y=64565&A=Y&Z=115&ax=185715&ay=64475

Pete

[johnjames.newquay]

Bedrugga was our family farm from the 1700s until about 1934. I have a painting done in the mid 1800s of the old farmhouse which was said to date from medieval times with its thatched roof.

[hatofthecat]

That is really interesting johnjames.newquay  I have copies of the leases held at Cornwall records office for the Morcumb family at Bedrugga running from 1689 to 1773.  The last of these being for Thomas Morcumb, who would have been my 5x great grandfather, taking over the lease.  You can find them here, use "Bedrugga" in the "Title" search box.  There may be some for your family there too !

http://crocat.cornwall.gov.uk/DServe/searchpage.htm

The leases note a "tenement" which would have been the farmhouse depicted in your painting  so it would be great if possible to have a photo/scan of if (?)  Please do let me know if there is any way that can be done as I've no useful pictures of the farm at all.  It is though clearly marked on Gascoyne's 1699 map of Cornwall (I have a copy of this reprinted by Devon & Cornwall Record Society).

The Morcumb's seem to have expanded to then moved on to the adjacent Trebulsue farm to its West from 1730s onwards.  Oddly all this land was owned by the Arundell family to which they were directly related (though well off the line of inheritance unfortunately).

When I was researching the farm I also found there were many references to Bedrugga farm in newspapers held on the British Newspaper archive http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ there are definitely some covering the period your family had the farm.

Pete

[johnjames.newquay]

Hello again,
My 4 greats grandfather William Williams was understood to be the first of our family to farm Bedrugga. He married Margaret Lewarne and was followed by his son Thomas who was born in 1784. Next his son William born 1807, who married Catherine Roberts whose grandmother incidentally was

[johnjames.newquay]

Hello again,
My 4 greats grandfather William Williams was understood to be the first of our family to farm Bedrugga. He married Margaret Lewarne and was followed by his son Thomas who was born in 1784. Next his son William born 1807 and died 1885, who married Catherine Roberts whose grandmother incidentally was an Elizabeth Morcom. They were followed by son Thomas (1839-1883) and grandson William (1871-1959) who left the farm and let it to tenants from about 1934 until the 1940s when it was purchased by the Air Ministry for the airfield It was on the borders of St Columb Minor and St Mawgan parishes. I have only vague memories of it in the 1930s. No doubt there are ways I could scan and send a copy of the painting of the old house I have many photos of the 'new' farmhouse built in the 1800s with the Williams family who farmed it for 5 generations.
John

[hatofthecat]

"Catherine Roberts whose grandmother incidentally was an Elizabeth Morcom."

John, It is possible our trees do knit together.  I have an Elizabeth Morcomb born 1736 who married an Henry Roberts (from St Mawgan) at St Columb Minor in 1759.  This Elizabeth could then be your Catherine Roberts grandmother.  I've not researched any offspring of Elizabeth & Henry as yet.  Do you have Catherine's parentage ?  There are a few other Elizabeth Morcumb born in mid 1700's that could be her grandmother but the 1736 one is the only one recorded as marrying a Roberts listed on Cornwall online parish clerks database.  The years to cover with two generations are quite long but its certainly not impossible.

Those dates all seem to tie up neatly with the Morcumb's leaving the Bedrugga farm after expiry of the 1773 lease to concentrate on their other farm and the Williams family moving in right afterwards.

If you could manage a digital photo of the painting I would be very grateful.  Let me know if you can as I'm in touch with some other Morcumb descendents and I'm sure they'd be keen to see it too 

[johnjames.newquay]

Hi,

I am trying to send a copy of a scan I have made of the picture. It has not come out all that clearly but I will attach it for you to see.

John