Hendra Heor - house or place name ? St Columb Minor

[hatofthecat]

I'm working my way through 1708 will for William Arthur.  He lists various parcels of land in bequests "being parcels of my tenement in Hendra Heor within the said parish of Lower St Columb".

I can see Hendra on Gascoyne's map of 1699, just to East of Trevethick manor but am just wondering what the "Heor" bit refers to ? I've tried looking it up in online Cornish language dictionary (with a couple of variations in spelling just in case) but no joy.  Any local knowledge or Cornish speakers who might be able to offer ideas ?  Hendra seems to be still a name in use though is now under what appears to be a holiday camp (?) looking at modern map, though is marked as having "remains of" a "mansion" in 1881 OS map.

Pete

[pinot]

Hello Pete,
             If it's any help, 'Hendre' in Welsh is a common first part of a name for a farmstead, some grander than others. It nearly always has a second part, being a describing word or someone's name. 'Heor' I can't help with; I hoped it might correspond to Welsh 'hir' - long - but the online Cornish dictionary I found gave hir in Welsh and Cornish.
                              Best of luck.

[hatofthecat]

Thanks pinot, that makes some sense especially with the vaguaries of period spelling.  Would be an oddity though given usually its Tre/Trev/Tren/Trem for a Cornish farm or village.  Found a Cornish place names book and there is "Hor" or "Hordh" which means "ram"... so maybe "Ram Farm" 

Looking at the 1699 map there's another place labelled Hendra further to the East between Bojowan (Bejowan) and Mungey (Mountjoy).  That one looks to be in the parish of Colan though.  Not searched the whole of the map for others as yet   

Pete

[Bookbox]

How clear is the handwriting? At that date St and Sl can look like H, and e can look like o (and vice versa). Just wondering ...

[Kay99]

There is a farm Hendre Veor on this map to the east of Hendre Paul in the south west qtr of the map http://maps.nls.uk/view/101438453

Kay

[hatofthecat]

Its in several places in the document Bookbox, here's three of them.

Kay99 that seems to be within the boundaries of St Columb Minor parish    the only thing marked in that space in 1699 map is Penhendra.  I'll have to dig out the slightly later maps this evening and see if I can make some sense of it.  This farm would definitely be a candidate.  There two other parcels of land an another tenement & meadow in the will, not a clear reference as to any name or location I can see just yet, would help if they did 

Pete

[Bookbox]

I reckon Kay99 has got it.

The initial letter of the second word is quite different from the H of Hendra. The third extract is definitely Veor; the first and second could also be read as Veor, or perhaps Weor(?), once you know what the third one is. 

[hatofthecat]

Yup, we have a winner.... drum roll... it is definitely Hendra Veor   

I've just found this lease in the Cornwall Record Office online search

"Ref No   BRA1118/73
Title   
Lease, property at Hendra, St Columb Minor
Date   
2 Feb 1680
Format   
Manuscript
Extent   
1 piece
Description   
Parties 1) Thomas Lukey, yeoman, of St. Columb Minor 2) Emanuel Hambly, weaver,of Crantock. Property:dwelling-house, barn, mowhay, orchard and herb-garden with two fields and one third part of a quarter part of lands and commons there, in Hendra Veor and Hendra Marshall. Term: 99 years or 3 lives. Rent: 5 shillings. Endorsed: 1 March 1680. Assignment of premises. Parties 1) Emanuel Hambly, weaver, of Crantock 2) William Arter, yeoman, of St Columb Minor. Consideration: £27 7 shillings 6 pence. Endorsed: 17 November 1684. Assignment Parties 1) William Arter 2) John Morcomb, brother in law of William Arter. Consideration: 'a valuable consideration'. Endorsed: 20 March 1687. Assignment. Parties 1) John Morcomb, yeoman, of St Columb Minor 2) William Spark, yeoman, of St Columb Minor. Consideration: £23 15 shillings."

It is William Arthur's will of 1708 I'm working my way through when the tenants names have changed it seems (no matching lease for them survives in the records by look of things).  Interestingly I have John Morcomb on my tree as well so I looked to check out if its the same one... he leased the farm at Bedrugga which can be seen just 2/3rd of a mile to the North of Hendra Veor on the map Kay99 found (I had never thought to look North of the border for a map of Cornwall !!??  ...if I'd started with that I'd have had it all sorted before I started...  ) and I already had him married to a Margaret Arthur in July 1684 (so a fresh new brother in law at time of the endorsement on the lease in November) but her parents not the same as William's as I couldn't find a baptism for her in St Columb Minor I had her pencilled in as likely the one baptised in Padstow in 1663... looks like I could be very wrong there    I don't have William's father William's will (just administration & inventory) but I have worked out his mother was Dorothy Arthur and I do have her will of 1676... low and behold it looks like she lists a daughter Margaret as well as son William.  You fix one mystery and another pops up, trashes part of your tree and then fixes it    All good fun.  Thanks for the map sleuthing everyone !!

Pete