Osborne family of Falmouth, Cornwall c1779-1822

[jonwicken]

I have always known about my North East England Quaker roots, but not so long ago I discovered that there was another branch with Quaker roots in Cornwall.

I know very little about Cornish Quakers and I am hoping that there may be someone who knows more than I about the Falmouth Meeting.

Peter Osborne and Elizabeth Mitchell or Michell married on 5 January 1775 at Mevagissey, Cornwall, by licence.

They had several children whose births at Mevagissey are recorded in the Quaker registers in Cornwall between 1779 and 1790, but the records state they were 'not in unity'.

Their son William also has his child's birth in 1818 also recorded in the Quaker registers, with the comment stating he was not a member.

I have not idea what happened to Peter Osborne. Some online trees have a death as 1789, but I have no idea of the source.

However his wife Elizabeth was buried in the Quaker burial ground at Falmouth in 1822, where their son William had also been buried in 1820.

She was stated to not be a member, but unlike the 1818 birth of his son, there is no such comment on William's burial.

I have not found any Quaker links to the family before 1779, so I am a bit confused about their connection to the Quakers when the registers all state they were not in unity or were not members.

I also understand that in 1964, the burials in the New Street burial ground, used between 1811 and 1889, were reburied at Budock Friends Burial Ground.

I would be very interested to know if there was an excavation report or for more details of the Falmouth Quakers.

If anyone can please help with any of the above, I would love to hear from you.

Thank you,
Jonny Wicken   

[jonwicken]

This is some more information for anyone researching this family that comes across this post in future.
 
Peter Osborne and Elizabeth Mitchell married at Mevagissey on 5 January 1775.
 
Their children's births were all registered in the Quaker Monthly Meeting of Est Div of Cornwall:
 
1. Grace Osborne|Crouch 1779–aft 1861 married Henry Crouch
 
2. Peter Osborn|Osburn 1782–1783
 
3. Edward Osborne 1784–aft 1851 married Maria Clemo
 
4. William Osborn|Osborne 1786–1820 married Christian Repper Holman
 
5. Peter Osborn|Osborne 1788–aft 1851 married Jane Hill
 
6. Elizabeth Osborne 1790-1832 married William Bastian
 
The parents are stated in the Quaker registers to not be in unity.
 
Grace was baptised as an adult at Fowey parish church in 1797 (she married there in 1798) and Peter was also baptised there as an adult before his marriage in 1808.
 
The latter's baptism has a note stating that he was 'aged 19, a Quaker'.
 
Therefore the family were recognised as Quakers by the Anglican church, despite not being seen as Quakers by the Quakers!
 
William Osborne and Christian Repper Holman's children's births are recorded in the Quaker Monthly Meeting of the West Divison but it states they were not members.
 
As mentioned in the previous record, William Osborne was buried in the Quaker burial ground at New Street, Falmouth, on 12 April 1820 aged 34.
 
Also buried in the Quaker Burial Ground on 21 March 1822 was his mother Elizabeth Osborne, widow, aged 75 who was 'not a Member'. What happened to her husband Peter is currently a mystery.
 
What is assumed to be William's 12 year old son Joseph Osborn was also buried in the burial ground on 6 August 1824.

I have found all the New Street Quaker burials were removed and re-interred in Budock Quaker Burial Ground in 1964.
 
I have realised that in 2021 I photographed the relevant minutes of the East and West divisions when I was in Cornwall and visited Kresen Kernow, which I had forgotten!
 
So I will have a look through those images soon, as I did not have time to read the pages directly in the volumes at the archive and just got snap happy. Only so far, I never have!
 
I have yet to establish if Falmouth Meeting had it's own minutes, so need to try and work that out.
 
I will update here if I find anything more.   
 
Jon