The Corin Family - Gulval Origins

We know very little about the origins of the Corin family. With the exception of a possible reference to Florence Caringe, buried at Gulval in 1604, the first reference we have to the Corin family in the far west of Cornwall is from 1653, when John Coronn (also spelt Coran, Coren and Corin) had a son, Thomas, baptized at Gulval. These were troubled years - the parish registers were not kept between 1646 and mid-1653, as Henry Kitt, the rector, had been ejected, and on 11 May 1648, two hundred men had assembled in Gulval in support of the Royalist cause. Troops had been sent in from Bodmin, resulting in the deaths of fifty rebels, and William Harris of Kennegy was fined £250 for his part in the insurrection.

Although the Corins apparently lived in Gulval, the family do not seem to have owned substantial property there at that time, for they do not appear in the list of households assessed for Hearth Tax in 1664.

JOHN CORIN (162?-1677) was born in the 1620's or 1630's. (It has been suggested that he was baptized on 30 November 1626 at Phillack, son of Thomas, but this is unlikely.) His wife's name was Blanch. If she was from Gulval, she might have been the Blanch Nichol baptized in 1626, or the Blanch Mehenick baptized in 1628. The couple had at least five children between 1653 and 1667. John died ten years after the baptism of the last of these, and was buried at Gulval on 13 January 1677. Blanch Corin, his widow, lived on at Gulval until 1686, and was buried there on 22 May.

1 THOMAS CORONN (1653-1654), baptized at Gulval on 24 November 1653. He lived only four months, and was buried on 20 March 1654.

2 ELIZABETH CORAN (1655-1720), baptized at Gulval on 16 April 1655. She married John Benallack. John seems to have been originally from Gulval, but he had moved to Illogan. The wedding was on 6 February 1677, only three weeks after Elizabeth's father's death, and it may have been that the Benallacks were expected to look after and provide for the younger members of the Corin family. The couple settled in Gulval, where their four children were baptized between 1678 and 1693, perhaps moving to Madron before 1713. Elizabeth Benallack was buried at Gulval on 23 March 1720.

2.1 THAMSIN BENALLACK (1678-?), baptized on 25 March 1678.

2.2 ELIZEBETH BENALLACK (1688-?), baptized on 24 June 1688.

2.3 JOHN BENALLACK (1690-17??), baptized on 25 May 1690. He married Joan Banfield at Madron on 31 October 1713.

2.4 BLANCH BENALLACK (1693-17??), who was baptized on 14 February 1693. She married Mark Newton at Madron on 26 May 1713. Her husband died in Madron in 1757, and Blanch was still alive at this date.

3 WILLIAM COROM (1661-1708) was baptized at Gulval on 20 March 1661. It is possible that he married Katharine Crase (or Cruse) at Phillack on 23 April 1681. Katherine died at Phillack ten years later, and was buried there on 14 October 1691. William later married again, to Jane Thomas, at Gwithian on 26 November 1699. He spent the last years of his life in Gwinear, where he died in 1708. Letters of administration were granted to John and Philip Corin. His estate was valued at £69/9/-. The assessors were John Bennallack and John Calenzoe.

3.1 PHILIP CORIN (1682-1728), baptized on 19 February 1682 at Phillack. He moved to Gwinear, and married a girl called Emblin there on 11 December 1713. It was probably he who witnessed the will of James Cock, yeoman of Gwinear, on 27 February 1719. He died at Gwinear in 1728, and was buried in Phillack on 21 April 1728. Philip and Emblin had five children:

3.1.1 KATHERINE CORIN (1714-?), baptized on 14 November 1714 at Gwinear. She was the mother of two illegitimate children:

3.1.1.1 JAMES CORIN (1737-?), baptized on 16 October 1737 at Camborne.

3.1.1.2 WILLIAM CORIN (1748-?), baptized on 4 January 1748 at Crowan.

3.1.2 MARY CORIN (1716-?), baptized on 26 February 1716 at Gwinear. She married Christopher Warren in 1749, also at Gwinear.

3.1.3 ELIZABETH CORIN (1718-?), baptized at Gwinear on 18 May 1718. She seems to have been the mother of an illegitimate son:

3.1.3.1 THOMAS CORIN (1758-?), baptized at Gwinear on 9 March 1758.

3.1.4 PHILIP CORIN (1721-?), baptized at Gwinear on 16 July 1721, married Mary Mitchell at Crowan on 15 October 1746. It seems that in 1751 he was robbed of goods valued at 10d by Philip Freeman of Crowan. The case came before Bodmin Quarter Sessions on 8 October 1751 and the thief was sentenced to be privately flogged. Philip and Mary settled in Crowan and had seven children there:

3.1.4.1 PHILIP CORIN (1747-?), baptized at Crowan on 29 March 1747. He married Elizabeth Uren at Phillack in 1770, and the couple had a daughter:

3.1.4.1.1 MARY CORIN (1772-?), baptized at Phillack on 13 August 1772.

3.1.4.2 WILLIAM CORIN (1748-?), christened on 9 October 1748 at Crowan. He married Mary Hendra on 25 November 1775 at Gwinear, and they had three children, all baptized in Gwinear:

3.1.4.2.1 ANN CORIN (1784-?), baptized on 26 December 1784.

3.1.4.2.2 JOHN CORIN (1787-?), baptized on 6 April 1787.

3.1.4.2.3 MARY CORIN (1790-?), baptized on 6 April 1790.

3.1.4.3 MARY CORIN (1750-?), baptized at Crowan on 4 March 1750.

3.1.4.4 BLANCH CORIN (1752-1755?), baptized at Crowan on 8 March 1752. She may be the Blanche, daughter of Philip Coryn, buried at Gwinear on 22 October 1755.

3.1.4.5 JOHN CORIN (1755-175?), baptized on 10 September 1755 at Gwinear, who presumably died in infancy, as another son:

3.1.4.6 JOHN CORIN (1757-?) was baptized on 16 April 1757 at Gwinear. He was possibly the subject of a settlement examination held in 1790.

3.1.4.7 THOMAS CORIN (1759-?), baptized at Crowan on 14 October 1759. He married Grace Bullock on 15 December 1779 at Gwinear, and they had a son:

3.1.4.7.1 THOMAS CORIN (1787-18??), baptized on 28 March 1787 at Falmouth. The following advertisement appeared in the "Royal Cornwall Gazette" of 9 October 1802:

"RAN AWAY from his master (Mr William Hodge, farmer, of the parish of Gwinear, in the County of Cornwall) THOMAS CORIN, his parish apprentice, 15 years of age, black curled hair, 5 feet 2 inches high, stout made, wore off a frock and trowsers, but has been lately seen at Falmouth in a blue jacket and trowsers.

"Whoever harbours or employs the said apprentice after this public notice will be prosecuted to the utmost severity of the law."

It must be supposed that Thomas' parents had applied for poor relief. Before the Overseers of the Poor gave any money to them, they would have been required to 'give up' their children over the age of 7 to the parish. The overseers would have bound such children apprentice to such employers as wanted them (and in many cases to ratepaying parishioners who did not want them but were obliged to take them). A small premium, often £2, would be given at the time the indenture was drawn up, and the child would be provided with two suits of clothing. Although clothing, food and shelter were mentioned in the contract, nothing would be said about wages, nor would there be any inspections of accommodation, food or clothing. Boys were apprenticed until 24 (later reduced to 21) and girls until 21 or married. They were little more than slaves, nominally bound to 'husbandry' and 'housewifery', but most were farmyard or kitchen drudges. Many were cruelly treated - no wonder so many ran away! (So wrote H. Douch, of the Royal Institution of Cornwall.)

3.1.5 THOMAS CORIN (1725-?) was Philip and Emblin's fifth child. He was baptized at Gwinear on 7 March 1725.

3.2 MARY CORIN (1683-?), baptized at Phillack on 16 September 1683, was William and Katharine's second child.

3.3 BLANCH CORIN (1686-?), baptized at Phillack on 18 July 1686.

3.4 JOHN CORIN (1688-17??), baptized at Phillack on 30 September 1688. He was 'of Gwinear' in 1715, when he married Eleanor Thomas, of Kenwyn, at Truro on 3 February. The couple presumably lived in Gwinear, and had a son:

3.4.1 WILLIAM CORIN (1718-1789), son of John and Eleanor (née Thomas) was baptized at Gwinear on 27 July 1718. He was 39 when he married Loveday Brownfield of Crowan, by licence dated 12 December 1757. In May 1771, he paid £165 for the lease of Halegan (now Halligan) in Gwinear, part of the Godolphin estate. He lived in Lamin (also called Namin) in Gwinear, and in 1780 gave evidence in the Court of Exchequer about some land (the Barton), and a farm called Roseworthy Sithes in a dispute concerning the Vicarage. He died on 10 October 1789 ('aged 74'), and is buried in Gwinear churchyard. His wife Loveday died on 23 May 1790, aged 69. William left his property to his three daughters:

3.4.1.1 ELEANOR CORIN (1759-?), baptized on 2 February 1759 at Gwinear, who married John Davies at Gwinear on 4 November 1790, just after her father's death.

3.4.1.2 LOVEDAY or LOUDY CORIN (1760-18??), baptized at Gwinear on 28 November 1760. She married John Gilbard at Gwinear in 1802.

3.4.1.3 GRACE CORIN (1763-1821), baptized on 11 January 1763. She lived at Namin after her father's death, being there in 1799. She died on 25 November 1821 ('aged 59'), and is buried in Gwinear cemetery.

4 RALPH COREN (1662-?), baptized at Gulval on 1 November 1662. He may have gone to Cury and founded the line of Corins who lived there during the next hundred years.

5 JOHN CORIN (1667-17??), baptized at Gulval on 1 November 1667, who is the subject of the next section.

GULVAL ORIGINS