Walter Lawry (1729 - 1811)

Born 1729 in Roche, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Hawkey) Lawry — married 23 Feb 1762 in St. Austell, Cornwall, England

Descendants

Died 31 Mar 1811 at about age 82 in Roche, Cornwall, England

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Biography

Birth: Abt. 1729 in Cornwall, England ^[1]

Walter is confirmed as the son of John Lawry firstly in the will of his grandfather, Walter Lawry, dated 15 August 1733. The relevant paragraphs from Walter's will are transcribed below. And secondly in Mary O'Bryan's diary ^[2]. Mary O'Bryan was Walter's sister Thomazine's granddaughter. See quotes further down this page from Mary's diary. Unfortunately a baptism record for Walter is not available as the pages in the Luxulyan Parish records, (assuming Walter was baptised at Luxulyan as were his siblings), for the years in and around Walter's birth - image 8 of 32, Luxulyan Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1711-1771 are extremely faded and/or illegible. The pages containing the records for the baptisms of Walter's siblings (years before and after Walter) are legible though, as is his parent's marriage record.

Walter in will of his grandfather, Walter Lawry, dated 15 August 1733;

"In the name of God Amen, the 15th day of August in the year of our Lord 1733, I Walter Lawry of the Parish of Luxulyan in the County of Cornwall, Yeoman, being sick and disordered in body, but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be to God therefore, and calling to mind the mortality of my body, and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, (That is to say) Principally and first of all, I Give and recommend my soul into the Hands of Almighty God that gave it and for my body I recommend it to the Earth, to be buried in a Christian like and decent manner at the direction of my Exexcutor hereafter named, nothing doubting but at the general Resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God. And touching such worldly estate and goods wherewith it has pleased God to bless me with, I give Devise and Dispose of the same in the following manner and forms" ...

... "I give to Walter Lawry and to Jenefred Lawry and to Mary Lawry, my son John's children one shilling a piece" ...

Proved in common form 22 December 1740, before the Rev. Mr. Wm. Waddon, clerk. Master of Arts, officiating.

Childhood Residence: Mena, Bodmin, Cornwall ^[2]

Excerpts from Mary O'Bryan's diary: Mary's diary, is part of the "Shaw Collection", held at The Royal Institution Library, in Truro, Cornwall. Also, the contents of "The Maiden Preacher, Wife and Mother" are based mainly on Mary's diary. Passages regarding Walter, his parents John and Mary, and his sister "Tammy" (Thomazine) ...

Innis: "Once a Quaker's place of burial, belonging to persons called Grose who held surrounding estates but sold them. My grandmother's mother was one of that family, and was disowned by the Quaker's for marrying John Lawry. A cousin of my father's, Mr Udy, gave him one spot, and a chapel* is built on it." ^[2]

"When my grandmother was a little girl at Mena near Bodmin, her eldest brother Walter Lawry went to a day school at Bodmin, 4 miles distant, and in the evenings she read with him the lessons he had read at school, and wrote over again his old copy books, between the lines he had written at school, thus she obtained most of her education. Her mother, Mary Grose, was bred a Quakeress, but disowned for marrying grandfather Lawry, but her parents gave her a large family Bible, which seems in the scarcity of books which then existed to have been the principal lesson book of the family. When the rest of the family were at play on the green before the evening's carding and spinning began, this uncle Walter and his sister Tammy, my grandmother, use to place this large family Bible on the kitchen table; one kneeled on the bench inside and the other on the form outside, and as Walter was clever enough to read upside-down as well as the right way, they read verse and verse in the same book. With her aptitude for learning and retentive memory she thus obtained a valuable store of Bible knowledge.

This dear grandmother died with us at Race Hill Cottage, Launceston, April 1821, in her 84th year, and is buried in Ennis burying ground." ^[2]

* Innis Chapel was built in 1820 by Mary O'Bryan's father, William O'Bryan, the founder of the Bible Christian Methodist Group.

Marriage: 23 Feb 1762, in St. Austell, Cornwall, England ^[3]

Death: 31 Mar 1811, in Roche, Cornwall, England ^[4][5]

Children of Walter & Mary

• William Lawry: 1763 - 1802
• Walter Lawry: 1764 -1802
• Joseph Lawry: 1766 -1832
• James Lawry: 1768 -1849
• Mary Maria Lawry: 1771 - 1795
• Samuel Lawry: 1773 -1843

Sources

1. ↑ "Members of the Lawry family who died and are buried at Roche", from son of Walter & Mary (nee Hawkey) Lawry, Samuel Lawry's notebook. Also, see Walter, wife Mary, daughter Maria, & son Samuel Lawry's gravestone - Walter died aged 81 years. Note; the incorrect date is cited in Samuel's notebook for death year of Mary - *this should be 1808*
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Mary (O'Bryan) Thorne's diary, is part of the "Shaw Collection", held at The Royal Institution Library, in Truro, Cornwall. Also, the contents of "The Maiden Preacher, Wife and Mother" are based mainly on Mary's journal. By S. L. Thorne, with an introduction by S. Thomas Thorne, published 1889 by S. W. Partridge & Co. in London.
3. ↑ England, Cornwall Parish Registers 1538-2010, Cornwall, St Austell Marriages 1754-1774, [image 41 of 106].

   Note; Mary's surname written as "Hockey" by the Vicar is incorrect. Mary has clearly signed her name "Hawkey". The online parish clerk for St. Austell Parish assured me that Mary's surname was indeed "Hawkey", but explained transcribers of these old records are bound to transcribe them exactly as originally written, hence marriage record transcripts for Walter and Mary in the Cornwall OPC marriage database also cite Walter marrying Mary "Hockey". The online parish clerk also said the St. Austell Vicar of that time made many errors with this surname writing Hockey instead of Hawkey. She further added that it wasn't uncommon when a parish got a new Vicar that a lot of spelling changes with surnames occurred.

4. ↑ Roche Parish Gravestone, for Walter & Mary Lawry, their daughter Maria, & their son Samuel, "Sacred to the memory of Walter Lawry of Tregonhay in this parish who departed this life the 31st day of March 1811 age 81 years, Also of Mary his wife who departed this life the 14th day of May 1808 aged 76 years, Also of Maria thier daughter who departed this life the 22nd day of July 1795 aged 24 years, Also of Samuel their son who departed this life the 4th day of July 1843 aged 69 years". See image here.
5. ↑ Index to Death Duty Registers 1796-1903, Wills 1811; Lawry, Walter, Roche.