Trethewey Name Study

Profile managers: One Name Studies WikiTree [send private message] and Sally Douglas [send private message]

Introduction

The surname Trethewey, along with its variant spellings (Trethewy, Tretheway, Trethaway, Trethewie, Trethewye) has its origins firmly rooted in the county of Cornwall, England. Its etymological source is probably the Cornish 'Tre', meaning 'homestead', and 'Dewi', a Celtic form of David: thus, David's settlement.

The earliest recorded mention of Trethewey as a place name is in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles in 977 AD, which records ‘tref daewig’ as being in St Martin in Meneage. In present-day Cornwall there are six places with the name Trethew(e)y; and several other places with variant names such as Trethevy. ^[1]

It would seem, from research carried out by the Trethewy Society (a non-Wikitree study that has been researching the name for many years) that all modern Trethewey family lines originated in Cornwall, probably from the C15th Thomas Trethewey, MP and County Coroner.

1783 Map of Cornwall

Who is included in the Study?

• Anyone who was born with the name last name Trethewey (and its variants - see below) or became a Trethewey on adoption.
• Anyone who was given Trethewey (or its variants) as a middle name.

At the moment the study does NOT include people who became a Trethewey on marriage.

Goals

This is a One Name Study to collect together in one place everything about the surname Trethewey and its close variants. The study aims to look in two directions:

• Outwards from Cornwall, forward in time, tracing the spread of Cornish Tretheweys across the globe.
• Backwards in time, tracing the family lines of worldwide Tretheweys back to their origins in Cornwall.

The hope is that other researchers like you will join our study to help make it a valuable reference point for people studying these lines and how they cross or intersect.

The study aims to provide reliable sources for all Trethewey profiles on Wikitree, to correct errors, and to merge any duplicate profiles (a particular problem with the name Trethewey because of its spelling variations).

The Trethewy Society has identified 8 core Family Groups and 6 sub-groups for the Trethewey name. A long term goal for this name study is to be able to connect and categorise each Trethewey profile on Wikitree according to their relevant Family Group.

How to Participate

Please contact the Study's coordinator Sally Douglas or post a comment at the foot of the page. If you have any questions, just ask. Thanks!

Surname Variants Included in the Study

This study includes the following surname variants:

• Trethewey
• Trethewy
• Tretheway
• Trethaway
• Trethewie
• Trethewye

It does NOT include anglicised versions of the surname such as Tredway and Treadaway.

The earliest records tend to use the Trethewy variant, with Trethewey becoming more common in the C18th. However, spelling was very fluid in Cornwall in the pre-C20th eras, and it is not uncommon to find an individual with three or more variations in the various records that document their life. it is also a name that is often misread or mis-transcribed, particularly on census returns, so researchers need to be on the lookout for the weird and wonderful errors such as 'Tretherny' and 'Trethevey'. The wildcards Treth*w*y, Tr*y, and as a last resort Tr*, are the Trethewey researcher's best friend.

Transcription Errors

As mentioned above, Trethewey is a name which often suffers from transcription error. These have been found on transcripts of records ranging from early parish registers to General Record Office Indexes and Census returns, to name just a few.

To help Trethewey researchers, here is a list of some of the transcription errors which have been found:

• Treshewey
• Tretheney
• Tretherney
• Trethervey
• Trethoway
• Trevieway
• Trotheway
• Frethewey
• Fretheney

Please contact Sally Douglas, the study coordinator, or comment below if you come across any others that it would be helpful to add!

Trethewey Name Study Categories

The Trethewey Name Study Categories are a work in progress. At present, there are the following category types:

• Local level categories for various parishes and towns in Cornwall
• County level categories for non-Cornish locations in England
• Country level categories (worldwide and UK) for countries other than England.
• Country level categories for emigrants from England/the UK

• Tretheweys who died young
• Tretheweys who married other Tretheweys

There are also Trethewey Study maintenance categories such as:

• Unconnected
• Unsourced
• Needs Profiles Added

These categories are being regularly expanded, refined and reviewed. Please contact the Study Coordinator if you need a location category added.

• Trethewey Name Study Main Category. Here all the current categories can be found.

Task List

• To identify all eligible profiles and
  • add the Trethewey Name Study Sticker {{One Name Study|name=Trethewey}}
  • and/or the main category [[Category:Trethewey Name Study]]. This will make the following tasks much easier.
• To work on finding sources for unsourced Trethewey profiles.
• To connect unconnected Trethewey profile to the main tree.
• To improve orphaned Trethewey profiles.
• To correctly categorise Trethewey profiles (categories still under construction - please contact the study coordinator for information).
• To clear Database Errors and Suggestions on Trethewey Profiles.

Useful Links and Resources

• Trethewy One Name Study run by the Trethewy Society, which has been researching the Trethewy (and variants) name since 1993. An excellent resource with well-researched information.
• Trethewey worldwide DNA project

Sources

1. ↑ Guild of One Name Studies: Trethewy One Name Study (Accessed 17 April 2020).