Elizabeth Truscott (1752)

Born 1752 in St. Stephen in Brannel, Cornwall, England

Ancestors

Biography

Elizabeth Truscott was born in 1752 in St. Stephen-in-Brannel, Cornwall, England, the daughter of Stephen and Joan Truscott. She married Richard Randle on 10 Mar 1781 in St. Ewe, Cornwall. Details of her death are uncertain. Many researchers date her death as the death of Richard Rundell's wife Elizabeth. However, she did not marry Richard Rundell in St. Eval; she married Richard Randle in St. Ewe (see analysis below).

Did Elizabeth Truscott Marry Richard Rundell or Richard Randle?

ANALYSIS BY STEPHEN MOSIER (Mosier-771) APRIL 2021.

Richard Rundell/Rundle was born in Nov 1752 at St. Issey, Cornwall, England, the son of Richard Rundell/Rundle and Ann Unknown. [Different branches of the family spell Rundell/Rundle differently, but both spellings go back to the original Richard.] It is commonly believed, and most family trees say, that Richard married Elizabeth Truscott on 10 Mar 1781 at St. Ewe, based on a record in the Cornwall OPC (Online Parish Clerk) Marriage Database that says that Richard Randle married Elizabeth Truscott at St. Ewe on that date.

Philip Rundell Ellery, a researcher in St. Columb, Cornwall, has described a visit he made to Doris Waters at Hendravosen Farm. Doris told Phil that she had found a record in the St. Eval Parish register that says Richard Rundle married Elizabeth Leverton at St. Eval church on 5 Aug 1781. Doris also showed Phil the will of Elizabeth Leverton Rundle. She died on 25 Aug 1839 in St. Colan, and the OPC database shows that she was buried on 27 Aug at St. Eval. Her will lists her surviving children as Anne (Rundle) Vivian, William, Richard, James, Thomas, and her grandson Richard.

If we try to verify this marriage in the OPC Database, we find that Richard Kendall married Elizabeth Leverton on 5 Aug 1781 at St. Eval. I contacted Jennifer Tuffs, the OPC for St. Eval & St. Mawgan, and asked her to verify this record. Jennifer looked at it and said it had been mis-transcribed and that the groom’s name appeared to be Rendall and not Kendall. Rendall is a reasonable mis-spelling of Rundell/Rundle. Jennifer further noted that there are baptisms for Richard and Elizabeth’s children at St. Eval and the surnames shown are variations of Rundle (Rendall, Randall). The fact that the children were baptised at St. Eval rather than St. Ewe (where Elizabeth Truscott was married) is significant -- people didn’t readily change parishes.

Jennifer then referred the matter to Bill O’Reilly, who maintains the OPC database, and Bill agreed that it should read Rendall instead of Kendall. However, he noted that OPC policy is to not add research notes to records, and Bill said we are therefore stuck with the record being “incorrect” until we get a new transcription of the Parish records. The actual record may be viewed at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DTG9-V2?i=10&cc=1769414&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQGL2-3G8K. In this Family Search record, the name Rendall has been correctly transcribed.

The next step is to match the children of Richard Rundell to the will of Elizabeth Leverton Rundle to see if we have the correct Richard. Regardless of which Elizabeth Richard Rundell married, we know who his children are:

John, b. 1781, d. 1781

Elizabeth, b. 1783, d. 1810

Richard, b. 1785, d. 1857

James, b. 1787, d. Sep 1839

Thomas, b. 1789, d. 1872

William, b. 1792, d. 1855

Ann, b. 1793, m. John Vivian in 1814, death unknown

John, b. 1796, d. 1817.

Elizabeth Rundle, the wife of Richard Rundell, died on 25 Aug 1839. Thus, at that time, her surviving children were Richard, James, Thomas, William, & Ann Vivian, exactly matching Elizabeth Leverton’s will. (She had 4 different grandsons named Richard).

With this evidence, I think we can safely say that Richard Rundell married Elizabeth Leverton and not Elizabeth Truscott. And the Richard Randle who married Elizabeth Truscott in St. Ewe is not the Richard Rundell of St. Eval.

Sources

• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5JS-Y2K : 19 March 2020), Elizabeth Truscott, 1752.
• Cornwall OPC Baptisms Database: Day Month 26-MAY; Year 1760; Parish Circuit or Chapel STEPHEN IN BRANNEL, ST.; Forename ELIZABETH; Surname TRUSCOTT; Sex DAU; Father Forename STEPHEN; Mother Forename: JOAN.
• "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFVB-QZ4 : 13 March 2020), Elizabeth Truscott in entry for Richard Randle, 1781.
• Cornwall OPC Marriages Database: Day Month 10-MAR; Year 1781; Parish Circuit or Chapel EWE, ST.; Groom Fn RICHARD; Groom Sn RANDLE; Groom Residence OTP; Groom Signed/Marked (S/M) M; Bride Fn Elizabeth; Bride Sn TRUSCOTT; Bride Residence OTP; Bride Signed/Marked (S/M) M; Banns/License (B/L) BANNS; Witness Fn1 JNO; Witness Sn1 JAMES; Witness Fn2 JOHN; Witness Sn2 TRUSCOTT.
• Stephen Mosier (mosier-771), personal communication with Philip Rundell Ellery, St. Columb, Cornwall, England, 2013