EAST CORNWALL

Fowey, St Austell, St Blazey, Luxulyan, Torpoint

A number of surviving documents indicate that Wythells had acquired land and were involved in legal transactions in the Polruan and Fowey area from as early as 1423.

John Withell married Jane Rashleigh at Fowey on 13 Feb 1570. Their children were Jane 1571/2, Elizabeth 1575, John 1578, Jane 1579, Annis 1580 and John 1581. John was noted in the will of Robert Raishleigh 1577. I give and bequeath to John Withiell my sonne-in-law one quarter of my barke called the Elizabeth with the ordinances tackle and apparell to the same belonging.

There were no further Withell entries in the Fowey Parish register. Although a John Wethiell owned land in Polruan, Egloshayle and Bodmin no definitive evidence has been found to link this John with any later Withells on either side of the peninsula. During the 17th century there were only a few isolated instances of Withell in other parishes of East Cornwall.

Mary, Ric and Robert, children of William Withell yeoman and Susanne were baptised in the 1720's at Luxulyan. Following the death of Susanne, William married Hanna Coul. He died intestate in 1731, the estate being administered by Thomas Symons and William Rosevear during the minority of the children.

In 1748 Ric Withell married Tamsin Vivian, daughter of Henry Vivian, yeoman at St Blazey. There was a further link between the Vivian and Withell families with a marriage between Tamsin's brother Stephen and a Jane Withell. The marriage to a Vivian was advantageous because Ric and Tamsin and their children were to receive bequests from Henry Vivian and two of his sons.

Ric and Tamsin settled in St Austell where they had 7 known children between 1749 and 1767. Some of the family groups remained in St Austell but others moved away for work. In 1784 Stephen Vivyan Withell, one of the sons, was appointed as gamekeeper to the Prideaux family in Padstow. By 1800 other families had moved to Antony, Torpoint, Bodmin and Luxulyan and Falmouth. One descendant, Stephen Withiel and his family were living in Luxulyan in 1851 and William John Wiethiel age 19 was living in Torpoint with his grandparents, George and Hannah Garrett.

It has not yet been possible to trace conclusively what happened to any male Withells of this family after 1851 and it seems likely that the male line has died out.