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Continuity: A Family Tradition 1700 -
1954
A Branch Of The Nicholls Family of
St. Keverne
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As in many rural communities,
skills are passed on from one generation to the
next and, so, continuity and tradition are
maintained. The name of Nicholls is quite common
in the parishes of Meneage and is amongst the
earliest entries in some church registers. Today,
almost four hundred years later, there are still
many families of this name resident in the area.
William John Nicholls, stonemason of St.
Keverne, was mentioned in several Trades
Directories of the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries but he was just one of several
generations of stonemasons.
The first Nicholls stonemason in St. Keverne was
probably Walter Nicholls who married Mildred
Bossorrow at Manaccan in 1684.
The family, without doubt, moved from Manaccan
to St. Keverne in the mid 1690s as the later
children of the marriage were baptised at St.
Keverne whereas the earlier ones had been
baptised at Manaccan.
Two separate notes in the St. Keverne Church
Account Books for 1722 refer to two payments of
£7 being paid to Walter and George Nicholls
for limeing the church and repairing the church
floor. These references could be to father and
son but are more likely to be to the two
brothers, George (baptised 1692) and Walter
Nicholls (baptised 1685), the sons of Walter and
Mildred Nicholls.
In the next generation at least two of George
Nicholls' sons were masons - George (baptised
1724) and Walter (baptised 1727). This Walter
married Mary Mildren in 1748 at St. Keverne and,
at least two of their five sons, again named
Walter (1749) and George (1752) carried on the
tradition.
It is likely that the other three sons, Richard,
William and Hiram were masons as well. Walter
(1752) married Jane Mitchell at St. Keverne in
1774 and their three sons were masons. John
(1785), Walter and William (twins 1790) were
masons of Churchtown according to the parish
registers when their children in turn were
baptised. It was these three sons who took the
tradition into the Nineteenth century.
Walter, one of the twins, was a mason of
Porthoustock according to the 1851 Census and was
the great grandfather of the late Mr. Redvers
Nicholls who with his sons carried on a building
business from Porthoustock for many years.
A reference in the Church Account Book dated
1841 gives an insight into building costs a
century and a half ago: " A vestry was held
on February 17th. to consider rebuilding the cliff
at Coverack lately broken by the violence of the
sea.
It was resolved that the churchwardens,
overseers and waywardens shall meet at four
o'clock on Tuesday afternoon and that notices
must be posted desiring the principle inhabitants
to attend with them at Coverack about rebuilding
the cliff...... March 3rd.
Tenders received from:-
Walter Nicholls, the whole work £18
William Mitchell and George Nicholls £21
James Penticost and brothers £23
It was resolved that Walter Nicholls shall have the rebuilding of
the cliff at Coverack according to agreement.
"An agreement was made this 3rd.day of March 1841
by Walter Nicholls for rebuilding the cliff at
Coverack. Witnesseth that the said Walter
Nicholls do hereby agree to rebuild the cliff at
Coverack with stone five feet thick from the face
of the wall to the back and to be built level
with the other work.
The work is to be firm and strong and to be
inspected by Mr. Richard Trerise of Trevallack.
After the work is completed and inspected, the
waywardens do hereby agree to pay him for the
same the sum of eighteen pounds.
Witness our
hands this 3rd.day of March 1841
Walter Nicholls,
John Rogers, Edward Lawrence, John Mitchell,
James John, Richard Bolitho".
The other twin, William Nicholls, married Eleanor
Thomas at St. Keverne in 1812 and worked in the
family business until his death in 1839. His sons
William (1814 - 1840) and George (1816 - 1885)
and his grandson Sinclair Beatty continued the
trade.
Despite three marriages the mason line almost
died out in this branch of the family.
George
Nicholls first married Jane Nicholls of Manaccan
in 1842 and they had two children who both died
in infancy.
In 1846 Jane Nicholls died and two
years later George married Mary James, daughter
of John James butcher. There were four children
by the second marriage, three daughters and one
son, William John Nicholls, and all four were
baptised at St. Keverne chapel.
In 1853 Mary Nicholls died and three years later
George married a Jane Mitchell, widow.
It is interesting to note that the Nineteenth
century Nicholls stonemasons were also musical. A
note in the Church Account Book for 1820 refers
to a request from William Nicholls for a new
bassoon to accompany the singers at services.
Both George Nicholls and his son William John
had long associations with St. Keverne Wesleyan
Chapel. William John Nicholls was the organist
there for over thirty years and in the minutes of
a Trustees Meeting held in 1901, thanks were
expressed to him for presiding at the organ for
many years.
However, it is a master mason that
William John Nicholls is best remembered; for
sixty-five years he carried on a family business
which was responsible for the construction of
many important buildings in the parish, including
schools at St. Keverne, Coverack and Porthallow
and both Polventon and Treleague House.
He was clerk of works at the rebuilding of the Coverack
Headland Hotel after fire and he was responsible
for cutting the holes in the church tower for the
installation of the clock in 1907.
In 1870 he married Mary Jane Tripcony at St. Keverne and
their three sons worked in the business - George
(1875 - 1895), Sinclair (1881 - 1896) and Richard
(1880 - 1954).
Sinclair Nicholls actually fell from scaffolding
at Rosenithon while building Rosenithon Dairy
Farm, an accident that directly contributed to
his premature death at the age of 15.
It was Richard Nicholls (1880 - 1954) and his two
sons, Richard (1915 - 1975) and Rex (1909 - 1975)
who continued the family tradition through to
more recent times. Again the musical tradition
lived on for all three were good bass / baritones
as well as being bellringers at the Parish Church
for many years.
With Richard Nicholls' death
in 1954, this particular family business came to
an end and so concluded over two hundred and
fifty years of family history, nine generations
of Nicholls stonemasons of St.Keverne.
For further details regarding this and other
Nicholls families in St Keverne, feel free to
email Terry Moyle |
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