Rosewarne Family of Cornwall, UK  

The following outline traces the probable descent of John Rosewarne of Spring Valley, Australia, from the Rosewarne family of Camborne in Cornwall.  The name of Rosewarne originates from the estate of the same name, which existed since medieval times in the parish of Camborne. In the 15th and 16th centuries the family dwelt at Rosewarne Wollas (Lower Rosewarne) in Camborne. Another (probably related) family of Rosewarnes lived at Rosewarne Wartha (Higher Rosewarne). The house at Rosewarne Wartha was demolished in the 1950s, but the house at Rosewarne Wollas still stands in the town of Camborne.

¹William Rosewarne (c.1250) = Alice, d/o Lawrence Basset

(Several generations unaccounted for)

²John Rosewarne (c.1420-??) = Margery

^{1, 2}William Rosewarne (c.1450-??) = Margery, d/o Stephen Boswydell

¹John Rosewarne (c.1480-c1540) = Ann (c1490-1543), d/o Thomas St Aubyn

¹Bennet Rosewarne (c.1525-1604) = Catherine Coswyn³ (15??-98)
married c.1558 at Gwinear, Cornwall

Bennet Rosewarne (1582-16??) = Jane⁴ (c.1584-1619)
married 2 Nov 1603 at Gwinear, Cornwall

Edward Rosewarne (1604-??) = Susan Edie (16??-95)
married 18 Jul 1641 at Breage, Cornwall

William Rosewarne (1652-1718) = Grace Phillips (16??-1715)
married 17 Jan 1686 at Breage, Cornwall

Henry Rosewarne (c.1690-17??) = Gertrude Thomas (16??-1773)
married 30 Apr 1720 at Breage, Cornwall

John Rosewarne (1725-1780) = Mary Pascoe (17??-1769)
married 7 Jun 1747 at Breage, Cornwall

William Rosewarne (1765-1841) = Joan Gilbert⁵ (1758-1826)
married 29 Dec 1788 at St Buryan, Cornwall

John Rosewarne (1798-1838) = Mary Williams Green⁶ (1801-76)
married 1 Oct 1821 at Paul, Cornwall

John Rosewarne (1822-61) = Julia Mann⁷ (1817-97)
married 17 Jul 1847 at Paul, Cornwall
(Emigrated to Australia in 1849)

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1. This descent given in a pedigree provided by Michael Rosewarne of Camborne, eldest son of John Rosewarne and Ann St Aubyn at the Herald's Visitation of 1573
2. This descent given in Chancery Proceedings (PRO ref. C 1/157/62) between 1486 and 1515
3. Katherine was the daughter of Thomas & Johanna Coswyn of Coswin Bose, Gwinear, and widow of Ralph Polkinghorne
4. Jane may be the daughter of Nowell & Amie Michell of Gwinear. The children of Bennet Rosewarne are mentioned in Nowell's will, written on 19 Feb 1630 (CRO AP/M/544)
5. Daughter of Charles Gilbert/Jelbard and Sarah Edwards/Edmonds (married 1756 at St Buryan, Cornwall).  See my Cornish Probate Records page for Gilbert family wills and admons
6.  Daughter of Richard Green and Grace Williams (married 1799 at Paul, Cornwall).  Second marriage to Luke Worth in 1849 at Penzance
7.  Daughter of John Mann and Jane Oliver (married 1803 at Paul, Cornwall)

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Note:  The above line of descent cannot be taken as absolute.  The line from Henry Rosewarne and Gertrude Thomas is fairly certain.  Beyond that a certain amount of conjecture is necessary owing to the lack of records which would conclusively prove the links between persons of one generation and the next. As far as can be ascertained from available records, I believe the genealogy constructed above is a reasonably accurate one, although further research is required to confirm this.

Much of the above information can be substantiated from parish registers.  Other details about the family can be gleaned from information contained in deeds, records of Chancery proceedings, and from a pedigree presented at the Herald's Visitation of 1573.

Michael Rosewarne of Camborne, the eldest son of John Rosewarne and Ann St Aubyn (and brother of my ancestor, Bennet Rosewarne) presented to the Heralds a pedigree showing his descent from William Rosewarne and Alice, daughter of Sir Lawrence Basset of Tehidy.  (This branch of the Bassett family claimed descent from Reginald FitzHenry, an illegitimate son of King Henry I.)  Unfortunately there is a rather large gap in the pedigree between the first William Rosewarne who probably lived in the 13th century and the second William Rosewarne who lived in the 15th century.