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LEWARNE - Origins
of the Name
Over the last thousand years there
have been many spellings of the name, many of them corrupted
by illiteracy up until the twentieth century. The most common
spellings today are Lewarne, Le Warne, and Lewarn.
As with most names the exact origins
cannot be guaranteed but it's probable that it has Norman
French roots and is of toponymic origin. This means that it
is probably a surname that originates from a place name where
the original bearer lived or held land. Lewarne is thought
to be derived from the place name Lavergne that is in Limousine,
France. La vergne in the French language means 'the grove
of alders'. The other possibility is that it is derived from
the French word 'vergne' which was a term used for a measure
of land.
The possibility of a French connection
is strong and can be reinforced by the Norman invasion at
Hastings by William the Conqueror and the strong links of
Cornwall with the people who occupied coastal towns in northern
France. The Domesday land survey book of 1086 has the following
entry -
'Lewarne'. Grim held it before 1066
and paid tax for 1 f; 1 v. of land there, however. Land for
1 plough. 2 smallholders with 1 slave. Woodland 10 acres.
Value 2s.
The Domesday book entry implies that
the land changed ownership at the time of the Norman invasion
This land still exists today under the name 'Lewarne' and
can be found by the side of the A38 road from Bodmin to Liskeard
in Cornwall (Ordnance Survey ref. 657 175). The land is split
into three named sections - Middle, East, and West Lewarne.
Some of it is still woodland and is referred to as the 'Lewarne
Great Wood. A further reference to this piece of land can
be found in the book 'Fleet of Fines' dated 1321, on page
275. It is a minor reference that mainly concerns a piece
of land named 'Pengelly' which is immediately adjacent to
'Lewarne'.
Until recently (September 2008) I was under the impression
that the Domesday book entry was the earliest written record
of the name. However, I have been directed by Stephen Webber,
a fellow researcher, to a paper written in 1885 by the aptly
named Thomas Cornish of Penzance.
Mr. Cornish was a Solicitor and researched
the 'Historical Value of Local Names in West Cornwall'. His
research, that relies considerably on the work of Cornish
historians Polwhele and Carew, explores the expulsion of some
Saxon conquerors through the Hale estuary around the year
A.D 688. He explains a close relationship between the West
Cornish and Armorica (Brittany) which in fact was probably
stronger than the ties between East and West Cornwall in those
days.
The writer goes on to explain how the
Saxons were driven from West Cornwall with the considerable
aid of 'Ivor and his Amorican troops'. He names many of the
Cornish 'camps' named after the families who occupied them
and mentions Caer-Lewarnes, the camp of the Lewarne's at Clowance
(now Crowan, south of Camborne)
This represents reasonable proof that
the name was in existence during, and maybe before the seventh
century, and there is little doubt that the English origin
of the name belongs to Cornwall.
The earliest family records show the
name was widespread from coast to coast in central Cornwall
from the seventeenth century. Over the years the spelling
seems to have become regionalised and the American branch
of the family favour the 'LeWarne' version whilst in the UK
'Lewarne' or 'Lewarn' is more common although all variations
exist on both continents.
Peter Lewarne
Updated September 2008
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