The following is based principally on the research of Mr. Edward Martin, Mrs. Joanna Dalton née Bath, Edward Henry Bath of Alltyferin, his uncle Charles of Ffynone, Mrs.Wendy Angove and contributions from Mr. David Row and James Bath. A select bibliography includes Mr. Martin's work "Stithians Families, a Cornish Community", "The Family, Sex and Marriage in England 1500 - 1800", Lawrence Stone and "A History of St Breward, The life of a moorland village", Pamela Bousfield. The interpretation of this information is wholly my own. A sketch map is available showing many of the localities mentioned : Map

Contents Page         

Devon to Cornwall?

        There are no recorded links between the medieval de Bathe / Bathonia family(ies) of Devon and the Bathe family of Cornwall some two hundred years later. However, if they are indeed related, Richard Carew's "A Survey of Cornwall 1602" gives some tantalizing clues as to why some of the de Bathe descendants may have migrated to the Bodmin Moor. Carew indicates that "in times past" the local inhabitants were primarily occupied in exploring for tin and therefore the Bodmin was under exploited as a summer pasture for cattle" , a term that included sheep. The sheep farmers of Devon and even Somerset would rent summer pasturage there, presumably because of a lack of local availability. It can be supposed that at least some of these migrants settled permanently in the area becoming tenant or freehold land owners. Thus, in 1483, a Richard Bath(e?) of Trelill, St Kew Parish, was accused of trespassing on some lands contained within the Bodmin Moor. On the surface this would appear to be a frivolous charge, unless Richard had negligently, or purposely allowed his sheep to stray onto another's pasture.

     Vivian, in one of his Cornwall Visitation editions, also gives us an interesting possibility. He gives that in 1340 Adam Bathe married Christian, a daughter of a Lord (of?) Tredinnick and had one known son Thomas. Unfortunately, there are several localities of that name spread around Cornwall, the most interesting being Tredinnick Manor near the village of St Mabyn on the moor. We are also not informed as to where the young family resided. At that time families of this status commonly held widely scattered lands, often in different counties. It's therefore impossible to identify them as residents of Cornwall.

       A connection may be inferred in the similarity in basic design between coats-of-arms. Edward Henry Bath of Alltyferin states that Or, a chevron engrailed sable between three wolves' heads erased of the last, were the arms of the Alltyferin Bath family prior to his great grandfather becoming a Quaker in the last quarter of the 18th century. Burkes General Armory gives the same description as of the family of Bath , but date and holder unknown. Another shield is found in "The Survey of Somerset, 1633" by Thomas Gerard of Trent: Or, a chevron engrailed between three lions heads erased sable. These arms he attributes to de Bathonia of Radwell Manor near South Petherton, Somerset, but does not provide a date. Reynold de Bathonia held Radwell at his death in 1254, from there it passed to Osbert de Baa / Bathonia by 1283. Upon his death in 1296 the property passed to the Weyland family through Osbert's daughter and heir, Elizabeth. The Rodwell house still retains vestiges of its medieval open hall construction.

                                                                                              Rodwell (Radwell) Farm

       It would appear that the Alltyferin Baths either originated from this family in Somerset, or were closely related. It also appears that the three wolves shield may have been held by male members of this family far earlier than the 18th century. However, it must be borne in mind that "ancestor hunting" was a popular gentleman's hobby in the Victorian era and they often "appropriated" honours with little or no evidence in order to show themselves in the best light. Unless some evidence of these arms being used by the earlier Alltyferin Bath antecedents can be found, this connection will remain only a possibility. 

Other Early Records

        Henry VIII, short of funds to carry on his wars against France and unable to raise enough through normal means, accepted a plan devised by Cardinal Wolsey. A survey of the military preparedness of all landowners would be taken throughout England and at the same time a covert assessment of the individuals wealth. The unaware proprietor was then required to provide a "loan" to the king according to their means. Henry refilled his war chest and we gained a treasure trove of the names and the approximate wealth of many of the landholders of Cornwall in 1522.      

        Thus we are given Nicholas Bathe, a Chaplain at Cardinham (on the Bodmin Moor) who was paid 5 pounds per annum and was assessed as possessing 2 pounds in goods and chattels. A Chaplain could be the spiritual comforter of a wealthy private family or an institution. Nicholas may have been the Chaplain of Cardinham Castle if it was still in use at that time.

               In St Tudy (Bodmin Moor) are mentioned William and John Bathe who may have been father and son. William was assessed at 10 pounds, while John somewhat less at 6 pounds, 13 shillings and 4 pence. Of particular interest is that William is declared to have possessed "full harness", in other words a full suit of armour ! Some forty kilometers to the west in the village of Stoke Climsland, near the Devon border, a Ralph Bathe also had a full harness and was assessed for goods valued at 13 pounds, 6 shillings and 8 pence. It had been some 37 years since Richard III had charged his enemies at Bosworth, in full armour, swinging his battle hammer to deadly effect. Firearms had not yet proved their worth against armoured men. Their harness would undoubtedly have included such weapons as swords and daggers, a fact that will become of greater interest further in this work. Weapons and armour were extremely expensive, therefore carefully maintained and passed down from father to son. Some of their equipage may have been a number of generations old. 

        There are several other individuals surnamed Bathe in these and other early records of Cornwall. I give the aforementioned gentlemen as being, in my opinion, the more likely, possible progenitors of the Alltyferin Baths.       

St. Breward

                                                                 All church photos on this page are compliments of Ryan Smith (see more) & Sharon Symons (see more).

    In 1539, Henry VIII took the final steps in dissolving the monasteries and ridding himself and England of the Roman Catholic Church. Three years later in 1541, The Dean and Chapter of Exeter appointed John Bathe, "clerk", as Vicar to the church of St. Breward, Cornwall. According to Mr. Martin, John was "probably" the father of Henry (Harry) Bathe of St. Breward, the authenticated progenitor of the Alltyferin Bath line. However, two records, brought to our attention by Mr. David Row, a distant kinsman of Perth, Australia, prove that this was not so.

     The records in question come from the Rashleigh documents held by the Cornwall Record Office:

          MINVER  Smythys FILE  [no title] - ref.  R/5837/1,2  - date: (day and month not given), 1561/2 [from Scope and Content] (2) Chris. Copleston, esq., Anthony Giffard, esq., Jn. Marsshall, gent., Hen. Bathe, jun., and Jn. Castell of Park

            FILE  [no title] - ref.  R/5846  - date: 8 Dec. 1573 [from Scope and Content] (1) Wm. Billing or Trelawder of St. Tudy, yeo., to (2) Chris. Copleston of Warley, Devon, esq., Jn. Marshall of Teigngrace, gent., Jn. Peter of Comton, gent., Johnson Hodge of Indelyn (Endellion), Jn. Wade of Hengar, Hen. Bathe of St. Bruard or Symonward and others

     The first clearly indicates that Henry Bathe's father was also named Henry. The second, that he was residing in St Breward (Symonward) and is, with little doubt, the same man. Though Henry may have been related to the Vicar, it is clear that they were not father and son. These records also generate some interesting questions regarding Henry Bathe's source of income and that of his father's.

       The parish of St. Minver lies, on the Bristol Channel some 10 miles to the north-west of St. Breward, after passing through the parishes of St Tudy and St Kew. A relatively short distance in our time, but a considerable journey then. There is no known reason for Henry Jr. to have held a portion of "Smythys" unless he actually lived nearby. Being resident in St Breward by 1573 and still holding this property in St Minver probably indicates that he was not short of funds.

        The first recorded child for Henry Jr. is baptised at St. Breward in 1567 and his subsequent children are also registered there, but two of his sons were unrecorded. One of these, Henry, was his principle heir. The parish records go back far enough (ST Breward 1560, St Minver 1558 ) to have likely included them, but presumably they were born elsewhere, or the records were lost.

        Assuming that Henry Jr. at one time resided in St. Minver (or elsewhere) why did he make the move to St. Breward ? He is not listed on the existing tenant rolls for the manors in the parish. St. Breward is not now, nor has it ever been known for farming, the altitude is too high and the soil not suitable. The principle sources of income during this period were raising sheep on the moor and tin streaming.

        How did Henry Jr. come into the possession of a sword and dagger if he was a simple husbandman ?                

       These were difficult times in Cornwall.  The Cornish population had not wholly acquiesced to the path their king was taking and social unrest over this and other issues would culminate in the Cornish rebellion, against the use of the common prayer book, during the reign of Edward VI in 1549. The Cornish had always viewed themselves as a distinct race and culture, but the aftermath of the rebellion resulted in their assimilation and the demise of the Cornish language.

    In 1553, Mary succeeded to her half-brother's throne and unsuccessfully tried to return her kingdom to Roman Catholicism. Her sometimes brutal attempts created a severe schism between her protestant and catholic subjects which took centuries to abate. Her marriage to Phillip of Spain in 1554 inevitably invited that powerful country's involvement in England's domestic affairs, which resulted in declared and undeclared wars lasting for generations to come.

          In 1558 Elizabeth I ascended the throne and through her ability to steer a middle course throughout her reign, brought a truce between the two religious factions within her realm. Spain was another matter. Coastal raids were carried out on each other's territory long before the Spanish Armada met its fate in 1588. In 1567 a Spanish raiding party attempted to take and burn Penryn, a small village that overlooks what is now Falmouth harbour, but were driven off by the inhabitants.

     Henry (Harry) Bathe appears in the Valuation and Muster of St. Breward for the year 1569. He is listed as "an able bill man, with a SWORD and DAGGER".

      A bill was a wooden pole surmounted by a multi pointed axe head. In battle the bill men formed a solid wall as the front line of defense and attempted to disarm their    

 opponents by hooking and cutting off the heads of their weapons. Failing that, the points and axe blades  would come into use. Arqubuse men, an early matchlock musket, or archers would be stationed behind to shoot down the enemy. In reality battles using these weapons often degenerated into huge shoving matches and I know of no significant battles in which English bill or pike men took part.   

             We know that certain of the trained bands, raised by the crown, magnates or towns, were provided with a bill, sword and dagger. These bands were stationed in the coastal areas to fight off incursions by the Spanish. However, these weapons were not the personal property of the soldiers, so how does Henry Jr. come to bring them to the muster of St. Breward ?     

       Of the Cornwall parish muster rolls that I have had occasion to examine, including St. Breward's, no one else is recorded as having these weapons. Swords were Gentlemen's weapons, but Henry Jr. is not recorded as an officer. Nor in the St. Minver records above is he accorded the title of gentleman or esquire. Would he have been permitted to keep them, according to the laws and social customs of the time ? These were expensive weapons, how would he have obtained the wherewithal to afford them ? Did he inherit them ? Were John and William of St Tudy his grandfather and great-grandfather? Perhaps Ralph of Stoke Climsland? Why then was he not accorded the title of gentleman ?

        There is another possible explanation, that of a practical need.

         As stated and recorded, Henry Jr. held a portion of land called "Smythys" in the parish of St Minver while residing in St Breward. The name, Smythys may suggest that some form of metal working was taking place on this property. Indeed, the property later became known a "Hensent Whyting", perhaps suggesting that this function was discontinued in a later period.

                Christoper Copleston, Esq. of Warley, Devon (mentioned in both records) held lands all over Cornwall that he and his family had acquired during the dissolution of the monastaries in the 1530s. These properties were later sold to the Rashleigh family, thus explaining how the records came into their possession. Warley and other manors held by this family are very close to Plymouth, Devon and each property is noted as being intricately linked to the tin trade based on the Dartmoor. Henry Jr. later married his daughter, Grace, to Thomas Wolcombe. The Wolcombe family was also based in Plymouth and was also involved in the tin trade.

                     Is it therefore possible that Henry Jr. was connected to these families through his occupation ? Was Henry Jr. a tin streamer ? Was the St Minver property used to refine tin ore extracted from the Bodmin moor in St Breward parish ? St Breward today is crisscrossed with these old workings. Did Henry Jr. need to carry a sword and dagger to fend off highway robbers ? Did he purchase them from the proceeds of his tinning operations ? Was he not accorded the title of gentleman because he was involved in manual labour ?

                 Unfortunately, we can't be sure given the facts that we have. It is certain, that his second son, Edmund, was in some way involved in tinning in Stithians parish and that he was accorded the title of gentleman, but St Minver parish, as far as can be ascertained and according to knowledgable contacts on this subject, was NEVER involved in tin mining or refining.  

                   The question of Henry Bathe Senior still remains. The Alltyferin Baths' manuscript, compiled by Edward Henry Bath in 1905, gives Henry Bath of Constantine (d. 1595) as the progenitor of their line. This information also appears in the "Burkes Landed Gentry" inclusion on this family. This individual is claimed by the family to have had three sons and one daughter; Edmund, George, Tristram and Grace. Unfortunately, this claim has been proved incorrect as will be discussed further in this work. This Henry Bathe of Constantine did leave a last will and testament that at one time existed, but has since disappeared. The question is, did the original family researchers, in the 1850s, see this document and given the names mentioned, wrongly conclude that this was their ancestor ? Certainly, Edmund Bathe, Henry Bathe of St Breward's son, acquired a significant amount of property, sometime during the 1590s, in Stithians parish. Stithians borders Constantine to the north and is some 40 miles south-west from St Breward. Is it possible that he obtained these properties from his grandfather ? 

                    Furthermore, it might be reasonable to assume that having recorded Henry Bathe of St Breward as Henry Jr. the creators of the earlier St. Minver deed knew his father. If so and if he is the same Henry Bathe of Constantine then he certainly moved about a good deal.   

        Harry Bathe is credited with having had seven sons and six daughters and it may be of interest to examine some of the significant differences in family life between his time and ours. 

       The parish itself would have comprised some 400 souls at that time. The church of St. Breward (pictured above) was initially of Norman construction, but was extensively rebuilt over the centuries. The bell tower would have been quite familiar to Henry Jr. and his family having been constructed in the 15th century.  

     In the medieval period, particularly amongst the landed classes, families relied upon an entire network of relations, friends and supporters. What effected one often effected all and therefore important decisions, such as the marriage of a child, would be made with the input of all the senior members. This also served to alleviate tensions within the family as there were always individuals about who would take an active interest in solving problems, resolving disputes or just minding the kids. Their homes reflected this lifestyle with the large open hall where members of the family slept, co-mingled with servants, hangers-on and visitors, with perhaps a screen to separate the master and his lady, but as they all slept naked privacy was not a priority.    

          Most property was entailed. It was to be kept together and left intact to the eldest male heir, who would have the responsibility to look after it and fulfill his duties and moral responsibilities to the entire extended family and hospitality to all according to his means. Daughters could expect a dowry with their arranged marriage, but younger sons generally got little more than what benefits their family's influence could bring. They had to make their own way, preferably in the military, the civil service or the church. This may have been John Bathe's lot in life and as vicarages in 1541 were apparently much sought after despite the meager rewards, it can be assumed that either his family, or a family connection, had some influence in the church.

     Times changed. Entailments, which had been rock solid in the previous centuries, were more and more challenged and broken in the courts. A man now had the right to dispense of his inherited property to whomever he chose and this gave him a powerful weapon in controlling all of his offspring. Slowly, the monarch and state began to replace the extended family and community in their loyalties. The Catholic church and parish priest suffered the same demise, but faster, during the reign of Henry VIII. Protestant doctrine stressed the individual's direct relationship to god and obedience to state, monarch and especially parents. Families became more and more nuclear and their homes once again reflected this attitude with separate apartments for the immediate family. The male head of the household who had always had sole legal rights regarding his family, but now isolated from priest and other exterior influences became increasingly domineering. He decided who his children married, what occupation they followed and could provide powerful incentives in the choice of friends, level of religious devotion and even spoken thoughts. The Elizabethans saw Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" as a moral lesson in what can happen to young people who disobey their parents and betray their families. Harry and his offspring would not have shared our sympathies for the star crossed lovers.

     Another difference between those times and ours, which profoundly influenced family life, was the mortality rate. To us the loss of a child, even one not our own, is a shocking, unbearable, tragic event. To them it was a normal and frequent occurrence. Mortality rates for this period are estimated at 30% for children before the age of fifteen and young adults died at a rate that would alarm us today. Rural areas, such as St. Breward, would not have suffered as badly, but they did not always escape an unfortunate visitation of the plague, smallpox or other mortal disease that could decimate a family. To us, parents in centuries past seem to have been horribly detached from their children, but to them it was a necessary self defense mechanism. In many cases children rarely saw their natural parents.  A newborn was put out to a wet-nurse by any family that could afford one and they were remarkably cheap. If it survived it was kept around for awhile under the care of servants until it could attend a boarding school with occasional visits home. Young children, particularly of the lower classes were sent off as servants or apprentices as soon as feasible. This is how Rose, a servant of Harry Bathe, came to be in his household when she died and was buried by him at St. Breward, in 1567.    

                Having reached the age of twenty-one a rural man like Harry Bathe could anticipate living until his mid -sixties. Unfortunately this was not the case for women. The absence and ignorance of effective contraception methods virtually assured a fertile woman of multiple pregnancies and childbirths. Obstetrics being what they were this was sometimes a death sentence. A recalcitrant baby was often pulled from its mother's womb with a sort of hook, severely damaging the child and inflicting mortal wounds on the mother. Harry's wife appears to have been one of the lucky ones. There are no obvious indications that Harry may have had more than one wife.

   What ties them together as a family, aside from the fragmentary parish records, are the last wills and testaments of Edmund (d. 1633) and Richard (d. 1615). The wording of the two wills is indicative of the pious natures of both men, also representative of the times.  Both wills clearly mention their sister Grace as the wife of Thomas Wolcombe. "I give unto Thomas Wolcombe my brother in law... I give unto Grace his wife my sister..." (Richard 1615). "...and to my sister Grace Wollocombe... (Edmund 1633). (See Edmund's will.) Richard also mentions  his brothers; Henry, Edmund, John, Anthony, Issac and Humphrey as well as his father Henry.

        No wife nor children are mentioned in Richard's will. However, there is a St Mabyn baptism dated 7 Jul. 1611 for Honour Bath whose father is recorded as Richard Bath. Honour would later marry Thomas Collins in the parish of St Fowey in 1627/28. Perhaps Richard had already made provision for her and had then returned to his parents' home to die ?

        Grace is the only sister to have been mentioned in either will. Also mentioned is her daughter, also named Grace.

        Elizabeth died married at the age of 26. The others girls presumably in childhood. A stark reminder of the conditions at that time!

             Harry Bathe died in 1617 and was buried at St. Breward. His eldest son Henry married and had two daughters. He died and was buried in St Breward 1636.

           John Bathe married and moved to the parish of St Mabyn. The parish records record the baptisms of his children : John 1610 (died?), Henry (Harry) 20 Oct., 1611, John 19 Feb. 1615/16, Francis 7 June, 1618. Henry Bath would later marry Susanna Marten, at St Mabyn on 9 July 1638. As John would have been approximately 42 at the time of his first son's birth this may have been a second marriage.

          Anthony Bath was an executor of his brother Richard's will in 1617 and thereafter is not found in the Cornwall parish records.

           Issac Bath married Jane Bechym (Beecham; a variant of Beauchamp) at St Minver in 1597. He appears to have moved to St Mabyn where he baptised Humphrey, 16 Mar., 1611 and James 2 Feb. 1619. From James Bath of Australia come other records that indicate the baptism of a Richard Bath, 21 June 1601 at St Minver who was likely the son of Issac and who would die at St Juliot parish 8 Jan. 1680/81. He would become the progenitor of the St Juliot branch ; Bath of St. Juliot

     Humphrey married Francis Inch, 20 Jan. 1625/26 at St. Kew. He would have been about 45 years old at the time.

Stithians

        Edmund Bathe, the second son of Harry Bathe, either through his own efforts, a fortuitous marriage or inheritance, managed to amass a small fortune before his demise in 1633. He owned several properties in Stithians and another in nearby Wendron. Given the state of the roads in those days this was a considerable journey. Of particular interest, given the source of his descendants future prosperity, was his conventional tenancy of two stamping mills for tin.

         The Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans knew of Cornwall as a major source of tin. Early "Tinners" collected it from stream beds and surface deposits and employed charcoal fueled, temporary kilns to extract the metal. The holders of the land, on which the Tinners worked, would receive a share of the proceeds in payment.    

        By the 15th century surface deposits were largely depleted, necessitating underground mining. Ore volumes increased and as well as tin, rich veins of copper were also discovered and exploited. The Stithians area is dotted with these old mines, some on properties that Edmund held. The permanent and costly nature of the mines and larger processing plants required a heavier infusion of capital, thereby involving the landed gentry in the industry as investors and owners. From medieval times all trade in tin was closely controlled by the Stannery Courts (from the Latin for tin; stanum.), which had full legal powers over the industry and the individuals engaged in it.

          Stamping mills in the 16th century were rectangular buildings, located by a water source, where the tin ore  was pulverized by iron shod timbers driven by a water wheel. The product was then sluiced into a stream fed pool where the heavier metal would settle to the bottom and the lighter material washed away. Collected, the tin would be further purified and melted in charcoal kilns, poured into molds to form ingots and sold at one of several towns designated as lawful trading centres. One such trading centre was Lostwithiel where Edmund held some property:

          DEEDS OF TITLE   Borough of Lostwithiel
             FILE  [no title] - ref.  ME/252  - date: 1615
        (from Scope and Content) Close called the meadow (1 a.) in borough of Lostwithiel and Penknighte, east and north lavels of heirs of Thomas Helliar, gent., south, King's highway; west lane to Scravyas. With barn, pair of old walls, and mowhay plot adjoining, held by John Maye decd., then Alexander Seavell, Edmund Bathe and William Carvan attorneys to deliver seisin.

           As a conventional tenant, Edmund leased the land and built the stamping mills in partnership with other investors. Upon his death his heirs would assume the tenancy, rather than his share of the properties going to his partners. Edmund turned over these and other holdings to his eldest son Henry, some years before his death. Unfortunately for Henry, the mining industry in Cornwall was entering a depression. The mines had begun to hit water and at the time there were no cost effective means of removing it.

     Edmund made out his last will and testament a month before he died on Oct. 30, 1633. In it he left some interesting bequests. An ewe and a colt, by his red mare, indicate that he was involved in agricultural pursuits. White leather gloves are to be dispensed to his "brethern", seemingly so that the other members of his church could wear them to his funeral. At the time, white was the colour of mourning. His second son James and his son in law get short shrift to our modern eyes. James is bequeathed four yards of cloth and the husband of his second daughter gets twelve pence, but we have little idea of their contemporary financial value. His unmarried daughter Ann was left a considerably larger portion of his estate, probably intended as a dowry, something he would have already settled on his married daughter. In those days, as in generations to come, a woman's chances of finding a suitable husband relied more on the size of her dowry rather than any esoteric reasons. The parents of the prospective bride and groom decided the issue, not the principals themselves and money was uppermost in everyone's minds. Also conforming to custom, Edmund leaves the bulk of his estate, intact, to his eldest son Henry.  

         Edmund lived to see the beginning of the colonization of North America and the naissance of the British Empire. Elizabeth I died in 1603 and her successor James I (1603 - 1625) ( James VI of Scotland ) brought a period of lasting peace to England by avoiding entanglements in Europe. James died in 1625 and because he instilled in his son, Charles I,  his own ideas about the rights of kings sowed the seeds of civil war.

       Edmund's eldest son Henry had two sons. His grandson, in 1741, would still hold some of the properties bequeathed by Edmund. This grandson participated in some way in the tin industry and was styled a "gentleman" of Stithians, as was his grandfather.

            There is some question about the contemporary meaning of the title "gentleman". It may simply have meant that they possessed sufficient property and income that they did not have to work. The contrary view is that they claimed descent from a medieval land holding family. They were considered "gentle", or "noble" as opposed to a serf or simple man. 

         Edmund's second son James concerns us as the third generation in the Alltyferin Bath lineage. The family manuscript claims Henry as a forebear, but there is clear evidence to indicate that this is in error. Mr. Martin explains that James owned a property called Penmener(or) (Cornish for "top of the great stone"), in Stithians, that passed through inheritance to his son. A later, undoubted ancestor of the Alltyferin Baths continued to hold this property, which he gained from his father thereby establishing the descent. Furthermore, Henry's male descendant, who is claimed in the family lineage, does not appear to have married and had children.

                                                                                                  Penmennor Farm, Stithians

       James of Stithians was one of that class known as Yeomen who owned and tilled their own land. He and his wife Elizabeth had two sons and perhaps three daughters. There is some doubt about Elizabeth's surname, though it was probably Moore.

       James lived in an age that might be described as the height of religious intolerance between Europe's Catholics and Protestants. The Thirty Years War (1618- 1648) raged in what is now Germany. Catholic and Protestant armies battled over it year after year and ultimately killed an estimated one-third of the population. In France, the Huguenots suffered increasing persecution under Cardinal Richelieu, despite treaties and edicts granting them protection and independence. The Spanish Inquisition continued in full swing, condemning any protestants who fell into their hands. 

       This religious antagonism gave impetuous and growth to the hard-line sect of the Church of England known as Puritans, who were to develop a controlling influence on Parliament. They saw in Charles I (1625 - 1649) and his Catholic wife, Henrietta Maria, a threat to English Protestantism. This perception was not helped by Charles' stubborn insistence on his "divine rights" as king, inherited from his father. Accordingly, Parliament took measures to curb and control the power and influence of the monarch and at the same time strengthen the protestant church. The Act of Protestation required every adult male in the three kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland to swear an oath to uphold and defend the protestant Church of England and somewhat contradictorily, the rights of both parliament and the king. Anyone not signing was barred from holding office, which effectively eliminated all Catholic candidates. James Bathe signed the return for Stithians.  

       Mutual antagonism between king and parliament continued to increase. When in 1642 parliament demanded that the king surrender his control of the militia, Charles had had enough and raised his standard, thereby beginning the English Civil War. Cornwall stood loyal to the king and provided many of the royal forces who were initially successful. However, by 1646, Charles' support had eroded in the rest of the country and he was taken and turned over to parliament by the Scots. Charles was tried and beheaded in 1649,   

     Cromwell assumed dictatorial powers in 1653 and ruled the commonwealth with an army behind him for the next five years. Cromwell's death brought something close to political anarchy to England. Faced with a choice of harsh, iron fisted military rule as they'd had under Cromwell, or a return to a monarchial system as before, they opted overwhelmingly and joyously for the later. Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 and was to rule until 1681.

      James Bathe died in 1665. There are no known records of his, or his two sons participation in the Civil War and its aftermath. Temperance is mentioned in her grandfather's will and was therefore born before 1633, but of her descendants we have no record, likewise with Ann and a possible third daughter, Jane. Some of his second son's, also named James, descendants can be found today in Australia (see James Bathe's descendents 1)and in the United States (James Bathe's descendents 2). However, it is the eldest son, Tristram, who is identified as a member of the Alltyferin Bath lineage.

      Tristram and his brother James both changed the spelling of their name from Bathe to Bath. The reasons were probably due to English spelling rules and the widespread growth of literacy at this time. By 1650, English spelling was largely standardized and the "e" at the end of the name would have caused the preceding "a" to be read as in "make" or "bake". They dropped the "e" to avoid the mispronunciation. The "e" in Bathe was a holdover of the French spelling of the name, wherein, in most cases, the final letter is not pronounced. Had there not been an "e", "Bath" may have come down to us as "Bat". As the two preceding generations were literate and spelled the name with an "e", it may indicate that they had some knowledge of its origins.

      Tristram of Stithians appears to have been born after 1633, as there is no mention of him in his grandfather's will and was paying poll taxes on leased and owned property by 1660. He married his first of two wives in 1664, by whom he had at least five children and died at Stithians in 1710.

     Tristram is described as both a yeoman and a gentleman of Stithians. He inherited Penmener and passed it on to his eldest son James. Some of the descendant's of Tristram's fourth son, also named Tristram, can also be found today in Australia (see Tristram Bath's descendants).

      Tristram's lifetime saw what might be described as a watershed in British and world history. The Civil War and Cromwell's dictatorship had resulted in a ruined and depressed economy. At that time the population of England stood at around five million people, with four-fifths being rural inhabitants and about twenty percent of those being Yeomen (who owned or leased their land) and their families. As necessity is the mother of invention, cottage industries sprang up all over the island. High quality, inexpensive products quickly found markets in Europe and overseas. This manufacturing trade combined with the traditional exports of wool, tin, coal etc. and laws ensuring that all were carried on English ships, fed a growing mercantile navy. Everyone that had a few pounds or pence to spare invested it in trade, often to find their risk richly rewarded. At the same time, the far-sighted Samuel Pepys eventually managed to build the Royal Navy to a state that would remain unsurpassed by any other nation until after the Second World War. This Navy was an essential ingredient, not only in protecting the British Isles, but in providing safe and ever expanding trade all over the world.

             Also on the bright side, parents actually began to see their children as something other than just a marriageable commodity. Their children, the males at any rate, were being given the privilege of  refusing the spouses their parents had chosen for them! The patriarchal system of government had suffered a severe blow with the beheading of Charles I from which it would never fully recover. As the people perceived, though not yet realized, a greater freedom they began to portion out some of it to their children. However, it would be another hundred years before the next stage was reached.

       On the dark side, as always, were the problems associated with religion. The Anglican Church became the state religion shortly after the restoration, but many found their religious ceremonial too catholic for their tastes. Dozens of protestant sects were formed who detested each other, but were all unified in their hatred and loathing of the Catholics! The catholic religion was banned, priests faced death if caught and no catholic could gain public office or seek protection from a protestant court and jury!

       Charles II died in 1681 leaving the crown to his brother James. One small problem, James was an avowed catholic! For four years James tried to open doors for the members of his faith, but met with an increasing militant parliament. By 1685 they'd had enough of him and another civil war loomed on the horizon. Parliament invited William of Orange, the husband of Charles II 's daughter Anne, to take the crown as her co-regent. A "protestant wind" brought William and his army safely to Torbay in Devon, where all the western counties quickly offered him support. James fled into exile, then attempted to recover his crown with an Irish army, but in losing the Battle of the Boyne lost his and the Catholics' cause. Interestingly, there were eleven Baths who fought at the Boyne, two of whom were killed. They were of the Irish Catholic de Bathe family, who claim the same medieval ancestry as the Alltyferin Baths.

      The only protestants who might have had any sympathy for the Catholics were the equally despised Quakers. The Quakers (Society of Friends) were founded on the basic tenet of absolute pacifism. They, like the other sects, believed that theirs was the only true religion and unfortunately some of their brethren had some rather rude and disgusting ways of voicing this opinion. They also chose to speak out against government policy and social concerns ( the social and political activists of their time), which in this still patriarchal society brought condemnation from all and persecution from the government. And so the Mayflower sailed into American history.        

        Of concern to us now is Tristram's third son Henry, who was baptised Apr. 3, 1672 according to Edward Henry's account. In 1697 he married Elizabeth Martine at Creed and sired on her seven children. Though his children were all born in Stithians he seems to have had some interest, by 1721, in the town of Budock and may have died elsewhere, as a record of his death has not yet been found.

Constantine

              The movements of Henry's second son, also named Henry (hereafter referred to as Henry II), are of particular interest as he is the direct antecedent of the Alltyferin Baths. Edward Henry's account refers to him as being of Stithians, but though born there he is more intimately connected to other parishes.

            Henry II married Joan Tripconey, a month before his twenty-sixth birthday, at Budock, suggesting the family's residence there at the time. From there they had their first child, James in the village of Mawnan in 1732 and their second in the parish of Constantine in 1738. Joan Tripconey was from the parish of St Keverne, noted for its commercial fishing and smuggling. Mawnan and Constantine Parish contain ports on the Helford River, a major outlet to the English channel. Despite Constantine village sitting on a hill it was an important medieval port until it silted up. In the mid 1800s nearby Port Navan was being used by sea going vessels loading granite blocks, quarried in and around Constantine village. All this to suggest that Henry II may have in some way been involved in the shipping trade.

            Also significantly, Henry II 's lifetime saw the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the development of Cornwall, for a time, as the world's chief supplier of copper ore.

                      As mentioned previously, tin and copper mining in Cornwall had petered out long ago as surface deposits were depleted and miners began hitting water. In 1710 the first steam powered pump was introduced, by the 1720's the Dolcoath and Botallack mines were in operation and by 1740 copper and tin mining in Cornwall was rapidly expanding. There were copper and tin mines opening up all over this region of Cornwall. A major center appears to have been Truro lying to the north of Falmouth. As the Industrial Revolution gathered steam (pun intended) demand for copper grew exponentially to make parts for machinery and, a bit later, copper sheathed hulls for ships (to protect them from wood-boring worms). Fluctuations in supply and demand would cause recessions and booms over time, but for the next hundred years copper would be the backbone of Cornwall's economy.

            To operate the pumps they needed coal. The better the quality of the coal the less they needed and the nearest source of high quality coal was in the region of Swansea Wales. Very little copper smelting was ever done in Cornwall as it required too much coal. It was cheaper to ship the copper ore to Swansea for smelting, and fill the ships for the return voyage with coal for the pumping machines.         

             If Henry II was not involved in this trade at least one of his sons and his grandson certainly were.

           Edward Henry's account gives these as Tripconey arms: Argent, three conies (rabbits) couchant proper within a border sable. And crest: A cock's head holding in its beak a snake all proper. Whether they belonged to Joan's father or not we do not know.

                     Henry II 's second son Henry III represents the next generation of the Alltyferin Bath genealogy, however their fortunes may have originated with his elder brother James Thynne Bath. There are no known records of Henry III outside of the parish of Constantine, where he married Ruth Cragoe of Kea in the early 1770's, while in his thirties, and died in 1809.

           From a social history perspective, his relatively late age for a first marriage was quite common, the average being 26-7 for a man. Children were no longer being financially supported by their parents and had to wait until they were capable of supporting their own family. Some social anthropologists attribute the aggressive expansion of the British Empire, during this period, to male sexual frustration occasioned by late marriage and a social taboo on premarital sex. They wanted the money and overseas trade and war were quick sources. India, the West Indies, Canada and a host of other colonies were overrun by this sex starved horde during Henry III 's time.

          Children were now being recognized as precious little bundles of joy by their parents,  far different than the attitudes of preceding generations. Parents were actively involved and very interested in the social and educational development of their children. Parents were now "proposing" potential mates to their children and allowing them the choice! Generally, society now sympathized with Romeo and Julliet! Though hardly a fully democratic system, more and more powers were being relinquished by the monarchy to a nominally elected parliament and in turn these freedoms were being passed down. The patriarchal system was fading away.

           Another beneficiary of this new sense of generosity in society was the Society of Friends (Quakers). They began to be listened to on social matters, particularly regarding their condemnation of the African slave trade. It would be many more years before Parliament would choose the social good above the economic costs, but the cause became increasingly popular. Many people that became "Friends" at this time were doctors, lawyers, businessmen from the "respectable" middle classes. Forbidden to marry outside their religion the Quakers soon formed social networks, which given the large number of wealthy industrialists in their ranks also provided valuable business contacts.

                    Edward Henry's account states that Henry III was a Quaker. At what point he became so we do not know. As a Quaker his children's births were not registered with the parish authorities, but rather with the separate Quaker registers. The Quakers had their own "meeting houses" where they practiced an egalitarian service; women taking an equal part with the men and all contributing to the "service". As a Quaker we can be certain that neither Henry or his son took any part, whatsoever, in the American rebellion (1776 - 1783) nor in the long series of wars against the French (1794 - 1815). Quakerism not only forbade military participation, but also any pseudo-military trappings such as coats-of-arms.

                     We do not know Henry III's occupation, but by the mid 1790s the family was apparently involved in the coal and copper trade with an establishment in Falmouth. His daughter Jane may be the Jane Bath married at Illogan, 15 August, 1812 to Thomas Lewis.

            Henry IV is the last of the Cornish Baths. It is said, by Edward Henry, that he became a Quaker in 1799, at the age of twenty-three. One would have assumed that he became one when his father did, so this may require some investigation. Henry married Elizabeth Paddy in November of 1796, who in 1797 bore him a son, in Falmouth.. We'll let the reader guess what he named his son!

           Curiously, the Quaker registers for 1797 and 1801 mention that Henry's occupation was a "joiner" (carpenter). In 1830 he wrote to his nephew, "I think the Building of the New House has proved of service to thy Father in occupying his attention & as a Tradesman myself , I can with great Truth declare, that he has proved himself a Wise Master Builder" By 1803 he'd become an "accountant".  His "account" with his cousin Edward Osler covers the years between 1811 & 1813. (see the account) From it it is evident that Henry invested his and his clients' money in ships and their cargoes. Henry is claimed as the founder of the firm Henry Bath & Son, from the opening of a "yard" in Falmouth in 1794. However, from the evidence above and the fact that he was only 18 at the time this is improbable. If a "yard" was opened it was likely his uncle James Thynne Bath (see James Thynne's descendants) or his father Henry.

           Henry's wife's family, the Paddy's, were apparently involved in shipping as owners. By 1800 he'd moved his family from Falmouth to Portreath, on the northern coast of Cornwall, just across the Bristol Channel from Swansea, South Wales. His uncle James Thynne also at some point made the same move.

          On Dec. 13, 1810 the Sherbourne & Yeovil Mercury reported from Portreath a Mr. Bath as being involved in a tragic incident, which was also recorded in the London Times :

The Times, Tuesday, Dec 04, 1810; pg. 2; Issue 8157; col C
Category: News
On the evening of the 26th ult. the following melancholy accident took place at Portreath, Cornwall. Two vessels sailed from that place; and, as is usual, a boat, well manned, piloted them out to a certain distance. The sea rising suddenly, prevented the possibility of the boat's return; when Mr. BATH, and three men, got on the pier-head to watch what course the boat would take. They had not stood there long, ere a heavy swell and sudden gust of wind swept them all off. Mr. G. REYNOLDS, being near the spot, fastened a rope round his body, and launched into the water. He succeeded in saving the life of Mr. BATH just as he was sinking, but the other three were unfortunately drowned. Two of them have left large families. The boat and crew got safe into St. Ives the same night.

            On 14 April, 1814 Henry Bath and Henry Bath Jr. seem to have taken a pleasure cruise aboard a boat owned by the Portreath Seining Company. They were apparently the guests of another person for two days and one night. "Liquor for women" is specifically mentioned on the bill.  Henry is also mentioned in an 1826 lease as having previously occupied a house with a stable, near Portreath harbour. 

           Portreath was a major shipping port for the Cornwall / Swansea coal and copper ore trade. Both commodities were transported, over very poor roads, on the backs of mules to and from the inland mines at Poldice and North Downs. In 1809 a mule / horse drawn tramway was begun by Sir John Morris for whom Henry IV was later an agent. If it is still extent the tramway subscription list may reveal Henry and James Thynne's involvement. With the tramway, costs were reduced, productivity increased and profits soared for everyone.

                 According to Edward Henry's account, Henry IV moved with his family to Swansea in 1820. However, his daughter Elizabeth had married Thomas Birchall on 18 Oct. 1818. The account of this wedding states that both were of Swansea, indicating an earlier presence in the town. This is born out by the Friends (Quaker) records for Glamorgan giving the date 18 Dec. 1816 for their transfer (but from Falmouth, not Portreath). Their son, Henry Jr. arrived from Birmingham in 1818; his occupation is given as a "joiner".       

        The family's years in Wales will be related on the following pages.