Tag: Boconnoc

Driven mad by overwork? The sad story of Mary Jane Vosper

Mary Jane Vosper was born at St Clether to the north of Bodmin Moor in 1850. She was the eldest child of Nathaniel Vosper, a farm labourer, and his second wife Jane. The census records tell us that Nathaniel moved at least twice during the 1850s, ending up south of the moor at Trebarret Farm, … Continue reading Driven mad by overwork? The sad story of Mary Jane Vosper →

Lords and labourers at Boconnoc

Boconnoc in the 1800s was an exceptional parish. It was ‘closed’, meaning that all or almost all was owned by one landlord. This was unusual in Cornwall, where it was much less common than in rural southern England. Originally a part of the Earldom of Cornwall in the 1200s, Boconnoc had passed through the hands … Continue reading Lords and labourers at Boconnoc →