The register books of Madron are in excellent preservation. The marriages and burials begin in 1577, and the Baptisms in 1592. It is interesting to see how many families who lived in Madron parish in the days of Queen Elizabeth still continue in the parish, and possess pedigrees which many people would be only too glad to have.
    In those days, three hundred and fifty years ago, many people had no proper surnames, and were called after the villages in which they lived; so in the early entries we find people bearing the surnames of Trewyn, Trembath, Treve, Maddern, Trythall, Lanyon, Buskenning, Bossoliack, Trereife, Crankan, Mulfra, Polgoon, and other farms and hamlets in the parish. The surnames of interest are John the roper (1593), George the miller (1594), Jeana Peres, 1600, 1611, Edward Seese, Digory the cooper, 1649. As late as 1810, William Go-to-bed was married to Elizabeth Christow.
    The spelling of names varied very oddly, even in the same period, e.g., the first burial registered is "May 20, 1577. John Finny, the sonne of Richard Fynnie." This same surname is variously spelled Fenye, Fennye, Fynnie, Fynaye, Fenny, Finny, Fynney, Fenne, Fynny, Fynnis, Feeny.
    Another name which occurs in the entry of the first marriage also underwent various changes till it was finally fixed as Leggo. "Sept 20, 1577, Hugh Cooke, of Pawle, to Agnes, the daughter of John Legowe." The various spelling of Leggo are, Legow, Legowe, Leagoe, Legoe, Lego, Legawe, Leagow, Legaw. Agnes is still a Christian name in the family.
    Jenkin first appears in 1594, Feb. 10, baptised Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Jenckyn, and we have various spelling: Jenken, Jenkynne, Genkinge, Jenken, Jenkynne, Jenkyns, Jenkens, Jencken, Jenckynge, Jenkinge, Jenkynes, Jenckynnes.
    Calensowe, in 1614, becomes variously Callynsowe, Calensoe, Calenzo, Callenzeow. The spelling Colenso does not appear till much later. To show how names of the present day were in Madron at the beginning of our written registers we give the first twelve recorded, baptism, marriages and burials:
    Baptism.—1592.—James Bossaverne, Joan, daughter of John Cornish. John Raw, Elizabeth Luddra; Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Luke; Thomas, son of Peter Bowes; Ralph, son of Richard Breach; John, son of William Estligh; Sampson, son of John Richard; Joan, daughter of John Martyn; John, son of William Jeffrey; Mary, daughter of James Dawbyn; Jermyn, son of Robert Luke; Elizabeth, daughter of Rawe Davy. John, son of William Maddern.
    Marriages:
    1577.—Hugh Cooke, of Paul, to Agnes Legawe. Richard, son of Sampson John Richard, to Grace Harvey. Peter Rawlyn, to Hellynor Boshober. William Dennyce, to Maynard Dove. John Lanyon, to Margaret, daughter of Sampson John Richard. Peter Polterre to Jane Holla. Madern Tremethacke to Mawde Robert.
    1580.—John Christopher, to Olsett Argale. William Lawrence to Annys Leha. John Davie, to Elizabeth Maderne. Vyvian Nickles, to Elizabeth James.
    1581.—Peter Simpson, to Elizabeth Rawlynge.
    1583.—Thomas Guy, to Elizabeth. Henry Thomas, to Charity, daughter of John George.
    Burials:
    1577.—John Fynny, son of Richard Fynnie. Nicholas Veale, son of William Veale. William Trewren. John, son of James Trembath.
    Of the families at present living with us I give some:
    In 1593, Noye, Rodda, Legow, Champion, Jenkyn, Trythall, Bennet, George, Morish, Foster, Michell, Lanyon, Sampson, Hoskyns, James, Noale, Drewe, Cowling, Tregirthen (now spelled Tregarthen, but pronounced Tregirthen) 1597.
    Walter Noy first appears in 1593, Martin Sampson in 1632, Hoskyns in 1593, Guy 1583, Adams 1588, Maddern 1577, Michell 1577, Morrish 1580, Polzew 1630, John 1638, Battyn 1630, Friggens 1614, Lawry 1607, Calenso 1614.
    The oldest monument in the church is to Mr. Thomas Cock, and Mr. Thomas Cock is still a tradesman in Penzance.
    Others who were in the parish in Queen Elizabeth's time have died out. Fleming, of Landithy, and Cowling, of Trengwainton, and Mr. Clies, the wealthy merchant, second Mayor of Penzance, has now no representative. His son pictured on the Brass in Madron Church seems to have died unmarried.
    The Christian names belonging to special families occur generation after generation in a very interesting way.
    The first three volumes of registers show the individuality of their compilers.
    Book 1 was compiled in 1602 by George Hutchens, vicar of Madron and Morvah, and rector of Ludgvan. This is the vicar who is said to have preached against the superstitious value assigned to the water of the wishing well, but who himself was cured by a draught of the same water.
    His register contains the copies of the baptisms, marriages and burials, from 1577. Unfortunately the first four pages are missing, and the title page of the baptisms. The marriages and burials have to commence with a full page drawing done in pen and ink, showing some skill in design and workmanship.
    Book 2 was begun in the vicariate of Reginald Trenhayle, the vicar of Madron, who for some unknown reason was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was probably also vicar of Newlyn East and may have been the painter of the ancient pictures now hanging in Landithy Hall. He began his register with an elaborate frontispiece, giving the names of the officials of Penzance; unfortunately the splendid promise of his opening page was not kept up. His entries are the most untidy and careless of them all. His new book begins in 1693, after he had been vicar here for 30 years and ends at his death in 1700. The third volume was begun by Vicar Thomas Rowe. He is the vicar who, his monument says, longed from early boyhood to be the vicar of Madron. He gave the pulpit and sounding board still in use and the belfry screen. His opening page is plain and dignified, and he kept his books in splendid condition (vicar 1700-1716). This note in our third volume shows his loyalty and the uncertainty of the times, for when Queen Anne died the future Government of our country was very uncertain.
    On Sunday, August 1st, 1714, at half an hour past seven in the morning died our late most good and gracious Sovereign Queen Anne, in the 50th year of her age and the 13th of her reign, a princess of exemplary piety and virtue. Her Majesty complained of a pain in her head on the Thursday before. The next day she was seized with a convulsive fit, and for some time lost the use of her speech and senses, which, though she afterwards recovered upon the application of proper remedies, she continued in a very weak and languishing condition till she expired.
    Upon the death of her late Majesty the administration of the Government in the King's absence by Act of Parliament is devolved upon the Archbishop of Canterbury and certain great officers of State, to whom were added, under the hand and seal of His present Majesty, certain Peers. "King George I. was crowned Oct. 20th, 1714."
    On the cover is the note "April 22, 1715. There was a total eclipse of the sun between the hours of eight and nine in the morning. The stars were visible, which with other circumstances, rendered it very dismal."
    After Vicar Rowe's time the registers were kept in perfect order. Vicar Tremenheere took in hand the heavy task of making a fair copy of the earlier volumes, which of course are very difficult to read. He notes that he began his task on March 13th, 1815, and finished it June 4th, 1817.
    The register of burials reveal fearful tragedies which have occurred from time to time in Madron, epidemics of sickness and of death which swept the whole country and must have devastated the villages, e.g.. in 1577 there were 22 burials in Madron churchyard, in 1579 there were 12, but in the year between 1578 there were no less than 155 buried from June to December. In that awful six months there were 3 days, July 8th, July 20 and Aug. 10th, there were five funerals on one day—while on many days there were four or three burials. This represents an awful average of mortality, probably 10 per cent. of the total population of Madron and Penzance.
    In the years of the plague, when Vicar John Keate died of the plague, 1647 and 1648, there were 217 buried in those two years, while in 1649 there were only 22. We think it awful to have say 2 funerals in a month, with our larger population. It must have been terrible when these visitations came in ancient days. The mortality among the children was truly dreadful, numbers died in infancy. The earlier registers were printed by George Bown Millett in 1877. The marriages up to 1812 have been published in Phillimore's Parochial Registers.

(Reprinted from the "Cornishman and Cornish Telegraph," Nov. 6th, .1929).