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Tremayne History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Tremayne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cornwall in southwestern England provides the original birthplace of the surname Tremayne. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Tremayne history began in Cornwall, at the manor of Tremayne, in the Parish of St. Martin. It comes from the Cornish words "tre," meaning settlement and "men," meaning stone. 1 "Its name is of Cornish extraction, signifying the stone town, the river, or, passage town." 2

Early Origins of the Tremayne family

The surname Tremayne was first found in Cornwall at Tremaine (Tremayne) which dates back to c. 1230, when it was listed at that time with its Cornish spelling of Treman. 1

The family originally held the manor of Tremayne in the Parish of St. Martin on the banks of Helford-Haven. Today, Tremayne is a hamlet in the parish of St Martin in Meneage.

"The barton of Tremayne, which originally gave its name to the Tremaynes, who had their seat here, was carried by an heiress of an elder branch, in marriage to the Trethurfes." 2

The first ancestor of the family was Perys de Tremayne of Tremayne who lived in the reign of Edward III and assumed the local name. 3 4

"Towards the conclusion of Elizabeth's reign, Heligan was purchased by Sampson Tremayne, Esq. ancestor of the Rev. Henry Hawkins Tremayne, the present proprietor. This much respected family, are said to have descended from ancestors called Peres, who settling at Tremayne in the parish of St. Martin in Meneage, took the name of that barton early in the fourteenth century, from which time that of Peres was discontinued. A grandson of the first Tremayne, marrying an heiress of Collacombe in Devonshire, removed thither. But when Heligan was purchased by Sampson Tremayne, Esq. this branch of that family removed to this place, in which they have ever since continued. Heligan is now the seat of the Rev. H. H. Tremayne, and of his son John Hearle Tremayne, Esq. one of the members for the county, who married a daughter of Sir William Lemon, bart. The Tremaynes of Heligan have formed alliances in their descent, with the families of Clotworthy, Hawkins, Hearle, and several others of high respectability. Heligan House, as it stood till lately, was built by Sir John Tremayne, serjeant at law, about the year 1692; but of late years it has been so enlarged and improved by its present possessor, as to assume the appearance of a splendid mansion. It is situated on a pleasing eminence, having a southern aspect, which commands a lovely vale leading to Mevagissey; some parts of which may be seen from its windows, and opening a delightful sea prospect to the view." 2

Early History of the Tremayne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tremayne research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1366, 1485, 1487, 1553, 1554, 1582, 1603, 1647, 1659, 1692 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Tremayne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tremayne Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Tremayne, Tremain, Tremayn, Tremaine and others.

Early Notables of the Tremayne family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Tremayne (of Collacombe), High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1485; and John Tremayne (of Tremayne), High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1487
Edmund Tremayne (d. 1582), was Clerk of the Privy Council, was second son of Thomas Tremayne of Collacombe, Lamerton, Devonshire, where the Devonshire branch of this old Cornish family had been establ...
Sir John Tremayne or Tremaine (d. 1694), was an English lawyer, eldest son of Lewis Tremayne, Lieutenant-Governor of Pendennis Castle

Tremayne migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Tremayne:

Tremayne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Tremayne, who arrived in America in 1810 5

Tremayne migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tremayne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Arthur Tremayne, (b. 1808), aged 41, Cornish farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Lysander" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 13th January 1849 6
Mrs. Mary Tremayne, (b. 1809), aged 40, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Lysander" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 13th January 1849 6
Miss Mary Ann Tremayne, (b. 1827), aged 22, Cornish farm servant travelling aboard the ship "Lysander" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 13th January 1849 6
Mr. James Tremayne, (b. 1829), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Lysander" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 13th January 1849 6
Mr. William Tremayne, (b. 1833), aged 16, Cornish farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Lysander" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 13th January 1849 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tremayne migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tremayne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

E. Tremayne, British settler travelling from Plymouth with family aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 7
William Tremayne, aged 23, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Accrington" in 1863 7
Anna Tremayne, aged 24, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Accrington" in 1863 7
Mrs. Anna Tremayne, (b. 1839), aged 24, Cornish settler departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 8
Mr. William Tremayne, (b. 1840), aged 23, Cornish farm labourer departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tremayne migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Tremayne Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mary Tremayne, who settled in Barbados in 1665

Contemporary Notables of the name Tremayne (post 1700) +

The Reverend Henry Hawkins Tremayne (1741-1829), English clergyman and owner of the Heligan estate
John Tremayne (1825-1901), Cornwall and Devon MP, High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1859
John Hearle Tremayne (1780-1851), Cornish MP and High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1831
Arthur Tremayne (1827-1905), Crimean War soldier and Cornish MP, recipient of the Victoria Cross
Peter Tremayne (b. 1943), pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis, a British biographer, historian, and novelist
Kate Tremayne, British novelist, known for her Loveday series of fictional novels, set in 18th century rural England during the time of the French Revolution
David Tremayne, British motor racing journalist who has written extensively about the Land Speed Record and is the Formula One correspondent for The Independent, one of the founding partners of GrandPrix+, 1990, 2001 and 2004 winner of the Guild of Motoring Writers Journalist of the Year Award
Air Marshall Sir John Tremayne Babington KCB, CBE, DSO, RAF (1891-1979), later known as Sir John Tremayne Tremayne, British senior commander in the Royal Air Force
Major Eric Tremayne Buller M.C. (1894-1973), English cricketer and British Army officer
Curtis Tremayne Lofton (b. 1986), American football linebacker

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies