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Rosevear History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Rosevear History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Rosevear history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Rosevear history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Rosevear family originally lived at Rosewarne estate in Camborne in the county of Cornwall which had anciently owners of the same name, who held the estates until the reign of James I., when De Rosewarne sold it to Ezekiel Grosse, gentleman and attorney at law. According to legend, a ghost pointed out to him a great treasure in the mansion (hidden there doubtless by one of the Rosewarnes) which he appropriated; but the "phantom" so haunted him, that he sold it to his clerk, John Call. 1

Early Origins of the Rosevear family

The surname Rosevear was first found in Cornwall at Rosewarne, now a hamlet north of Camborne. The family resided at Rosowhorne Kaye or Key from ancient times.

"On the bartons of Lower Rosewarne and Crane, where nothing but farm houses now appear, were formerly the seats of two families of these names. But these in the reign of James were sold to Ezekiel Grosse, Esq. after passing through some intermediate hands." 2

Early History of the Rosevear family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rosevear research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1630, 1641, 1642 and 1660 are included under the topic Early Rosevear History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rosevear 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 Rosewaren, Rosewarren, Rosewarn, Rosewarne, Rosewarran, Rossewarn, Rosowhorne, Rosewhorne and many more.

Early Notables of the Rosevear family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Rosworme or Rosworm (fl. 1630-1660), English engineer-general of the army of the Commonwealth. He had served as a military engineer on...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rosevear Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rosevear migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Rosevear arrived in North America quite early:

Rosevear Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. John Rosevear, (b. 1832), aged 19, Cornish miner departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Mountaineer" arriving in the United States on 30 April 1851 3
Wm. Rosevear, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1896
A. L. Rosevear, aged 27, who settled in America from Liverpool, in 1897
Thomas Rosevear, aged 62, who immigrated to the United States, in 1897
Mr. Joseph Rosevear, (b. 1867), aged 32, Cornish builder travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th April 1899 en route to New York, USA 4

Rosevear Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Rosevear, aged 5, who settled in America from Millom, in 1902
Arthur Rosevear, aged 40, who immigrated to America from Camborne, England, in 1905
Charles Rosevear, aged 48, who immigrated to the United States from Camborne, Cornwall, in 1905
Mr. William E. Rosevear, (b. 1879), aged 26, Cornish baker, from Par, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA 4
Mr. Charles Rosevear, (b. 1857), aged 48, Cornish gold miner, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Caronia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 6th March 1905 en route to Pachuca, Mexico, USA 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rosevear migration to Australia +

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

Rosevear Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Rosevear, (b. 1829), aged 24, Cornish farm labourer, from St. Mawgan, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Malvina Vidal" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 20th June 1853 5
Mrs. Nancy Rosevear, (b. 1830), aged 23, Cornish settler, from St. Mawgan, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Malvina Vidal" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 20th June 1853 5
Mr. Henry Rosevear, (b. 1839), aged 18, Cornish labourer departing from Plymouth on 13th November 1856 aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 28th January 1857 6
Mr. William J. Rosevear, (b. 1866), aged 23, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Dacca" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 17th August 1889 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Rosevear (post 1700) +

William B. Rosevear Jr., American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 17th District, 1932 8
John Rosevear (b. 1881), Canadian politician who represented Durham East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (1875 to 1881)
Stanley Wallace Rosevear DSC & Bar (1896-1918), Canadian First World War flying ace credited with 25 victories
Craig "Rosie" Gary Rosevear, Australian drummer for The Screaming Jets, nominee for the Archibald Prize (2009)
John Solomon "Sol" Rosevear (1892-1953), Australian politician, Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives (1943 to 1949)

Historic Events for the Rosevear family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Geoffrey Rosevear (1911-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Bondi, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 9
Mr. Lance Rosevear (1916-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Scottsdale, Tasmania, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 9

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp