Boconnoc is situate in the hundred of West-well-shire, so called from
foys-fenton in St. Cleother, id est, walled well or spring of water,
the original fountain of the fay’s river, to distinguish it from
East-well-shire aforesaid; and hath upon the north, Bradock; west, St.
Wenow; south, St. Neepe; east, St. Pynock. For the compound name
Bo-connoc, it is taken from the barton and manor of land still extant
there, with reference to the beasts that depastured thereon; and
signifies, prosperous, successful, thriving cows, kine, or cattle.
Which place it seems was the voke lands of a considerable tithing or
lordship, with jurisdiction, at the time of the Norman Conquest; for
by the name of Boconnoc it was taxed in Domesday roll 2d William I.
1087.
However, let it be observed that at the time of the inquisition of the
Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, before mentioned, 1294, there was
no such endowed church extant in Cornwall as Boconnoc; though in
Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, it was taxed to the Pope’s annats 9_l._
17_s._ 3_d._ The patronage is in the Lord Mohun in right of his
lordship of Boconnoc aforesaid; and the parish rated to the 4_s._
8_d._ per pound tax, temp. William III. 80_l._
This barton and manor of Boconnoc, in the time of Edward III. was the
lands of Sir John Dawney, of Sheviock, knight, whose daughter and
heiress Emelyn, was married to Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon (and
third of that name and title, being the son of Hugh Courtenay the 10th
Earl of Devon, by Margaret, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, the 8th
Earl of Hereford and Essex, by Elizabeth his wife, daughter of King
Edward I.) and had issue by the said Emelyn Dawnay, Edward Courtenay
the 12th Earl of Devon, surnamed _the blind_ (that married Eleanor,
daughter of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March and Ulster, by whom he had
issue Edward Courtenay the 13th Earl of Devon) and Hugh Courtenay his
second son, to whom his mother gave Boconnoc, in the beginning of the
reign of King Henry IV. 1416. Upon this Hugh Courtenay, afterwards Sir
Hugh Courtenay, Knight, his elder brother Edward, surnamed _the
blind_, at the especial request and instance of his mother, Emelyn,
(as Brooke, York Herald, informs us) did by his indenture, bearing
date the 2d of King Henry V. confirm and assure to him, his heirs and
assigns for ever, the manors of Gotherington, Southallington, and
Slancomb-Dawney (from whence that family was denominated) in the
county of Devon, who afterwards married Philippa, one of the daughters
and heirs of Sir Warren Archdeacon, Knight, of Haccomb in the county
of Devon, after which time he lived sometimes in that place, at other
whiles at Boconnoc; whence it is we find in some authors this
gentleman is called Sir Hugh Courtenay of Boconnoc, and Sir Hugh
Courtenay of Haccomb, as if they had been different persons. This Sir
Hugh Courtenay had issue, by Archdeacon’s daughter, Edward Courtenay
of Haccomb; who after the death of Humphrey Stafford was restored in
blood, and made the 16th Earl of Devon, in the first year of the reign
of King Henry VII. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Philip
Courtenay, of Moland, Knight, and had issue William Courtenay, 17th
Earl of Devon, who married Katherine daughter of King Edward IV. and
by her had issue, Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter, executed for
treason, temp. Henry VIII. 1538. He married Elizabeth Blount, by whom
he had issue Edward Courtenay the 18th Earl of Devon (and last of the
family of these Courtenays) that died at Padua, in Italy, without
issue, 1556, 4th of October.
Edward Courtenay of Haccomb, or Boconnoc, aforesaid 16th Earl of
Devon, had four sisters, as is set down in his will, dated 1509, in
the first year of the reign of King Henry VIII. which were thus
disposed of in marriage,――Elizabeth was married to John Trethyrfe of
Trethyrfe, from whom Courtenay of that place, and Vyvyan of
Trelowarren is descended; Maud to John Arundell of Tolverne, from whom
the Arundells of Sythney, and by females the Trefusis of Trefusis, and
the Halses late of Fentongollan are descended: Isabel, the third
daughter, was married to William Moune, from whom the Lord Mohun
descended: Florence, the fourth sister, was married to John Trelawney,
from whom the Trelawneys of Trelawne are descended.
Whether this lordship of Boconnoc fell to the Crown by attainder of
treason, upon the death of Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter, or was
purchased from the Crown, or of the sisters and heirs of the said
Edward Courtenay, by Carmenow of Fengollan, I know not; he sold it to
the Earl of Bedford; as the said Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford sold
it, in 1566, to Reginald Mohun, Esq. (son or grandson of William
Moune, who married Isabel Courtenay aforesaid) that married Joan
daughter of Sir William Trevanion, Knt. whose son, Sir ―――― Mohun,
Knt. married Joan, one of the sisters and coheirs of Sir John Horsey,
Knt. by whom he had issue, Sir Reginald Mohun, Knt. that married two
wives; the first, Sir William Killigrew’s daughter; the second, a
daughter of ―――― Heale, of Wembury in Devon; the which Sir Reginald,
15 November 1612, was created a Baronet of England, temp. James I. and
had issue, John Mohun, Esq. who in the lifetime of his father was
created Baron Mohun of Oakhampton in right of his grandmother
Isabel ――――, sister of Edward Courtenay, the 16th Earl of Devon,
lord of the manor, honour, and borough of Oakhampton, who married and
had issue Warwick Lord Mohun, who had issue Charles Lord Mohun, who
had issue, as I take it, another Charles Lord Mohun, who was slain in
a duel between him and the Duke of Hamilton, who both died on the
spot, temp. Queen Anne: after which his daughters and heirs sold this
lordship and all his lands to Mr. Thomas Pitt, recently returned from
the East Indies.
The ancestor of this ancient and famous family of the Mohuns came into
England with William the Conqueror, by the name of William Mowne or
Sapell, and was after the Conquest by him made Governor of Dunster
Castle, who had issue William Mowne the second Lord of Dunster Castle,
whose son, the third William, as Matthew Paris saith, did keep and
fortify the same against King Stephen, for the use of Maud the
Empress. It is told us by our chronologers and historians, that he was
made Earl of Somerset by King Henry the First, 1135, and that he was
founder of a priory of Black Canons of Bruton in Somersetshire, where
Edgar Earl of Cornwall had before founded an abbey of Benedictine
monks. (Vide Monasticon Anglicanum, tom. ii. p. 205,) to which charter
were witnesses William de Moyn, his son, and others.
This William Earl of Somerset had issue another William, who is said
also to have been Earl of Somerset: but Brooke, York Herald, says that
this William and his son Reginald Lord Dunster both died in the time
of William Earl of Somerset, so that Reginald de Moyn his grandson was
the second and last Earl of Somerset of his name and family, who lost
this hereditary office by siding with the Barons against King Henry
the Third, A.D. 1297, after it had remained in his family about fifty
years.
After the family became private gentlemen at Boconnoc, their names are
found sometimes noticed; the first Sheriff of Cornwall, 6th Edw. VI. 1
Eliz. 13 Eliz. and 19 Eliz.