There have been many stories told of the longevity of Cornish residents. One such story I came across was regarding an old lady who lived at Talskiddy until 1869.
Joan Tonkin was 96 when she died in November 1869, giving a birth year of 1773. The news of her great age was news around the world and the story they told was:
There died at Talskiddy, St. Colomb Major, Cornwall, on Saturday last, Joan Tonkin, aged 96, whose faculties continued good to the last. She leaves 10 children of the united ages of 623 years, 49 grandchildren, and 98 great-grandchildren. The deceased’s husband, who was a farm labourer, lived 42 years on one farm at the weekly wages of 7s., notwithstanding which no member of the family ever received parochial relief.
Talskiddy is a tiny hamlet just outside of Newquay – if you emptied it today and tried to fit her descendants into it you’d soon run out of houses for them all!
I wonder, if you did the research, how many that’s today, over 140 years later!
- An accurate transcription of the parish registers published in 1881 gave Joan’s baptism as being on 8 March 1775, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Tabb. No age at baptism is provided though. Usually it’s done within a month of a birth, but there are many reasons why it’s delayed.
- FreeBMD gives Joan Tonkin’s death as being registered in the fourth quarter 1869.
- Cornwall OPC has the marriage of Nicholas Tonkin and Joan Tonkin in 1795, taken from Phillimores.
- The original Parish Regisers show three of their children being born in St Columb Major: Robert/1801, William/1803 and Joanna/1806.
I had a quick look and I wonder if she’s mentioned on this webpage, where somebody from the Tonkin family has done some research and found a “Nicholas Tonkin was baptised on 20th August 1775 in St. Columb Major. He married Joan Tabb on 27th September 1795″ – although that Joan Tonkin only had 8 children listed, it can be hard to find all children and you’re relying on the original newspaper report to be reporting them correctly -e.g. maybe they had 10 and 2 had died. I love these mysteries. The Tonkin Family.
I had a quick look at the original parish registers for St Columb Major and I can see the baptism of Nicholas Tonkin. It reads: Nich; the son of John and Charity Tonkins. 20 August 1795.
