Who were the parents of Susannah Skewes?

Research note for the St. Blazey Families Project, by Wesley Johnston

last updated 23 Apr 2013

Overview

Susannah Skewes reported her birthplace as Kea, in the censuses of 1851 and 1861. And her age calculates back to a birth about 1805. However, no baptisms at Kea exist for her in the Cornwall Family History Society research database (nor Cornwall OPC nor FamilySearch). There are two other candidate baptisms:

-- 6 Jun 1808 at Gwennap (parents James & Susannah)

-- 20 May 1804 at St. Agnes (parents Richard & Grace)

St. Agnes is too far, with many other parishes closer to Kea. Gwennap seems too late, although it is only 5.5 miles (9km) west of Kea.

So it seems most likely that she was indeed born at Kea but never baptized there. So this research note seeks to determine who her parents most likely were.

Other Skewes Families at Kea in 1805

There was indeed a very likely Skewes family at Kea into which her birth about 1805 would fit well.

-- marriage of Thomas Skewes and Mary Truren at Kea 7 Mar 1791: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12433-46785-18?cc=1769414&wc=MMVH-JD7:n1163139601 -- witnesses Henry Skewes and Wm Truren

-- baptism  at Kea of their son Richard 24 May 1807: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12433-46623-31?cc=1769414&wc=MMVH-J8B:n1936623258

-- four children baptized at Kenwyn who were probably theirs: Thomas (25 Dec 1792), Richard (1 May 1795), Mary (26 May 1799) and John (10 May 1801).

It appears that the couple married at kea in 1791 and then moved to Kenwyn by 1792. where they stayed until sometime between 1801 and 1807, by when they were back in Kea.

I think it is most likely that this was the family of Susannah. That would mean that the family had returned to Kea by about 1805.