WADGE

There are families with the surname Wadge across the length of Cornwall. The earliest baptism of somebody with this surname in North Hill is dated 1633. It has been suggested that the name derives from the occupation of splitting logs, using a wedge. Do you have a more reasonable derivation?

Our main Wadge interest in North Hill, though, is the family descended from Richard Wadge who married Mary Wills Ash in North Hill in 1804.

Mary Wills Ash was baptised in North Hill in 1773 as the natural (illegitimate) daughter of Mary Ash of Lewannick. She married Richard Wadge of South Petherwin in 1804 in North Hill. Mary Wills Wadge (of Underway) died in 1842 and Richard died in 1865 at the grand age of 89; both are buried at St Torney’s. There are four known children of this marriage; Mary was born in Lezant just two months after her parents were married; Richard was born in North Hill in 1806; Peter was born in North Hill in 1810; Elizabeth was born in North Hill in 1813.

You can read more about this family here.

Descendants of this family include Julie Rice, Chris Gynn, Shirley Munn (nee West) and Jane Nancarrow. When Julie, who lives in Canada, visited North Hill in July 2015 she brought some photos of this family which she has kindly agreed we can reproduce here. There are also some images shown here which were taken at the time of Julie’s visit as well as some interesting cuttings. Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

Julie Rice is pictured here at the porch of St Torney’s in North Hill.

The four children of Ernest & Caroline Wadge. Probably taken around 1907 at either Berrio or Botternell Mill.
Hettie (b1898); Winifred (b1900); William (b1901); Phyllis (b1905)

William Ernest Wadge; born 31 Dec 1901 in North Hill; died 1969 in Plymouth. This is the young boy in the photograph to the left.

Ernest Wadge (1873-1949). Butcher at Berrio who married Caroline Gynn, daughter of William Newton Gynn and Susan Cundy West.

Hettie Wadge, born 1898. Emigrated to Canada 1924 with Frederick Rice. Hettie is the eldest child in the photograph above.

1929 trade directory showing Ernest Wadge of West Berrio.

Door to the old butcher’s shop at Berrio showing the sign “Registered Slauter (sic) House”.

Hettie and Frederick Rice with their four children; Marjorie Eileen b1920, William Stanley b1923, Robert Ernest b 1928, and Frederick Melvin b1932 who was Julie Rice’s grandfather.

The report of the marriage of William Wadge to Emma Davey on 30 December 1871. They had eight children, the eldest of whom was Ernest Wadge born in 1873 and shown above.

1912 court case, over the possession of a horse collar. William Wadge, who married Emma Davey, was Ernest’s father.

Chris, Julie, and Jane outside Lyhner. Jane and Chris are both gt grandchildren of William Gynn (1870-1916) son of William Newton Gynn (1841-1912) and Sarah Cundy West (1842-1923). Julie Rice is the gt gt grandaughter of Caroline Gynn (1873-1935), daughter of W.N. Gynn and S.C. West.

Shirley Munn (nee West), Jane Nancarrow, Julie Rice, and Chris Gynn.
Shirley is the gt grandaughter of William West (1836-1911). William West was a brother to Sarah Cundy West, wife of William Newton Gynn.

Unusual report of the death of William Wadge (1864-1921).
William was probably the son of Henry & Maria Wadge of Hodges in Lewannick.