EDDY Family of Cornwall

Notes from Graeme Legg, Jul 2003: The descent of Philip from David Eddy is not definitely proven, just a combination of several pieces of quite strong circumstantial evidence. There are wills for parents of David & son Philip, but have not located one in between for the David Eddy who married Elizabeth Friggens. My ancester Nathaniel Eddy was baptised to Philip Eddy in Zennor. Philip was married, lived & died in Zennor (will available also). Yet the only baptism of a Philip available in the area in this timeframe is in the adjacent parish of Ludgvan. There are also no marriages of a Phillip Eddy in Ludgvan at this time. This Philip baptism is to a David Eddy at Ludgvan. There are other subsequent children born to this David Eddy in Ludgvan (a total of four baptised in Ludgvan). However the only possible marriage recorded in this area is the slightly earlier one to a David Eddy in Zennor, who is recorded as having only one son baptised after marriage in Zennor, but a few years before the Ludgvan baptisms start. (The marriage records are generally complete at this time period). Also know that this David Eddy had an uncle Richard Eddy in Ludgvan (left various items to four nephews & niece who refers to his nephew David as being David Eddy of Ludgvan. This clearly establishes that the David Eddy who married Elizabeth Friggens in Zennor subsequently moved to Ludgvan, where he is recorded as having children as above. So we have reasonably established that Richard, Philip, Catherine & Andrew (who died as an infant) were sons of David Eddy & Elizabeth Friggens. This movement is also reinforced by the will of Davids father, which leaves estates in Zennor to David's three brothers but no Zennor property to David. So now we have reasonable proof that a Philip Eddy is baptised in Ludgvan to David Eddy & Elizabeth Friggens. This is what I have established, the ancestry of this Philip Eddy line down to his baptism in Ludgvan was done prior to me starting, by the researches of Lorna Lyndsay. I did not establish this but would support her researches based on the following: We have a subsequent marriage of Philip Eddy in Zennor but no other relevant Philip Eddy marriages in Ludgvan or neighbouring areas in this time frame, and no other baptisms of a Philip Eddy in this time frame - which tends to tie these two together. Also there is only one Eddy marriage in all of Ludgvan in this time period, while there are several in Zennor of Eddy's whose names match that of Philip's brother & sister. All their uncles, aunts & cousins were in Zennor which tends to imply that they moved back there. Philip also named two of his children David & Catherine (paternal father/grandfather & paternal grandmother) as well as Elizabeth (wife & also mother's name). Cornish families at that time tended to do this which is another small piece of supporting evidence.

Notes from Geoff McKee: Philip EDDY, yeoman of Zennor, made a will 20 Mar 1773 naming his wife Elizabeth; sons Philip, Thomas, David, Samuel, Nathaniel and Stephen; daughters Catherine and Elizabeth; and grandsons David and Philip, sons of Philip. Witnesses were John TREGEATE, Richard EDDY, Thomas THOMAS and Jane DANIELL. The will was proved 10 May 1773.

Further to the above comments, the will of William FRIGGINS (Philip's grandfather) mentions, amongst others, his grandson Philip EDDY.