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Trematon Castle, Trematon, Cornwall
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THE RISE OF THE WILLIAMSES, OF SCORRIER- Thursday 27 March 1879
Cornishman - Thursday 27 March 1879
SCORRIER.
The late Mr. John Williams, of Scorrier, was left by his father a legacy of £1,000, which he so husbanded as to make it at the time of his retirement from business something approaching a million! Mr. Williams was liberal to the poor and a peacemaker, often healing breaches between men and their wives, who had sepa-rated from one another in quarrels. For this kind of good office people used to say that Mr. Williams had remarried the parties ! As he acquired wealth he used it in the employment of labour, especially that of miners, of whom he had many thousands engaged at the same time in the numerous mines which he started and controlled. Out of some of these Mr. Williams realised enormous wealth.
Burncoose, late the residence of Mr. John Williams, jun. (deceased,) now the property of Mr. J. M. Williams, came into the Williams' family early in the last century. Almost the first important purchase made by Mr. Williams was that of the Manor of Calstock, from the Duke of Cornwall, about the year 1807. Before his second marriage in 1829 (which gave great umbrage to his family, and occasioned his leaving Scorrier,) he purchased some estates in Stithians, which, with numerous other valuable farms, belong now to Mr. J. M. Williams. When Mr. W. married Miss Edwards he retired to Sandhill, near Gunnislake, where he died. At or immediately before the marriage the firm was altered from "John Williams and Sons," to "John Williams, jun., and Brothers," and so continued till the death of Mr. Michael Williams in 1858.
While Mr. Williams, the elder, lived at Scorrier he was the sovereign of Gwennap ! His possession of nearly all the mines in the parish gave him great power in parochial matters. When he left, the power was exercised by Mr. Michael Williams, and after his decease by Mr. (the late Sir) William Williams. Now that all the mines are idle the kingdom has ceased-there is now no king of Gwennap! Every man now does that which is right in his own eyes.
Messrs. C. and J. Harvey also exercised considerable influence because of their connection with the Messrs. Williams's mines. " Every dog has his day !": They (the Harveys) are all gone !
Some of the mines under the management of Mr. Williams which yielded the largest profits were:—
- North Downs ................... £300,000
- Cardrew ................... 30.000
- Treskerby and Wheal Chance .... 250,000
- Wheal Damsel .................. 200,000
- Tingtang .................. 50,000
- Consols ...................... unknown
- Godolphin ..................... 90,000
- Wheal Jewell (old) ............ 300,000
- Wheal Jewell (new) ............ 200,000
- Wheal Maid .................... unknown
- Beam .......................... 10,000 (?)
------- - Total ......................... £1,520,000
It must not be understood that Mr. Williams held fee entirety of the mines above mentioned, but he held very largely in all of them. The late Mr. John Blarney the cashier at Scorier office, informed me that one million sterling passed through his hands annually. He also told me that the introduction of the penny postage stamp saved the office £1,000 per annum ! Mr. Blamev was in the office about 60 years, and Mr. John Pearce and Mr. H Sims about the same period, contemporaries.
After the demise of Mr. Michael Williams, when Mr George Williams,his third son,became the owner of Scorrier, the business was removed to a new office, built by Mr. Wm. Williams on a piece of waste attached to Tregullow, his seat.Since then a new mansion has been erected at Scorrier by Mr. George Williams, who has since acquired, by purchase, some adjacent freehold in Tregullow, where a ropery business was formerly conducted by Messrs. Ed. Hawke and Co., but is now extinct, and Mr. Hawke is dead.
Mr. J. Williams, of Scorrier, had the following children —sons: John, Michael, William, and Edward; and daughters three. One daughter was married to Mr. Tucker, of Trematon Castle ; another to the Rev. Josiah Hill, a Wesleyan minister; and the third died almost suddenly in 1829. Mr. Edward Williams died, I believe, shortly after his marriage, but he left a son who is now living at Honey-combe House, in Calstock, where he pursues his favourite pleasure of hunting.
When Mr. Williams married—if not just before—he assigned all his effects to his three sons, reserving to him-self a life annuity of £1500, and an annuity of £300 a year to his widow during her life.
The grandfather of the late Mr. J. Williams commenced the Gwennap Great Adit in the year 1748—the same year that the first steam engine was erected in this countv. at Wheal Vor.—"S.," in Mining Journal.
Cornishman - Thursday 27 March 1879
THE RISE OF THE WILLIAMSES, OF SCORRIER
... THE RISE OF THE WILLIAMSES, OF SCORRIER. The late Mr. John Williams, of Scorrier, was left by his father a legacy i f £1,000, which he husbanded to make at the time of his retirement from business something approaching a million! Mr. Williams was liberal ...
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