{66} Edward III Descents for Sophia (née Trevanion) (1730-1790), Grandmother of Lord Byron

Sophia (née Trevanion) Byron (1730-1790)
Pastel by William Hoare of Bath.
[Image from Pastels & pastellists by Neil Jeffares]

Continuing with the Edward III descents for the Romantic poet Lord Byron, are those he has through his paternal grandmother, Sophia Trevanion.

The Trevanion family took its name from a property on the south coast of Cornwall, in the parish of St. Michael Caerhays, which they owned from at least the fourteenth century. Richard Trevanion (d. 1426/7), a Cornish knight of the shire in 1407, established the manor of Caerhays Castle as his principal seat. His descendant Sir William Trevanion of Caerhays Castle (d. 1518) was the first to marry into the Edward I bloodline when he took to wife Anne, a daughter of the acclaimed Cornish knight Sir Richard Edgcumbe of Cotehele (c.1443-1489). Their descendants, through loyal service to the Tudors and astute support for the Reformation, emerged by the late sixteenth century as one of the county’s leading families.

Sophia Trevanion, amiable, educated, and a celebrated beauty, was the younger daughter of John Trevanion, who represented Cornish boroughs in Parliament for seventeen years. Trevanion’s grandfather and great-grandfather, who had both taken up arms for the King during the Civil Wars, also had represented Cornish boroughs in the Commons, and Trevanion’s father had done likewise after the Restoration. John's first marriage, to Anne, one of the daughters and co-heirs of Sir Francis Blake of Ford Castle, had lasted more than twenty-five years, but was barren. With his younger brother a Catholic priest, it was up to John to provide an heir, so he re-married, four months after his first wife's death, to Hon. Barbara Berkeley, a lady 37 years his junior, a younger daughter of William, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton. Three children rapidly followed, all under age when John Trevanion died in 1740, leaving an inheritance worth £4,000 a year.

Caerhays Castle, Cornwall

Sophia, the youngest child, was only age 10 at her father's death. She was the first of the siblings to marry, having fallen in love with her dashing first cousin (their mothers were sisters), the naval officer Hon. John Byron. Both of their fathers dead, their mothers allowed the young cousins to wed in a private chapel in Caerhays Castle in 1748, with Sophia age 18 and Byron age 25.

Hon. John Byron (1723-1786)

SOPHIA TREVANION, b. 8 July 1730 Westminster, London, bap. 21 July 1730 St Margaret Church, Westminster; d. 6 Nov. 1790 Bath, Somersetshire, bur. 12 Nov. 1790 Bath Abbey, yr dau. of John Trevanion of Caerhays Castle (1667-1740, descended from Edward III - see Generation A13 below) and his 2nd wife Hon. Barbara Berkeley (1704-1776, descended from Edward I); m. 8 Sept. 1748 Caerhays Castle, Cornwall, Hon. JOHN BYRON of Plymouth, Devon, b. 8 Nov. 1723; d. 5 Apr. 1786 London, bur. 10 Apr. 1786 St Mary Church, Twickenham, Governor of Newfoundland 1769-71, 2nd son of William, 4th Baron Byron of Rochdale (1670-1736, descended from Edward III) and his 3rd wife Hon. Frances Berkeley (c.1702-1757, descended from Edward I), and had issue, two sons and seven daughters.

Issue of Hon. John and Sophia (Trevanion) Byron:

Frances (née Byron) Leigh
(1749-1823)

1) FRANCES BYRON, b. May 1749 Plympton, Devon, bap. 4 June 1749 St Mary Church, Plympton; d. 19 Oct. 1823 Sandgate, Kent, bur. 26 Oct. 1823 St Martin Church, Cheriton, Kent; m. 11 July 1770 St Marylebone Parish Church, London, Gen. CHARLES LEIGH, b. 1748; d. 7 Aug. 1815, bur. 18 Aug. 1815 St Peter Church, Spixworth, Norfolk, yr son of Thomas Leigh of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (1720-1780) and Mary Capper (1715-1771), and had issue, three sons.

2) SOPHIA BYRON, bap. 2 July 1750 St Mary Church, Plympton; d. in infancy, bur. 14 Apr. 1751 St Andrew Church, Plymouth, Devon.

3) ISABELLA BYRON, b. 5 Sept. 1751 Plympton, bap. 4 Oct. 1751 St Mary Church, Plympton; d. in infancy 15 Jan. 1752 Caerhays Castle, bur. St Michael Church, Caerhays.

4) JULIANA ELIZABETH BYRON, b. Feb. 1754 Plymouth, bap. 7 Mar. 1754 St Andrew Church, Plymouth; d. 15 Mar. 1788 Osmaston Hall, Derbyshire, bur. 22 Mar. 1788 St James Church, Osmaston; m. 1st 1771 Gretna Green, Scotland, her 1st cousin, Hon. WILLIAM BYRON of Twickenham, b. 27 Oct. 1749 Albemarle Street, London, bap. 31 Oct. 1749 St James Church, Westminster; d. 22 June 1776, bur. 26 June 1776 St Mary Church, Twickenham, son and heir of William, 5th Baron Byron of Rochdale (1722-1798, descended from Edward III) and Elizabeth Shaw (1729-1788), and had issue, one son (William John Byron, b. 6 May 1772 Westminster, London, bap. 30 May 1772 St George Hanover Square; d. unmarried 31 July 1794 Calvi, Corsica); m. 2nd 24 Sept. 1783 St Michael & All Angels Church, Pirbright, Surrey, Sir ROBERT WILMOT, 2nd Baronet of Osmaston, b. c.1752; d. 23 July 1834 Great Malvern, Worcestershire, est illegit. (born before parents' marriage) son of Sir Robert Wilmot, 1st Baronet of Osmaston (1708-1772, descended from Edward III) and his 2nd wife Elizabeth Foote (d. 1811), and had further issue, one son.

5) SOPHIA MARIA BYRON, bap. 27 Nov. 1755 St Andrew Church, Plymouth, d. unm., bur. 18 Sept. 1779 St Mary Church, Twickenham.

Capt. John Byron (1757-1791)

6) Capt. JOHN BYRON of Marylebone, b. 7 Feb. 1757 Plymouth, bap. 17 Mar. 1757 St Andrew Church, Plymouth; d. 2 Aug. 1791 Valenciennes, France; m. 1st 9 June 1779 St George Hanover Square, London, AMELIA (DARCY) OSBORNE, Marchioness of Carmarthen, b. 12 Oct. 1754; d. 27 Jan. 1784, formerly wife of Francis Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen (later 5th Duke of Leeds), and only dau. of Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness (1718-1778, descended from Edward III) and Mary Doublet, and had issue, one daughter; m. 2nd 12 May 1785 St Michael Church, Bath, CATHERINE GORDON, b. 1765; d. 1 Aug. 1811 Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, bur. 9 Aug. 1811 St Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall Torkard, Nottinghamshire, er dau. of George Gordon, 12th Laird of Gight Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (1740-1779, descended from Edward III) and Catherine Innes (b. 1743, descended from James IV), and had further issue, one son (George Gordon, Lord Byron).

St Andrew Church, Plymouth, Devon

7) Capt. GEORGE ANSON BYRON of Bath, b. 30 Nov. 1758 Plymouth, bap. 23 Jan. 1759 St Andrew Church, Plymouth; d. 11 June 1793 Dawlish, Devon, bur. 17 June 1793 St Gregory Church, Dawlish; m. 1780 Jamaica, HENRIETTA CHARLOTTE DALLAS, bap. 16 Dec. 1762 Kingston, Jamaica; d. 26 Feb. 1793 Bath, Somersetshire, bur. 1 Mar. 1793 Bath Abbey, dau. of Robert Dallas of Dallas Castle, Jamaica (1710-1769) and Sarah Elizabeth Cormack, and had issue, one son (George Anson, 7th Baron Byron) and two daughters (Isabella Sophia Georgiana Byron, b. 9 Feb. 1781, d. unm. 2 June 1800; Julia Maria Charlotte Byron, b. 26 May 1782, d. 16 Sept. 1858, wife of Rev. Robert Heath).

8) CHARLOTTE BYRON, b. Dec. 1760 Plymouth, bap. 3 Jan. 1761 St Andrew Church, Plymouth; d. in infancy, bur. there 17 Apr. 1761.

9) AUGUSTA BARBARA CHARLOTTE BYRON, bap. 28 Nov. 1762 St Andrew Church, Plymouth; d. 10 Mar. 1824; m. 29 Sept. 1785 Holy Trinity Church, Takeley, Essex, CHRISTOPHER PARKER, Heir of Bassingbourne Hall, Takeley, bap. 27 Oct. 1761 St Margaret Church, Westminster; d. 26 May 1804, est son of Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet of Bassingbourne (1721-1811) and Margaret Nugent (c.1742-1803), and had issue, three sons and three daughters.

Following are two lines of descent from Edward III that Sophia (née Trevanion) Byron has through her father.

Edward III had a 3rd surviving son:

Cardinal Henry Beaufort -
see Generation A2

A1) John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399) m. 3) Katherine Roet (c.1350-1403), and had a son A2 and a dau B2 (see below)
A2) Henry Beaufort, Cardinal Bishop of Winchester (1375-1447) = unknown mistress, and had
A3) Jane Beaufort, illegit. (c.1402-1479) m. Sir Edward Stradling of St Donats Castle (c.1389-1453), and had
A4) Sir Henry Stradling of St Donats Castle (c.1423-1476) m. Elizabeth ap Thomas, and had
A5) Thomas Stradling of St Donats Castle (c.1454-1480) m. Jennet Matthew (d. 1485), and had
A6) Sir Edward Stradling of St Donats (c.1472-1535) m. Elizabeth Arundell (d. 1513), and had
A7) Joan Stradling m. 2) Alexander Popham of Huntworth (by 1504-1556), and had
A8) Sir John Popham of Wellington (c.1531-1607) m. Amy Adams (d. 1612), and had
A9) Mary Popham m. Sir John Malet of Enmore Hall (c.1573-1616, descended from Edward I), and had
A10) Amy Malet m. Charles Trevanion of Caerhays Castle (c.1594-1657, descended from Edward I), and had

Charles Trevanion -
see Generation A10

A11) JOHN TREVANION, Heir of Caerhays Castle, b. 1613; d. July 1643 Bristol, Gloucestershire; married ANNE ARUNDELL (see B10 below), and had
A12) CHARLES TREVANION of Caerhays Castle, b. c.1631; d. 26 Nov. 1703, bur. 2 Dec. 1703 St Michael Church, Caerhays, Cornwall; married JANE DRUMMOND, b. c.1640; d. by 15 June 1710 (when her will was proved), dau. of Sir Maurice Drummond of Westminster (d. 1642) and Dorothy Lower (1608-1677, descended from Edward III), and had
A13) JOHN TREVANION of Caerhays Castle, b. 1667; d. 15 Aug. 1740, bur. St Michael Church, Caerhays; m. 2nd 29 Mar. 1726, Hon. BARBARA BERKELEY, bap. 13 Nov. 1704 St Martin in the Fields, London; d. 16 Mar. 1772 Bath, Somersetshire, dau. of William, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton (c.1666-1741, descended from Edward I)[*1] and Frances Temple (d. 1707), and had
A14) SOPHIA TREVANION (1730-1790), paternal grandmother of Lord Byron - see details above

Trevanion of Caerhays Coat of Arms

[*1] I'm one of those who feel there is not enough evidence to support Joan Stradling, the 1st wife of Maurice Dennys of Siston, being a daughter of Jane Beaufort (see Generation A3 above), daughter of Cardinal Henry Beaufort. But for those who feel that connection is valid, then William, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton, would also be a descendant of Edward III thru Cardinal Beaufort.

B2) Lady Joan Beaufort (c.1377-1440) m. 2) Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (1364-1425), and had
B3) Richard Neville, 1st Earl of Salisbury (c.1398-1460) m. Alice Montagu 
(1406-1462, descended from Edward I), and had
B4) Lady Katherine Neville (c.1442-1504) m. 1) William Bonville, 6th Lord Harington (1442-1460, descended from Edward I), and had
B5) Cecily Bonville (1460-1529) m. 1) Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset (c.1456-1501, descended from Edward I), and had

Cecily (née Bonville),
Marchioness of Dorset -
see Generation B5

B6) Lady Dorothy Grey (c.1485-1553) m. 2) William Blount, 4th Lord Mountjoy (c.1478-1534), and had

B7) Mary Blount (c.1527-by1555) m. Sir Robert Denys of Holcombe Burnell (by 1530-1592), and had
B8) Gertrude Denys (c.1553-1631) m. 1) John Arundell of Trerice House (by 1534-1580), and had
B9) Sir JOHN ARUNDELL of Trerice House, Newlyn, Cornwall, b. 22 Nov. 1576; d. 5 Dec. 1654; m. MARY CARY, b. c.1590; d. bef. 1654, dau. of George Cary of Clovelly (1545-1601, descended from Edward I) and his 3rd wife Katherine Russell (d. 1632), and had
B10) ANNE ARUNDELL, b. c.1611; bur. 8 Nov. 1701 St Columba Church, St Columb Major, Cornwall; m. 1st 8 Nov. 1630 St Newlyn Church, Newlyn East, Cornwall, JOHN TREVANION, Heir of Caerhays Castle (see A11 above)

The next post will look at the mtDNA descent of Jane (née Drummond) Trevanion (see Generation A12 above) from Mary 'the Other Boleyn Girl' Carey, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn.

Cheers,                             ------Brad