Family History by Robert Monroe Fleming (Sr.)
Nance Memorial Book Data - Exhibit A
Transcribed by Robert M. Fleming Jr.
EXHIBIT "A" - Quotations from a letter written by Elijah Nance, Fodstow, Cornwall, England, in 1856, to W E Nance, Cardiff, Wales.
Dear cousin (I presume): in reply to your inquiry respecting the origin of the Nance family, I doubt that I shall give you that perfect pedigree that you so anticipate. But brief as it may be it will give you a little knowledge from whence my family sprung. My brief account only includes seven hundred and ninety years.
In the year 1066, William the Bastard, well known by the name William the Conqueror, being prompted by the Pope of Rome, William soon collected an army and landed them in safety at the place called Hastings, in the County of Sussex. King Harold, then the King of England, managed in haste to give him battle. And encamped about seven miles from the Norman army wherein was one of my forefathers as general. And on the seventeenth day of Oct. 1066, a bloody battle begun at seven o'clock in the morning. And a Norman archer shot an arrow went through Harold's skull and killed him at once. His army seeing their King and commander dead took to flight in all directions. And the Normans made great slaughter of the retreating army. So that from one battle the Normans became master of all England in due time.
After that battle detachments of the army were sent into all parts of England to toak e and confriscate what property they thought fit. And General Prideaux came to Padstow, in Cornwall. Ane my forefather established himself of the Barton of Quandrada. So that the name of Nance and Prideaux have been residents at Padstow for about seven hundred and ninety years last past.
Nearly forty years since I was at the Stewards house of the Esquire Prideaux. That gentleman asked me where my family came from. I told him from Nantes, in Normandy. And that my family were adventurers with the Prideaux family. He said he believed it. For he so frequently met with the name Nance in the writings of the Prideaux. N B - Be it remembered with you that when the Normans came to England they had but one name (a Christian name). But they took to themselves a surname. And my forefather as he came from Nantes, in Normandy, wrote his name Nance, as I suppose, being a milder way of pronouncing the name correctly. As to all the Nance family they were generally endowed with a geniousness and ability being brough to learning arts and science that they were brought to trades such as tailor, carpenters, boot and shoe makers, hatters, rope makers, wool steplers, farmers, etc. Then there was as Esquire Nance mentioned in the History of Cornwall that was held in high esteem in the county. Again another Esquire Nance that lived not far from Bodmin at a seat called Trengoff, in the Parish of Warliggan, About seven miles from Bodmin. He sold his estate for nine hundred and ninety nine years. But retained Trengoff to his widow as a dower.
Again, my Uncle, Andrew Nance, being a hatter, settled himself down in Portsmouth, He kept a shop there and another at Portsea. He got wealthy and his off-spring is wealthy. Then my Uncle, George Nance, a tailor, settled at Bath and lived in great oppulance there. And having become a merchant tailor was employed by the nobility that visited that city. But poor Elijah Nance never met with so good luck as my predecessors. But I think if you look on the other side and examining my pedegree you will discover that I must be possessed with some of the blood of some of high rank of the people of England. And not a family in all Wales can produce such a pedegree. My grandfather, in his day, became heir at law to the estate of Wm. Parker, Esquire, in it. Mabyn, Cornwall. And was under the necessity to get it to prove his title to it and sue for it in chancery. And as he did he was obliged to produce his pedegree. (Being unable to find one who could interpret the court of chancery records, the author has omitted the pedegree).
When, in London, six years since, a gentleman being informed that a person called Nance was in London, came from Gravesend, a distance of thirty miles to see me and enquire to my pedegree. And the pedegree of the Nance family. He proved to be a son of my cousin, Walter Nance, your great Uncle. He was in business as a boot and shoemaker at Gravesend. Such is all the knowledge of my family. And such is my pedegree I am in possession of to send unto you.
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©2009 Robert M. Fleming Jr.
This page was last revised on 30 August 2009.