Origins of the name Tenbeth.
Folklore.
I was told that in the dim and distant past a young Cornishman (who was called either Trembeth or Trembath) grew tired of labouring (I assume that it must have been hard labour somewhere...with pasties) and decided to take the Kings (or Queens shilling)
So, the story goes that when this fine young man gave his details to the recruiter his name was taken down incorrectly, this is because he had a strong Cornish accent and was illiterate. After joining the army, he was then sent to Canada.
According to the story, this means that every Tenbeth is related and can trace their roots to this one young man.
Fact (hopefully!)
I have been limited to the amount of research that I have been able to do as I have been relying solely on the Internet. I have been meaning to travel down to London to visit the Public Records Office but, seeing as I live in Lincoln there is always something else that takes priority. This trip has become one of those fabled "I'll do it next week" jobs!
The earliest Tenbeth that I have found is Christopher Tenbeth. Christopher was born circa 1832 in St Just and died sometime between 1871 and 1881 (he was listed in the 1871 census and his wife was listed as a widow in the 1881 census).
Christopher is listed in the 1851 and 1871 census. I am 100% certain that the 1871 entry is accurate however, I can only be 90-95% confident of the 1851 entry as the handwriting is very unclear to my modern eyes!
To see the census entries please click on the links below, then zoom the images to decide for yourself. Christopher is 4th from the top in the 1851 census page, Ancestry.co.uk has him listed as either Christopher Tenbeth of Christopher Fenbeth.
1851 Census (Folio 471; Page 19; Household schedule number 1; GSU number 174825)
1871 Census (Folio 70; Page 3; Household schedule number 17; GSU number 827740)
In both census, Christopher is listed as being a soldier in Woolwich barracks. He must have been in the Royal Artillery as he is listed as a Royal Artillery Pensioner in the 1871 census. He had been stationed in Canada as two of his children had been born there (James, born in Montreal in 1864 and Thomas, born in Toronto in 1868).
So, it looks like Christopher Tenbeth is the first Tenbeth. The story that I was told as a child fits with what I know about him. The question is, what was he called before he was a Tenbeth?