PDA

View Full Version : Conwil/Counwill/Kenwil - Wales



EAC61
27-07-2009, 12:26 PM
According to my Great grandfather Thomas Cynwell Phillips birth certificate his Father was Lewis Phillips his Mother was Ann Kenwil - I cant find this name anywhere and wondered if translation has been lost and it is in fact Conwil ? She was from Senny, Brecon. Does anybody know of anyone with this name with a welsh connection - the only time I have found the name Conwil (exept for the family in Brecon) the families have been American .....
|help|

Carmy
27-07-2009, 1:44 PM
A lot depends on the time period. Until the mid 1800s, most vicars and church clerks didn't have to be able to speak Welsh. Then the law changed.

Prior to the change, most entries were made phonetically. If a non-Welsh speaker heard the K sound, he wrote K. There is no K in the Welsh alphabet. The speaker would mean C. So Kenwil would correctly be Cenwil. This is very close to the Cynwell in your great-grandfather's certificate. I suspect he took his mother's maiden name as his second name andthe clerk fouled up.

Conwil is a place in Wales. I've seen it shown as Kinwil, Kenwil, Kynwyl on different parish registers.

I hope this helps until someone with more knowledge comes along.

Good luck!

JAP1
27-07-2009, 2:10 PM
In the interests of avoiding duplication of searches, I'll just mention that there is quite a lengthy (unfinished?) thread about these people on the Brickwalls board at:

http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48211

Best regards,

JAP

EAC61
28-07-2009, 9:39 AM
Hi JAP
As you say thee is an unfinished thread regarding these people on Brickwall Board but I am actually trying to find out if the name still exists today in Wales
Thanks
EAC

Procat
09-08-2009, 10:05 AM
Hi,

As this is not really suitable for the surname board (intended for listing surnames you are researching so others can find them) I have moved it to the General Welsh Family History board.

EAC61
10-08-2009, 9:32 AM
actually the thread can be removed / closed etc. I couldnt find where you moved it to sorry .....

Procat
10-08-2009, 9:45 AM
actually the thread can be removed / closed etc. I couldnt find where you moved it to sorry .....

I'm confused - sorry. If you couldn't find the thread how did you make this post?

I moved this thread not the one that was linked to by Jap1.

Do you want the original thread on brickwalls (that Jap1 linked to) closed?