Letter Brenda Quintrell to Mary Trevan

Dear Mary,

Had a lovely time at Exeter today and managed to check all the Trevan wills for you - even got a few extra ones! Unfortunately there was only one will on the list you mentioned, that being of Wm Treliving Trevan 1930:-

of 4 Cecil St, Plymouth died 29th July 1930 Administration (with Will) Exeter 28th August to Mary Elizabeth Trevan widow. Effects £582 4s 10d

Also checked:- but nil

1. 1947 Mary Elizabeth Trevan
2. 1872 Honor Trevan
3. 1879 Mary Jane Trevan
4. 1879 Honor T
5. 1879 Sampson T of St Germans
6. 1918-25 for Henry Meirs Trevan also with no luck

Cecil St above is nearby me - right alongside the R.C. Cathedral.

The Probate Office is at Eastgate House beside County Casuals shop in the centre of Exeter. There is hardly anything to distinguish the place, just the name in the glass panel above 2 doors. After climbing umpteen stairs and crashing through the blue doors you arrive at a counter and there ask to view the books. They sometimes have to unlock the room for you but they then leave you to browse alone. The wills date from 1858-1980's (with a few from 1853) Be careful with these earlier ones as the wills are separate from the admins and therefore have 2 indexes to each book.

Here are the other wills:-

1. 1920 Trevan, Harold Gordon of 30 Durban Road, Plymouth, draughtsman HM Dockyard d 29th August 1918 Admin Exeter 24th June to Winifred Mabel Trevan widow Effects £261 (Durban Rd Peverell?)
2. 1921 Trevan, Rachel of Trenance Bridge, St Austell, Cornwall widow d 5th April 1921 Admin Bodmin 7th May to George Wallace Trevan, solicitors clerk Effects £105
3. 1924 Emily Catherine Trevan of Pendrean, Salcombe Regis, Devon, widow d 2nd May 1924 Probate London 17th June to Clara Lilian Dorman spinster and Louisa Lockwood widow Effects £1403 11s 6d

Extracts from Gentlemans' magazine 1795
Your nameless correspondent asks the derivation of the word vetinary. If he had taken the trouble to refer to Answorth's Dictionary he would have found Veterinarius a farrier (or, as it certainly ought to be written, and is in Scotland it is written, a ferrier, a ferro) or horse-doctor, quoda veternus, a vehendo, qu. veheterinius, vel vectinus, that beareth burdens, used in carriage

Am enclosing the promised photo of a headstone at Temple on Bodmin Moor. I wonder if poor Sampson was wounded in the Boer War? Hope you can read it ok.

The first Governor of the RN Hospital kept a diary which is kept in their library. As his 1st Lt was a relation to the lady I'm helping in Canada I'm now trying to get permission to view this gem. It was written in the late 1790's. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Must close now, its gone 11pm

V best wishes

([signed]) Brenda