Trenerry, William John

Singer

Collection date: May 1913

Area: Cornwall

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William John Trenerry at Redruth, Cornwall (1837-?): age 76, 2 songs 10 May 1913: William’s ‘Wassail song’ (FT2841) and ‘The Holy Well’ (FT2842) were both published in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society 5 (1914). His recollections of the Wassail party at Redruth are in Sharp’s Folk Dance Notes vol 3 CJS2/11/3/122.

William was baptised at Truro on 28/5/1837, youngest of 4 children of Joseph Trenerry, shoemaker and his wife Sarah. On 11/3/1855 he married Emma Burley at Truro and they would have 13 children, 7 of whom did not survive to adulthood. William was a shoe and boot maker all his life and was in Redruth for 1881 census and subsequently. The 1901 ref is RG13/2240 f85 p15. When Sharp met him, William was living with his daughter and 2 grandchildren. Shockingly his daughter Catherine had already borne 7 children but 5 of them had died. In 1921 William and Emma were living with their youngest daughter Janie in Redruth; they were both aged 84. It is not yet known when William died.