I was born, as they say, at a very early age in 1949 at Pennance Nursing Home in Falmouth.
At the time my parents were living in Penryn (my father’s home town).
With the diminishing of the importance of Falmouth docks, the family moved to Peverell,
Plymouth when I was about five years of age. This was my home until I left home for my
teacher training; although every summer I spent three week’s holiday at my Uncle’s farm, Pencoose, off Round Road, Penryn. I don’t think that my brother, Nigel, and myself could be trusted together so we always went separately.
After twenty years of teaching in the East Midlands area, I went back to College - this time to train for the Christian Ministry. This was followed by fifteen years as Minister of West End Baptist Church in Westbury, Wiltshire and more recently as part of the Ministry Team of West Devon Methodist Circuit.
I am married to Sue and have two children, now grown up: Jonathan (married to Laura) and Joanne (married to Matthew); plus two wonderful little grandchildren, William and baby Chloe.
Although my maternal grandmother had tried to get me interested in family history when I was in my teens, it wasn’t until my mother died in 1998 and I ended up with boxes of documents, certificates and photographs that I became actively interested in the subject.
My Maternal grandmother’s family came from the Forest of Dean, whereas my maternal grandfather’s family came from East Cornwall and South Devon. But my father’s family (from the beginning of the 19th Century) all came from the Penryn / St Gluvias area - the Penryn Warmingtons being an offshoot from the St Columb area branch of the family. I soon discovered links with the Treneers, inc. the Cornish Writer Anne (Schoolhouse in the Wind) and her older brother, Maurice who invented Alka Seltzer in 1929; as well as tentative links (still unproven) with Joseph Grimaldi (Joey the Clown).
My family were also very involved in the Bible Christian Movement, my Great Grandfather (J Edward Warmington) being the leading lay-person in the local chapel until his death in 1899. This interest has led me being involved in the Bible Christian Magazine website, hosted by Rita Bone Kopp.
Grandmother, cousins, parents and little me at Pencoose Farm (c. 1950)
