Preface:
Gordon Sanson was an avid amateur genealogist with much research done on the Prowse line. One of his sources was Irwin Prowse's book published 1992 listing over 1800 Prowse descendants in Australia at that time. The information that follows in Blue text is taken from a document he provided in October 2022 and subsequent correspondence, in some cases augmented with information from WikiTree. Additional information and notes that add context are in Red text.
Lineage (in descending order):
Gordon Sanson was born 4 December 1935 New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the eldest child of Roy Sanson and Beverly, nee Prowse. Gordon had a son, Craig by his first wife, and three children, Jeremy, Michelle, and Rebecca by his second. The Prowse name is carried on as the middle name of Gordon's son. Gordon passed on December 23, 2022.
Beverly Prowse was born 16 May 1913 Adelong, NSW, Australia, the eldest of three children of Richard John and Louisa. Beverly married Roy Sanson (1903-1959) on 9 January 1935 at Coonabarabran, NSW. Beverly and Roy had five children, including Gordon. Beverly passed 23 November, 1999 in Ryde, NSW.
Richard John Prowse, Sr. was born 24 October 1886 in Adelong, the eldest child of James Irwin and Caroline. He married Louisa Wellington (1888-1981) on 9 January 1935 in Adelong. They had three children, Beverly, Rita (1914-1949) and Richard John, Jr. (1920-1992). Richard John, Sr. passed 28 August 1968 in Gosford, NSW.
James Irwin Prowse was born 7 April 1865 in Tumut, NSW, one of 15 children of James and Mary Ann. James Irwin married Caroline Jane Huggins (1866-1933) on his birthday in 1886. They had eight children, however Richard John is the only one listed in WikiTree. James Irwin died 18 May 1954 in Adelong.
James Prowse was born 7 November 1836 in Penzance, Cornwall, England, the third youngest child of William, Jr. and Honor. James married May Ann Wiley (1844-1922) on 6 April 1864 in Adelong. Only three of their 15 children are listed in WikiTree: James Irwin, William George, and Richard William. Mary Ann was born in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. She came to Australia at the invitation of her uncle, Irvine Crain. Mary Ann passed at Ashfield, NSW and is buried at Adelong. James passed 12 February 1904 in Gundagai, NSW.
William Prowse, Jr. was born 15 February 1798, the eldest child of William and Mary. William, Jr. married Honor Jelbart (1805-1878) on 3 May 1823 in Gulval, Cornwall. They had eight children, including Honour, William III, John, Mary Ann Jelbart, John, James, Ann, and Richard Jelbart. William, Jr. passed 11 July 1862 in Gulval.
Five of their eight children were sons. One died in infancy, the remaining four sons all emigrated to South Australia. The eldest son, William arrived first, in Adelaide 16 October 1848. The 1851 England & Wales Census lists John and James as miners living with parents William and Honor and siblings Ann and Richard. John and James arrived Adelaide as well, in October 1857. William, John and James worked on the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin. John and James later moved to Adelong to find gold and sent for Richard, who arrived Adelong 1863.
William Prowse, Sr. was born 27 May 1765 in St. Buryan, Cornwall, the middle son of John and Margaret. William married Mary Lanyon (1776-1854) on 3 December 1796. They had five children, including William, Jr., Mary, Grace, Nancy, and John. William, Sr. passed 4 July 1832 in Penzance.
John Prowse was born 8 November 1741 in St. Buryan, the eldest child of Robert and Margaret. John married Margaret Harvey (1741-?) on 7 September 1763 in St. Buryan. They had three sons including John, Jr., William, and Benjamin. John died c.1814 - location unknown.
Robert Prowse was born c.1716 in St. Buryan, the third child of William and Alice. He married Margaret Mill (1713-1796) on 22 September 1739. They had ten children, including the three listed in WikiTree: John, Charles, and Robert, Jr.. Robert, Sr. died 27 November 1804 in St. Buryan.
William Prowse was born 29 Jun 1679 in St. Buryan, the third child of Theophilas and Blanch. He married Alice Jacka (1683-1754) on 30 Dec 1707 in St. Buryan. They had 4 children, including William, John, Robert and Alice. William died 7 Mar 1755 in Cornwall.
Theophilas Prowse was born c.1650 in St. Buryan, the eldest child of Abednego and Ann. He married Blanch (1650-1686) on 7 September, 1674. They had five children, including Blanch Robert, and William plus two others not listed in WikiTree. Theophilas died 11 September 1717 in St. Buryan.
Abednego Prowse was born c.1625 in St. Buryan, the only child of Robert and Agnis. He married Ann? 18 January 1672. They had four children, including Theophilas, Benjamin, Abednego, Jr., and Marten.
Robert Prowse was born in 1593 in Devon. He married Agnis? They had one son, Abednego. His date of death is not known at this time.
Here there is a break in WikiTree as neither Robert or his son Thomas are not listed. Also, the WikiTree listing for John (c.1516) does not list Thomas as one of their eight, as reported by Gordon, children. However, a family tree provided by Sylvia Prowse, a long-time Prowse researcher, and based on the Heraldic Visitation of 1586, does list Thomas, of Tiverton, still living, as a son of John and Alice (nee White). It further shows that Thomas married the daughter of Ralph Waldron (presumed to be Elizabeth). So, the John (c.1516) to Thomas (c.155) looks accurate. Sylvia's tree does not, however, show Robert as a child of Thomas; in fact, only five are shown but if Sylvia's tree is based on information from 1586, then this might be understandable as Robert was born in 1593. However, the 1620 Visitation of Somersetshire confirms the John to Thomas relation but also Thomas as only having (the same) five children, none of whom is Robert. We have to be cautious and assume an error in connecting the dots between Thomas and Robert. There Robert Prowses in other parts of the tree, so more research is required.
Thomas Prowse was born 1555, the 7th child of John and Alice. He married Elizabeth Waldron (1558-1597) 15 December 1579. They had 8 children, including Robert. Thomas died in 1598.
John Prowse was born c.1516 in Tiverton, Devon, England. He married Alice Jean White (1520-1583) in 1536. They had 8 children (only three listed in WikiTree at this time), including Thomas. John died in 1585.
Their daughter Richarda married Roger Gifford, making her Lady of Tiverton Castle, now a National Trust building. Note: WikiTree has Richarda's spouse listed as John Waldron, however, Sylvia's tree shows that Richarda first married John Waldron and later married Roger Gifford. It also shows that in the next generation, Thomas' daughter Joan married John Gifford.
Their son John married Elizabeth Colwick, whose daughter Agnes (1576-1622) married John Towbridge 31 July 1597. Agnes and John's son Thomas (1598-1672) settled in the New Haven Plantation (America) in 1636. Supermodel Cindy Crawford was found to be a relation.
Sylvia's tree shows John (c.1516) as the son of Robert Prowse c.1475 of Tiverton, the 6th son of John Prouse c.1456 of Chagford and Joan Orchard. WikiTree then continues with Richard c.1430 of Chagford as John's father, preceded by William c.1400, John c.1377 of Chagford, John c.1347 of Chagford, William le Prouz c.1320 of Okehampton, and finally William le Prouz c.1282 of Okehampton.
Gordon also wrote: Cindy Crawford, Model, appeared on “Who do you think you are” on August 28, 2013, when all this information was aired. In London she met historian Charles Mosley who researched the family tree taking our ancestry back to Charlemagne and back further, through the Prowses of Devon.
(This) means Charlemagne is my 40th Great Grand Father. Also their genealogy answers another fact of my DNA having 7% Norway and with Denmark and Greenland a further 4%, as we have deep Scandinavian roots, with Danish Princess Ginnora married to Richard the Fearless, our 29th GGF and the daughter Gerloc or Adele of Rollo the Dane Hrolf Rollon Rou Robert 860-927, who participated in the Viking attack 890 on Bayeux, where Count Berenger was killed, taking his daughter Poppa as his “Danish wife” came to France and settled in Normandy near Rouen, being made the 1st Duke of Normandy by Charles III of France in 911, whose ancestors go back through the Royal Family of the Uplands as that area was known then to the year 200. Gerloc 911-962 m. 935 William I, Count of Poitou 900-962, whose grandfather was Hugh Capet, 939-996, King of France 987-986.
Compiled, transcribed, edited, and published by Ian Mattey based on information provided by Gordon Sanson, Sylvia Prowse, and WikiTree.
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