Where did the Symonds ancestors come from?
Leaving aside the matter of where our first Symonds footprints were found, the headline question is being asked regularly since this page first appeared. Most have recognised the effects wrought on the spelling by illiterate people giving their names to parish recorders such as the local clergyman. Lots of variants exist but, to give just a few, here they are; Symons, Simons, Simmons, Symmons, Symonds, Simonds, Simmons, Symmonds. Quite a few of these appear in this family history, sometimes in the same family, perhaps indicating that the parish recorder was changed during the expansion of a particular family. Although our story is about Cornwall and Cornish people, it may seem awkward to have to admit that Symonds is not a name with its origin in Cornwall. It is quite probably Norman and came to England with William the Conqueror, at least in many cases. In the early days of the search for family background, a well-known Cornish researcher was asked if he could assist with information
