Canton Lines
MAIN BRANCHES OF THE CANTON TREE
In Canton Connections No. 2, I published an outline of the main known Canton lines, to help with indexing, and this list was then published in each subsequent issue. At present, it refers only to Canton lines of which the earliest known origin is in Britain and Ireland. I concocted a simple system, using letters based chiefly on the county/country and parish of origin attached to each earliest known ancestor in a particular line.
The system worked well during the life of the magazine and I haven’t found it necessary to change it. I wrote optimistically, ‘if/when we are able to attach one branch to another, it will not be too complicated to modify their “labels” further’. This has happened once, as far as I can tell, in that the then X-labelled Cantans of Kent became firmly PM/K. (Really, this should be just part of PM/J but it has been useful to distinguish them still.)
More amalgamations may come about in the future – who knows what DNA testing may bring!
The following are the chief lines identified so far:·
- GL Gloucestershire (Stroud)/London. These are the descendants of John Canton, FRS, to a great degree London-based for two centuries. They form a very numerous branch, needing subdivision which it is easier to define by letters and numbers related to people, not places, in view of mobility within London. (London-based Cantons not yet connected to this line appear as XL).·First come the sons of John, FRS:
- GL/A descendants of William. This is a particularly prolific line, William having four sons with many descendants. Therefore this line is further sub-divided as:
- GL/A1 descendants of William Lawrence
- GL/A2 descendants of Nathaniel John
- GL/A3 descendants of Charles James
- GL/A4 descendants of George Augustus.
- GL/B descendants of Thomas
- GL/C descendants of John (if any)
- GO Gloucestershire/Others. These include Cantons in several parishes, including Stroud, which have not been connected to the family of John Canton, FRS.·
- I Ireland (sub-divisions unclear as yet).·
- PA Pembrokeshire, Amroth.·
- PB Pembrokeshire, Begelly.·
- PC Pembrokeshire, Cosheston.·
- PF Pembrokeshire, Freystrop; later Nolton Haven.·
- PJ Pembrokeshire, Jeffreston (early residents, quite separate from PM/J).·
- PL Pembrokeshire, Lampeter Velfrey.·
- PM Pembrokeshire, Martletwy (including Coedcanlas). A very large branch, needing subdivision on occasion for extra clarity:
- PM/J Jeffreston
- PM/K Kent (19C) - often as CANTAN - is a sub-division of PM/J
- PM/P Pembroke;
- PM/R Reynalton, with further subdivision PM/NZ New Zealand
- PM/S Stackpole.·
- PMn Pembrokeshire, Manorbier.·
- PR Pembrokeshire, Rhoscrowther.·
- PS Pembrokeshire, Slebech.·
- SE Sussex, Eastbourne.·
- X Miscellaneous unidentified lines other than in London.·
- XL Unidentified lines based in London.
For new readers: Canton occurs as a surname in several countries of the world other than Britain and Ireland, with a variety of ‘meanings’ and I have not attempted to deal with them here, but this may change.
Postscript: Our first three tests, in date order, are from lines PM/S, PR, PL.