User:Vernon39/Enys

The Enys family of Enys in Cornwall

The Enys Family have lived at Enys, which lies between Truro and Penryn, time out of mind. The Enys Trust website says: "Robert de Enys lived there during the reign of Edward 1. The 1709 edition of Camden's Magna Britannia mentioned that Enys was noted for its fine gardens.

History of Enys Place & its Gardens
The Enys Trust states "Enys probably first became the home of the Enys family during the life of Robert de Enys who, according to a pedigree produced for Samuel Enys (1611-1697) from family deeds, "began to reign in 1272". Robert's granddaughter, Joane, released her rights to lands at Enys to her brother, John, and his heirs in 1363, the 37th year of Edward III's reign; this deed is still in the Cornwall Record Office. Enys is certainly mentioned in a Cornish play taken to Oxford in 1450, the manuscript of which is in the Bodleian Library, when it was among lands given as a reward to the builder of the universe. The earliest surviving pictures of the house and grounds, show the Elizabethan house in parkland or having a long walled garden covering the area from the house to the bottom of the present walled garden, surrounded by parkland. This layout was probably introduced in the seventeenth century by Samuel Enys (mentioned above) a successful merchant, based in Spain for many years, who purchased the property from his elder brother, Thomas, when he returned to Cornwall after the Civil War. Another feature of the gardens which probably dates from Samuel's time is the ponds, used at that time as fish ponds to supply the house. Alterations to the gardens started in the early 19th century, firstly by Francis Enys who demolished part of the walled garden and created less formal gardens containing "a delightful shrubbery". In 1833 John Samuel Enys engaged Henry Harrison who introduced a number of changes including the present Flower Garden (then known as the Ladies Garden) and the Colonel's Garden. The Elizabethan house was burnt down in a fire during the 1820's and the present house was completed in 1833, using stone quarried within the estate. The gardens were enriched in the latter 19th century by John and Charles Enys who lived for many years in New Zealand and sent home many plants, including tree ferns and the Chatham Island Forget-me-not."

Public service
Samuel Enys represented Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)|Penryn]] in Parliament in 1660.

The family has supplied the Duchy of Cornwall with several High Sheriffs and and the Quarter Sessions with many J.P.s

Enys family High Sheriffs of Cornwall:

 * 1708-1709: Samuel Enys
 * 1796: John Enys
 * 1824: John Samuel Enys
 * 1876: Francis Gilbert Enys

18th Century Enys family
John Enys (17 December 1757 – 30 July 1818), son of John Enys and Lucy Basset, was British soldier during the American Revolution and the War with France.

John Samuel Enys
John Samuel Enys was born 21 September 1796, son of Samuel Hunt and Luce Ann Enys, his wife, the daughter of Samuel Enys.

In 1813, his mother reverted her name from Hunt to Enys, after the death of her husband.

He was High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1824.

In 1833 John Samuel Enys engaged Henry Harrison, a London architect, to produce designs for the garden as well as the house. Amongst these features was the Ladies Garden, later called the Flower Garden"

He married, on 17 April 1834 Catherine Gilbert, eldest daughter of Davies Gilbert (1767 – 1839), a President of the Royal Society and Mary Ann Gilbert (c. 1776 – 26 April 1845), his wife.

Their children were: :
 * Jane Mary (1835 - 1874).
 * Francis Gilbert (30 July 1836 - 13 July 1906), who was High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1876.
 * John Davies (11 October 1837 – 7 Nov 1912.
 * Charles (18 December 1840 - January 1891).
 * Mary Anne

None of the brothers married. On August 28th 1860 Jane Mary Enys married Captain Henry Rogers RN.

John Davies Enys
John Davies Enys was the son of and Catherine Gilbert.

He was educated at Harrow School.

In the 1850s he attended lectures at the Geological Society of London, took walking tours in Britain and carefully recorded discoveries of ferns, wild-flowers and shells, establishing a pattern of life as an inveterate collector and keen amateur naturalist.

He settled in South Island, New Zealand, at Castle Hill, where he raised sheep and studied the local fauna, flora and geology. His brother, Charles joined him.

The House and garden
The Enys Trust was formed in 2002 as a charity in order to secure the long term future of the garden at Enys, near Penryn in Cornwall, and to open the garden to the public.

greatly enriched Enys with seeds and plants he regularly sent home from New Zealand and Patagonia.

The lakes in the lower valley have a water wheel which raised water to the house. The scenery created here has been much photographed over the years. In Spring the bluebells in the parkland, known as Parc Lye, are a sight to behold. This area is believed to be undisturbed since ancient times, and contains many trees of a great age. The formal gardens still contain plants shrubs and trees from the J D Enys Collection, and the Estate also has a fine collection of bamboos comprising a number of very rare varieties.

Probably the most valuable asset to the garden is its microclimate. It is virtually frost free, and this, together with the mild and temperate influence of the Gulf Stream, enables many tender plants and trees to flourish. One of the most important of these is the Peruvian Laurel, one of the few specimens growing in England today. There is also a Maidenhair tree, (Ginkgo biloba) which is said to be the tallest specimen outside Kew Gardens.