Our heritage
The name Trevince is of Cornish/Celtic origin. It was first mentioned in 1281 and the family has been here since then, for over 25 generations. In the mid-16th century, Margaret Trevyns married Martin Beauchamp. The Beauchamp family can be traced back in Cornwall from him a further 13 generations to Hugh Beauchamp who was, in 1195, lord of Binnerton (between Helston and Camborne).
Nothing remains of the medieval or Tudor buildings but the back of the house (what is now the wing) dates from the late 17th century. In 1863 Edmund Beauchamp Tucker (EBT) inherited the estate and rebuilt the front part of the house to a design by James Piers St Aubyn, a prolific Cornish architect. The builders were Olver, a branch of whom were farming tenants at the time, and have remained so ever since.
The gardens include a walled garden of probable 18th century origin and parkland of similar date. In the 19th century, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias provided a mainstay, with sub-tropical plants around the lawns and drives vaunting the mild climate. Avenues of Irish yews were planted and specimen trees complemented the native broad leaves. The kitchen garden provided cut flowers, fruit, vegetables, and there were a heated vinery and an orchid house as well as greenhouses. Beyond is a “wilderness” walk and then woodland, planted on the industrial waste of tin and copper workings as the Trefyns and Beauchamp families were mine and mineral owners from at least the Tudor period.
The house and garden sit at the centre of a thriving rural estate. The family has strong connections with its tenants, most of the larger farms having been in the same families for several generations. Some residential tenants have been with us for over 50 years.