THE HOLLOW LOG
Issue 45, December 2014
The Hollow Family Researchers’ Newsletter
Discovering Cornish Relations and
Family Roots
Robert Hollow, catholic priest, from outback Queensland journeyed back to Towednack in
Cornwall to where his great grandfather Thomas Hollow (b 1856) lived before leaving for
the antipodes in 1879. Robert tells of his experience in two articles in this Hollow Log.
ISSN 1445-8772
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Hollow Spotting
I am always looking for Hollow
Spottings from around the world.
Page 2
Non-Paternal Events
A story showing the value of
talking to people when researching
your family history, often not all of
the story is in the records.
Page 3
In Search of Trevega
A trip to Cornwall during Robert’s
sabbatical hit an emotion spot
when talking with distant cousins,
breathing the air of his ancestors
and retracing those ancestors’
footsteps.
Page 4
Two Bobs Worth
There are 37 Robert Hollow’s in
my Hollow database. Two of them
met this year in St Ives.
Page 7
Robert Hollow with his fifth cousins, Charlotte Murt and Elizabeth Knowles
outside the door of the Towednack Church.
A Hollow Novel
Last Issue I reported finding a crime novel that
had a Hollow as the main character. I am rapt to
say that 2015 will see the publishing of a crime
novel written by a Hollow.
Mike Hollow has been spotted as a book author
before. Hollow Log 20
Not so long ago I was in touch with Mike and in
the conversation was lamenting the fact that I
hadn’t found a Hollow who had authored a
novel. That is when Mike confided in me that he
may be able to change that if his plans came to
pass. They did and here is the cover.
Read the background to how it came
about in Mike’s article in this Hollow Log..
A Novel by a
Hollow…at Last!
I counted up the references to
Hollow authors in editions of the
Hollow Log. There are 17, all but
one of their books are non-fiction
books. This one will break the
drought. The exception is Victor
Sydney Hollow’s childrens’ story,
The Little Silver Ring published in
1947.
Page 8
Origin of Hollow via
Holla via place name
If Hollow originated from Hallow
the name for moor then why isn’t
the name more widely distributed?
This has puzzled me since I began
the Hollow one name study. I
outline my current theory.
Page 9
Hollow Spotting
followed by interment at Towednack Church, the church
where she was married all those years ago..
Another Perth Hollow
Another Hollow Author
The photo appeared in the
Rossmoyne Raiders Football
Cub Year Book 2014
(Western Australia) with the
following text.
Neil Hollow has co-authored this book. This exert from one
critique of the book.
Deacon Hollow. Deacon had a
great first season of Auskick. He,
like numerous other boys, has been
in attendance virtually every week.
Deacon’s season has seen him
develop into a confident player,
very fast, and always willing to
chase down the ball. Well done on your season.
Deacon is the son of Corey and Leonie Hollow, (see Hollow
Spotting in Hollow Log 44).
Obituaries
HOLLOW. Ronald James (Ron) 09.12.1924 - 11.08.2014
Passed away at Wantirna, Victoria. Husband to Thelma. Father
to Annette, Geoffrey, Garry and Tony. Father-in-law to Jenni.
Grandfather to 7 grandchildren and great grandfather to 2
great grandchildren. Brother and brother-in- law of Kath and
Jim Garner, uncle of Linda, Alan, Angela and Michael. Brother
of Bernie (dec. ), brother- in-law of Nola Hollow. Member of
the Ringwood Bowls Club
HOLLOW Ann died peacefully at West Cornwall Hospital on
Tuesday, 23rd September 2014. Doris Ann was aged 93 years
and lived at
Newgate
Bungalow,
Trink Farm, St
Ives up until 16
days of her
death. Wife of
Robert, mother
of Elizabeth,
Charlotte and
Emma,
mother-in-law
of Robert, Roy
and David,
grandmother to Christopher, Simon, James, Louis and
Dominic and step grandmother to Ian and a proud greatgrandmother. Doris Ann and her husband Robert celebrated
their 65th wedding anniversary this year. A Requiem Mass was
celebrated at The Church of The Immaculate Conception,
Rosevean Road, Penzance on Saturday, 4th October at noon
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
“The authors say the purpose of the
book is to raise awareness of oil
depletion among Christians and to
suggest some practical solutions. It
does both of those and more besides, as
this is a more comprehensive and
analytical book than I expected. It is
full of well researched comparisons of
different technologies, with detailed
sections on different renewable energy
sources – all described with nontechnical clarity. It anticipates
questions and common objections and
addresses the oil situation in its full
environmental and economic context.
Neil is descended from William Hollow and Urslea Cock via
the Hollow family that lived in Fowey during the 19 th century.
Hollows in Uniform
These images courtesy of “Gravesecrets at your Fingertips!” at
http://www.ww1anzac.com/
If you are looking for WWI images or are willing to share
yours this is an excellent site.
I have included two images, Arthur Hollow, Son of John
HOLLOW and Elizabeth nee LAWRENCE of Adelaide, SA.
Arthur was killed in Belguim in 1917 (left), and Edward
Campbell Hollow from Tasmania and son of John Hollow
and Elizabeth Coullin. (right)
Page 2
Non-paternal Events
Non-paternal events are one of the things that complicate DNA
studies in genealogy. Such an event is usually an adoption or a birth
out of wedlock. That is, an event that sees a male take on a surname
that is not his biological father’s surname. Peter Arneson discovered a
non-paternal event in Pennsylvania that had gone unnoticed when
using the conventional family research methods of birth, death,
marriage and census records.
The records seemed to indicate that Edward John Hollow and Edith
Sickles had just one son, Edward James Hollow who in turn had eight
children. Peter when researching this family as part of his tree made
contact with one of Edward James’ children, John. John confided that
his father found, when he applied for a wedding licence, that he was
not a Hollow but a Hensley.
His parents were actually Philip Hensley and Elizabeth Johnson.
Phillip was a half brother of Edward John Hollow. They had the
same mother. What caused the name change was very tragic.
On 29 August 1916 the Scranton Republican newspaper reported:FORMER LOCAL WOMAN IS KILLED BY TRAIN
DURYEA, Pa., Aug. 28.
Mrs. Phillip Hensley, of this town, a former resident of South Scranton, was
killed Saturday night when struck by a Lehigh Valley freight train on the
Duryea crossing in the Cut off. She was walking to her home after making
purchases at a local grocery store. The woman is survived by her husband and ten
children, the youngest of the latter being but nine months old.
Three years later a Scranton Republican, report on 23 August 1919
Hello There
stated:-
No news on the DNA front, no new tests to report. I am
hoping to make a renewed effort to recruit Hollow males to
join the DNA project, meanwhile family history continues
to be made. I hope you find the contents here interesting.
Philip Hensley, aged 49 years, ,for the past few years a car Inspector for the D.,
Odd Spot
A Cornish dad is attempting the world’s longest loom band,
one that fits around the harbour at Mevagissey, his Cornwall
home. Two weeks in his band was 6 metres long, 256
metres to go. He expects the project to take a year.
L. & W. railroad, died yesterday afternoon at the home of his son, .Phillip
Hensley, Jr., of 336,4 North Hyde park avenue. Mr. Hensley's death was due to
heart trouble and followed a lingering illness.
The ten children were taken in by various members of the family.
Edward John Hollow and wife Edith brought up Edward James who
would have been four years old when his mother died. Edward after
finding he was a Hensley, did change his name legally to Hollow, and
married as a Hollow.
But that’s not all. Phillip was one of three children of Richard and
The Hollow Family Website
Caroline Hensley. Richard died in 1870 and Caroline appears to have
The website is updated on a monthly basis now. In the
Hollow Log, details of families are often quite brief. You
can use the Hollow Database section on the website to get
further details of individuals and families.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chollo
w/
migrated to Scranton in Pennsylvania, her children eventually turned
up there too .I have not found when they arrived. Caroline began a
relationship with a John Hollow probably in Pennsylvania in about
1875 and is listed as Hollow in the 1880 census with two sons,
Edward and Charles Hollow. John was married to Mary Glasson in
Redruth in 1872 and had one child in 1874. John may have moved to
Contact
Colin Hollow edits the Hollow Log and welcomes
contributions.
Write to 2 Keeley Lane, Princes Hill, 3054, Victoria,
Australia. e-mail: [email protected]
Hollow and variants Holla, Hollah, Hallo and Hallow are
registered with The Guild of One-Name Studies. The Guild
member is Colin Hollow (Member No. 3056).
Material in this newsletter should not be used without
permission.
Pennsylvania to work as a miner, Caroline lived in Redruth before
moving to Pennsylvania where she had children to him in 1876, 1878,
1882, and 1889. Meanwhile back in Cornwall Mary Glasson had two
more children in 1879 and 1882 called them Hollow and remained
there until her death in 1910. She did not marry again and in each
census she was recorded as ‘married’ but was without her husband
John. John looks to have been keeping two families; one family in St
Ives and one family in Dunmore Pennsylvania. He was recorded on
the 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920 US censuses with his US family. ♣
Colin Hollow and Peter Arneson, image Jennifer Boone
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
Page 3
In search of Trevega
By Robert Hollow
My recent sabbatical leave presented me with the possibility of
an experience of a life-time, to travel to ‘the land of the
Hollow’s’ and discover more of my ancestry as part of the
Hollow kordh. Colin Hollow had already provided me with
extensive data on my forebears, so I was somewhat sceptical
about how much more genealogical detail I could unearth.
The way things panned out, my journey was to be much less
about research and much more about a personal encounter
with my ‘roots’.
the fields where he was bailing hay. I introduced myself and
explained to him my quest for Trevega Mine, Hollow family
history, and any details of my great grandfather. "What's his
name?" were the first words from Philip. "Thomas Hollow"
was my answer. Philip responded, "Come and see this" as he
beckoned me towards a shed that seemed to contain old cow
bales.
“I haven't seen it for years and don't know if it is still here"
Philip uttered as his large farmer’s hand brushed across the
planks of a timber stall, removing years of honest agricultural
grime to reveal the name Arth Hollow painted onto one of the
planks making up the cow bails.
My main ambitions became to ‘walk in the footsteps’ of my
ancestors and ‘to breathe the same air’. To do this I needed
some ‘quest’ to facilitate that personal journey, some personal
investigation that might enhance both my own knowledge of
where and who I ‘came’ from, whilst at the same time adding
to the Hollow genealogy project. And so began my search for
Trevaga.
My great grandfather, Thomas Hollow, was born 17th April
1856 at Trevega Mine within the vicinity Towednack. I began
to wonder if this Trevega Mine would shed some light on
‘who’ my great grandfather was, but tracking down Trevega
Mine was easier said than done. Persistent ‘Googling’ before
and during my trip turned up almost nothing. There would no
better place ‘to walk in the footsteps’ of my forebears than to
visit Trevega Mine, but I had almost nothing by way of a lead.
I arrived in Cornwall armed with the names and contact details
of two living relatives, Charlotte Murt (nee Hollow) and John
Loosemore, and the location of a few ‘Hollow graves’
provided by Colin. As I turned to the internet again, the
closest thing to Trevega Mine that I could turn up was the
Trevalgan Touring Park. This was vaguely in the same area
that I suspected the former Trevega Mine to be, so the touring
park became my first ‘port of call’. A ‘long shot’ perhaps, but
someone might have an idea as to where my ‘mythical’
Trevega Mine might be found.
The proprietor, Neil Osborne, had never heard of Trevega
Mine, but suggested that there was a farm by that name up the
very narrow lane, heading closer towards the coast. It felt like
I was driving
into someone’s
back yard as I
came across the
Trevega
Wartha Farm
and the coowner, Philip
Hocking,
returning from
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
We were joined by Phillip’s brother Michael as the story began
to unfold. Arthur Hollow had been a tenant farmer on
Trevaga Wartha which had originally been part of a huge
estate owned by Sir Edward Hain. Hain died during WWI,
and later generations had decided to break up and sell off the
Porthia Estate in 1930. Michael rushed off to the cottage to
find the ‘advertising brochure’ that detailed the 1930 sale. This
revealed that, as part of the estate, Trevega Wartha Farm had
sold to Philip's grandfather, William Henry Hocking. The
tenant at the time, Arthur Hollow, was ‘kept on’ by William
Hocking, possibly as a ‘live in’ labourer. Further conversation
with Phillip and Michael identified that the ruins of Trevega
Mine were actually on the property just a little way north of
the farm house, and that Trevega hamlet was just ‘a little
further down the lane’ in the opposite direction. At this point
of time I had not even begun to address the location of
Trevega hamlet, and with Philip’s permission to explore the
mine site, I didn’t need any convincing to come back the very
next day.
Going back to the web I discovered in an article by Keith
Hollow in The Hollow Log (Issue 23 September 2004) that the
‘Hollows’ had been farming in the Towednack area for over
300 years. Whilst I had not discovered any more about my
‘direct ancestor’ and great grandfather Thomas Hollow (1856Page 4
1909), I had had a somewhat ‘physical encounter’ with his 1 st
cousin once removed who was born only 3 years after my
Thomas. Both born in the same area (Thomas at Trevega
Mine, Arthur at Trevega according to the 1911 census), and
having spent the years before Thomas’ migration to New
Zealand (1879) in the same area of Trevega, Trevalgan,
Towednack and St Ives, I could now postulate
at least a relationship, if not a close
relationship, between Thomas and Arthur. It
was not an irrational stretch to associate my
great grandfather with Trevega Wartha Farm,
given the close proximity of both Thomas’ and
Arthur’s birthplaces and places of residence
between the years of Arthur’s birth in 1859 and
Thomas’ departure for the Antipodes in 1879.
In essence they had 20 years of growing up
together into early adulthood.
Inspired by this shared data for both Thomas
and Arthur, I set out to ‘walk in their
footsteps’. My walk to the ruined engine house
at the Trevega Mine (the birthplace of my great
grandfather) revealed views of the famous and
stunning South West Coast Path from which
the mine is clearly visible.
Later cross referencing disclosed one of the main reasons that
I had struggled tracking down Trevega Mine and Trevega
hamlet. Like many place names, over time there have been
various alternative names, groupings and spellings. These
included Treviga, Trevissa, Trevessa, Trevegia, and Trevigha
Bal. Having reacquainted myself with the ‘shifting sands’ of
place names and spelling, further research came up with the
following.
Trevega Bal (Trevegia Mine; West St Ives Consols; Brea
Consols; Trevessa and Brea Mines), Towednack, St Ives
District, Cornwall, England, UK
An amalgamation of
several small tin mines,
some of which are very old.
Records of workings in the
area date back to the 17th
century, but it is not
known when they were
started, nor when the
individual mines were
included with the sett.
Wheal Brea worked in the
coastal strip west of Brea
Cove, which is composed of
killas and greenstones. The
other mines were in granite
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
country, and occupied a roughly rectangular stretch of land about 400
yards further south. Their approximate locations are known, but their
boundaries cannot now be distinguished …
In the southern part of the sett, Thomas's Lode was opened up from
Engine Shaft in Wheal Trevega section [the mine where Thomas Hollow
was born in 1856], and Matthew's Lode from Matthew's Shaft in
Wheal Matthews section. Thomas's Lode was
also accessed by two adits driven southwards
from the coast. The first one, commencing in
Brea Cove, connects with the lode 40 fms NE
of Engine Shaft in Wheal Trevega section,
then follows the lode to the shaft where it turns
SE to meet Matthew's Lode at Matthews
Shaft. The second adit starts about 150 yards
west of the first one and meets Thomas's Lode
50 fms SW of Wheal Trevega Engine Shaft.
According to Hamilton Jenkin, the
intersection point was located in Wheal
Richards section of the sett. It appears that
there were shafts sunk on this adit, as several
shaft mounds in a straight line from the coast
can be identified in the fields at surface. Dines
also mentions a third adit commencing in
River Cove, more than half a mile further
west, but Noall pointed out that this was related to Treveal Mine and did
not connect to the Trevega Bal workings.
Trevessa and Brea Mines were first mentioned in the early 19th century,
but they were only worked intermittently. An early period ended in 1842,
when materials were offered for sale. Around 1860, the "Brea
Consolidated Tin Mining Company Ltd." was formed, who operated the
mines under the name of Brea Consols until 1863, during which time
they produced 93 tons of black tin. In 1868, they were started again as
West St Ives Consols, but soon abandoned and sold with all their plant
and machinery in January 1872 for only 415 pounds. The workings then
lay idle until 1907, when they were resumed under the name of Trevegia
Mine. Operations continued until 1913, and 38 tons of black tin were
raised which were of a
high quality and fetched
exceptional prices. In July
1911, a ton was sold for
113 pounds, compared to
somewhat less than 104
pounds paid to St Ives
Consols at the same time.
However, although rich,
the lodes were small and
averaged only three inches
in width. Mining
probably became
uneconomic and finally
forced the mine to close.
Page 5
http://www.mindat.org/loc-221495.html
After soaking up the atmosphere around the birthplace of my
great grandfather I set off for Trevega hamlet, the birthplace
of Arthur. Whist this may be seen as more associated with
Arthur, it is none-the-less only ‘minutes walk’ from Trevega
Mine, and Thomas, no doubt, would have spent time in the
hamlet. I was most
definitely ‘walking in the
footsteps’ of my branch of
the Hollows.
As a postscript, on my
return to Australia, I came
to realize that my first ‘port
of call’ on the quest for
Trevega Mine is probably
also significant in my story.
During my time in
Cornwall I was completely
unaware that the hamlet of
Trevalgan was also part of
my story. I am still unclear
of where Trevalgan is, but
I would be very surprised if
it has not morphed into the
Trevalgan Touring Park
where I first learnt of Trevega Wartha Farm that had led me to
Trevega Mine and Trevega Hamlet.
The 1861 census lists my great grandfather Thomas Hollow (b.
1856) living with his grandparents (William Stevens (c.1800)
and Anne (c.1808)) at Trevalgan, whilst his parents and
siblings are listed as living at The Digey in St Ives. The reason
for Thomas to be lodging with his grandparents at such a
motherless but it was not long before he married his second
wife, Cordelia Martins, in 1865, providing a step mother for
his children. Here another batch of children and the second
half of Thomas’ (b.1828) begins to appear. The 1871 census
attests to Thomas junior’s return to the family home, and
Thomas senior’s new batch of children with new wife
Cordelia. Thomas senior’s children now living together at
Trevalgan are listed as Thomas (b.1856), his full sister Jane
(b.1860), and now the first of their half siblings Elizabeth
(b.1866), Sarah (b.1869) and Nancy (b.1870). As a tribute to
this place of significance for me that I ‘may have’ visited in the
Trevalgan Touring Park, I have included the following image
taken from what I now understand is called Travalgan Hill.
Although I had been in a ‘foreign country’ during my trip to
Cornwall, and in a very remote part of the world from
where I live, there was for me very much a sense of ‘being
at home’ in Zennor and Towednack and Trevega. My great
grandfather Thomas; along with my great grandmother
Mary Jane George and their son (my grandfather) Thomas
had left this beautiful place to pursue the dream of a new
life in New Zealand and then Australia. My discovering
Trevega Mine, Trevega, and Towednack in this little corner
of the world, thousands of miles away from the place that I
usually call home, revealed another large part of my story.
My roots were clearly in this soil; both in the farms and the
mines, and part of me will always be linked to this place,
even if I never return. ♣
young age (5 years) can probably be found in the fact that his
mother (William & Ann Stevens’ daughter) Mary Ann may
have been ill and possibly dying. Mary Ann Hollow did die on
14th November 1863 at Uny Lelant when Thomas was 7 ½
years old. Thomas Hollow senior’s children were left
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
Images by Robert Hollow, map by Google
Page 6
Two Bobs Worth
Knowles and Charlotte Murt, both of whom are so proud of
their ‘family church’.
By Robert Hollow
My recent trip to Cornwall was not just about ‘talking to the
dead’ in cemeteries and church yards,
but included the wonderful experience
of meeting actual living Cornish
relatives.
Colin Hollow had put me in touch
with Charlotte Murt who was gracious
enough not only to meet me, but also
to arrange for me to meet her sister
Elizabeth Knowles, and most
importantly, their parents Doris and
Robert Hollow.
I come from a family of six boys, so my meeting with
Elizabeth and Charlotte was all the more amazing because it
was like meeting the sisters I never had. Charlotte and
Elizabeth are my fifth cousins, once removed, and a more
delightful couple of women cannot be found, and cousins ‘to
boot’. That makes their father Robert my fourth cousin twice
removed. Robert lives in Trink, near his daughters, and
Robert’s twin brother Augustus (Gus) still lives across the road
from the old family farm.
I had a wonderful time meeting Robert, who is quite frail these
days. He was quite animated during my visit, which apparently
is not a common occurrence these days. We had quite a chat,
and I think that he was as tickled as I was to be able to meet a
‘name sake’. And that was not the end of it. Charlotte told
me later that, although her father spent most nights falling
asleep in his chair, that night “Dad was quite chatty and kept
asking about you. Eventually he said "I can't get over that chap
being here and talking to me - wasn't it good"”. I must have
had a similar effect on him as he had had on me. I also met
Doris, Robert’s wife, that day. Doris was very frail and in ill
health and I received the sad news recently that Doris
passed away just a few months after my visit.
Finally there was our trip to Zennor, the Tinners Arms and St
Senara’s Church. First we sought ‘liquid fortification’ at the
Tinners Arms, a place I would like to
think offered sustenance and
hospitality for generations of
Hollows since its inception in 1271. I
should be a little sceptical though,
given that at least the last two
generations of my ‘Cornish Hollow’s’
were Primitive Methodists. I am not
sure ‘good Methodists’ would have
frequented such places.
Only after the fortification received at
the Tinners Arms was I taken up to St Senara’s Church to see
the famous Mermaid Chair and receive some ‘spiritual
fortification’.
Once again I
found myself
inside a building
that bears
witness, not
simply to the
faith of so many
Cornish folk, but
also to so much
Hollow history.
Such a beautiful place with so much significance.
I came away from my day with Elizabeth and Charlotte, and
Robert and Doris, feeling very much part of a rich heritage of
Hollow’s with their origins deep in Cornwall. I had certainly
gotten more than my ‘two bobs worth’. ♣
My wonderful day continued when Elizabeth and
Charlotte took me to St Winwaloe’s Church at
Towednack. What a wonderful experience to walk
through the graveyard seeing all the Hollow relatives
who are buried there, and then to visit the church
with its long history of Hollow ‘hatches, matches and
dispatches’ engendering in me a deep sense of
belonging. Once again Keith Hollow has provided an
extensive ‘reportage’ on St Winwaloe’s and
Towednack in “The Hollow Log” issue 23 September
2004. I can make no further comment except to say
how wonderful it was for me to visit this place that is
so much of the ‘Hollow’ story with both Elizabeth
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
Page 7
A novel by a Hollow – at
last!
By Mike Hollow
In 2012 my wife
and I went to the
Olympic Games in
London. It was
exciting to be in the
crowd watching the
world’s finest
athletes competing,
but for me there
was a more
poignant feeling
too. It was the
realisation that we were sitting just yards from where my dad
used to work: Carpenters Road in Stratford, a decaying
industrial area, nearly all of which is now buried beneath the
green open spaces of the Olympic Park. He died in 1997, and
would been incredulous if anyone had told him that this place
would one day host the Olympics.
At the end of the day’s events we came out of the stadium and
walked past the old Stratford Town Hall building. I looked up
towards the roof, and tried to imagine the scene during the
Blitz, when my dad was a teenage Home Guard volunteer fire
watcher. His job was to look out for German incendiary
bombs and put them out if they landed and started burning.
He later joined the Army and fought his way up Italy, but like
many of his generation he was involved in the war long before
he put on a uniform.
Something else was on my mind too. I’d been turning over in
my mind for a while the idea of a novel, set at that time and in
that place. I’ve been a writer in one way or another all my life,
but had never had fiction published. I began my working life
as a translator, translating Russian for the BBC after
graduating from Cambridge University, and later worked in
communications for the international relief and development
agency Tearfund, a job that took me all over Africa, Asia and
Latin America to write about its work there. For the last 12
years I’ve been a freelance writer, editor, project manager and
translator.
But writing a novel? That’s a different challenge. It meant a lot
of work over a couple of years, but in March 2014 I finally
convinced a publisher it was a commercially viable
proposition, and they gave me a contract. That’s when the
hard work started: they also gave me a deadline, which meant I
had three months to write 90,000 words. But as the publisher
encouragingly said, “It’s remarkable how a deadline can
concentrate the mind.”
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
I like detective stories (my favourites are Dorothy L Sayers’
Lord Peter Wimsey stories from the 1920s and 1930s), so
that’s what I wanted to write. I also like historical fiction, so I
wanted to set it in the past. I was born in West Ham, which as
the borough that included London’s Docklands was the scene
of some of the worst bombing during the Blitz, so I wanted to
set it there. The appeal of that place at that time was not just
that it’s where my family roots are but also that the
background events were so extraordinary – people dealing
with life-and-death issues on an everyday basis, never knowing
whether they’d be alive to see the next morning.
The result is the man I now feel I know very well, Detective
Inspector John Jago of the Metropolitan Police, stationed in
the Essex County Borough of West Ham in 1940. The book,
called Direct Hit, is the first of what is planned to be a series of
stories featuring Jago, the “Blitz Detective”. My intention has
been to create a book that is entertaining – and I hope
intriguing enough to keep mystery fans guessing!
My Hollow lineage
I’m descended from John Holla and Chesen Thomas of
Zennor, via their descendants John Holla, Matthew Hollow,
John Hollow, Henry Hollow and John Resuggan Blake
Hollow. The latter, my great-grandfather, from Truro, moved
to London sometime between the 1871 and 1881 censuses. He
had one son (Albert James Hollow), who had one son
(Kenneth Rogerley Hollow), who had one son (me), and I
have one son (David), so we are a tenuous line, but we’ve
managed to stave off extinction for about 130 years!
And the novel?
Direct Hit, by Mike Hollow, is published on 20 March 2015.
It’s available from www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.com
and from bookshops. Amazon is advertising it now and you
can place a pre-publication order.
The advertising blurb.
The jagged blast of high explosives rips through the evening air. In the sky
over East London the searchlights criss-cross in search of the enemy. On
the first night of the Blitz, a corpse is discovered in a van in the back
streets of West Ham. Detective Inspector John Jago recognizes the dead
man as local Justice of the Peace Charles Villiers. But a German bomb
obliterates all evidence.
Villiers was not a popular man, both powerful and feared. As the sirens
wail, the detective must start matching motive to opportunity and it doesn't
help when his boss foists an intrusive American journalist on him.
Jago soon discovers the dead man held many secrets, some reaching back to
World War I. A lot of people wished Villiers dead and an air raid is a
good time to conceal a murder. ♣
Page 8
Origin of Hollow via Holla
via place name
The conventional wisdom in surname origin studies is
that the name Hollow is derived from hallow meaning
moor, so a dweller of or by the moor. Sometimes it is
explained as a contraction of the name Penhallow, which
means from the head or end of the moor. The Penhallow
family had an estate in Philliegh on the Roseland
peninsular in mid Cornwall but Penhallow has by and
large disappeared as a surname in Cornwall.
of Holla are a marriage in Madron in 1578 and a
Christening also in Madron of 1593. The first times the
name Hollow was used in a parish record was in the
1600s but it wasn’t common. Sometimes Holla and
Hollow were used in the same family. As time went on
the name Hollow was more frequently used. In the 1841
census in Cornwall there were 274 Hollow records and 22
Holla records, by the 1851 census there were 334 Hollow
records and only 4 Holla records, from one family in
Sancreed. In the 1861 census there were no Holla names
but there were seven records, one family, with the Hallo
name. When traced back this family had been recorded as
Distribution maps of the names Hollow, Hollows and Holloway in the 1881 Census.
I have never been happy with this explanation of the
name origin. Moors are defined as broad areas of open
land that are not good for farming. Moors are known all
over England but Hollow is a name that is very much a
Cornish name and more than that it is almost confined to
the pointy end of Cornwall, the West Penwith region.
This area does not have areas described as moors as far as
I am aware. The most well known moor in Cornwall is
Bodmin moor and it is not and never has been a Hollow
stronghold. The only Hollow residents have been inmates
of the Bodmin gaol.
A similar origin is given for the name Hollows but it is a
localized name too. Most Hollows were centred on
Lancashire and Yorkshire; it was not a common name of
Cornwall or any other county outside these two. It would
be logical, given the number of moors that the name
would be found in other counties. The name Holloway is
more widely used and it would seem that surname is more
likely to be associated with moors.
Another argument against this origin is that in the
beginning of Cornish records the name was recorded
mostly as Holla. In the subsidy rolls of 1549 and the
muster rolls of 1569 Holla is used, the first parish records
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
Hollow, Holla but had used Hallo or Hallow for some
time and seemed to favour Hallo. The name is still used
by the family; there are Hallo descendents in Australia
today.
My thought is that the surname Hollow is a
transformation of the surname Holla and that we should
concentrate on finding the origin of Holla. All the
explanations of Hollow coming from the old English
word "holh", meaning hollow or sunken and thus the
name for someone who lived in or by a "hollow" still
applies but why are we centred on Cornwall? This source
of a surname is what is called a topographical surname. eg
Hill, Wood, Downs, Ford.
My feeling is that it may be a locational name, i.e. a name
derived from a place name. Many British surnames derive
from the village or manor or property where people
worked or lived. The British National Archives has an
online catalogue and a search for “Holla” throws up
mostly people with that surname or the surname Hollas
but there are three records that indicate it was a place
name too. The first is a record from 1506, This record is
held by the Devon Heritage Centre. The record’s
description (in the text box adjacent) shows that this
Page 9
family derived rents from place called
orchard. This record is about
Grant of wardship and marriage. d. Johanna
Holla. The second record found at the
fifty to seventy years before the
Arundell, widow of Edmund Arundell, knight, and
Cornwall Records Office and dated
first muster, subsidy and parish
Elizabeth Radclyff' her daughter. Thomas Upcott.
1546, is the “Rent roll of Travanion
Wardship and marriage of John Wey son and heir of
records of a Holla and it is in
William
Wey,
who
held
the
lands
and
rents
of
Holla
property”. The Trevanions were an
Penzance.
and Underclyyff by grant of Edmund Arundell and
aristocratic family with extensive lands
held by knight service of the manor of Huwyssh.
If the name Holla is linked to a
Warranty against Edmund Arundell's executor. 2
in Cornwall. The roll consists of a list
property in the middle of
Tag seals, and signatures.
of nine manors each followed by a
Dated 9 January 1506
Cornwall how do we explain
names of properties that are part of the
the surname being used
manor. These would be farms or other rent generating
predominantly in the west of Cornwall?
properties. One Manor, Grogoth Manor in the centre of
A possible explanation could be that the Holla family or
Cornwall near Probus, has a list of twenty seven
families moved from one Trevanion holding to others.
properties belonging to it, one of which is Holla.
The Trevanion Manors are found over a wide area of
The third reference refers to the same place and is also
Cornwall. In the west they were found in the parishes of
held in the Cornwall Record Office. The record is from
St. Buryan, Ludgvan, Morvah, Sennen, Zennor, Gulval,
1677 and is a lease document of Trevanion lands, in St
and St. Just in Penwith are included in two of the
Michael Caerhays, Gorran, Veryan, Kenwyn all parishes in
Trevanion manors. These are the areas that the Holla and
the centre of Cornwall. Listed in this reference is ‘Holla
Hollow families predominately lived.
alias Lamellyn’. This apparent name change might explain
Of course the surname may have originated much earlier
why Holla is no longer to be found as a property in this
when the property called Holla was owned by the
district. There still is a Lamellyn Farmhouse near Probus.
Arundell family.
It is a grade II listed C17 and
C18 Farmhouse with C20
wing.
The three references to a
place called Holla are more
than likely the referring to the
same place. The Arundell and
the Trevanion families were
linked by marriage. Cornish
records in Devon are not
uncommon as the churches
were under control of the
Bishop of Exeter. Another
possible reason is that a
Trevanion was the bishop of
Exeter about this time. The
property known as Holla
would have existed before the
date of the 1506 record. It
could be that people from
that farm took the name
Holla when they needed a
surname.
The British Archives also contain the earliest record of a
person called Holla. In a record within the period 1486 to
1515 and another in the period 1493 to 1500 a John Holla
is mentioned in relation to the ownership of a messuage
in Penzance, Cornwall. A messuage is an archaic term
used in conveyancing, and refers to a dwelling house and
all the buildings attached or belonging to it, its garden and
The Hollow Log, Issue 45
The National Archives reference to
John Holla and his messuage in
Penzance in the late 1400s suggests he
could be the first of the Holla line,
perhaps granted a messuage for
services to the Trevanion family or to
the Arundell family, The Arundells
owned manors in the Penwith region,
the western tip of Cornwall. In
Hollow Log 41 the report of Chris
Hollow’s work showed there was a
distant link between the Holla and the
Arundell family in the 1700s.
There will have to be more done
before this theory of the origin of
Holla could be confidently embraced.
Researchers into surname origins are
more and more are questioning the
surname origins explanations that
have been included in references such
as Reany and Wilson’s A Dictionary of
English Surnames. A study by the researchers at the
University of Western England, Bristol is beginning to
revisit and reinterpret commonly held ideas of surname
origins. My next move is to contact this group and find
out if they have tackled the origins of the name Hollow. ♣
by Colin Hollow, maps by British Surname Atlas and GenMap
UK
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