Background

The Jelbert Society was a worldwide family history society founded by Brian Jelbert and Rob Wilson to co-ordinate genealogical research and provide a social network for members of the Jelbert/Jilbert/Jelbart families with roots in south west Cornwall, England.

The Society was founded in 1993 and by 1995 Brian had created his website at www.boswarva.demon.co.uk which included the dedicated Jelbert Society pages. Soon contact had been made with other enthusiastic J*lb*rts and by and by 1998 there were around 85 members in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada. The majority are recorded in the computerised database which has more than 4,500 entries.

Brian died in June 2005 and it seems that by this time people were drifting away. Karol, Brian's wife, tells me that even Brian had felt the Society had done everything it could and it had run it's course.

Probably the Societies activities were at their peak in the mid to late 1990's. In April 1995 a successful Society gathering was staged in Marazion, Cornwall. It was attended by over 100 people including members from New Zealand and the USA. Such was its success that another gathering was held on Easter Sunday 1998.

The Society Gatherings

(left to right) Roger Jelbart, Brian Jelbert and Ralph Jelbart at the 1998 'gathering' at Marazion, Cornwall.

Ralph Jelbart remained the Society Hon. Sec. and editor until it closed in 2005

Listen to Radio Cornwall's
report of the 1998 gathering.

Parish & Other Records

In general the parish records naming the J*lb*rt families date from the late 16th century but as they are incomplete, it is not possible to trace ancestries back beyond about 1600. The J*lb*rt name variations occur because literacy was not what it is today and travelling registrars, not conversant with local families, just wrote down what they thought they heard. No doubt a strong Cornish accent may also have been a factor.

The earliest J*lb*rt tree begins in the parish of Gulval, near Penzance, with the baptism of Joh'es (John) Jelb'rt on 15 November 1605. The burial of his father (Jacobus (James) Jelbarte) is also recorded in the same parish records on 26 February 1615/16.

Other trees begin in the parishes of Morvah, St Just, Zennor and Illogan but most of our members are descended from the Gulval/Madron/St Hilary and Morvah/St Buryan trees.

Brian also held a number of other records including extracts from the parish records and memorial inscriptions for the parishes in south west Cornwall, census return extracts for the years 1841-1891 and various wills, many of which have been transcribed.

Boswarva Carn

Boswarva Carn is about one mile north of the village of Madron in Cornwall and gave its name to the farm that was the home of William Jelbart (1677-1738). William was the ancestor of many of the Gulval, Madron and St Hiliary families.

In Conclusion

Brian was the last spark in the embers of the Jelbert Society and it appears that the Society has now run it's course . Brian's death and the subsequent closing of Brian's popular web site in May 2006, finalised matters. His family and I do not want to his work of thirty years to be forgotten and I have therefore created this page (which largely incorporates material from the original site) in his memory. There were many others who gave their time and effort and enthusiastically helped Brian with the Societies work. Allison Jilbert, Richard Jilbert, Ralph Jelbart and Ron Jelbart to name but four. No doubt the occasional Jelbert, Jilbert or Jelbart will come across this site and find the information below of immense value to them.