Following up on the blog earlier this week about Cornish surnames from afar, the case of Kendall warrants a moment’s consideration. This surname is assumed to be derived from Kendal in the Lake District, in the furthermost northern reaches of England. By the nineteenth century it was most commonly found in Cumbria - no surprise … Continue reading Transregional Cornish surnames: another example
Month: August 2021
Cornish surnames and long-distance migration
As we have seen before, surnames that originate in placenames can give us useful clues about the migration of people in the past. Contrary to popular myth, even in the medieval period there was considerable movement within the British Isles. In Cornwall, there are several surnames that are based on places to the east of … Continue reading Cornish surnames and long-distance migration
Spelling variants and Cornish surnames: Cliffs and Curnows
Let’s catch up on a couple of surname queries, both of which involve spelling variants. The first is the name Cliff. There is general agreement that this is a topographical name, one taken from a feature in the landscape. The classic surname dictionary by P.H.Reaney confidently proclaims that Cliff and Clift are both variants of … Continue reading Spelling variants and Cornish surnames: Cliffs and Curnows
Cornish studies resources 