Category: maritime

Cornish craftsmen in the 1860s

Nowadays fewer than one in five of the labour force are engaged in actually making things, in the sense of taking some raw materials and turning them into something else. The rest of us, if we are what economists call ‘active’, are instead selling stuff to each other, meeting demand for healthcare, education or hedonism, … Continue reading Cornish craftsmen in the 1860s →

Those in peril on the sea: mariners in Victorian Cornwall

A region bordered on three sides by the sea might be expected to be home to a fair number of men described as mariners, seamen, sailors or Royal Navy personnel. In fact, in 1861 there were more of this description than there were fishermen, at least 2,514. ‘At least’ because we would expect a proportion … Continue reading Those in peril on the sea: mariners in Victorian Cornwall →

Finding fishermen in Victorian Cornwall

While the status of the miner on Cornwall’s coat of arms seems assured, warranted by their 30 per cent or so of the total workforce, that of fishermen is less secure. In contrast, the two per cent of the enumerated adult male labour force in 1861 who were described as fishermen suggests they were a … Continue reading Finding fishermen in Victorian Cornwall →

Falmouth: port and people

Falmouth was, and is, different, often cited as the atypical Cornish town. More than any other place in Cornwall, Falmouth’s horizons seem to look outwards rather than inwards. It emerged late, a new town of the seventeenth century nestling on the sheltered western side of the Fal estuary and quickly elbowing aside its older medieval … Continue reading Falmouth: port and people →

Population growth and gentrification, marine tourism and a 15th century social climber

Here's the final set of brief summaries providing links to recent reviews of academic literature on Cornwall. You're now (almost) up to speed. In an important article on contemporary Cornwall Joanie Willett shows how population growth and gentrification have failed to solve Cornwall's endemic socio-economic difficulties while exacerbating a growing housing crisis and fragmenting local … Continue reading Population growth and gentrification, marine tourism and a 15th century social climber →

From Tripcony to Tripp

Browsing back through the older posts on this site it struck me that some of them are well worth a further airing, albeit with some corrections and revisions if necessary. So, for those who may have missed them the first time around, I'll be re-posting some of those that catch my eye. Here's one that … Continue reading From Tripcony to Tripp →