Tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth in 1908 of Winston Grime, who adopted the pen-name of Winston Graham when he authored the Poldark saga. The first in a series of books - Ross Poldark - was published in 1945. That was followed by eleven more, most written in the 1970s and 80s, with the … Continue reading Poldark: an insider’s guide?
The martyrs of ’97 and the Cornish rising
That’s 1497 of course. On this day in that year the two leaders of the Cornish rising met their grisly end. Michael Angove, a blacksmith from St Keverne and Thomas Flamank, a Bodmin lawyer, were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in London. They suffered this fate for what they had considered was the perfectly … Continue reading The martyrs of ’97 and the Cornish rising
Maps for the surnames Callaway and Varcoe
You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. In the meantime, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
Liskeard’s great church bells controversy
In the mid-1860s a new vicar – the Reverend F.S.Cook – took up residence at Liskeard in east Cornwall. He was disturbed to find that it was a custom in the town to ring the church bells to announce any interesting event, such as local election victories or successful law suits. The vicar did not … Continue reading Liskeard’s great church bells controversy
Transhumance in Cornwall
These days we often hear the word transgender in the news. But what about transhumance? And why was it important to Cornwall? The dictionary definition of transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock from one grazing ground to another. Let’s go back around 1,300 years to the time when transhumance was widely operating in Cornwall. … Continue reading Transhumance in Cornwall
Maps for the surnames Rowe and Worden
You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. In the meantime, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
John Spargo; a forgotten Cornishman
John Spargo was born at Longdowns, a few miles north-west of Penryn, in 1876. He became a stonecutter, working at one of the quarries that had made the district the centre of the Cornish granite industry from the 1840s. He also became a Wesleyan Methodist lay preacher. So far, so typical. But the young John … Continue reading John Spargo; a forgotten Cornishman
Covid-19 and Cornwall: the facts
A lot of often conflicting nonsense has appeared on both social media and the ‘mainstream’ media about how far this virus is present in Cornwall or the number of cases and deaths. Let’s look at what we know. By the end of May the ONS had recorded 200 deaths in Cornwall where Covid-19 was cited … Continue reading Covid-19 and Cornwall: the facts
Maps for the surnames Guy and Ivey
Many thanks to the various readers who have requested information on surnames. Only four of the 18 requests received were not included in The Surnames of Cornwall. These four have now been covered in the last two surname blogs here and here. The other requests have not been forgotten. I will place a previously unpublished … Continue reading Maps for the surnames Guy and Ivey
The 1549 rising: the revised chronology
Early June is usually taken to be the anniversary of the time in 1549 when the Prayer Book rising began. According to the Government indictment of its leaders, a thousand men gathered on June 6th at Bodmin to protest against the new English Prayer Book to be used in church services. This predated the rising … Continue reading The 1549 rising: the revised chronology
Cornish studies resources 