Books have been written about him, poems dedicated to him, statues erected in his honour, plaques affixed to significant buildings and locations in his life, university libraries named after him. He even has his own festival. It’s time this blog offered its own stripped-down guide to the life of Richard Trevithick as this month sees … Continue reading An idiot’s guide to the life and death of Richard Trevithick
More Cornish surnames from placenames
The following three surnames all seem to have originated as the names of places. I say ‘seem’ as in the case of the first, it’s difficult to pin down the actual place involved. Tingcombe looks very much like a placename. There is a Tincombe nature reserve near Saltash and also a Tincombe House at Topsham … Continue reading More Cornish surnames from placenames
The medieval monasteries of Cornwall
It’s Easter Sunday. It seems appropriate therefore to write about something religious. The original Cornish monasteries were part of the Celtic church, but by the Norman period these were just memories, if that. Then, from 1100 to the mid-1200s, a great wave of monastic foundations burst across the British Isles. Cornwall received its share of … Continue reading The medieval monasteries of Cornwall
Cornish studies resources – an update
You are not alone. With more time on their hands than they know what to do with, people are inevitably seeking out new thrills on the internet. This phenomenon has even reached this website, with the number of visitors increasing by 40% over the past month. Who is now accessing Cornish studies resources and what … Continue reading Cornish studies resources – an update
Cornish surname detection: three more lesser-found examples
The verb ‘to swig’ is now associated with drinking. This has been suggested as the origin of the surname Swiggs, which could either be a nickname or an occupational name for someone who made drinking vessels. But that’s all guesswork. What is less conjectural is its Cornish geography. The name, as Swigg, had emerged in … Continue reading Cornish surname detection: three more lesser-found examples
A poem in the Cornish language
And now for something completely different. In the current circumstances a small dose of poetry might lift our spirits a bit and remind us of another reality. But not just any old poetry; let’s sample something written in the Cornish language. Tim Saunders is the most accomplished poet writing in Cornish. Tim’s most recent publication … Continue reading A poem in the Cornish language
Trematon Castle
The Normans arrived in Cornwall in 1070, around four years after seeing off the English at Hastings. Once here, they threw up a handful of their trademark castles, probably at first wooden structures on top of a raised piece of ground – a motte – overlooking an enclosed courtyard – or bailey. The first two … Continue reading Trematon Castle
Three unexpected Cornish surnames
These three surnames don’t look Cornish. Yet two thirds of Spriddles and Stidefords in the UK in the 1800s were found in Cornwall, while one third of the Stenlakes/Stanlakes were also Cornish, with most of the rest in Devon. Spriddle is suggested to be a nickname, from the words for a spirit or for a … Continue reading Three unexpected Cornish surnames
Of blowing houses and tin smelters
If you wander through the highways and byways of Cornwall you may well come across the name Blowing House. Where does this come from? In former times ‘houses’ were built to smelt tin, transforming tin ore, or ‘black tin’, containing other chemical elements such as oxygen or sulphur, into purer ‘white tin’. Stannary law stated … Continue reading Of blowing houses and tin smelters
The myth of Dumnonia
Although disagreeing on many other aspects, both kernowsceptic and kernocentric historians unite in accepting a kingdom of Dumnonia as a clear and obvious fact. Dumnonia appears as a fully functioning kingdom, replete with kings and courts and operating for some centuries after the ending of Roman rule around 410. Its existence is endlessly and uncritically … Continue reading The myth of Dumnonia
Cornish studies resources 