Explanations for my next three rarer Cornish surnames are by no means clear-cut. Reep is a name found in Cornwall from at least the 1540s, with John Reep at Antony and Thomas Ryppe at St Germans, echoing the presence of the same name just across the Tamar in Devon. It’s claimed to be occupational, from … Continue reading Three tricky Cornish surnames
Hooray, hooray! It’s St Piran’s Day
The actual St Piran, if there ever was one, proves to be a bit elusive. The cult of Piran was venerated at Perranzabuloe in the eleventh century and spread to other sites at an early date. But the Life of Piran, written in the 1200s, was plagiarised from the Life of the Irish saint Ciaran, … Continue reading Hooray, hooray! It’s St Piran’s Day
The lifestyle of the Celtic saints
Around 140 separate Celtic saints were venerated in Cornwall. Later, it was assumed most of them came from elsewhere, from Wales, Brittany or Ireland, even though many were in fact probably native to Cornwall. As time passed, saints became the object of local folklore. In imagining the histories of their saints, the Cornish revealed how … Continue reading The lifestyle of the Celtic saints
It’s Celtic saints’ month
With St David’s Day tomorrow, St Piran’s on Thursday and St Patrick’s in a couple of weeks’ time, this has to be the month of the Celtic saints. To the greater glory of St Euny, my local saint, I shall be forced to devote the next three blogs to the subject. Stauined glass modern representation … Continue reading It’s Celtic saints’ month
A trio of Cornish surnames – from the transparent to the obscure
Polgrean is a Cornish placename meaning gravel pit. It’s hardly uncommon, cropping up in at least eight parishes from Ludgvan in the west to St Veep in the east. By 1861 Polgreans were confined largely to West Penwith, with just single Polgrean households at Falmouth and St Germans. But in the seventeenth century there were … Continue reading A trio of Cornish surnames – from the transparent to the obscure
Geevor tin mine: its rise and fall
It’s almost thirty years since the pumps were turned off at Geevor at Pendeen and the mine was allowed to flood. Now the site of the one of the best museums and heritage centres in Cornwall, Geevor Tin Mines Limited came into being in 1911. The area had been mined for centuries prior to this. … Continue reading Geevor tin mine: its rise and fall
Stormy weather: past, present and future
It’s been henting down recently, with a succession of weather fronts, heavy rain and consistently strong winds reaching gale force at times. On the one hand there’s nothing new in this, as the hundreds of wrecks around Cornwall’s coast testify. These brought welcome temporary relief to coastal communities if they could succeed in snaffling away … Continue reading Stormy weather: past, present and future
The Black Prince. ‘Our’ first Duke of Cornwall
In 1337 King Edward III upgraded the existing earldom of Cornwall and made it into a duchy. He also established the convention that it would henceforth belong to the eldest son of the monarch. The recipient in 1337 and first Duke of Cornwall was the seven-year old Edward of Woodstock. A romanticised image from the … Continue reading The Black Prince. ‘Our’ first Duke of Cornwall
Locative Cornish surnames with a hint of mystery
While all three of the following surnames have their origin in placenames, or at least we assume they do, all three contain an element of mystery. It’s been suggested that Penver, which looks immaculately Cornish, has its origin in Penmear or Penmeur, meaning a large hill-top. The only problem with this interpretation is that no-one … Continue reading Locative Cornish surnames with a hint of mystery
Resisting the workhouse: poor relief in nineteenth-century Cornwall
On 17th February 1837 a riot occurred at Camelford in north Cornwall. There were also reports of disturbances at Stratton, further north. These events were caused by the establishment in that year of Poor Law Unions, following the implementation of the New Poor Law of 1834. This reform transferred responsibility for poor relief from the … Continue reading Resisting the workhouse: poor relief in nineteenth-century Cornwall
Cornish studies resources 