A miner on the move

In 1862 a Parliamentary enquiry into the condition of metal miners interviewed several miners in Cornwall. Their life histories provide a fascinating insight into their moves from mine to mine. They indicate that miners moved frequently. One of the most extreme examples was an anonymous miner at St Cleer. Aged 36 in 1862, he had … Continue reading A miner on the move →

From Tripcony to Tripp

The other day a correspondent kindly supplied me with an intriguing hypothesis. The surname Tripp emerged in Cornwall very late, by my reckoning no earlier than the first half of the nineteenth century. Some, perhaps most, of those Tripps had changed their name from Tripcony. That name probably had its origin in the place now … Continue reading From Tripcony to Tripp →

Pondering on potatoes

There’s some potato harvesting going on nearby. A bit different from the 18th century however. Now heavily mechanised, then it would have been labour intensive, the fields full of people rather than a few lumbering tractors and their associated gizmos. Potato cultivation was widespread in Cornwall by the 1750s. An observer in the early 1800s … Continue reading Pondering on potatoes →

Addicoat, Angear and Beskeen

I had to make a hard decision when collating the entries for my The Surnames of Cornwall. Which names to include, which to leave out? Previous works on the subject had relied on the subjective choice of the author. Partly in order to justify my method to the disappointed, I decided to be more objective. … Continue reading Addicoat, Angear and Beskeen →

Proper Poldark

In the last few weeks over to Porthemmet they've been getting some excited by Poldark fever. Down the Cornish Arms, the only topic is how to say Poldark. Should the emphasis be placed on the first bit – 'POLdark? Or perhaps we should stress the second – Pol'DARK. As the argument rages to and fro … Continue reading Proper Poldark →