Tag: Michell

8. Mitchell/Michell

It’s back to the top 20 Cornish surnames. Michael was a first name drawn from the Hebrew language and the Bible. But its vernacular form in the early 1500s was Michell, also spelt Mychell. Or, put another way, the learned form of the name Michell was Michael. When Michell also became a surname it was … Continue reading 8. Mitchell/Michell →

Gunwalloe: a church by the sea

In Gunwalloe on the Lizard the parish church is unusually close to the beach. The proximity of the sea hints at an overseas origin for the church’s patron, St Winwaloe. And so it was. Winwaloe was supposed to have been born in Brittany, where he founded the important abbey of Landevennec opposite Brest. The church … Continue reading Gunwalloe: a church by the sea →