On a cold morning in early November 1820 in the small hamlet of Coppathorne in Poundstock parish in north Cornwall, my great-great-great grandfather Thomas Rodd might have been found getting ready to go out to his job labouring at a nearby farm. Thomas had been born to the east in the border parish of North … Continue reading Calamity at Coppathorne
Tag: mortality
Rumours of plague? Mortality crises in 16th century Cornwall
In May of 1591 deaths began to spiral at Redruth. That year saw burial numbers in the parish registers hit a figure nine times higher than the usual. Yet by Christmas the crisis was over and burials had reverted to their normal level. Sudden short mortality crises like that at Redruth suggest an airborne infection, … Continue reading Rumours of plague? Mortality crises in 16th century Cornwall
Cornish studies resources 