Tag: Pascoe

Cornish cultural distinctiveness: surnames with an -ow suffix

In the 1800s some surnames found in Cornwall helped to reinforce the myth of a Mediterranean origin for the Cornish, as multiple examples of names ending in -o, -oe or -ow seemed to hint strongly at Spanish antecedents. This was a romantic assumption with appeal to visitors and natives alike and was reinforced by other … Continue reading Cornish cultural distinctiveness: surnames with an -ow suffix →

13. Pascoe

At number 13 in our list of the most common Cornish surnames in 1861 we meet a distinctively Cornish name. While the surnames covered so far were also found in England, almost two thirds (61%) of all Pascoes in 1881 were living in Cornwall. The name was a Cornish variant of Middle English and Norman-French … Continue reading 13. Pascoe →

Zennor: the end of the road

Back in September 2021 I rashly set out to write a blog on every parish in Cornwall as I worked to complete a database containing information on the life-courses of a sample of over 4,000 Cornish children born around 1850. Finally, with more than a sigh of relief, 243 blogs and over 100,000 words later, … Continue reading Zennor: the end of the road →

Mawnan’s emigrants – triggering cultural transformation

Mawnan is now famed for the gardens that flourish on the south-facing slopes running down to the Helford estuary, places such as Glendurgan, Trebah and Carwinion. These were founded in the 1800s, often by various members of the Fox family from nearby Falmouth who built their country houses in this verdant parish blessed by mild … Continue reading Mawnan’s emigrants – triggering cultural transformation →

The Falmouth ‘Mutiny’ of 1810

‘serious spirit of insubordination’ On October 24, 1810, customs officers boarded the two Falmouth packets Prince Adolphus and Duke of Marlborough, which were about to leave port for the Mediterranean and Lisbon. They broke open the chests of the seamen, confiscating any ‘private ventures’ that they discovered. Enraged, the two crews refused to put to … Continue reading The Falmouth ‘Mutiny’ of 1810 →