Bernard Deacon's Blog, page 21

Migration from Mount’s Bay

The neighbouring parishes of Penzance and Paul were among Cornwall’s most populous in the Victorian period. That also means they provided more children for the Victorian Lives database, in fact a total of 133. Of those, just over three quarters (102) have been traced through to 1891 or their death. (Health warning: those of a … Continue reading Migration from Mount’s Bay →

Penzance’s ‘truly independent cordwainers’

Penzance was a diverse place, containing a variety of occupations. The largest occupational sector in the town was craftsmen, accounting for almost a half of the adult men. Indeed, this was the largest of any Cornish parish in 1861. Among them were shoemakers. The shoemakers of Penzance had been described in1845 as ‘the bravest of … Continue reading Penzance’s ‘truly independent cordwainers’ →

Pelynt: ‘we’ll cross the Tamar, land to land’

From the fisherfolk of Newlyn and Mousehole we head eastwards to the farmers and farm labourers of Pelynt. In the 1800s this parish may have seemed to have been quietly minding its own business cruising along in the backwaters of history. However, these years saw the reputation of its favourite son rapidly gather pace. For … Continue reading Pelynt: ‘we’ll cross the Tamar, land to land’ →

Newlyn: fish hawkers and octogenarians

In May 1871 the Great Exhibition opened its doors in London. The Crystal Palace constructed in Hyde Park was the wonder of its age, a giant greenhouse containing exhibits from around the globe as Victorians revelled in their technical wizardry and the bounties of free trade (and colonialism). Meanwhile, 256 miles away, an old lady … Continue reading Newlyn: fish hawkers and octogenarians →

Mousehole: a culture’s final resting place?

Mousehole, in Paul parish bordering the west side of Mount’s Bay, is now stuffed full of holiday cottages and second homes and more than half-dead in winter. It’s somehow fitting that this place could lay claim to be the location of the death of an entire culture. The claim is based on two bits of … Continue reading Mousehole: a culture’s final resting place? →

Padstow: saints but no sinners

Some have argued that Christianity first arrived in Cornwall in Roman times from Ireland (others prefer Gaul or the south east of Britain). Several ‘saints’ later venerated in Cornwall had connections with Ireland. One was Petroc, who was supposed to have studied in Ireland and who gave his name to Petrocstow, also known in Cornish … Continue reading Padstow: saints but no sinners →

North Tamerton: farmers and a pharmacist

Another day, another north Cornish border parish. To the north of North Petherwin, North Tamerton was also a farming parish. Indeed, all four of the Victorian Lives sample who were children there in 1861 were sons and daughters of farmers. Again, none of the four moved far. Philip Symons is a good example. Philip’s father, … Continue reading North Tamerton: farmers and a pharmacist →

North Petherwin: the theft of a parish

North Petherwin was stolen from Cornwall sometime in the eleventh century. The theft occurred despite both parishes being on the Cornish side of the Tamar, which Athelstan in the tenth century had determined would be the boundary between the English and Cornish. They weren’t returned to their rightful owners until 1966 and the perpetrators have … Continue reading North Petherwin: the theft of a parish →

North Hill and a successful footman

North Hill is a rural parish, its fields and woods rolling down off the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor to the valley of the River Lynher and beyond to the productive farmland east of it. Most of its settlements were scattered along the valley, including the churchtown and, to its north, the small hamlet of … Continue reading North Hill and a successful footman →

Newlyn East: Pennsylvania, Liverpool and Newquay

Known as Newlyn East to distinguish it from the town of Newlyn in the west, Newlyn East in mid-Cornwall was the centre of Cornish lead mining from the 1830s. Mines at Chiverton and East Wheal Rose dominated lead production until challenged by the lead mines of Menheniot in the 1850s. That said, there were as … Continue reading Newlyn East: Pennsylvania, Liverpool and Newquay →