Bernard Deacon's Blog, page 22

Mylor: Wales or New South Wales?

Nineteenth century Mylor on the west bank of the Fal estuary was a relatively diverse parish. Although there were no mines in the parish only about a quarter of the men were employed in farming, while a third earned their living directly or indirectly from the sea or the estuary, as mariners, fishermen, oyster dredgers … Continue reading Mylor: Wales or New South Wales? →

Mullion: the roundabout road to (and from) Camborne-Redruth

In 1861 the residents of Mullion on the Lizard peninsula would never have guessed that the parish would take its place as one of the epicentres of modernity in the coming century. It was from this parish that Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic radio messages in 1901/02, following this up by 30 years of research … Continue reading Mullion: the roundabout road to (and from) Camborne-Redruth →

Morwenstow: ‘what Cornish lads can do’ and did (and maids too)

Morwenstow has spectacularly dramatic coastal scenery framed by its high cliffs and is Cornwall’s most northerly parish. But it’s more likely to be remembered for its association with the Reverend Robert Stephen Hawker, its vicar from 1834 to 1875. Hawker was a somewhat eccentric character, a high church Romantic who was no mean poet, a … Continue reading Morwenstow: ‘what Cornish lads can do’ and did (and maids too) →

Morval: a servant, a sergeant and a smith

Morval can be easily confused with Morvah. Yet, although these two Cornish parishes may have differed by just one letter, they were about as far apart as it was possible to be and still both be in Cornwall. While Morvah was a mining parish in the west, Morval – in east Cornwall near Looe – … Continue reading Morval: a servant, a sergeant and a smith →

Morvah: the parish with no labourers

Morvah is easily overlooked. It’s one of Cornwall’s smallest parishes, hidden deep in West Penwith and comfortably tucked between St Just and Zennor. In the 1861 census Morvah unusually recorded only one labourer among its working age men. This was more a result of the very small holdings that needed little help beyond the immediate … Continue reading Morvah: the parish with no labourers →

Minster: coast, customers and Canada

Minster includes the northern side of the village of Boscastle within its boundaries. Now a tourist honey-pot, Boscastle was a quiet and remote village in 1861. Although the parish of Minster had 500 inhabitants in that year it only gives us three cases for the Victorian Lives database. The first, William Force (a spelling variant … Continue reading Minster: coast, customers and Canada →

Michaelstow: stay around or seek new ground? Contrasting lives from a farming community

Michaelstow is one of those often-overlooked farming parishes of north Cornwall, in this case situated just south of the small town of Camelford. In the 1800s its people got their living mainly from the farms of the parish, with little to interrupt the annual round of ploughing, sowing and harvesting as one year segued drowsily … Continue reading Michaelstow: stay around or seek new ground? Contrasting lives from a farming community →

Mevagissey: from Cornish fishing village to the city that never sleeps

Victorian Mevagissey has been described as a place ‘dependent on the sea’, with the majority of its men employed as fishermen, boatbuilders and mariners. If we include the whole parish rather than just the coastal settlement this is a slight exaggeration. In fact, almost a half of the parish’s adult men in 1861 found work … Continue reading Mevagissey: from Cornish fishing village to the city that never sleeps →

All change for Merther’s craftsmen

Merther was a small farming parish of fewer than 400 people in 1861; it’s just east of Truro and includes part of the village of Tresillian. However, none of the three Merther children of 1861 who made it into the Victorian Lives database came from a farming background. Instead, all three – two boys and … Continue reading All change for Merther’s craftsmen →

Menheniot: gateway to the world

Menheniot, to the south-east of Liskeard in east Cornwall, was a boom and bust parish of the mid-Victorian period. The population soared by almost 60 per cent in the 1840s before peaking in the early 1860s. It then fell by over a half in the next 30 years. People were attracted to the parish by … Continue reading Menheniot: gateway to the world →