Bernard Deacon's Blog, page 39

John of Cornwall and the prophecies of Merlin

In an age before surnames John of Cornwall was one of the first Cornish literary ‘greats’. A theologian, he studied in Paris before returning to Britain and teaching at Oxford. By 1197 he was archdeacon of Worcester but had been twice turned down for the post of bishop of St David’s in Wales. He was … Continue reading John of Cornwall and the prophecies of Merlin →

Cornish mining in the 1790s: truly world-beating

We hear a lot these days in the UK about ‘world-beating’ this or that, usually based on precious little evidence. If we want to find historical examples of genuinely world-beating enterprise, then look no further than late eighteenth-century Cornwall. It’s sometimes easy to forget how far one small district in Cornwall dominated eighteenth-century copper mining. … Continue reading Cornish mining in the 1790s: truly world-beating →

Hang ‘em high. Cornish executions

From 1735 to 1909 around 85 men and women (estimates vary a little) were executed in Cornwall after being found guilty of capital offences. In the eighteenth century, hangings took place at the two assize towns – Launceston and Bodmin. At Launceston the gibbet was set up either at the Castle Green or over the … Continue reading Hang ‘em high. Cornish executions →

Forenames and identity

St Peran didn’t just leave his name in the landscape. On occasion, the name Piran or Perran is bestowed on male babies. However, this isn’t some age-old tradition, surviving from the days of the saints. On the other hand, it’s not entirely novel either. The forename Perran was being used in Perranzabuloe in the 1600s …

St Piran in the landscape

Forget myths of millstones. In fact, little is known of any actual historical figure called Piran. (For some of the mythology and a few facts see here.) What we do know is that the cult of St Piran became popular in west Cornwall and also spread across the sea to Brittany. We can plot those … Continue reading St Piran in the landscape →

St Michael’s Mount

In 1792 James Boswell, on a trip to Cornwall, made the obligatory visit to St Michael’s Mount. He was less than impressed, complaining that ‘it is a disgusting nuisance to have a parcel of low, dirty people collected there’ (in the village at its foot), with ‘a vile smell of spoiled fish and garbage lying … Continue reading St Michael’s Mount →

Schooling in 1818

We heard a lot about home schooling recently, when the political pressure was on to return to face-to-face teaching as soon as possible. Yet compulsory schooling for children of five to ten years old was only introduced in the UK in 1880, extending to 12 year olds by 1899. Before that educational provision was a … Continue reading Schooling in 1818 →

Agricultural Cornish surnames

There are not many Farmers in Cornwall, while more generally the words peasant and smallholder did not give rise to surnames. Sometimes, the absence of these names is linked to their frequency in medieval times. If there were a lot of peasants then calling John or Joan ‘Peasant’ would be of little help in distinguishing …

Thomasine Bonaventure: the true story

Richard Carew was the first to record the story of Thomasine Bonaventure, a poor young shepherdess of Week St Mary in north Cornwall, who was carried off to London by a rich merchant who happened to be passing. He wrote that he ‘saw her, heeded her, liked her, begged her of her poor parents, and … Continue reading Thomasine Bonaventure: the true story →

Who was the real John Tregeagle?

On a particularly stormy night, when the wind howls down the chimney and the rain crashes against the windows, you might hear the spirit of John Tregeagle, wailing and raging as he roams the moors and cliffs or tries to complete various hopeless tasks. Folk tales about Tregeagle agree that he was summoned from the … Continue reading Who was the real John Tregeagle? →