Bernard Deacon's Blog, page 43

Three Cornish surnames from nicknames

Why exactly would someone in the 13th or 14th centuries be given a nickname from a type of fish? Yet this is one of the possible explanations provided for the origin of Basset, from bass. Possibly more credible is a derivation from Middle English or Old French bass, meaning low, short or humble. The name

Cornwall: England’s last refuge?

These days, it seems you cant scan the TV schedules without being confronted by programmes set in Cornwall. Just this week we have Rick Steins Cornish Christmas on BBC. On Channel 4 theres Newquay: 24/7 party people, while Channel 5 is showing Cornwalls most scenic railway journeys. Cornwall Air 999 can be found on Really, Continue reading Cornwall: Englands last refuge? →

The lost city of Langarrow or Langona

Even though the weather today in Cornwall is a bit breezy, the hail showers stinging the shoppers battling their way through the largely deserted town centres, its nothing compared to a storm that occurred many, many centuries ago. Davies Gilbert, in his History of Cornwall, relates a belief in the district of Perranporth that there Continue reading The lost city of Langarrow or Langona →

Three surnames in Cornwall from nicknames. Perhaps.

Of the three names below Bastard most obviously originated in a nickname. As might be expected, it was found over a wide area in the 1500s. Bariball probably developed from the name Barbarel, introduced by the Normans and present in the 1300s in Devon, where it’s been suggested it was from a nickname. Or did …

How the Cornish Carews lost their heads

Many will be aware of the name of Richard Carew of Antony, near Torpoint. He was the author of the Survey of Cornwall, published in 1602, the first such history written in the British Isles and a window onto life in Cornwall in the late 1500s. His son and grandsons are less well known but … Continue reading How the Cornish Carews lost their heads →

How short were the Cornish?

What was the height of the Cornish in times past? As an east Cornwall man born and bred, when I first moved to west Cornwall way back in the mid-1970s I was struck by the number of rather short men and women I saw. This may be merely anecdotal but there’s a persistent belief that … Continue reading How short were the Cornish? →

Unravelling a group of Cornish surnames

Several surnames are supposed to have derived from the first name Bartholomew. These include Bartle, a short form, and Bartlett, a double diminutive. Actually, the double diminutive seems to have established itself first, with several examples of Bartlett in the 1500s strongly implying two points of origin in south east Cornwall and north east of … Continue reading Unravelling a group of Cornish surnames →

Cornwall is ‘almost an island’

The visitor to Brittany cannot fail to notice the number of presque d’isles, or ‘almost islands’ dotted around its coasts. These are usually peninsulas jutting into the sea with only a narrow strip joining them to the land. We have no equivalent term in the English language but the whole of Cornwall could be viewed … Continue reading Cornwall is ‘almost an island’ →

A game fit only for barbarians

It’s the weekend, traditionally the time to play and watch sport, although at the moment watching is a mite more difficult than normal. Three hundred years ago the most watched sport in Cornwall would have been wrestling. The other sport associated with Cornwall was hurling. Here’s an extract from chapter 7 of my forthcoming Poldark’s … Continue reading A game fit only for barbarians →

More early Cornish surname geographies

Barkle in the 1500s was a mid-Cornwall surname. Look out for a coming map of the associated name Bartle in this same period. Or does the spelling Barkla suggest an origin in Barclay? Barnicoat was more widely spread, its geography perhaps suggesting a sea-borne route from its Devonian origins. Barrett was common across mid and …