Bernard Deacon's Blog, page 49

The Cornish chough

The chough is a mysterious bird, in the sense that some of the information on it isn’t that reliable. The Daily Telegraph last week reported that there were now 12 breeding pairs of choughs in Cornwall, brought back by what it called ‘Operation Chough’. The chough, it went on, had been absent in Cornwall since … Continue reading The Cornish chough →

Bert Solomon: sporting hero

Sport is slowly coming back to life. There are even tentative plans to allow limited numbers of spectators to attend events. However, one sport still missing is rugby. As a winter game we wouldn’t normally be thinking of rugby at this time of the year. But as it’s Saturday and while we’re waiting to hear … Continue reading Bert Solomon: sporting hero →

Maps for the surnames Johns and Prowse

You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. John was the commonest first name for men in 16th century Cornwall. Remember, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.

The standing stones of Cornwall

Cornwall is known for its stones, which can conveniently be divided into three main types dating from three different periods. The first, and most active, period of erecting stones in the landscape was the early bronze age, from around 2,500 to 1,500 BCE. Menhirs (from the Cornish for long stone) were put up, either singly … Continue reading The standing stones of Cornwall →

How literate were our Victorian ancestors?

How many of our Victorian ancestors could read or write? Assessing levels of literacy in the past is no easy task. For a start, it’s likely that while people may not have been able to write, a skill they would rarely require, they could still read. Nonetheless, the ability to sign one’s name has been … Continue reading How literate were our Victorian ancestors? →

Maps for the surnames Morshead and Symons

You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. Symons is the main spelling form of all those surnames that derive from the original Symon. This was a popular biblical name in the middle ages. The Symons group of spellings in Cornwall accounted for 62% of Symons/Simmons/Semmens in the 1950s, a proportion unchanged …

Love it or hate it? Attitudes towards the revived Cornish language

A research article by Siarl Ferdinand published online last year provides some intriguing results of a survey into attitudes towards the revived Cornish language. The good news for the revivalists is that there was a broadly positive view of Cornish, with a majority of respondents declaring it was either ‘interesting’ or not being bothered either … Continue reading Love it or hate it? Attitudes towards the revived Cornish language →

Royalist victories but Cornish disaster: July 1643

In the war of the five nations in the 1640s we last saw the Cornish army triumphant at the Battle of Stamford Hill at Stratton. Filled with enthusiasm, the army of 3,000 foot soldiers and 800 horsemen, led by Sir Ralph Hopton, advanced across the Tamar. They made contact with the Royalist army of Prince … Continue reading Royalist victories but Cornish disaster: July 1643 →

Maps for the surnames Andrewartha and Hunkin

You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. In the meantime, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.

The East Wheal Rose mine disaster

On this day in 1846 39 lives were lost in one of Cornwall’s worst mining disasters. This occurred at East Wheal Rose, a silver-lead mine near the village of Newlyn East. At the time it was one of Cornwall’s most productive mines, employing 1,266 men, women and children. The account in the Royal Cornwall Gazette … Continue reading The East Wheal Rose mine disaster →