Bernard Deacon's Blog, page 54

Why did Cornwall have 44 MPs?

Those were the days. Now Cornwall only has a feeble voice in the UK Parliament, represented by just six MPs. But before 1821 Cornwall enjoyed a representation more fitting its status, sending 44 MPs. With around 1.5% of the population it had 7-8% of parliamentary representatives. Why? In the 1500s Cornwall was not that exceptional. Continue reading Why did Cornwall have 44 MPs? →

An idiot’s guide to the life and death of Richard Trevithick

Books have been written about him, poems dedicated to him, statues erected in his honour, plaques affixed to significant buildings and locations in his life, university libraries named after him. He even has his own festival. Its time this blog offered its own stripped-down guide to the life of Richard Trevithick as this month sees Continue reading An idiots guide to the life and death of Richard Trevithick →

More Cornish surnames from placenames

The following three surnames all seem to have originated as the names of places. I say seem as in the case of the first, its difficult to pin down the actual place involved. Tingcombe looks very much like a placename. There is a Tincombe nature reserve near Saltash and also a Tincombe House at Topsham

The medieval monasteries of Cornwall

Its Easter Sunday. It seems appropriate therefore to write about something religious. The original Cornish monasteries were part of the Celtic church, but by the Norman period these were just memories, if that. Then, from 1100 to the mid-1200s, a great wave of monastic foundations burst across the British Isles. Cornwall received its share of Continue reading The medieval monasteries of Cornwall →

Cornish studies resources – an update

You are not alone. With more time on their hands than they know what to do with, people are inevitably seeking out new thrills on the internet. This phenomenon has even reached this website, with the number of visitors increasing by 40% over the past month. Who is now accessing Cornish studies resources and what Continue reading Cornish studies resources an update →

Cornish surname detection: three more lesser-found examples

The verb to swig is now associated with drinking. This has been suggested as the origin of the surname Swiggs, which could either be a nickname or an occupational name for someone who made drinking vessels. But thats all guesswork. What is less conjectural is its Cornish geography. The name, as Swigg, had emerged in

A poem in the Cornish language

And now for something completely different. In the current circumstances a small dose of poetry might lift our spirits a bit and remind us of another reality. But not just any old poetry; lets sample something written in the Cornish language. Tim Saunders is the most accomplished poet writing in Cornish. Tims most recent publication Continue reading A poem in the Cornish language →

Trematon Castle

The Normans arrived in Cornwall in 1070, around four years after seeing off the English at Hastings. Once here, they threw up a handful of their trademark castles, probably at first wooden structures on top of a raised piece of ground a motte overlooking an enclosed courtyard or bailey. The first two Continue reading Trematon Castle →

Three unexpected Cornish surnames

These three surnames dont look Cornish. Yet two thirds of Spriddles and Stidefords in the UK in the 1800s were found in Cornwall, while one third of the Stenlakes/Stanlakes were also Cornish, with most of the rest in Devon. Spriddle is suggested to be a nickname, from the words for a spirit or for a

Of blowing houses and tin smelters

If you wander through the highways and byways of Cornwall you may well come across the name Blowing House. Where does this come from? In former times houses were built to smelt tin, transforming tin ore, or black tin, containing other chemical elements such as oxygen or sulphur, into purer white tin. Stannary law stated Continue reading Of blowing houses and tin smelters →