Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly

By Annya Strydom

The name Cornwall comes from Cornovii, meaning hill dwellers, and Waelas, meaning strangers. The first Stone Age tools that were found here date to 4,500 BC. Near the town of Redruth the remains of a Stone Age settlement can still be seen. A shift in the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9780935161731

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Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly

Annya Strydom

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

Cornwall, England

Cornwall is a county in the southwest of England, a county very rich in history and with a mysterious past of smuggling and piracy along the dramatic rocky coastline. The coastline is stunning, the scenery beautiful. Surrounded by sea on three sides, Cornwall was an ideal location for smuggling around the 17th century. So many people were engaged in smuggling it almost became a normal industry. There were also over 300 vessels dealing with the trade, and many of the smaller fishing boats joined in. Cawsand is a lovely village amid some amazing natural scenery in the east. It was known locally as the smuggler’s village as it was very close to the large markets of Plymouth. Smuggling was more centered in the South though, as there were many inlets along the coast for the goods to be offloaded and even stored without being seen. There was a big demand for goods like tea, liquor and tobacco. As the fishing villages had very poor income they supplemented it with smuggled goods.

Getting to Cornwall

Air

Most travelers, unless they are in other parts of England, will arrive by air at Heathrow or Gatwick airports.

Trains

Heathrow has three underground stations connecting you to the capital; the travel time is under an hour and even if there is not a train waiting it will be only a few minutes wait until the next.

Once in London, Paddington is the gateway to the Southwest where you can catch the First Great Western trains down to Cornwall. In July and August one can go directly to Newquay in Cornwall; other months you will change at Plymouth. To be sure of train times and schedules down to the Southwest call [phone]

From Gatwick, the fastest way to get to the city is by the Gatwick Express which is a fast train running from the airport to Victoria London. http://www.gatwickexpress.com/

Coach

The National Express coach goes to Cornwall from Heathrow airport and from Victoria coach station. It also leaves from many other places all over the UK. To book your ticket there is an office at the airport and another one in Victoria coach station, or you can call [phone].

If arriving at Gatwick one can take a bus to the city. Gatwick is 28 miles out of the city. The Easy bus is 10 pounds one way, but if you know you will be arriving at Gatwick it is cheaper to book online at http://www.easybus.co.uk, or take  the National Express which operates a coach to the city every hour. The fare is pounds 13.80.

Car

Cornwall is easy to reach on the M4, M5 and M6 motorways and, once in Cornwall, take the A30, which goes all the way down to Penzance. To plan your route you can use to the AA route planner at this web site – http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp

Car rentals are available at both airports and from Victoria coach station, look for the well known ones like Budget, Hertz and Alamo.

Taxi

Of course London is famous for the London black cab, easily spotted all over London and reliable and  they now have an excellent web site at http://www.heathrowairportlondontaxis.co.uk/onlinebooking.html.

HISTORY

Stone Age

The first Stone Age tools that were found date back to 4,500 BC.  Near the town of Redruth the remains of a Stone Age settlement can still be seen. 

The name Cornwall comes from Cornovii, meaning hill dwellers, and Waelas, meaning strangers.  

A shift in the landscape across the land bridge from Europe brought the early settlers to Cornwall. There are several burial chambers throughout Cornwall from this period, one of them being at Lands End at a place called Clun Cromlech. During 2005, archaeologists raced to recover remains of Stone Age ruins and settlements before the road works machinery destroyed it. All over Cornwall there is evidence of ancient sites and settlements. It was in the New Stone Age or Neolithic period that settlements such as the one on Carn Brea started to be fortified and hedges were built to begin farming.

Bronze Age

Around 2,500 BC the traders brought bronze tools and gold ornaments to trade for tin and copper. The Bronze Age people were good organizers and lived in villages, practicing farming and metal work. On Bodmin moor several examples of Bronze Age villages have been excavated.

Celts

Around 1,000 BC a group of warrior-like people arrived from Europe and settled in Cornwall. They forged iron to make weapons and these people were called the Celts. They were the ancestors of today’s modern Cornwall. Near Penzance evidence can still be seen of low stone walls, fireplaces and their grinding stones. The Celtic villages were generally fortified and settlements were built high up on hills.

Romans

The Romans did not have very much to do with Cornwall, since when they landed in 55 BC there were no safe ports in that part of the country. Only a few Roman milestones have been found in Cornwall, two of which are close to St. Michael’s mount.

Middle Ages

After the Romans left Britain, Cornwall was under Saxon influence, but then, when the Norman conquest took place in 1066, Cornwall was given to the half-brother of William the Conqueror, whose name was Robert. Robert built a castle in Launceston to enforce his rule. Then, for the next few hundred years, Cornwall was ruled by the relatives of both the Norman and the Plantagenet kings. It was in the Middle Ages too that tin mining became important. This was not mentioned in the Doomsday Book, though, since the mining  rights were crown property.

Georgian & Victorian

In the 18th and 19th centuries the invention of the steam engine led to big advances for the mining industry in Cornwall. Men were now able to dig deeper and bring the ore up faster. It was a Cornishman by the name of Richard Trevithick who was instrumental in the development of the steam engine. He was quite an inventor and the son of a mine captain. He spent several years in South America and also at the mines in Peru. The mining in Cornwall was at a peak when suddenly, in the mid-19th century, copper and tin were found in abundance in other areas of Europe. That led to the end of Cornwall's mining success. Today the mines are closed and all that remains are the tall brick chimney stacks dotting the countryside and the ruins of the engine houses.

Modern Day

With the tin mining industry at a standstill, Cornwall has very little industry these days. There is some clay around the area of St. Austell and from the village of Charlestown you can see barges carrying the clay from the bay. Fishing also exists but it has also declined from what it used to be. Still, Cornwall does have a stunning coastline and countryside. This, along with many historical sites and years of ancient history, has made tourism the primary revenue source. New hotels, spas and bed and breakfasts have opened up. Tiny whitewashed cottages are available for rent. All of this, along with the best climate in Britain, makes Cornwall an ideal holiday destination.

THE CORNISH PEOPLE

Language

During medieval and early modern times Cornwall was recognized as a separate country and the Cornish people even had their own language .The language was a Celtic one similar to Welsh. As Cornwall was a natural fort surrounded on all but one side by ocean, the position of a separate country seemed natural. The people and the culture were different from the rest of England, the language spoken was Brythonic, Celtic. For many years it was a forgotten language but of late it has been reintroduced by some of the older Cornish folk and in 2002 it was officially recognized as an English minority language. In 2008 about 2,000 people were fluent in Cornish. It is an earthy language, very suited to the mining and fishing industries in the old days and even today the language is the natural inheritance of all Cornish people

There is a song that is sung at some rugby matches and in Cornish pubs called  Goin' up Camborne Hill, Comin' Down – a song about Richard Trevithick’s steam-driven road vehicle.

Here is the song in Cornish with English translation. As you can see, even the translation has strange spelling.

Dew  boz geno.                                    God be with you

Clothes

Women

Blouses

During the late 19th century women’s blouses were collarless and were often finished off with a neck band which was very narrow. The body of the blouse would fit close to the underclothes and often would be done up by a row of pearl buttons down the front. The sleeves were full at the top of the arm and many women rolled them up to the elbow. Colors were dark greys or browns and sometimes pale pastel colors were worn. The material was usually medium or lightweight cotton.

Skirts

The skirts had a flat front and often a gored back and most of the fullness was in the back. The waist was fastened with a hook or a button. Made of serge or flannel, they came to just above the ankle. They were often dark in color and seemed very thick and uninteresting compared to later fashions. If it was very cold several layers of thick cotton or flannel petticoats were worn underneath the skirt. White aprons were worn over the skirt for the working women. These aprons were very wide and would wrap around the entire skirt. Often they were made from flour sacks bleached white.

Hats

These were straw hats or shallow bonnets. Sometimes a hat called a gook was worn