Cornwall's Hidden History Blog
For many years there have been stories about a large wild cat roaming the isolated moors in the centre of Cornwall and while most people have come to regard the Beast of Bodmin Moor as something of a joke, what if some of those sightings were actually real? I began looking into this story by […]
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A small granite cross stands entirely alone on an isolated slope of Bodmin Moor. Just three feet high somehow it manages to dominate the landscape, easily spotted by the few that might find themselves walking out there on this peaceful part of the moorland. But sadly this little cross doesn’t mark the site of some […]
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It may be a little off the beaten track but with breath-taking views across the Cornish countryside and a mysterious atmosphere Bury Castle near Cardinham is well worth seeking out. This castle has long been a forgotten treasure hidden in our landscape and the theory that it may be connected to the legends of King […]
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In the shadow of Rough Tor is an area of Bodmin Moor known as Crowdy Marsh. Today it is the site of a large reservoir but in the 19th century this was considered a dangerous place, an evil morass that trapped ponies, cattle and men on horseback. The writer J. W Malin called it ” […]
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“Once upon a time, as all good stories begin, St Nonna, the reputed mother of St David happened upon this pleasant place . . .” The Cornwall Village Book, Cornwall W.I., 1991 The moorland village of Altarnun nestles in a river valley. Idyllic, secluded and peaceful. The ancient church, often called ‘the cathedral of the […]
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Bodmin is one of the oldest settlements in Cornwall and the only Cornish town of any size to be mentioned in the Domesday Book. This ancient settlement is said to have been founded by two saints. The first, St Guron built a hermit’s cell in the valley sometime in the early 6th century and then […]
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The landscape of Bodmin Moor is full of reminders of our ancient ancestors. This now wild, rocky upland was once their home, their hunting ground and a source of grazing for their animals but it also held a profound spiritual importance for them. Bodmin Moor, it could be argued, was a place of worship. Alongside […]
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“The parish of Warleggan . . . is surrounded on the west, south and east by deep, wild woods whilst on the north it is closed in by the sentinel-like Carburrow tor.” J. W. Malim, 1936 The Warleggan river rises high on Bodmin Moor not far from Hawks Tor. As it tumbles towards the sea […]
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Let joys uncurb’d swell every soul, And let us own our extacy; For free from sorrow and controul, We’ll celebrate the Jubilee! JOhn Rogers, 1810 Just a short walk north of the moorland village of Blisland are the Pendrift Downs and here, part way up the gorse-covered slope, the walker will find an enormous boulder, […]
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“The sour and uninviting upland pastures” J.R.A. Hockin, 1939 It seems that some places by their very nature create their own mythology. The austere wildness of the vast tracts of Davidstow Moor have conceivably led to it being regarded by many as a dark and haunted landscape. However, a number of strange and unfortunate occurrences […]
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